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Product Description
Product Description
Ian Jeffrey is a superb guide in this profusely illustrated introduction to the appreciation of photography as an art form. Novices and experts alike will gain a deeper understanding of great photographers and their work, as Jeffrey decodes key images and provides essential biographical and historical background. Profiles of more than 100 major photographers, including Alfred Stieglitz, Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, highlight particular examples of styles and movements throughout the history of the medium. Each entry includes a concise biography along with an illuminating discussion of key works and nuggets of contextual information.
How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers is the third book in Abrams successful series that includes How to Read a Painting and How to Read a Modern Painting.
About the Author
Ian Jeffrey has written several books about photography, most notably the photography volume for Thames & Hudson’s “World of Art” series and Phaidon’s Photo Book. He lives in Coddenham, England. Max Kozloff is a prolific writer and photography critic. Formerly the editor of Artforum, he has taught numerous photography courses, and written many books including The Theater of Face and The Sadness of Men.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat misleading title,
By
This review is from: How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers (Paperback)
One problem I have with this history of photography book is that I can't really figure out who the intended reader is. It certainly isn't me, an outsider trying to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of photography as an art form. The entries on each photographer are much too short, biographical, and interpretive (rather than descriptive, or analytic) to help the neophyte enter the complex world of modern art photography. At the same time, the book is nothing more than a cursory overview of important photographers that the connoisseur, or scholar of photography, will already be familiar with. So it's not going to be a valuable addition to their book shelf either.Another problem I have is of course the title. We have come to expect certain things of books with titles beginning with 'How to.' Whatever the discipline, art, or craft the 'how to' book deals with, we expect to be given advice, tips and tricks, or an entry point, an accessible way to approach the subject. This book offers none of these things. Instead of advice on how to read photographs, the author simply offers his own readings of selected photographs. Very often these readings/interpretations are quite speculative, and seem to rely on his own extensive knowledge and understanding of the artists and periods he talks about, a prior knowledge that most readers will simply not have access to. This of course is symptomatic of the readership problem I noted above. If the book is intended for art photography buffs, why the misleading title that offers to teach how to do something? If the book is meant for neophytes, why the cryptic interpretations and lack of basic information to help ground the reader? The subtitle 'lessons from master photographers' only adds to the aggravation. The book does not offer any 'lesson'. As a history book, it does offer some interesting historical perspectives, but there is little else to gain in terms of learning from that book. You certainly won't learn any lessons. Basically, what you get: short bios of over 60 photographers from the 19th century to roughly the 1960s/70s. A few good quality photographs for each entry, though they are not always the best known photographs. Short interpretive texts that suggest meanings behind photographs, based mostly on the socio-cultural context in which the photographs were produced. No hint as to what makes any of these photographs aesthetically pleasing, or even artful for that matter. I gave it three stars because I enjoy looking at photos from the modern period, and it's got a lot of those.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical appreciation,
By
This review is from: How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers (Paperback)
Ian Jeffrey explores the work of sixty-nine of the world's greatest photographers with some thought provoking text about their work. The pages are arranged in a vague history of the medium starting with Fox Talbot and four of his photos over four pages. Some names get more depending on how big their creative contributions were, for instance: Lee Friedlander six; Kertesz and Paul Strand eight; Ben Shahn, Bill Brandt, Cartier-Bresson and Tomatsu Shomei ten; Walker Evans fourteen.The two great wars in the last century conveniently split the photographers into three sections with a further division created by the FSA photojournalists, who get a wonderful forty pages. Apart from Europeans and Americans the only others who get a look in are three from Japan. Everyone gets a biography, an analysis of their printed photographs (one to a page) and additional text with a deeper interpretation of the themes in each photographer's work. I think these additional words are one of the strengths of the book. Jeffrey makes you think about the photos in front of you with suggestions which go further than just looking at the composition and texture. `How to read' in the book's title should maybe have been `How to appreciate'. The 384 photos are well printed (300dpi) on good paper with a simple elegant layout though I found it slightly annoying that the second photo on each spread was too small, usually about a quarter of the size of the main image. There is an index and a bibliography. This listing would have worked better if it was placed with the relevant photographer's entry. I expect everyone will have a favorite who isn't included (Weegee for me) but overall I thought this was a stimulating overview of photography and the relatively small number of people who created a very accessible art form.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical appreciation,
By Robin Benson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers (Paperback)
Ian Jeffrey explores the work of sixty-nine of the world's greatest photographers with some thought provoking text about their work. The pages are arranged in a vague history of the medium starting with Fox Talbot and four of his photos over four pages. Some names have more depending on how big their creative contributions were, for instance: Lee Friedlander gets six pages; Kertesz and Paul Strand eight; Ben Shahn, Bill Brandt, Cartier-Bresson and Tomatsu Shomei ten; Walker Evans fourteen.The two great wars in the last century conveniently split the photographers into three sections with a further division created by the FSA photojournalists, who get a wonderful forty pages and thirty-eight photos. Apart from Europeans and Americans the only others who get a look in are three from Japan. Everyone gets a biography, an analysis of their printed photographs (one to a page) and additional text with a deeper interpretation of the themes in each photographer's work. I think these additional words are one of the strengths of the book. Jeffrey makes you think about the photos in front of you with suggestions which go further than just looking at the composition and texture. 'How to read' in the book's title should maybe have been 'How to appreciate'. The 384 photos are well printed (300dpi) on good paper with a simple elegant layout though I found it slightly annoying that the second photo on each spread was too small, usually about a quarter of the size of the main image. There is an index and a bibliography. This listing would have worked better if it was placed with the relevant photographer's entry. I expect everyone will have a favorite who isn't included (Weegee for me) but overall I thought this was a stimulating overview of photography and the relatively small number of people who created a very accessible art form. ***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover. 11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Reading" photographs,
By Edwin A. Matzner "Edwin M" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers (Paperback)
Very good book, but really about the history of photography, with examples of work for each major artist. Not really about "reading" an image.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
title is wrong,
By Stephen Pellerine - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers (Paperback)
The title is wrong, but the book is brilliant.It, as other reviews have pointed out, the works and contributions of many rewound photographers that have attributed something to the field of photography - either technically or genre wise. The book is a 5 star for the review it does. It is a 4 star (perhaps 3) based on the title. So, if you want to read and learn about the works of the real contributors of images - this is an excellent book. I personally love it - and recommend it. I am just cautioning you about the title. As a photographer I think this is one of my favorites on the shelf. Well worth it, a reference more than a read - but a very thorough one. |
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