Bibliography

The Photograph - Graham Clarke
The book has fascinating illustrations and introduced the work of the major photographers of 19th and 20th centuries.
I picked up less from the accompanying text:
- Many of the comments seemed self evident e.g. images of attractive individuals have most success for commercial purposes.
- The analysis seemed rather narrowly focussed on what appeared to be "aesthetic" qualities and artistic theories, to the exclusion of functional qualities e.g. the image sold newspapers and magazines. I was surprised that there was no mention of National Geographic Magazine which I assumed has been an influence on Landscape and Cityscape subjects amongst US photographers.
- the artistic analysis was often unfulfilled e.g. there were several topics where "no general trend or theme is identifiable".
I found the most enlightenment photographically in the last chapter "Cabinet of Curiosities". The explanations by Henri Cartier Bresson and Garry Winogrand of their approach to subjects became far clearer to me than it did before.
(Noted in Blog 27 December 2009)
The Photographers Eye - John Szarkowski
This book was quite a surprise initially due to the short text introduction, and then photographs with no further comment. The analysis in the introduction however conveys some key points in a very economic way on the distinctions between photography and painted images. These ideas are illustrated graphically by the selection of photographs.
The book was published before the era of digital photography. The ability to easily manipulate photographs for anyone with suitable software will potentially weaken the perception that a photograph portrays reality. My feeling is that for the moment, most photographs are accepted as reality despite the fact that almost all commercial and magazine images will have been manipulated quite significantly. Currently, I prefer pictures which are substantially as seen through the lens. Some of the more dramatic images produced using HDR and similar techniques seem unworldly and unreal.
(Noted in Blog 18 February 2010)
Curves of Grey - Paul Gallagher
I unexpectedly had the opportunity to look at a book of monochrome landscape photography after a friend visited the exhibition "Curves of Grey" by Paul Gallagher at the OXO Building in London. She was so impressed that she bought the book and lent it to me.
"Curves of Grey" is a collection of beachscapes, rivers, lochs, woods and trees mainly in Scotland and other relatively wild areas of UK. I understand from information on his website that the book and exhibition are a selection of his black and white landscape photographs taken over a number of years, often with large format equipment.
The points of interest I noted from studying these photographs (in the order in which I noted them down) were as follows.
  • The book is in vertical format and the majority of the photographs are in vertical frames. A relatively small proportion were in horizontal frames and of necessity these are printed smaller. I cannot tell whether the vertical format was chosen because most of the photographs were vertical, or whether the shape of the book led the editor/designer to select predominantly photos in this format. I had previously thought that a horizontal frame was more "natural" for landscape subjects. In a number of his photographs the vertical frame seems to accentuate the sense of depth as the viewers eye is drawn from the foreground to the distant background of the pictures.
  • The photographs appear to have been taken in a variety of lighting conditions. A few have shadows and highlights that suggest they were taken when the sun was low on the horizon. Many have been taken in relatively flat lighting conditions.
  • I did not find any sunsets (not surprisingly). Furthermore, the photographs seem to have been taken in the clearest of weather conditions. Distant hills were only slightly affected by haze and there were no mist or snow scenes that I noted.
  • He appears to adjust the tones of the features in the landscape in a very controlled manner. To me, this has the effect of adding a subtle glow to the photographs which is striking but does not disturb the veracity of the image for the viewer. For example areas of vegetation are sometimes lighter than I would have imagined they might have been originally. I did not have the impression that the photographer had used infra-red photography and I believe that the adjustments were made by dodging and burning methods to specific areas. He may also have used coloured filters.
  • I tried to judge what type of lens was used for the photographs either "wide angle" or "standard/telephoto" and found a roughly 50:50 split. Again, this was a slight surprise as I had previously assumed that landscape photographers would tend to use a wide angle more commonly than a narrower angle of view. I saw no photographs which I thought had used an ultra wide angle or photo-stitching techniques.
  • As might be expected from a photographer of his calibre, sky was only included in the frame where this contributed to the composition.
  • I have heard somewhere that some photographers use zones of tone or texture to achieve a balanced and interesting composition. This could be the case of some of the pictures in this book. For example, in the photograph of Formby on page 57, foreground areas of dark sand ripples with highlights give way to dark pool of water that stretches back to a line of reflected light from the sky just in front of a dark sandbank. Behind the sandbank, which is just below the middle of the frame, is an area of light sky (as if it was late afternoon), above which there is a band of grey clouds reaching to the top of the frame. The variation in tones and textures seems to draw theviewer around the frame looking for clues and details to visualize the physical reality.
Even though the photography in this book has not much relevance for the Assignment on Colour that I am currently working on, this may be potentially be valuable for the subsequent topic of light. I have not in recent years taken many landscape photographs, but having seen this book, it would certainly inspire me to sign up for one of his workshops.
(Noted in Blog 24th June 2010)
Vision - The Art of Adventure Photography by Galen Rowell
This is a book that I bought and read almost fifteen years ago (the paperback version that I have was published in 1995). Living at that time in a large and congested city, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, I especially valued weekend trips away along the coast or up into the mountains. There were plenty of fascinating places and people to photograph and each trip was a small adventure into the unknown. It was in this context that Galen Rowell's photography particularly appealed to me.
The most important idea that I gleaned from this book at that time was that it is essential to move around to find the most appropriate viewpoint for a subject. Second, the importance of using the morning and afternoon light. One of his comments that I picked out this time is "Zealots get things done - need to accept discomfort to get the best photos."
I have been reading this book again over the past few months. It is a collection of magazine articles and essays on four themes, which I have summarized as:
- the importance of vision, truth and style in photography
- techniques relating to equipment, film, work flow etc.
- ethics and issues that arise for a photographer working in far flung places
- photography as a means to influence public opinion
The section on use of equipment and film available in the 90's is of limited interest as a result of digital technology. The other articles remain interesting today, and the photographs are fabulous, even in the paperback version of the book.
In the context of my current position as a student on The Art of Photography course the points of interest that I noted from the book are as follows (not in any particular order):-
  • A large number of the photographs are landscapes, but I was surprised to find that in many of these, he used people (less often animals or trees) in the foreground to create a sense of scale.
  • He was adept at using colour and form to create drama in his photographs, for example twilight skies, alpenglow on high peaks, silhouettes.
  • On exposure, expose for the most important highlight (my italics)
  • His minimum equipment for mobility were: 24 mm prime lens, 85 mm prime lens, graduated neutral density filters, flash, light but strong tripod. (This maybe explains why my 18-70mm zoom lens is the one that I use the most when out and about.)
Several of the articles deal with some nature photographers' dilemmas:
  • By photographing a natural place, a photographer may be encouraging further destruction of the wilderness. On the other hand, without communication, no-one may care whether a natural place is ruined.
  • Should the photographer be strictly an impartial observer or should he participate?
  • What is good practice regarding "truth" of photography and "manipulated" photographs.
In relation to borderline between "Nature" and manipulated photography, Galen refers to an editorial classification for photojournalism:-
  • "Manipulated" - cannot be used for photojournalism e.g. cloning something out of a photograph. (I read that even cloning out a foot not essential to a scene disqualified a photograph from a press award recently)
  • "Contrived" - manipulation of setting e.g re-staging of real event
  • "Controlled" - undisturbed setting, but photographer influences the scene e.g. "hold that pose"
  • "Found" - record of the scene as it would have been without the photographers presence
The "Found" classification is a similar standard to that which should apply to Nature Photography. Galen goes on to suggest refining this "Found" category to distinguish the quality of the artistic input of the photographer:-
  • "Snapped" - technically good photograph but no forethought
  • "Pre-visualized" - conscious composition of scenic photograph as found
  • "Pre-conceptualized" - active intention to capture a "found" scene in a particular way e.g. to return in a different light
  • "Created" - image visualized and then location researched and found.
I do not feel that this classification has much practical use. Nevertheless I was interested as this analysis might describe the steps required to successfully complete the Art of Photography course.
At the start most of my photographs would fall within the "Snapped" group.
Half way through the course, I am much more conscious of trying to achieve an interesting composition of contrast, form and colour - "Previsualized".
By the end of the course, I will hopefully have gained some ability to "pre-conceptualize" or even "create" a photograph of a natural scene, a person, or an event.
On a different subject, I think that, subconsciously, this sort of analysis underlies my lack of desire and distaste for photography of captive animals. The images taken by some members of my local photography club at such places are stunning. I love photographs of natural creatures, but I feel that a distant photograph of a bird or animal in its natural habitat is far more valuable than a photogenic close up of a captive animal. My concern is that if photographers and viewers become overly accustomed to the detailed photographs of captive animals, pictures taken in a natural habitat which lack the equivalent lighting and detail become devalued and appear to be second rate.
(Noted in Blog 1 August 2010)

Yangtze - The Long River by Nadav Kander

This book was Xmas present which seemed particularly appropriate as a subject for study for this part of the course. Nadav Kander was awarded the Prix Pictet for this project, which is a prize for Photography and Sustainability.
He travelled from the mouth of the Yangtze, which is near Shanghai up to the source in the vicinity of Tibet over a period of three years from 2006 to 2009 with the aim of charting the consequences of China's economic development. The environmental effect of development on the water quality, environment and the natural terrain have been significant. In the introduction, Kofi Annan former Director General of UN noted the paradox between the beauty of the photographs and the scenes of damage done.
In the artist's notes included at the back of the book, he notes that he had no intention of making a documentary, but his photography was influenced by what he perceived as the mistakes of humanity and the helplessness of individuals.
The foreword, written by Jean-Paul Tchang, gives some background on the significance of the river both in symbolic terms as well as cultural history. Symbolically, the immensity of the river has conveyed a sense of melancholy - the inexorable flow of water and time. Historically, the river represents both happiness and tragedy - a supply of plentiful water for irrigating agricultural land, but also a history of devastating floods and a succession of bloody battles for political control. He makes a point that the ephemeral nature of the photograph is particularly suitable as a means of evoking a sense of loss and nostalgia for what is no more.
A small selection of the photographs are shown on Prix Pictet website and a larger selection on the artists website.
Observations
There are 76 photographs in the book, grouped into four sections of the river moving progressively from "The Mouth", passing through "Upstream", "The Flooding" until the final section of "The Upper Reaches". The photographs are displayed one to a page on a white background, with just the title and an image number on the opposite page. The titles state little more than the location. The viewer is accordingly left to discover the pictures purely on their visual content. At the back of the book, the artist provides brief notes on each picture and the circumstances in which some of these were taken.
The photographs are all in horizontal format and in colour. What is notable however from early on in the sequence is the lack of bright colours. Bright colour is used sparingly in just a few photographs e.g. a line of turquoise blue trucks lined up (photograph 13 in the book), orange uniforms drying on the balconies of an apartment block (photograph 8 in the book).
In most of the photographs, the sky, the ground and river are "muddy" colours. Furthermore, the atmospheric visibility is extremely poor which means that the horizon and background are mostly hidden by the murky light.
Looking at the non-advertising work shown on the artists website, the main themes of his work would seem to be portraits (especially faces and hands), photographs of people and interiors, and some landscape projects. He seems to make the use of muted colours a feature of many of these photographs with bluish skin colours in several portraits. His portfolio of photographs of desert scenes in Jordan are also unusual in the absence of bright skies which are characteristic of desert areas. The Jordanian sky seems to take on the earth colours of the sand and rocks. It left me with a small doubt to what extent the consistent foggy atmosphere shown in the Yangtze photographs was a result of selection by the artist in compiling the portfolio.
Many of the photographs include people or indications of their existence. They are almost always small figures underneath vast skies or huge manmade structures. The artist notes that he was influenced by the scenery to stand back from figures to portray their helpless position as individuals.
Except for the upper reaches of the river, he is often photographing the drabness and ugliness of construction sites, during the demolition and building phases. There are just a couple of photographs where areas of agriculture are included, and these are clearly being encroached by construction work. In the upper reaches of the river, he does find some vegetation, but the plants appear brown and there is a sense of decay. The relatively low level of inhabitants in the upper reaches of the river means that he does find some open spaces. However, the barren terrain means that there is virtually no vegetation. Human development is nevertheless visible even in these remote regions.
There are a number of photographs which are highly ironic: a derelict "monument to progress and prosperity", a broad unpaved street with unattractive shop houses down both sides is the supposed location of "Shangri La". This may reflect the humour used in some of his advertising work.
Conclusion
The portfolio of photographs in this book create a disturbing feeling of depression in the future of humanity.
The fact that this project won the Prix Pictet should indicate that the view portrayed is reasonably accurate of the situation in China at that time. It would be interesting to see the work of other photographers at some of these locations today to see whether the photographs in this book are a picture of a transitional situation, which by now has some positive aspects. Maybe I just find it difficult to accept such a dark view of development in China.
There are many things to learn from this prize winning portfolio of photographs in relation to communicating a message through photography. 
(Noted in blog 29 January 2011)

The Elements of Colour - Johannes Itten

This book was recommended by my TAOP tutor as I mentioned that I found some aspects of the topic of colour somewhat confusing. I found the book both useful and interesting, in that it explains in rather more detail than the course notes the use of colour in pictures. There is a lot here of interest for photographers, even though the book is directed mainly at painters.
Some of the main points that I picked up from the book are listed below.
1. I was interested in his observations of the effects of juxtaposition of bright colours on perception. This accounts for the photographic impact of certain colour combinations which are not complementary pairs, e.g. red on black, blue on white, yellow on blue.
2. His explanation that contrast of hues is virtually lost for diluted or darkened colours was something I had not considered.
3. The distinction he makes between "corporeal" colours (e.g. printed photographs) and "prismatic" colours (e.g. projected images) clarified for me the reason for the two colour wheels in the TAOP notes.
4. The theory that pairs or larger groups of colours are harmonious if they would produce grey if mixed together seems to be based on empirical observation. His observation that such juxtapositions maximize the vibrancy of each of the colours I can understand. One of the points that confused me during the colour section of TAOP was that I did not find complementary colours particularly "harmonious". I did not find violet and yellow more "harmonious" than blue and yellow. Indeed, the author makes the point that contrast of hues increases the further away around the colour circle that two hues are located. This makes more sense to me than saying complementary colours are "harmonious".
5. I read with some scepticism his comments on Form and Colour, which suggested that certain simple shapes in pictures convey impressions which are similar to the effect of colours. Hence, use of a corresponding colour and shape in an image can strengthen an impression. for example, painting a square shape bright red enhances the expression of its stability/groundedness.
6. His observations on colour expression were interesting, and seemed to ring true even though these were very subjective. I assume that the advertising industry has developed such ideas considerably since the publication of this book. 
(Noted in blog 2 August 2011)