Synopses & Reviews
Alain Briot states that, "The personality of the photographer must be present in the image for an artistic photograph to have value." And in this book he sets out to teach the things that are essential in achieving this goal.
Following his successful first book, Mastering Landscape Photography, Briot goes beyond the conventional rules of composition and takes on a fresh, new approach to teaching the art of photography. Based upon his personal experiences as an artist, teacher, and photographer, he opens new doors to the reader-doors leading to new ways of seeing and composing images.
Briot approaches fine art photography as being a combination of art and technique. In this new book he addresses both of these by presenting artistic and technical information. On the artistic side, Briot introduces artistic concepts that have been rarely, if ever, associated with photography. On the technical side, he presents numerous tools that can help you learn how to create better photographs and provides technical solutions to common photographic problems.
The author practices photography as a fine art. What matters most to him is how photography can be used to express feelings and emotions. For Briot, a good photograph must be both artistically inspired and technically excellent. To have just one of these two elements is not enough for a fine art photograph to be successful.
Topics include: - How to compose with color, with black and white, and with light - Why you need to consider your audience while composing a photograph - Recreate the emotions you felt when you captured your photographs - How the elements of color-hue, contrast, and saturation-work in your images - How to control the elements that have a visual effect in your photographs - How to draw upon your personal way of seeing and then share your vision - How to diagnose image maladies and apply the proper remedies - How to define a color palette for a specific photograph - How to use compositional elements to develop a personal style
Forweword by Tony Sweet
Synopsis
This is a newly revised edition of the classic book The Art of Photography (first published in 1994), which has often been described as the most readable, understandable, and comprehensive textbook on photography. In his accessible style, Barnbaum presents how-to techniques for both traditional and digital approaches. Yet he goes well beyond the technical as he delves deeply into the philosophical, expressive, and creative aspects of photography. This book is geared toward every level of photographer who seeks to make a personal statement through their chosen medium.
Bruce Barnbaum is recognized as one of the worlds finest photographers as well as an elite instructor. This newest incarnation of his book, which has evolved over the past 35 years, will prove to be an invaluable photographic reference for years to come. This is truly the resource of choice for the thinking photographer.
Filled with over 100 beautiful photographs, as well as numerous charts, graphs, and tables.
Synopsis
Following his successful first book, "Mastering Landscape Photography," Briot goes beyond the conventional rules of composition and takes on a fresh, new approach to teaching the art of photography.
About the Author
Bruce Barnbaum, of Granite Falls, WA, entered photography as a hobbyist in the 1960s, and after four decades, it is still his hobby. It has also been his life's work for the past 30 years.
Bruce's educational background includes Bachelor's and Master's degrees in mathematics from UCLA. After working for several years as a mathematical analyst and computer programmer for missile guidance systems, he abruptly left the field and turned to photography.
Bruce has authored several books, some of which have become classics. The Art of Photography was first published in 1994 and remained in print until 2007. Bruce has been self-publishing the book ever since, but with limited distribution (until now).
Bruce is a frequent contributor to several photography magazines. His series "The Master Printing Class" is featured in each issue of Photo Techniques, and his articles are published regularly in LensWork. Through his workshops, articles, lectures, books, and innovative photography, Bruce has become a well-known and highly-respected photographer, educator, and pioneer.
Bruce is recognized as one of the finest darkroom printers on this planet, both for his exceptional black and white work, as well as for his color imagery. He understands light to an extent rarely found, and combines this understanding with a mastery of composition, applying his knowledge to an extraordinarily wide range of subject matter. His work is represented by more than ten galleries throughout the United States and Canada, and is in the collections of museums and private collectors worldwide.
Bruce has been an active environmental advocate for more than three decades, both independently and through his involvement and leadership with organizations such as the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, the Stillaguamish Citizens' Alliance, 1000 Friends of Washington, and the North Cascades Conservation Council.
Table of Contents
; Acknowledgements; Chapter 1: Communication Through Photography; 1.1 Enthusiasm; 1.2 Judging Your Own Personal Response; Chapter 2: What is Composition?; 2.1 How the Human Eye Sees; 2.2 Unified Thought; 2.3 Simplicity; 2.4 Expressing Your Own Point of View; 2.5 Simplicity vs. Complexity; Chapter 3: Elements of Composition; 3.1 Contrast and Tone; 3.2 Line; 3.3 Form; 3.4 Line, Form, Contrast, and Emotion; 3.5 Pattern; 3.6 Balance; 3.7 Movement; 3.8 Positive/Negative Space; 3.9 Texture; 3.10 Camera Position; 3.11 Focal Length of Lens and Cropping; 3.12 Depth of Field; 3.13 Shutter Speed; 3.14 Relationships; 3.15 Involvement with the Scene; 3.16 Rules, Formulas, and Other Problems and Pitfalls; Chapter 4: Visualization; 4.1 Step 1: Photographic Looking and Seeing; 4.2 Step 2: Composing an Image; 4.3 Step 3: Envisioning the Final Print; 4.4 Step 4: Planning a Strategy for a Final Print; 4.5 How Your Eye Differs from Your Camera; 4.6 Alternative Approaches; Chapter 5: Light; 5.1 Looking at Light; 5.2 Exercises in Learning to See Light More Accurately; 5.3 Light Determines Form; 5.4 Types of Lighting/Quality of Light; 5.5 Light as Seen by the Eye and by Film or Sensors, and the Inverse Square Law; Chapter 6: Color; 6.1 The Color Wheel and Color Sphere; 6.2 Color Composition; 6.3 Color and Emotion; 6.4 Color Contrast and Tone; 6.5 Choosing A Color Film; 6.6 Color Digital Methods; 6.7 Light and Color Control; 6.8 Subjectivity and Mood of Color; 6.9 In Summary; Chapter 7: Filters; 7.1 Black-and-White Filters; 7.2 Examples with a Hypothetical Landscape; 7.3 Contrast Control with Filters; 7.4 Digital Filtration for Black-and-White; 7.5 Infrared Film and Filters; 7.6 Filters for Color Images; 7.7 Neutral Density and Polarizing Filters; 7.8 Problems Associated with Polarizers; Chapter 8: The Zone System of Exposure for Film; 8.1 A Brief Overview; 8.2 Film's Response to Light: Building the Zone System; 8.3 Translating Negative Densities to Print Tonalities; 8.4 The Light Meter--How it Works; 8.5 Review of Negative Exposure Procedure; 8.6 Using the Zone System to Depart from Reality; 8.7 The Zone System for Color; 8.8 The Zone System and the Inverse Square Law; 8.9 In Summary; Chapter 9: The Black-and-White Negative and Contrast Control--The Extended Zone System; 9.1 Chapter 9 Overview; 9.2 The Negative During Development; 9.3 The Bellows Analogy; 9.4 Putting Higher Zones to Work; 9.5 Reciprocity Failure; 9.6 Examples of Decreasing and Increasing Contrast; 9.7 The Exposure/Density Curve and Zone 4 Shadow Placement; 9.8 Differences Between Photography and Sensitometry: Texture vs. Tone and Zone 4 Shadow Placement; 9.9 Pre-Exposure--What It Is, Where It Works, Where It Fails; 9.10 Developing the Exposed Negative; 9.11 Explanation of Compensating Development; 9.12 Two-Solution Compensating Development for Negatives; 9.13 Development Procedures for Sheet Film and Roll Film; 9.14 The Zone System and Roll Film; 9.15 Negative Materials and Developers; Chapter 10: The Print; 10.1 Black-and-White Enlarging Papers; 10.2 Variable Contrast vs. Graded Papers; 10.3 Fiber Base Papers vs. Resin Coated (RC) Papers; 10.4 Black-and-White Paper Developers; 10.5 Making Contact Proof Prints; 10.6 Preliminary Work Toward a Final Print; 10.7 Make Test Prints, Not Test Strips; 10.8 Two-Solution Development for Graded and Variable Contrast Papers; 10.9 Dodging and Burning; 10.10 Integrating the Entire Process: Visualization, Exposure, Development, and Printing; 10.11 Burning with Variable Contrast Papers; 10.12 Advanced Darkroom Techniques; 10.13 Inspection, Evaluation, and the Myth of "Dry-Down"; 10.14 Potassium Ferricyanide Reducing (Bleaching); 10.15 Final Fixing of the Image; 10.16 Local vs. Overall Contrast Control; 10.17 Scale; 10.18 Selenium Toning Prints; 10.19 Other Toners; 10.20 Chemical Coloration; 10.21 Full Archival Processing of Prints; 10.22 Toning, Intensifying, and Reducing Negatives; 10.23 Cold, Neutral, and Warm Tone Papers; 10.24 Review of Contrast Controls; 10.25 Color Printing; 10.26 Color Contrast Reduction Masking; 10.27 Masking to Alter Color Intensities; 10.28 The Shadow Mask; 10.29 Spotting and Rebalancing Color for Color Prints; 10.30 Washing and Drying Color Prints; 10.31 Achieving Proper Color Balance; Chapter 11: The Digital Zone System; 11.1 Basics of Digital Capture; 11.2 The Sensor's Useful Brightness Range; 11.3 The Histogram--The Heart of the Digital Zone System; 11.4 The RAW Converter--Processing the RAW Capture; 11.5 High Dynamic Range Images--The Extended Zone System for Digital Photography; 11.6 Practical Considerations, Cautions, and Recommendations; Chapter 12: Presentation; 12.1 Dry Mounting Prints; 12.2 Making Positioning Guides for Print Placement; 12.3 Spotting, Etching, and Correction of Defects; 12.4 Print Finishing; Chapter 13: Exploding Photographic Myths; 13.1 Myth #1: The zone system gives you a negative that yields a straight print of exactly what you saw in the field, with no burning or dodging required; 13.2 Myth #2: There are 10 zones in the zone system; 13.3 Myth #3: Shadows should be placed at Zone 3 in the zone system; 13.4 Myth #4: Negative densities should be within a fixed density range, and negatives that don't fit into that range are useless; 13.5 Myth #5: All contact proof prints of negatives should be made at the same exposure; 13.6 Myth #6: The best landscape photographs are made within an hour and a half of sunrise or sunset; 13.7 Myth #7: All black-and-white photographs need a good black, a good white, and tones in between; 13.8 Myth #8: Two More Persistent Myths; Chapter 14: Photographic Techniques and Artistic Integrity; 14.1 Art, Communication, and Personal Integrity; Chapter 15: Photographic Realism, Abstraction, and Art; 15.1 Photography as Fine Art; 15.2 Photography and Painting--Their Mutual Influence; 15.3 The Strength of Abstraction; 15.4 Inwardly and Outwardly Directed Questions; 15.5 The Power of Photography; Chapter 16: Thoughts on Creativity; 16.1 Obstacles to Creativity; 16.2 Prerequisites for Creativity; 16.3 Producing Something New--Its Real Importance; 16.4 Be Prepared for Imagination, Innovation, and Creativity; Chapter 17: Approaching Creativity Intuitively; 17.1 Intuition in Science; 17.2 Avoiding Intuition; 17.3 Understanding and Misunderstanding Intuition; 17.4 Examples of the Intuitive Approach; 17.5 Applying Intuition to Your Photography; 17.6 Conclusion; Chapter 18: Toward A Personal Philosophy; 18.1 Flexibility; 18.2 Visual Arts; 18.3 Nonvisual Arts; 18.4 Expanding and Defining Your Interests; 18.5 Limitations of Photography; 18.6 Developing a Personal Style; 18.7 Self-Critique, Interaction, and Study; Testing Materials and Equipment for Traditional Photography; ASA (ISO) Test; Contrast Development Test; Lens Sharpness and Coverage Test; Bellows Test; Safelight Test; Enlarger Light Uniformity Test; Enlarger Lens Sharpness Test; Enlarger Light Sources;