The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression

I suggest you read this quote first:"Whether I like or dislike the subject matter, I will not attempt to produce meaningful work with it if I am not moved by it. At best, I could produce a good but meaningless composition, much like a grammatically perfect speech that says nothing".If you agree with this, then you will enjoy reading The Art of Photography from first pages. If not, then just go to the HOW part and you won't be disapointed either.In a nutshell, Bruce Barnbaum first explains what the principle "Subject matter is a subject that matters" is all about. Then he teaches you how to express yourself "grammatically" correct.So many photography books describe such thing as composition, for instance, as some illusive matter that can only be explained in abstract terms or very basic rules and cannot be taught consistently. "You need to have a vision... You've got to learn how to see in black&white..." Stuff like that reads okey until you come across a book like The Art of Photography.This book is so concrete and practical that every paragraph teaches you something useful (I mean, really teaches you, not just tells you how important it is). It's the only book of all those I've read so far that clearly states what Composition is, what elements it consists of, and what roles each of the elements plays. The critical thing for me is that the author really guides you through this labyrinth: you can feel that his goal is to bring you to the point where you'll be able to feel comfortable in this labyrinth and navigate there alone. After reading The Art of Photography you won't miss those "Why Photographs Work" books because you will be able to see it yourself.The book is both very fundamental and simple (not simplified!): no matter how complicated the subject is, you don't have to read a paragraph twice unless you want to. Bruce Barnbaum is an amazing writer, his writing style is just as eloquent as his photography - the book is a real page turner!The book is very thought-out in the physical sense: it's a pleasure to hold and read (paper quality, fonts, color&tone choice...), and it's just so in sync with the content. Photographs inside are amazing and inspiring.PS: The Art of Photography is so beyond the "digital vs. film" hype that it will hold its value for many years. Don't be tricked by some reviews which stamp the book "Old School" only because it has chapters about the zone system, film development and printing. After all, it's a smaller part of the book and you can just skip it if you want to.

I'm an experienced photographer who always managed to be able to get great shots no matter what the conditions, but I always wanted to be better. At the time I purchased this fantastic treatise on personal expression I was ready to take things to the next level.Mr. Barnbaum, I will be forever in your debt. This book almost immediately made me a true artist who can now consistently and deliberately create the exact message I want to communicate. I take about 1/10th of the photos I once did. I know where to position myself, and most of all, I know what I want to say before I say it.I rarely write amazon reviews, though I should more often. I simply had to say something about this book. Ignore that some of this book is about film and darkroom techniques. READ THE TITLE. This is about the ART of photography, not the process or the medium involved.Mr. Barnbaum not only is a great teacher and that's obviously immensely helpful. What makes him the best I have read is that his images are phenomenal. Not only that, his images are completely different than anything you have ever seen. They will bend you as you try to understand them. Then you realize that this is what art is all about.Buy this book if:- You care about being an artist with real ability to express yourself.- You are already technically proficient and comfortable with your equipment and want to take photographs people NOTICE.- You care about being the best.Don't buy this book if:- You want to learn technical how-to information about how to formulate a particular shot (like aperture settings, etc)- You want to stay mediocre.

I liked very much this book. This is a whole book on the central aspects of photography, from why-taking-pictures to how-to make-good-prints, covering both color and B&W, but more of the latter. It is not a beginner's book, but rather a guide for those who may want to go in depth into the technique and art of photography.I liked the sections about art more than those about technique, which I find too narrowly boxed in the Zone System. I know that this is a long tradition but I feel it is overstated - the zones are just a quick reference to areas in the density-exposure curve, and that's it. I find the continous references to Zone XXX quite tiresome. That said, the printing technique explanations are awesome.The book covers very well both film and digital technique; the film section (on which I feel entitled to give an opinion) is superb, especially the printing examples.I would have loved to see more on film scanning, which is not covered in nearly enough depth. I do hope that the author can make a follow-up edition once technology gets more stabilized.The picture examples are oriented towards landscape and portrait subjects; this is fine if you keep in mind that there are other subjects and styles. In any case, it is wonderful that the author is ready to comment on stellar examples of his own work. Style is personal, but techniques and concepts may be widely applied.I would also have liked to see more about composition elements, and stronger examples of how composition works (or not), since composition is a defining element of photography. But there are already good works on photographic composition. I love the author's stand on composition rules, too.On the whole I find this a very useful work. I wish I had this book available when I started on photography as a hobby, so many years ago!