Photography

I'm fascinated by the art of photography, and in my spare time (weekends, summers, etc) I teach photography and tour art shows around the country. I also like to read what others are doing, or have done, in the photographic arts. Here are a few photography-related books I've read recently.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. This fun collection of photos, most of them originally featured in Stanton's enormously popular blog of the same name, highlights the real people Stanton has stumbled across in and around New York City. It's a fun and enlightening look at human nature. Sometimes the captions help tell the story, but more often than not the story is entirely within the photo. It's easy to get lost in the details of each photo, and I enjoyed imagining how the photographer approached each of his subjects. 

Irving Penn Platinum Prints by Sarah Greenough. Irving Penn was a fashion photographer turned artist (some would argue fashion photographers are artists, and I wouldn't disagree). In the 1970s Penn resurrected the nearly lost art of platinum printing, something I'm very interested in. Essentially, platinum photography involves brushing platinum onto a stable surface (some form of very long-lasting paper), then exposing the negative to the elements. The resulting photo will last as long as the paper it's printed on due to the base metals used to hold it -- potentially thousands of years. But the chemical equations used to create the mixes are very tricky, and involve a great deal of patience and practice. Irving Penn Platinum Prints highlights Penn's efforts to perfect this process, and includes examples from his years of experimentation. It's fascinating. Images range from portraits of laborers to native tribesmen to fashion supermodels to trash he found on the streets of New York. What surprised me the most, though, was the price tag of the book I'd borrowed. Buying a copy of this title could cost you up to $500, significantly cheaper than one of his art prints, but still a premium price.

Black and White Photography for 35mm by Richard Mizdal;

Black and White Darkroom Techniques by Hubert Birnbaum

Creative Black and White Photography, Advanced Techniques by Bernhard Seuss

These three volumes cover much of the same ground related to photography. Each in its own way discusses the art of photography, bracketing, and basics of framing shots, exposure, and considerations in developing the film and making prints. Given the advent of digital photography, these titles are increasingly difficult to find (almost as difficult as finding the film, paper, and necessary chemicals to develop everything yourself). Amateurs starting from scratch could use any of these as a starting guide. Those looking simply to create a dark room might prefer Seuss's Advanced Techniques, as that title has more to offer for the dark room startup.