myotis
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I'm not sure how to define this, I'm interested in recommendations for books that are more about the "why and how" of photography in the broadest sense, than the "how to" of taking photographs.
EDIT: Studying books of photographs (e.g. monographs) are a crucial part of learning about photographs, photographers and photography, but in this thread I am thinking about books aimed at helping with this learning. Books focussed more on directed teaching and learning rather than books of pictures to look at , even if most of these books are likely to be picture heavy. Recommendations for picture based books deserve a separate thread,
Books that will be of interest to people beyond those interested in taking photographs. ie cultural and social historians, art historians, gallery and museum curators, psychologists and sociologists studying the brain and vision. Scientists using photography to see and measure things that would be impossible to measure without photography. And probably other things, I can't think of at the moment..
So books that aren't directly aimed at improving the way you take photographs or primarily designed at providing a source of photographs to look at..
As a starter, I suggest two books, (one of which was recommended on another thread by @StephenM) and another I mentioned on the same thread
www.mheducation.com
This is rather pricey (most textbooks are), but I like itm because the focus really is about living with art as part of our everyday life, and the way it integrates photography into the story. It introduces art, gives an introduction to the different art media, and then provides a chronological history of art. My copy is an older version than linked to.
As an online alternative (but not really the same) there is:
smarthistory.org
A search on the site for photography will pull together all the articles on photography
The book suggested by Stephen is
www.routledge.com
This is about the psychology of seeing, and entirely focussed on photographs and photography. The most recent edition is written John Suler, who also contributed to the previous edition (the final edition before Zakia's death), I have the older edition.
Although it has a different approach, Suler has a downloadable book on Photographic psychology on his website, as well as an exercise manual for the Perception and Imaging book.
And just to give something slightly different there is
thamesandhudson.com
This is a book that doesn't mention photography, but discusses how the way society thinks about the landscape has influenced how painters painted it and how writers wrote about it, but more interestingly, how the way painters painted it, and writers wrote about it influenced the way society thought about it. It seems to have a fairly narrow view of what "society" is, but still a fascinating read ('m only half way through).
I know that others have suggested relevant books in other threads over the years, so hopefully others will suggest some titles to add to my list. As I literally have hundreds of books, I may also come back and add some more.
EDIT: Studying books of photographs (e.g. monographs) are a crucial part of learning about photographs, photographers and photography, but in this thread I am thinking about books aimed at helping with this learning. Books focussed more on directed teaching and learning rather than books of pictures to look at , even if most of these books are likely to be picture heavy. Recommendations for picture based books deserve a separate thread,
Books that will be of interest to people beyond those interested in taking photographs. ie cultural and social historians, art historians, gallery and museum curators, psychologists and sociologists studying the brain and vision. Scientists using photography to see and measure things that would be impossible to measure without photography. And probably other things, I can't think of at the moment..
So books that aren't directly aimed at improving the way you take photographs or primarily designed at providing a source of photographs to look at..
As a starter, I suggest two books, (one of which was recommended on another thread by @StephenM) and another I mentioned on the same thread
Living with Art
Get the 13th Edition of Living with Art by Mark Getlein and Kelly Donahue-Wallace Textbook, eBook, and other options. ISBN 9781265594855. Copyright 2024
This is rather pricey (most textbooks are), but I like itm because the focus really is about living with art as part of our everyday life, and the way it integrates photography into the story. It introduces art, gives an introduction to the different art media, and then provides a chronological history of art. My copy is an older version than linked to.
As an online alternative (but not really the same) there is:
Reframing Art History a new kind of textbook – Smarthistory
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smarthistory.org
A search on the site for photography will pull together all the articles on photography
The book suggested by Stephen is
Perception and Imaging: Photography as a Way of Seeing
When you look at an image, what do you see, think, and feel? How do you want your audience to react when they view your work? For over 30 years the late Richard Zakia helped photographers enrich their creative vision through his classic book, Perception and Imaging. Now he is joined by co-author...
This is about the psychology of seeing, and entirely focussed on photographs and photography. The most recent edition is written John Suler, who also contributed to the previous edition (the final edition before Zakia's death), I have the older edition.
Although it has a different approach, Suler has a downloadable book on Photographic psychology on his website, as well as an exercise manual for the Perception and Imaging book.
The Collected Works of John R. Suler, PhD
John Suler is a researcher, writer, photographer and psychology professor, specializing in interdisciplinary approaches to personal growth in the age of technology.
www.johnsuler.com
And just to give something slightly different there is
Spirit of Place
When we look at the landscape, what do we see? Do we experience the view over a valley or dappled sunlight on a path in the same way as those who were there before us? We have altered the countryside in innumerable ways over the last thousand years, and n
thamesandhudson.com
This is a book that doesn't mention photography, but discusses how the way society thinks about the landscape has influenced how painters painted it and how writers wrote about it, but more interestingly, how the way painters painted it, and writers wrote about it influenced the way society thought about it. It seems to have a fairly narrow view of what "society" is, but still a fascinating read ('m only half way through).
I know that others have suggested relevant books in other threads over the years, so hopefully others will suggest some titles to add to my list. As I literally have hundreds of books, I may also come back and add some more.
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