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books instead of cameras.

Tim

Tim

Active member
Anyone got some tips on a good book for portraiture? I'm looking for something using window light with maybe one reflector but not necessarily flash or anything. Its just something I am not good at and some book should help!
 
Streetshooter

Streetshooter

Subscriber Member
Tim,
2 Photographers I would think could show you the way would be...

1 Kertesz..his eye for light was the best. His natural light portraits are stunning.

2 Sudek...again as Kertesz.
There are many books on the subject but a careful study of images is the best way.

I had a teacher many years ago before I was thrown out of school named Frank Zecca.
He was a true master of the PROFESSIONAL Portrait and lighting. I capped Professional because he was teaching that kinda image making. He taught me 1 thing that I will never forget that we all know anyway....

There is only 1 sun......Light like the light is the sun.
It drives me crazy to this day to see fashion shooters that don't know this. I mean the best too....look at the catch light in the models eyes...if you see more than 1 catch light...the shooter is well...whatever...

anyway...with digital image making, the journey is somewhat easier because you get an instant result.
Enjoy your journey.....
Don
 
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smokysun

New member
looking at this book led to a small epiphany:

http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Digit...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254423651&sr=8-1

suddenly i realized the winning photos always stock photography. now the essence of stock is absence of the photographer. no quirks, no interpretation gets in the way of the viewer entering the scene. it is a space in the imagination where anything can be advertised. throw in a soup or a dress, and it becomes the star. the photos chosen by viewers as the best are those which interfere with their minds least!

the opposite would be:

http://www.amazon.com/Magnum-Brigit...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254423994&sr=1-1

just out (it was in the chico barnes & noble last saturday). all these photographers have fish to fry, usually a political catch. this is not to everyone's taste and their disturbing elements can put people off (me too, depending on my mood). however they can be examples for meditation, as many of hcb's.

the day can be filled with dreams or ashes. usually it's a bit of both.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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smokysun

New member
when the screensaver pic below came up, i was reminded of the book by edward abbey:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Sun-Nov...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254672957&sr=1-5

one of the most fun about being a lookout. i also recommend the first chapter of

http://www.amazon.com/Desolation-An...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254673215&sr=8-1

this is how it used to be in kerouac's time. not quite as romantic now. and there's a really nice story in mclean's:

http://www.amazon.com/River-Through-Stories-Twenty-fifth-Anniversary/dp/0226500667/ref=ed_oe_p

and one more, a diary section by gary snyder in

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-House-H...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254673421&sr=1-1

and if you'd like to know what's happening with lookouts today and help in their preservation, here's the site:

http://www.firelookout.org/

best,
wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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I

Irenaeus

Member
Personal Knowledge, by Michael Polanyi.

http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Know...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256325405&sr=8-2

Profound understanding of the theory and nature of knowledge. Sets forth the thesis that all our knowledge, from the most basic to the most sophisticated, whether that of science, art or religion, has as an inescapable component an intuitive, personal participation of the knower.

For us as users of tools with the intention of making works of art, one of his most pregnant observations is that, "We dwell within our systems of articulate meaning as we dwell within our bodies." Learning to ride a bike offers an example of this. The process involves focusing on learning the details until we can put them all together, forget about them as things in themselves and just RIDE (even though we can't explain it all in words.) Learning to play a cello involves a similar process and so does using a camera. (And GAS probably doesn't help either one....)

We know all this, roughly, and mostly, but it's a fascinating book which offered me, at least, more than a nudge in the right direction.

Cheers,

Irenaeus
 
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smokysun

New member
just ran across this at barnes & noble:

http://gapingvoid.com/books/

a fun book on creativity. you can download most of it, i think. i first read his thoughts in a photomagazine most of you know

http://www.lenswork.com/

which does really beautiful printing. unfortunately, they no longer put it on the newstands and you have to subscribe.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. it's very interesting to see what's going on in the world of collecting: http://www.iphotocentral.com/ an article i read recently claimed you have to know what's going on in all forms of photography (and its history) to do photography well. an interesting hypothesis. one thing hugh mcloed says in the first book: 'the young underestimate the competition.' it's good to know what you're up against. it sharpens the teeth!

pss. here's a book that just came out http://www.amazon.com/Magnum-Brigit...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256443180&sr=8-1 what's remarkable is that you can identify the photographer from one photograph (and there must be a hundred shown). who says it's not an individual medium?
 
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smokysun

New member
Streetshooter

Streetshooter

Subscriber Member
Wayne,
Thanks for this again...I'm a complete fool when it comes to things like this......

Hmmm, where's my debit card....hmmmm
Don
 
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smokysun

New member
you're welcome, don. i watched another hour this afternoon and have paid the 35 dollars for five more disks. a lot of studio work, discussion of business practices, a wedding at a fancy las vegas hotel, etc. i've watched others and these by far the best. even in streetshooting it's your relation to people that counts. and working with kids, boy, is that an art.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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smokysun

New member
just watched the last on these two disks. a photographer in the deep south u.s.a doing a senior (high school, big deal here) shoot in his backyard. really a hoot. photographers tend to be a lot of fun.

and i would say there's little difference shooting out in the 'real' world in that you have to catch things when they're interesting, people and places and landscapes. i'm looking forward to the arrival of more videos cause they're so interesting, especially when it comes to working with people.

i will say many have a formula they've developed, but they are really helpful formulas. it's possible then to do spin-offs. the main things is to learn to see. 'every photograph is a fantasy.' a thought i wrote down for myself.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

"The in-box will never be empty." richard carlsen
 
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smokysun

New member
i've received three more of the five photovision discs from 2009 (35 dollars) and have been watching the first one. these pros work incredibly hard to get what they need to have for clients, while perfecting their own special view. for some reason after looking at a lot of books, i find videos help me to understand what photographers are actually doing. personally, i enjoy the fact i don't have to make money at it, yet when you have to deliver, it sharpens the mind! one writer (norman douglas) said, 'all the wisdom of the world is contained in its cliches.' so knowing those and giving them a twist not a bad idea.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

ps. a local pro photographer of portraits told me all you need is the canon 5d and the 70-200 lens. amazing how many of these photographers use this combindation.

pss. a movie about a studio portrait photgrapher by mike leigh: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-menso...=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1257753879&sr=1-41
he's a wonderful filmmaker and all his films recommended, generally for story and not cinemaphtography.
 
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smokysun

New member
just watched three more dvds. the photographer working with the newborns worth the price of admission. it's all about shooting portraits and setting up a business. personally, this is not what i want to do, yet it's a great insight with lots of suggestions for the real world. most photographers seem more hermetic yet the famous photographer (and one of my favorites) robert doisneau had to overcome his fear of people. as samuel johnson said, 'courage is the first virtue cause without it you can't practice the others.' or as hcb said, 'unless you're aggressive, you don't get the shot.'

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
 
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