This is an expensive book and do note that a new edition has been published in 2015
This book titles itself as "a practical guide and theoretical introduction to portrait photography".
Its very cleverly designed being split across a number of chapters where each examines:
a) one aspect of portrait photography
b) chapter related illustrative photographs
c) chapter related shooting assignment
Its unusual to include shooting assignments within an academic book such as this. I have not currently have the time to attempt these assignments but they are good challenges to perform as either alongside or at the end of my current degree course work.
The book allows and instructs the reading of portrait images giving insight into the photographer's vision and implication.
Its an interesting book as it examines portrait images in a different way to how most of us level 1 students would understand a portrait. Some portraits are clearly manufactured and others opportunistic. Interestingly the author describes Bresson's work as often not having a single incident but there is often a lot going on.
An interesting thing I have learnt is that sometimes interpretation of images by others can be very insightful but it can also be over done and sometimes possibly wrong. On page 198 Jeff Wall's 1982 image "Mimic" is described as a charged image which it is and it's definitely a moment captured, an amazing moment. Whilst I would agree with nearly all the interpretation that Angier makes it describes his partner / girl friend squinting, echoing her partner's response to to Asian man. However whilst the woman may indeed be squinting giving the impression of an echoed sentiment, when looking at the image and the long shadows I suspect that the woman squinting is completely due to the low sun shining into her eyes. However this is just one single image which I have examined in my own mind and strike a lively internal debate with myself. At first glance likely prior to reading this and other academic books and participating in my degree course I may not have discovered this world of semiotics within images. I suspect I may need a read of Barthes, with some help in understanding hos work and views.
I have not read this book back to back nor have I attempted any of the assignments but they will be future challenges. Its a very interesting, instructive and enlightening book which I have not digested yet fully and will take either a number of reads or some specific selection and thinking. There are many photographers which will make interesting research and some themes which could be good to consider for my P & P module and future photograohy
No comments:
Post a Comment