Here's a case where Amazon's star rating sytem doesn't work very well. As described below, for a very small number of photographers this book will prove useful. For the vast majority of photographers it will not.
I've long been an admirer of the work of Bruce Barnbaum. An original Barnbaum print hangs on my wall. A copy of his book of photographs, "Visual Symphony" graces my coffee table. Several years ago I purchased a used copy of the original, but then out of print, "The Art of Photography" at an outrageous price. I have to confess that much of the book was unread because it dealt with film photography, and I had long since made the switch to digital.
Now "The Art of Photography" has been reissued in a revised form, supposedly updated for the digital age. The book attempts to cover all of photography from visualization to hanging the print on the wall. There are even chapters that discuss ideas like innovation and old saws like truth in photography. There are references to digital photography, but a great deal of the book is devoted to Barnbaum's take on the zone system for film photography, including processing film to increase (or decrease) the range of light captured on the negative. There is a tip of the hat to digital photography, including the importance of the camera's histogram to capture exposure, and reference to high dynamic range photography to increase the range of light for digital captures but the heart of the book is film. The book is illustrated with Barnbaum's photographs, mostly in black-and-white, and they are drop-dead beautiful. If you like Ansel Adams you will love Bruce Barnbaum's images.
I suppose these images alone may justify the updating. Certainly the content will be interesting to those who still practice black-and-white film photography, although I suspect that these folks, already being specialists, may be familiar with what the author has to say. (I really can't comment on that; it's been years since I worked in a chemical darkroom.) The digital photographer will find that there just isn't enough detail in looking to this book for technique. It's a shame because I would have loved to see an explanation of how to achieve Barnbaum's beautiful effects in Lightroom or Photoshop.
The sections on the artistic aspects of photography are interesting but somewhat elementary. Barnbaum doesn't succeed in telling us what it is in an image that turns it from just an image to art. (Of course, I really don't know any authors who do this, although there are several people, most recently George Barr in "Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why", who have made valiant efforts to accomplish this impossible task.)
The bottom line is that if you are unfamiliar with Barnbaum's work, this book is worth it for the images. If you are a film photographer, the technical data may prove useful. If you are a digital photographer looking for technical help, look elsewhere. The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression
For someone who had no previous formal education in art of any sort including photography, this is the best book I came across. I was looking for a book that is not too advanced to understand about artistic compositions, but not too shallow that it simply tell you to apply "higher contrast is better", "the rule of the third", "the golden ratio" etc. without enough explanation. I actually came across some books like that which left me even more confused about compositions. Most of the time, I just blindly apply whatever I learned of composition.
But this book is totally different. It starts talking about the philosophy of how photography is connected personally to the photographer. Then it gives a detail analysis of all the elements of composition with great examples and with a language that even an amateur can understand. Best of all, the author did a great job at interconnecting all the elements to help the reader understand the importance of applying a combination of elements instead of focusing on just one of two of the elements. It is like putting all the puzzles together to solve a great mistery.
If you want to find a book that will teach you composition and connect yourself to your photography, this is the book.
I bought this book on a recommendation and I have been less than satisfied with it. The author seems more preoccupied with proving himself than teaching readers photography. In one chapter he dedicates several pages to defending his artistic work against critics.
He is neither clear or concise either. There is a lot of text but not much being said. And when he does try to make a point, its rarely clear as to what he is trying to say. There is little to no practical advice in the book for digital photography either. If you shoot film, he devotes several chapters to that, which may be greatly helpful if you shoot film. For digital photography there is little relevance in several chapters of the book.
In short this book is not worth the price. You read a lot but gain very little information.
If you would like to find a book that will take you into a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of what makes for a great photograph then this book does that and more. I have read maybe 50 or so books over the past few years and most of them deal with techniques for taking and making images but I don't recall any of them attempting to define those attributes that make a photograph captivating. Barnbaum goes into a comprehensive examination (with many examples) of what separates art from the ordinary. It really is a tour de force. Very well thought out and thought through. There are a few chapters on film processing, B&W print making (in the darkroom) which may have limited appeal and represent less than 20 to 25% of the content. The heart of the book is Barnbaum's incredible insights in photography and the amateur photographer. This edition is updated and his comments have great applicability to current digital technology. An added bonus is how well Barnbaum's own photographs are reproduced, how they make us want to reconsider the power of black and white photography, and how well they are integrated into the text (a tip of the hat to the publisher). - Art - Zone System - Black And White - Composition'
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