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The Nature of Photographs: a Primer
 
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The Nature of Photographs: a Primer (Hardcover)

by Stephen Shore (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £24.95
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Product Description

Product Description

This book grew out of a college course that Stephen Shore taught for many years. Its aim is not to explore photographic content - the subject of an image - but to describe the physical and formal attributes of a photographic print, the very elements that form the tools a photographer uses to define and interpret that content. By teaching us how to look at photographs and helping us to see the world the way the photographer may have seen it, Shore also teaches us a way of looking at the world around us. "The Nature of Photographs" is a primary tool for critical analysis and the understanding of photography in general. As one of the photographers who established colour photography as a legitimate medium of artistic expression in the early 1970s and an influential and important teacher of both the theory and practice of photography, Stephen Shore is the ideal guide to the subject of 'how' to look at photographs. By putting himself in the shoes of the photographers, he imagines the concerns or approach to the subject or concept they may have had when they were taking the picture. As well as a selection of Shore's own work, "The Nature of Photographs" contains images from all eras of photography, from classic images by Walker Evans, Brassai and Eugene Atget to more contemporary work by Bernd and Hilla Becher, Cindy Sherman, Joel Sternfeld, Thomas Struth, Richard Prince and Andreas Gursky. It includes all genres, such as street photography, fine art photography and documentary photography, as well as images by unknown photographers, be they in the form of a snapshot from the early days of photography or an aerial photograph taken as part of a geographical survey. Shore has selected images by, among others, Eugene Atget, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, William Eggleston and Robert Adams, and offers an explanation as to how they 'work'. Together with his clear, intelligent and accessible text, Shore uses these works to demonstrate how the world in front of the camera is transformed into a photograph.


About the Author

At the age of 17, Stephen Shore (b.1947) was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory. By the age of 23 he became the first living photographer to have a one-man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. An unrivalled pioneer in his field, his work has been exhibited in numerous museums worldwide and influenced generations of photographers. In 1982 he was appointed Director of the Photography Program at Bard College, New York where he is now the Susan Weber Soros Professor in the Arts.

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The Nature of Photographs: a Primer
71% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fine selection of photographs; rather esoteric discussion, 3 Jul 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Nature of Photographs (Paperback)
This is a beautifully designed book. The selection of photographs thoughtfully illustrates the way photography works. I enjoyed most especially the author's own "Luzzara Italy, 1993."

The essay, though, is not always clear enough to support the author's ideas. One who is new to photography may have trouble understanding some of Mr Shore's concepts. For example, in the chapter "The Mental Level," he writes "If you right now become aware of the space between yourself and this page, there is a transmutation of your attention and perception. This sort of perceptual change...would for a photographer, lead to a realignment of his or her formal decisions in making a photograph.(p 65)" To put it plainly, if you think carefully about what you are seeing, you would likely discover something new about it. Such an insight would lead you to change the way you photograph it.

Nevertheless, I like the book. I recommend it to you.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Concise meditation on the nature of photographs, 11 Mar 2007
By G. A. Heiss "shadowlight" (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Stephen Shore belongs to a great tradition of deeply philosophical photographers who, theorising about the very nature of their craft manage to create images of enormous didactic power.. truly considered and sincere. With this book, Shore introduces 'The Photograph' as object, as entity and as artifact of the mechanical processes that created this modern 'time capsule'.
An interesting book, well illustrated with minimal text to trigger thought processes rather than to lay down 'laws'.
Not as involving on a literary scale as Sontag's 'On Photography' by never the less a profound introduction to the medium for those who are interested.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic-an essential and defintive work, 25 Feb 2007
By Lowdown (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
An excellent book that manages to demystify photography into its analytical and subtractive parts.

This is not a technical manual on f-stops and shutter speeds. It looks much deeper, and identifies and establishes the precursors that ultimately make demands on camera, lens and final media. Whether you have been shooting for years or have just been armed with the latest DSLR, this is for you.

It's the best book I've ever seen on the pure essence of photography.

Very easy to read, and with short succinct paragraphs it will help you to take better pictures and appreciate the work others.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars How to think about photographs you are about to take
It's a hundred and twenty odd pages but you can skip through it in an hour if you want, and don't take time to reflect. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Bennettskaya

3.0 out of 5 stars You can look but can you see

I've always loved Stephen Shore's work ever since I bought his `Uncommon Places' book in 1983. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Robin Benson

3.0 out of 5 stars A great photographer, but limited as a writer
Shore is a great photographer whose influence has been significant in both European and American Art photography over the last thirty years or so. He is also a noted teacher. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. David R. Watson

3.0 out of 5 stars Small simplistic expensive
This is a very small book,a very simplistic book and a very expensive book. One saving grace is that it is beautifully printed.
Published on 29 Aug 1998

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