The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and Appreciating Great Photography

by Michael Freeman

Overview

In The Photographer's Eye, Michael Freeman showed what a photographer needs to do in the instant before the shutter is released. In the sequel, The Photographer's Mind, he explained the way that professional photographers think a picture through before taking it. Both of these international best-sellers featured Michael's own photography: stunning landscapes, revealing portraits, and fascinating street photography. Now, in The Photographer's Vision, he examines the work of photography's greats, explaining how to look at a photo ? and how to learn from looking at it. The featured work includes some of the most distinguished names in photography's history: Nick Knight, Frederick Henry Evans, Frans Lanting, Tim Page, Wolfgang Tillmans, Nan Goldin, Paul Outerbridge, Walker Evans, Cindy Sherman, Elliott Erwitt, Trent Parke, Jeff Wall, Paul Strand, Romano Cagnoni, Horst Faas, James Casebere and many more, making this book visually stunning as well as intellectually authoritative.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908150660
Publisher:	Octopus Books
Publication date:	10/31/2011
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Michael Freeman, professional photographer and best-selling author, was born in England in 1945, took a Masters in Geography at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then worked in advertising in London for six years. In 1971 he made the life-changing decision to travel up the Amazon with two secondhand cameras, and when Time-Life used many of the pictures he came back with, he embarked on a full-time photographic career.

Since then, working for clients that include all the world's major magazines, most notably the Smithsonian Magazine (for which he has shot more than 40 stories over 30 years), Freeman's reputation as one of the world's leading reportage photographers has been consolidated. Of his many books, which have sold over 4 million copies worldwide, more than 60 titles are on the practice of photography. For this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc by the French Ministry of Culture.

Freeman's books on photography have been translated into 27 languages.

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Momentary Art

Understanding Purpose

The Genres of Photography

What For?

Capture to Concept

Photographers' Skills

Surprise Me

The Skill to Capture

Compositional Skills

Color and Not

Lighting

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Acclaimed international photographer and writer Michael Freeman takes the reader on a wonderful journey to understand and appreciate a great photograph. The Photographer's Vision features some of the world's greatest photographers past and present and examines what it takes to create award-winning imagery. Each genre of photography - whether photojournalism, fashion or fine art - requires a developed skill set influenced by an underlying passion and vision. These genres are explored in detail in this book, as are the skills necessary to compose and capture the dynamic range of subjects. Perhaps the most important lesson Michael Freeman shares is how to identify the qualities of a good photograph. Whether you are a gallery owner, photographer, or simply have an appreciation of photography, this book will inspire you to see more and be a better judge of what makes a good photograph."—San Francisco Book Review

"This book examines the work of some of the world's greatest photographers, explaining how to look at photographs, and how to learn from looking at them. It examines composition and design in photography, explores the thought process that goes into taking pictures. Michael Freeman is an acclaimed photography and writer."—Wetpaint.com

"Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and Appreciating Great Photography from Focal Press is the kind of photo book I'd always wished I'd written but could never get up off my ass to do. (OK, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm tied up writing these dang photo gear reviews all the time.) Freeman, who is also the author of companion books The Photographer's Eye and The Photographer's Mind, discusses the work of some of the world's great photographers in The Photographer's Vision and offers his take on how to look at an image and how to gain something from the experience. His choice of photographers and imagery in the book are excellent, including work by Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and Horst Faas. The only thing I wished he'd discussed was how to develop 'a vision' in your own work. But maybe I've got to write that book myself."—PDN.com

"Michael Freeman is a photographer known internationally for his extensive work in Africa and especially Asia. He also has written numerous books about photography theory. He's currently on tour speaking on 'Storytelling Through Photos'. I had a chance to sit in on one of these lectures given at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa and afterwards was able to have a few moments with Michael to see how he got started, his views on photo essay structure, and what it is that keeps him going."—Examiner.com

"The Photographer's Vision has a power that grows the more you read and re-read it. The stories of great photographers and their images are engrossing...I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing and understanding great photos or for those who want to improve their photographic eye."—Examiner.com

Editorial Reviews

"Acclaimed international photographer and writer Michael Freeman takes the reader on a wonderful journey to understand and appreciate a great photograph. The Photographer's Vision features some of the world's greatest photographers past and present and examines what it takes to create award-winning imagery. Each genre of photography - whether photojournalism, fashion or fine art - requires a developed skill set influenced by an underlying passion and vision. These genres are explored in detail in this book, as are the skills necessary to compose and capture the dynamic range of subjects. Perhaps the most important lesson Michael Freeman shares is how to identify the qualities of a good photograph. Whether you are a gallery owner, photographer, or simply have an appreciation of photography, this book will inspire you to see more and be a better judge of what makes a good photograph."--San Francisco Book Review

"This book examines the work of some of the world's greatest photographers, explaining how to look at photographs, and how to learn from looking at them. It examines composition and design in photography, explores the thought process that goes into taking pictures. Michael Freeman is an acclaimed photography and writer."--Wetpaint.com

"Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and Appreciating Great Photography from Focal Press is the kind of photo book I'd always wished I'd written but could never get up off my ass to do. (OK, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm tied up writing these dang photo gear reviews all the time.) Freeman, who is also the author of companion books The Photographer's Eye and The Photographer's Mind, discusses the work of some of the world's great photographers in The Photographer's Vision and offers his take on how to look at an image and how to gain something from the experience. His choice of photographers and imagery in the book are excellent, including work by Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and Horst Faas. The only thing I wished he'd discussed was how to develop 'a vision' in your own work. But maybe I've got to write that book myself."--PDN.com

"Michael Freeman is a photographer known internationally for his extensive work in Africa and especially Asia. He also has written numerous books about photography theory. He's currently on tour speaking on 'Storytelling Through Photos'. I had a chance to sit in on one of these lectures given at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa and afterwards was able to have a few moments with Michael to see how he got started, his views on photo essay structure, and what it is that keeps him going."--Examiner.com

"The Photographer's Vision has a power that grows the more you read and re-read it. The stories of great photographers and their images are engrossing...I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing and understanding great photos or for those who want to improve their photographic eye."--Examiner.com

From the Publisher