500 photographs from 500 photographers - inspiration and education!

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Product Description

Since it was first developed by Daguerre in the 1840s, photography has followed an interesting and varied course in its progress from a practical means of documentation to an art form with its own icons, heroes, galleries and collectors. This eye-catching and engrossing book contains every sort of photography, all of it arranged in an easily accessible and fun format. Pictures of famous events such as the Royal Wedding and the first landing on the moon are here, next to familiar shots by the masters of photography such as Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Cecil Beaton and Robert Doisneau. There is fashion, sport, natural history, reportage and society portraiture, as well as social documentary and art. The 500 photographers features range from William Henry Fox Talbot and Julia Margaret Cameron to Larry Clarke and Herb Rittz, from Robert Capa and Josef Kondelka to Nan Goldin and Pierre et Gilles. Arranged alphabetically, each full-page photograph is accompanied by an illuminating text which gives useful insight into the work and its creator, as well as extensive cross-references to others working in the same field or the same style. Glossaries of technical terms and movements and a directory of museums and galleries are included in the back of the book to provide a fully comprehensive and self-contained volume.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14756 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Amazon.com
The concept for this book is simple: 500 photographers, 500 pages. Arranged alphabetically, each of the photographers--from contemporary Dutch cameraman Hans Aarsman to mid-century New York shutterbug James Van Der Zee--gets a full, oversized page. On it is a large, expertly reproduced image and a concise caption packed with information about the photographer and his or her work. The coincidental alignment of photos of different eras and aesthetic sensibilities provides unusual and exciting contrasts that add an extra dimension to readers' perception of the work. Rineke Dijkstra's color-saturated shot of a bikini-clad beachgoer in South Carolina faces a Mike Disfarmer portrait of a rural Arkansas couple in 1943. Imogen Cunningham's inimitable Nude is here, along with a more surprising image--My Mother, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, a color-photo collage by painter David Hockney. With iconic photographs like Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of a sailor and a nurse kissing in Times Square on V-J Day, historic ones like Larry Burrows's shot of wounded U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, and pop images like David LaChapelle's picture of a bodybuilder posing amid a cluster of little boys aping his stance, the scope of this visual encyclopedia is truly epic. And with its incredibly low price tag, there's no better value out there for fans of photography.

Amazon.co.uk Review
The concept for this book is simple: 500 photographers, 500 pages. Arranged alphabetically, each of the photographers--from contemporary Dutch cameraman Hans Aarsman to mid-20th-century New York snap-happy James Van Der Zee--gets a full, oversized page. On it is a large, expertly reproduced image and a concise caption packed with information about the photographer and his or her work. The coincidental alignment of photos of different eras and aesthetic sensibilities provides unusual and exciting contrasts that add an extra dimension to readers' perception of the work. Rineke Dijkstra's colour-saturated shot of a bikini-clad beachgoer in South Carolina faces a Mike Disfarmer portrait of a rural Arkansas couple in 1943. Imogen Cunningham's inimitable Nude is here, along with a more surprising image--My Mother, Bolton Abbey, and Yorkshire, a colour-photo collage by painter David Hockney.

With iconic photographs like Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of a sailor and a nurse kissing in Times Square, New York on V-J Day, historic ones like Larry Burrows' shot of wounded US soldiers in Vietnam, and pop images like David LaChapelle's picture of a bodybuilder posing amid a cluster of little boys aping his stance, the scope of this visual encyclopedia is truly epic. And with its incredibly low price tag, there's no better value out there for fans of photography.

About the Author
Ian Jeffrey lectured and was the head of art history at the University of London Goldsmiths' College between 1970 and 1987. His other books include The Concise History of Photography (1981) and The British Landscape 1920-1950 (1984). He has organized various photographic exhibitions, amongst them 'The Real Thing' at the Hayward Gallery in 1974 and 'Landscape in Britain 1850-1950', which was held at the Hayward in 1983.

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Customer Reviews

Breaks down the old fashioned fiew of photography.
This book shows the best examples of the variety of ways people use their cameras. It shows that you don't need to follow in the footsteps of the masters to get great photos and the great images can be of any subject. The'documenting' photographs, such as the first landing on the moon and the murder of a judge, show a moment in time that is unique and saved on film forever. Photography is not about the great technical skills of Ansel Adams of the ways of capturing human emotion like Bill Brandt, but about capturing a persons view of the world, which all of the photographers in the book have done. Vital in anybodies book collection even if photography doesn't interest them. It's an wonderful example of how we should all stop and take time out to view the world we live in, in a different way. Especially as the mini version is avaliable.

A good book for anyone who likes photography!
This book includes some classic photos mixed in with the extra ordinary . The use of text is particulally strong as it helps to solve the meaning of certain photos.The book has many strong points but one bad point is that you can't fit it into your pocket to read on the way to work!

okay - bit disappointing
I bought this book because I am always interested in the medium of photography and how things are 'caught' on camera but I found this book a bit disappointing and I thought the description with each photo was, to be honest, a bit rubbish. However perhaps that was becuase I bought the mini version, perhaps the bigger version has more description or makes more of an impact.

I think I am more interested in who the subject was or why the picture was important within photographical history but I found some of the photos a bit pointless and the description did not help me to see why this person was a famous photographer or why he/she was worthy to go in the book. However I guess if you are more of a photography student you would find the description more helpful and you would perhpas know more about the person's portfolio of work. I think I am more interested in photographs from a historical/social aspect, and if you're the same I would advise flicking through this book in a library/bookshop but not buying it.