Customer Reviews

Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is an excellent primer on the basics of photojournalism, and a good how-to guide on becoming a journeyman photojournalist. With chapters on each of the "bread-and-butter" categories of newspaper photography - sports, features, news, etc. - each section has interviews with veteran AP photographers on how they approach these sorts of assignments, and tips to help ensure that one will come back with a serviceable picture. In short, it's a good book for someone who's just getting their feet wet in the business of newspaper photography, and I'm glad it was one of the first books in my photojournalism library.

But much like AP photojournalism itself, the focus of this book is on how to create simple, clean images that tell the immediate story of the day. Except for some talk of basic "picture packages" in the features chapter, there's no suggestions on how to brainstorm and develop an in-depth photos essay, nor is there much type given on taking risks visually with photography, and creating new and innovative images while documenting the world.

In short, this book is a primer, and a fairly decent one at that. But I would urge anyone who picks this up to also get a book or three of photo essays and see how they can take their work to the next level.

This is a great inside look at photojournalism as it is practiced by the photographers of the world's leading news agency. Their work methods, how they think and react to a situation, and the forces that motivate them are all fascinating reading. And, the book is so current. It seems like only yesterday that we saw many of the photographs in this book first in our daily newspaper. Several of those photographs are analyzed in depth. The future of photojournalism also is discussed.

I bought this book since I want to become a photojournalist.
I am a photographer who has graduated a photo school few months ago. this book isn't for beginners, The little technical data may be misleading if read by a novice. Instead, it deals with content and the thinking and working process of photographers in this field. I find it as a nice introduction to the world of photojournalism,though a little "too good to be true" kind of book. The book definitely doesn't deal with the problems, the deadlines, the failures and the risks. This is like a postcard, where everything is perfect. There is a good side though, it is easily read, and very interesting. You want a more serious book, look some place else...
If you have the spare bucks though, don't hasitate and buy it!!!

"Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism", Brian Horton, McGraw-Hill NY, 2nd. ed. 2001, ISBN 0-07-136387-4, SC 223 pgs.

Sports photo editor at A-P since 1971, Horton has many credits including 2 books on news photography. This text explains PJ (picture story) - how a photographer "sees the story" is a skill requiring experience, insight, anticipation, inventiveness, & a passion. Often "breaking stories" are heavily covered & many photos require sensitivity, rapport, knowledge of equipment so to acquire a style using composition, cropping & those angles to communicate photo stories of news, emotions, life experiences, etc.

Horton quotes an A-P policy adopted in 1990 indicating "the content of a photograph will never be changed or manipulated in any way". Horton then goes on to recite of some widely published photos with recognized manipulations & public outcries leading to general distrust of media by the populace (& rightly so!). Indeed, even cropping can be viewed as manipulation, the latter generally a product of Madison Avenue influences that shouldn't reflect PJ integrity (need for well insulated photo editors).

Relying on "photo setups" can numb public's perceptions & lessen reality. Telephoto lenses as 80-200 zoom provides close-ups without intrusion despite an onerous sanctifying of 24 mm wide-angle to fill the frame by getting into the subject's face & personal space. Author interviews 8 pros on their perspectives & experiences in PJ & then concludes with a short summary of some changes in photography over the past half-century, namely the gradual switch from 4"x5" to 2 1/4" to 35 mm to color & now electronic (digital) imaging.

As a former newspaper photographer I'd been taught a good PJ shot did not require a title. I found Horton's book exacting, full of exciting photos, many good "how to" tips, and how PJ news photography has evolved into specialized art forms for optimum coverage of war, natural disaster, politics, crime, disease & subspecialities of certain sports as basketball, football, Olympics, Indy 500, etc. It is a pleasant, informative read, not overtly technical & fairly priced.

Brian Horton's book is a must read for photojournalists. Do NOT be misled that this is only for Associated Press photographers. Brian has interviewed many photographers on many aspects of being a photojournlist. Be sure to check out his interviews with photographers on how they handle fast-breaking situations. This book is not an f-stop and shutterspeed book but gets into the photojournalist's mind.

I bought this book in hopes to satisfy my curiosity about photojournalism. I would say this book did a pretty good job of doing that. Although it doesn't address any real specifics of photojournalism, it does deliver a lot of the basic principles and general knowledge.
For what it was worth, I found this book to be an excellent read, with plenty of insights that would be valuable to any photographer, written with a very simplistic approach. I can see how ideas presented in this book could be applied to other areas of photography and not be limited to the field of photojournalism.
If you're novice photographer and looking for a technical, how-to, reference book, this is not the book for you. If you a photographer of any level, and you want to broaden your general knowledge of photojournalism, then this book would be a fine addition to your library. Also, I feel that this book could be used as a warm-up read prior to diving into the more advanced, technical books available on the topic.

It's an easy read, with interviews of assorted veterans of the PJ world. Most of these guys worked in the film era, so don't expect much on digital technique. In fact it's more about the human experience of these people, as they do their job as silent, passive witnesses to history. I can't say I learned anything, but I did read the whole thing, so it was cheap entertainment. If you are looking for practical advice or technical guidance you need to look for something less dated. These are bedtime stories, kinda like the stories my grandma told me years ago.

Dave

This book clearly is not meant for advanced journalism students but it's perfect for someone working as a stringer or a novice who is thinking about entering this field. The most important aspects of photojournalism are covered, including a section on electronic ethics. If ever you needed a good reason to keep ethical standards then the "Photoshop War" run by Reuters last year in Lebanon is an excellent example: one of their photojournalist was actively creating even more photo-edited havoc and carnage than what was actually happening... and slanting the images to make it appear as if Israel was indiscrimately destroying Beirut. I'd like to see an updated edition of this book that takes this into account but I doubt I'll see it any time soon.

I am very sorry but I found this book to be totally useless and boring. I was sorry to spend money for it. There is no real insight into the world of photojournalism out of my point of view.
I'd rather suggest reading Howard Chapnicks book "Truth Needs No Ally: Inside Photojournalism" or Ken Lights "Witness in Our Time: Working Lives of Documentary Photographers". Both excellent books, worth the money and very interesting.

I came looking for photojournalism guides after an editor rejected a photo because it "didn't tell the story." I bought this book because I read another review entitled "How to think, not how to see." I know how to see, but I didn't know how to capture a photograph that could be used by a news outlet.

I'm quite happy with this purchase. This book has a permanent place in my collection.

This book isn't for someone who aims for pure artistry. Nevertheless, the chapters talk about proper lens choices, use of depth of field, etc. There are other important topics as well: how to get the telling photograph during an emotional moment. I'd recommend this book for prospective photojournalists, and also for writers who must now get visuals to go with their stories.