Customer Reviews

Photography: Revised Edition

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second edition of PHOTOGRAPHY isn't a token revision. It's a major update of a book that we had already designed to bring basic photographic instruction into the modern era without leaving the fundamentals behind. It is, unlike most of its competition, a book you can grow with as your photographic skills improve.
PHOTOGRAPHY is really a cross between a how-to book and a coffee-table book. That's one reason it costs more than a regular photo handbook: In addition to hundreds of technical illustrations there are dozens of beautifully reproduced, full-page photographs by some of the leading photographers of our time. You'll find photographs by Annie Leibovitz, Joel Meyerowitz, Sebastiao Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark, Joyce Tenneson, James Nachtwey, David LaChapelle, Matthew Rolston, Mark Seliger, and many others representing every kind of photographic discipline you can imagine. These images, which have been substantially updated in this revision, are interspersed throughout the text. PHOTOGRAPHY also features a series of individual profiles of well-known working photographers, heavily illustrated with examples of their work, and a compact, illustrated history of photography by New York Times critic Vicki Goldberg.
Why the emphasis on big, high-quality pictures? Because PHOTOGRAPHY is meant to inspire as it teaches.
--HENRY HORENSTEIN AND RUSSELL HART

This book by Horenstein and Hart was bought as an introduction to photography. Before I bought it, I looked at numerous other books on photography, but none of them seemed to tell me a lot more than what I already knew. In addition they did not inspire me. I only tell this because my opinion is that this book is what I searched for. It is well written and gives a decent treatment of the different topics. The illustrations are clear, and there are several photos showing the concepts involved, the photos being so good that they also show more subtle effects. And then there are works by various professional photographers all along. These are not just dumped there, but actually fit the topic being treated. The chapter on digital photography is perhaps a little short. However, I would rather by an additional in-depth book on digital photography anyway. This book gives the basis knowledge on how photography evolved and on different techniques. I only wished it had been available in hardback, because the relatively large format makes it somewhat unhandy in paperback.

I've been a photo student for nearly two years and this is the textbook I started with. I didn't realize at first how amazing and inspiring it was until I couldn't find it. Horenstein's book is organized and it is easy to read. It covers a great deal and has wonderful images as examples. I enrolled in a photojournalism class last semester and had to purchase Photography (8th ed) by Barbara London & John Upton. I was very dissatisfied with the textbook when remembering how great Horenstein's is. I urge every hopeful photographer to make an investment in this book.

I enrolled in a photo one course, having always enjoyed the art form. Not only was this book immensely helpful throughout the course, but I refused to return it at the end of the semester. It doubles as a superb textbook and a lovely coffee table look through. I find myself flipping through it just for entertainment and also to find solutions to camera or developing problems I might be having. I also agree that the only negative aspect of this text is the fact that it doesn't come in hard back. The paper back version becomes awkward, it's best if you read it whilst your sitting up or at a desk. If you're one for pleasure reading in bed, like myself, this book might prove to be a challenge. Other than it's awkward dimensions in paper back, this is a must-have-book for those vaguely interested in the hobby all the way to those who are professional photographers. Hooray for well written books and well constructed page layouts with tremendous photos around every turn!!

I am a photography instructor, and over some twenty five years, have used numerous books as course texts. This one is the most comprehensive and up-to-date text I have ever worked with. I do not teach to a text, and prefer students to use a book as a reference and in tandem with course material. 'Photography' works well in that format, but I also imagine it will work for educators or self-learners as a page-by-page teaching and learning tool. This is, in other words, a great book. However, I think it is absolutely criminal that the same edition has gone from being a little over $50 to over $100 in less than ten years. This is especially troubling as I am sure 'Photography' is now one of the most widely used text books in the country. I understand that production costs and the advent of e-books could be stressing the publishers, but surely, there is little to justify such a high price other than greed. Students, already struggling in a tight economy, are being ripped off. I appeal to this particular publisher to reset their pricing policies and criteria. Do what my institution did: Sewanee (a.k.a. The University of the South) actually reduced its fees by 10% this year as a protest against spiraling trends in college tuition, and ultimately with the hope that this would redraw the tuition-policy landscape nationally.

I will not be assigning 'Photography' as a course text this year.

I've always been a fan of Horensteins photo books. This is a great edition and it wonderfully includes everything you need to know about entry level traditional black and white, colour and digital work. Now if this book would just get updated once more for what is now available in all the mediums.

This book definitely covers pretty much everything -- sometimes in ultra-minute detail -- that you would need to know in order to understand the basic fundamentals of the art of photography. For anyone with medium to advanced photographic experience, this book will have a lot of pages to skip. However, even for those expert photographers, this book contains a lot of odd technical details that are required for testing for certification (such as for PPA) that you may have forgotten since high school, or that you just may have never learned on your own through self-study and/or trial and error. In short, this book is a valuable reference to have handy for any serious photographer.

I got this book as a present off my wishlist, thankfully getting a used copy instead of at that ripoff price.
At this point, the price is a $135! Really?
You can tell the REAL value by the "sell back your copy" price, which is currently $16.
It is a pity that such a valuable book is being kept out of the hands of students because of greed.

The book itself is a mine of information, covering everything from the birth of photography through to the digital age.
Most importantly it give a knowledge grounding that all of the "How to" books can never give.

I didn't really use it much, unfortunately. It really is an amazing book, it's got everything you need to know in it.

I ordered the book because buying thru the school bookstore was very expensive. Found the company thru Amazon and the price was right! At the end I never got the book and I probably have to buy at the regular price. My experience with buying thru the internet in this instance was bad! I have to say though, that the customer service was good, and they tried to find the solution to my problem.