Photography Unplugged [Hardcover]

Harald Mante (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2009

Harald Mante is regarded as one of the outstanding contemporary photographers in Germany. He started out as a travel photographer whose work was published in numerous magazines and books and later taught photography in the tradition of the Bauhaus school of design, applying image and color composition concepts to photography.

This book is meant to present the wealth of Mante's photographic work and at the same time to advocate a pure, straight approach to photography, untouched by digital image editing tools -- uncropped and unmodified captures of scenes as seen through the viewfinder.

Photography Unplugged is meant to sound a voice which is singing to a slightly different tune than the digital photography choir.

Harald Mante's photographs, all captured on Kodachrome's legendary slide films, will inspire beginners and expert photographers alike, and will reveal the beauty and magic of masterfully composed photography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Berlin in 1936, Harald Mante studied graphic design and painting at Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden. He taught Photographic Design at Dortmund Polytechnic and at the European Art Academy in Trier, as well as many seminars and workshops. Professor Mante has authored numerous art books and textbooks. His photographic work has been exhibited in museums and private collections world-wide, and his books and calendars have become collector's items.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rocky Nook; 1 edition (October 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933952474
• ISBN-13: 978-1933952475
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Lovers Only, September 23, 2009

By 

Charles (Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Photography Unplugged (Hardcover)

If you are comfortable doing your own critiques this book could be for you. There is absolutly no narative. However, the photos are outstanding and presented one per page to great effect. I would suggest that you look inside "The Photograph" and if you like Mante's style then there is much to like here. Even better, get The Photograph and read that first to get a good grounding in the author's approach to color and composition. I rate the book at five stars, but I have to admit that this book is for lovers only.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful! Joyous, Even., September 23, 2009

By 

T. Campbell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photography Unplugged (Hardcover)

Rats, Charles from Virginia beat me to it. I received my copy today. Charles's review speaks somewhat to the serious aspect of this, the largest portfolio-type publication of Mante's images that I know of.

But, knowing Mante's instructional writings fairly well, I was struck by the almost palpable joy Mante must have felt in seeing and taking these images. They are uplifting, fun, at times just plain funny and indicative of an optimistic view of life's possibilities. He is not a street photographer. Most images are of static subjects, but all are primo examples of the most sophisticated ability to see the visual potential in one's surroundings.

I was reminded of Hans Silvester's book, "Kaleideoscope," which was not available in the U.S., and of William Eggleston's work. WE's work is much less optimistic in feeling, sometimes emphasizing the graphic aspects in the most utterly banal to emphasize that banality. HS's book is more purposefully abstract, almost a lesson in nonrepresentational photographic imaging. Mante's new book has a very different, light hearted feel.

If one has studied Mante's instructional books, one can enjoy seeing many familiar illustrations on their own with a short caption stating the location, and many not published before. If this is one's introduction to Mante's photography, it is a delightful look at this master photographer/teacher's work and style.

The one bone I have to pick is that vertical images are not the same size as the more numerous horizontal ones, but two-thirds the linear size. The verticals' height is equal to the height of the horizontals. There being no difference in the quality of the verticals' images, they should have been presented with the same dimensions as the horizontals. There is plenty of page space to do that. If this was a book/visual design decision, I submit that printing the verticals on the same horizontal axis as the horizontal images is the way to go. The verticals seem diminished, or subordinated for some unknown reason to the horizontals in this book's presentation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous use of design and color in everyday objects, February 20, 2010

By 

Diane M. Reed (Bend, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photography Unplugged (Hardcover)

Harald Mante uses all the principles of design and color in picturing the everyday items we take for granted. I was trained as a commercial artist at one of the top art schools in the country, and later began using the camera instead of the brush when photography put us out of business. Much of my work uses the same principles that he uses in such a masterful way in the photos--page after page. After seeing the book that belonged to a friend, I had to order it. I look at it all the time and my appreciation continually grows. Trying to find words to describe the book is difficult--you need to see it to appreciate it. If only I can do as well, someday.