Westwood Light and Lens Bundle: Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age [Paperback]

Robert Hirsch (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 024080855X | ISBN-13: 978-0240808550 | Publication Date: September 14, 2007 | Edition: 1

Light & Lens: Photography in the Digital Age is a groundbreaking introductory book that clearly and concisely provides the instruction and building blocks necessary to create thought-provoking digitally based photographs. It is an adventurous idea book that features numerous classroom-tested assignments and exercises from leading photographic educators to encourage you to critically explore and make images from the photographers' eye, an aesthetic point of view. Acquire a basic foundation for digital photography. Light and Lens covers the fundamental concepts of image-making; how to use today's digital technology to create compelling images; and how to output and preserve images in the digital world. Explore the history, theory and methods of digital image-making. Light and Lens translates the enduring aesthetics of art photography into the digital realm. You'll view, capture and think about images from a new perspective. Increase your ability to analyze, discuss and write about your own work and the images of others. Learn with exercises and assignments by leading digital educators. Innovative techniques will train your eye to make the strongest visual statement. Solve visual problems and overcome image challenges. Whether you use a digital SLR or a point-and-shoot camera, you'll get new strategies to master composition, design and light. View the full range of the digital terrain with stunning images and commentary by over 190 international artists. Robert Hirsch is a renowned photographer, educator, historian and writer. His book credits include Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials and Processes; Exploring Color Photography: From the Darkroom to the Digital Studio; and Seizing the Light: A History of Photography. He has had many one-person shows and curated numerous exhibitions. Hirsch has also conducted many workshops and interviewed eminent photographers of our time. The former executive director of CEPA Gallery, he is now the director of Light Research in Buffalo, New York, and on the Visual Studies faculty of University of Buffalo/The State University of New York.

Robert Hirsch's new edition of Exploring Color Photography is also now available from Focal Press!

*Applies technology in the service of ideas *Emphasizes conceptual problem solving in photography today

* Full of beautiful and inspiring images

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Light and Lens' is an ambitious work in that it presents an immense amount of complex technical information very clearly and succinctly without leaving anything out, weaves historical information throughout, challenges students (everyone!) to 'think critically' about the photograph and their own work at every turn, coaches, encourages, and it is also beautifully designed -- giving each artwork featured a real presence that inspires students." -- Laurie Turner, Santa Fe Community College

"Robert Hirsch clearly pitches Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age as an introductory college-level photography textbook that is foremost an idea book rather than a software or camera manual. In line with this
philosophy, Hirsch ensures that critical seeing and aesthetic values are amply addressed alongside the technical. Thus, chapters on the history of photography, visual foundations, and symbolism lead off the book, and he closes with thoughtful chapters concerning seeing with a camera and thinking and writing about images. This emphasis is a refreshing and stimulating approach for a photographic textbook." -Excerpt from Afterimage, Vol. 36, Issue 1

"Hirsch's Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age is a valuable resource for information about skills, basic to advanced, for a new photographer or an experienced teacher. The text is written with knowledge of history and its importance to contemporary ideas and images. With its ambitious coverage of a broad range of skills and ideas, the text is applicable to students at a variety of levels and useful as a reference throughout a student's academic career." - Excerpt from Exposure

About the Author

Robert Hirsch is a photographer, writer, and the Director of Light Research (lightresearch.net). His books include Seizing the Light: A History of Photography, Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes, and Exploring Color Photography. Hirsch is a former Associate Editor for Digital Camera (UK) and Photovision Magazine, and a contributor to Afterimage, exposure, Buffalo Spree, Fotophile, FYI, History of Photography, Ilford Photo Instructor Newsletter, and The Photo Review, as well as former Director of CEPA Gallery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (September 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 024080855X
• ISBN-13: 978-0240808550
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Hirsch is an artist and author of Seizing the Light: A Social History of Photography; Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age; Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Equipment, Ideas, Materials, and Processes; and Exploring Color Photography: From Film to Pixels. He is the former Associate Editor for Photovision and Digital Camera magazines and a contributing writer for Afterimage, exposure, Fotophile, The History of Photography, and The Photo Review among others. His ongoing project, World in a Jar, has traveled to over a dozen venues around the world since opening at Big Orbit Gallery and being purchased by the Burchfield-Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY. A former Executive Director and Chief Curator of CEPA Gallery, Hirsch now operates Light Research. His projects can be viewed at: www.lightresearch.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hirsch blurs line between textbook and art book, September 16, 2007

By 

Laurie Tumer (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Westwood Light and Lens Bundle: Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age (Paperback)

As a photographer and college photography educator, I'm extremely excited about Robert Hirsch's new book Light & Lens: Photography in the Digital Age. We have adopted it in our photography department at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. I consider this an unusual textbook; even a pioneer book because of how it blurs the line between textbook and art book.

It is an ambitious work in that it presents an immense amount of complex technical information very clearly and succinctly without leaving anything out, weaves historical information throughout, challenges students (everyone!) to "think critically" about the photograph and their own work at every turn, coaches, encourages, and it is ALSO beautifully designed - giving each artwork featured a real presence that inspires students. It is obvious Hirsch is a generous educator, active photographer, and thinker.

The layout is elegant - really elegant (it even has a dust jacket!) so students and photography enthusiasts are buying an "art book" that has value beyond its wealth as a textbook.

The scale of the book is about 7X17" opened with about 400 pages but looks small and is lightweight which I think was smart for a `heavyweight' subject. It can be held comfortably in the hand for good contemplative reading or placed easily on a small digital work station where it can be used as a technical reference or reference for the many innovative assignments included.

It was obviously designed for those who love photography and want to see (or have their student's see) a bigger "picture" about image making in the digital age. It is for the instructor who sees students intimidated by the larger digital texts that are completely techie-oriented and don't usually address the important issues of personal process, critical theory, and the content and context of imagery. Here is a wonderful marriage of the craft and content of making photographs in the digital age and the book's physicality exemplifes that too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly Recommended, April 26, 2009

By 

Marx Lives "ocelle" (Lima, PERU) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Westwood Light and Lens Bundle: Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age (Paperback)

I am an amateur photographer moving towards a serious enthusiast. I love this book! Its writing style is engaging and its design is smart--timely boxes with just enough information and intelligently chosen pictures to illustrate each section's point. I like that each picture is explained by its author in candid and sophisticated ways. Chapters contain exercises chosen from a wide array of successful teaching experiences. As you browse over this handsome book, you are reminded that photography is art not just a trade to make money.
The presentation of chapters and ideas within each chapter is methodical. This book could only have been written by an excellent teacher. Often I find myself learning or remembering things that I already knew but failed to connected them before. The book devotes time to provide and explain information which is either discussed lightly or not even mentioned in other books.
I'm a small person so I love the size of this book too! I can carry it everywhere I go. To me, this book is a great investment. Thanks Mr. Hirsch.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good First Draft ~ Can't wait for the 2nd Edition, December 12, 2009

By 

aardvaark (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Westwood Light and Lens Bundle: Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age (Paperback)

I used Light & Lens by Hirsch for the first time as a textbook for my two photo-1 classes (13 F2F and 10 Online students). There are many things everyone liked about the book and a number of annoyances to be (hopefully) eliminated in the next edition. I will use this textbook again. First the good: The book has an interesting 3:4 Screen Aspect ratio with extended front and back cover flaps to use as placeholders. At every point the book has artists' images with fairly complete comments by the artist. Most of these images are very contemporary. For the most part the content is complete and detailed enough to be useful for the beginning art photographer. Several sections are exemplary - for example the section on writing artist's statements. Now the bad: The small grey font used is very difficult for older readers to read. Bad Design which seems to be the norm in a lot of books in recent years. I guess this is what is being taught in design schools these days. Legibility and Readability suffers. The writing is not up to Hirsch's usual standard for correctness and clarity. His books on Color Photography and History of Photography are much better written. So there is hope for a revised edition of this book. The chapter 8 is especially poorly written and full of errors. In general there are far too many errors of one type or another in the whole text and I would hope the author would bring in a larger group of reviewers to help clean this up. In summary, I will use this book again, even as I look for a better textbook. I hope the author will revise and improve this book since it has the potential to become a classic art photo textbook.