The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Pssst, wanna make a weird photograph? How about a moody blue cyanotype or a Kallitype? Or maybe a ziatype, anthotype, or Ambrotype? Or perhaps you'd just like to know more about image transfer processes or how to make a pinhole camera. Imagine knowing a really cool guy who casually tells you lots of valuable stuff about the history and science of photography while you're working in his experimental darkroom, and you've got the essence of the unusual and delightful Book of Alternative Photographic Processes. Christopher James, a photographer and former Harvard University professor, leads you carefully through the chemistry and use of materials for each process. He offers numerous ways to make negatives and prepare the printing paper, and he coaches you in understanding and accepting the enormously variable effects of each method. Seven useful appendices deal with such topics as safety considerations and resources on the Web. Unlike the narrowly task-oriented approach of average how-to guide, this one points you to a much bigger world. Even the illustrations include a generous assortment of contemporary prints--among them James's own inventive images--as well as work by 19th- and early-20th-century photographers. They were the ones who pioneered most of the techniques that are now considered "alternative."

The fun of this book--even for someone unlikely ever to set foot in a darkroom--lies in the author's fascinating excursions into the wide world of knowledge, from the workings of 3-D to Charles Babbage's steam-driven punch-card systems. Equally compelling are the author's sense of humor and his utter lack of dogmatism. "In gum printing," he writes, "there are very few absolutely correct ways to do anything." --Cathy Curtis --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"The first edition was a stunning achievement, and one I felt that was not likely to be superceded. Five short years later Christopher James has created a very new work and a new standard. The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes: 2nd Edition is, by far, the best alternative photographic process book ever!" - Richard Sullivan, Founder and Co-Owner, Bostick & Sullivan

"As bit strings take over our photographic being - if not our lives - we need, more than ever, this playful and inspiring manual. James cheerfully and effectively instructs us, whether we are novice or adept, in the alchemical arts of transmuting our expressive photographic images, both digital and analogue, into hand-crafted prints which will forever bear our individual marks." - Dr. Mike Ware, Author of over 50 publications on alternative process, history, process and preservation.

"If I could only have one photography book this would be it." - Tim Whelan Photographic Books

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Product Details

• Paperback: 660 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 2 edition (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418073725
• ISBN-13: 978-1418073725
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,168 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars even if you have a slight interest.., April 9, 2004

By	"stapler57" (Weimar, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Paperback)

As far as I am concerned, this is THE BOOK.
It is so incredibly useful and I've learned so much from reading it. It's very well written, easy to follow, tons of references. Wow. I recommend this book to anyone interested in alternative process photography. Anyone interested in photography even. It is wonderful.
Basically, in photography, Silver is used a lot in the photographic papers. Alternative processing uses anything BUT silver. Platnium/palladium, gold, Iron.. even berries and various plants. This book gives a wonderful over-view of it all and tells you how to do it. There is even a bit of history about the different processes complete with wonderful pictures. I love this book.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scholar and the Artist in Perfect Synchrony!, September 4, 2001

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Paperback)

Christopher James has been satisfying the art world for 20+ years now, combining his gifts as a photographer (who has been pushing the creative envelope all along) with his equally successful foray into the studio of the painter. In both areas Christopher has started with the keen observing eye. Representing what those investigating eyes have captured has always included experimenting with the medium: watercolors are painted on a paper ground that has been altered with gum arabic/graphite/jade resist and photographs that have been pulled through a Diana camera or glazed and adroitly enameled so that viewing becoms a three dimensional experience. But Christopher is also highly regarded as a short story writer and it is this last variation of his artistic temperament that makes his new book so successful.
This is an invaluable book, an exemplary resource text about Alternative Photographic Processes. But, and here is the Christopher James rule of thumb, this "text" is deliciously readable. Even for collectors who are looking for some degree of insight into the magic of the medium this book has much to offer. I found myself actually READING the text, not just paging through a beautifully designed tome on great photographs.
Highly recommended for the artists who need to know these techniques.........and equally highly recommended for those of us who marvel at the variations of contemporary photography.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Text on Alternative Photography, September 1, 2001

By	Frank Van Riper (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Paperback)

Frank Van Riper, photographer, author and photography columnist for <Washingtonpost.com>:
After years of effort--and gathering hundreds on images--his own as well as those of other master photographers and many of his students, Christopher James has produced a superb book that likely will stand for years as the definitive text on alternative photography. It not only is a pleasure to look at it is a pleasure to read. From Ambrotype to Ziatype, Christopher covers it all, in a breezy, accessible style that is jammed with practical information that never is pedantic or dull. I don't even do lots of this stuff and I found it all fascinating. It's a simply marvelous book, by a gifted teacher.