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Author: Steve Johnson
ISBN : B00C319PNW
New from $10.49
Format: PDF
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This book covers photography from a minimalist perspective, proving that it is possible to take very good photographs with relatively cheap equipment. The minimalist process emphasizes the importance of first knowing what you want to achieve as a photographer and then choosing the most effective equipment, subject matter, and general approach to meet your goals. The minimalist photographer works with the idea that the brain and the eye are far more important than the camera.
Author Steve Johnson begins by asking you, the reader, to look inward and make the connections between your nature and your photography. Why do you want to take photographs and what subject matter are you attracted to? What type of photographer are you now and what type of photographer would you like to become? These are important questions to consider when deciding what approach works best for you.
In subsequent chapters, you'll learn about the equipment and workflow of a minimalist photographer as Johnson discusses the strengths and weaknesses of various types of cameras and explains why the biggest or most expensive piece of equipment is not always the best. He also addresses the importance of lighting and teaches you how to achieve effective lighting without spending a lot of money.
Also included are discussions about aesthetics and composition, as well as a brief history of photography and the future of the art form.
Direct download links available for Free Download The Minimalist Photographer [Kindle Edition]
- File Size: 5202 KB
- Print Length: 144 pages
- Publisher: Rocky Nook; 1 edition (April 1, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00C319PNW
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,643 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
Free Download The Minimalist Photographer
The title of the book is The Minimalist Photographer, and it's all about what you bring to your photography, and why. Good photographs might happen as a result of just knowing how to use a camera, but consistently great images of any kind result from merging that technical know-how with some idea of what you want to convey about what you see.
Johnson clearly sets the premise for this book in the Introduction, beginning with the all-too-familiar crisis that a lot of us face after the excitement of a new camera wears off and we ask ourselves, "What now?" He came to realize that without bringing some kind of aesthetic philosophy to his photography, it would remain little more than an exercise in technical competence. He chose a minimalist, reductionist philosophical approach, and found that it works on all levels, whether as a style of art or as a conscious choice in equipment. Once that approach, that philosophy, was in place, the possibilities opened up, and interesting images could be made from nearly anything.
Developing an aesthetic philosophy begins with self-exploration, and the first chapter is appropriately titled "You." It starts with an explanation of why it is easier now to develop your own approach to photography than it was in the past, thanks to digital cameras and being able to share photos on the Internet, without worrying about meeting a pre-ordained standard set by publishers and gallery owners.
The chapter really kicks in for me, though, when Johnson poses the question, "Why do you want to take photographs?" It is a harder question to answer than it might first appear, but it is the first step toward developing your own philosophy, and you need to be honest. From there he asks, "What type of photographer are you now?
When I saw the title "The Minimalist Photographer" I didn't know whether the author referred to some form of minimalism in the images captured or minimalism in the amount of equipment used to capture images. After completing the book I still don't know.
The author begins the book by asking the reader to explore himself or herself, and then proceeds to a discussion of the basics, like exposure and metering. Next there is a chapter discussing cameras and then a chapter on light. There is a mention of composition and aesthetics and a few pages about photography philosophy, followed by a brief history of photography and the author's outlook for the future of photography. Intrspersed throughout are many of the author's images.
I found these images thought provoking, if not interesting. One approach to understanding art is through the concepts of form and content. One historical approach has been to suggest that the form, say, lines, masses, color, and composition, must help to understand the content. Another school of art suggested that the form itself might be the content of a work. In painting, the abstract expressionists were determined to deal with concepts like mass, color and so forth without figurative reference. Johnson's photographs also seem to deal with form, by emphasizing lighting, line, and mass, but without caring what the content is. For example, a dramatically lit image of a screw showed the lighting, but told nothing about the screw. Based on the author's photographs I would have expected some explanation of a genre of photography which is concerned about form alone, but there was absolutely nothing significant explaining this approach.
In fact there was little of substance that would help a photographer to develop his skills anywhere in the book.