The photo. The art of self-expression (B. Bernbum)
Author : B. Burnbaum
Book translation : O. Sivchenko, A. Sereda
Review author : A. Sereda (journalist, editor www.dev.by )
Release date : 06/22/12
Bruce Burnbaum - the successor of the traditions of American landscape photography, which is associated primarily with the name of Ansel Adams. Adams school is manifested both in the choice of objects of photography - majestic landscapes and natural phenomena, and in a responsible approach to exposure metering, as well as in the mandatory manual printing of photographs. And in the book “Photography. The art of self-expression ”is mostly referred to specifically about“ analogue ”photography (Bernbaum himself prefers the so-called large format and shoots on a sheet of film).
Why should this book be of interest to the reader in our time, when everyone around us is passionate about digital photography, and random exposure errors are successfully corrected by Photoshop and Lightroom? The author’s goal is not only to teach how to shoot, but also to explain why to do it and for what. By the way, few people know which analog photographic techniques formed the basis of digital processing techniques, and Burnbaum talks about them precisely in the sequence from film to digital.
A key part of the book is chapters on the practical aspects of photography. Until now, practically no manuals have been published in Russian, in which exposure metering and the zone system would be examined in such detail. Burnbaum, having carefully studied the approach of the inventor of the zone theory Ansel Adams, presented the zone system from the point of view of practice. He talks about it a lot and in great detail, and in his presentation we finally understand how great the value of this theory is, not only for proper exposure metering, but also for a better understanding of what contrast is in photography (it doesn’t matter, analog or digital). Bernbaum in his book offers a rather relevant application of zone theory to digital photography, and also mentions such a popular landscape painter's tool as HDR. He himself admits that his experience with the “figure” is not so great
The book concludes with chapters on creative issues, and here Bernbaum willingly shares his personal experience. There are not so many beautiful words about what a photograph should mean, the author is more likely to describe his own ways in which he came to this or that picture. And this constant presence of the author's “I”, oddly enough, creates the impression of greater objectivity than in many books on the theory of creativity written by Russian-speaking authors.
“The Art of Self-Expression” is a universal textbook not only for beginners: this book covers all the basic concepts that are essential for every photographer. For example, the basics of composition, the nature of lighting, color science and photo filters - here they are given briefly, but taking into account those little tricks that become known only after a long practice. But a lot of attention is paid to what happens between the decision to take a shot and its embodiment: Bernbaum calls it “visualization”, and this is the most important condition for the development of professional photographic vision.
If we talk about the shortcomings of the book, then this is probably an extensive range of topics: very strong chapters on some aspects of photography and relatively shallow ones on others. But the print quality is up to par: well-presented illustrations, layout close to the original, rather an exception than the rule among serious publications on photography in Russian.
The book on piter.com
The book on ozon.ru
Table of contents
Excerpt from the book