The Nature of Photographs

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An Essential Primer on Understanding Photography by One of theWorld's Most Influential Photographers "In my roughly twenty years of writing about photography, I don't thinkI've come across a book that has implied so much with so few words, a bookthat raises so many important questions with so little fanfare and withsuch precision."-James Kaufmann, Photographer's ForumBy the age of 14, Stephen Shore (b.1947) took his first photograph.By 17,he was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory photographing both the artist andhis entourage.At 23, he became the first living photographer to have aone-person show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.At 35, he was appointedDirector of the Photography Program at Bard College.An unrivalled pioneerin the field of color photography, his work has been exhibited in numerousmuseums worldwide, including an exhibition opening this May at theInternational Center of Photography that focuses on the work from hiscritically acclaimed books American Surfaces and Uncommon Places.Withsuch an impressive career, no one is a better suited guide to the nature ofphotographs. THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS by Stephen Shore, is an essential primer on howto understand photography by one of the world's most influentialphotographers.Growing out of a college course that Shore taught for manyyears, this book explores ways of looking at photographs from all periodsand all types--from iconic images to found photographs, from negatives todigital files.Its aim is to describe the physical and formal attributesof a photographic print--the very elements that form the tools aphotographer uses to define and interpret the content.In the end, Shoreteaches us, on the most basic level, how a photograph "works." As well as a selection of Shore's own work, THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHScontains images from all eras of photography, from classic works by WalkerEvans, Robert Frank, and Eug+ne Atget to more contemporary work by Berndand Hilla Becher, Cindy Sherman, Joel Sternfeld, Thomas Struth, and RichardPrince. It includes all genres, such as street photography, fine artphotography, and documentary photography, as well as images by unknownphotographers.Together with his clear, intelligent, and accessible text,Shore uses these works to demonstrate how the world in front of the camerais transformed into a photograph. Divided into four main chapters--The Physical Level, The Depictive Level,The Mental Level, and Mental Modeling--THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS exploreshow photographs function visually.By teaching us how to see through theeyes of a photographer, Shore teaches us a new way to look at the worldaround us.This affordable book serves as indispensable tool for students,teachers, and everyone who wants to take better pictures.

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