The Photographer’s eye by John Szarkowski.
Photographic gems from ‘The Photographer’s Eye’. Published in 1980 and still valid!
I recently read Mark Galer’s book Digital photography in available light. It’s an excellent book and one that manages to offer new instruction in a market full of other books on the same subject. In the book he quotes from John Szarkowski’s book ‘The Photographer’s eye’. As luck would have it the University’s library has a copy of this, much older book, on it’s shelves too.
The book is a fantastic collection of photos from the early days of the art to the 1960′s. There are few words, instead the images are left to speak for themselves. They are artfully arranged so that they relate to each other. The words that are included are understated and insightful, contrasting painting with photography. There is plenty to think about.
The book attempts to describe the nature of photography – it’s relationship to reality. The role of the ‘significant detail‘ and of symbol over painterly narrative. It explores the importance of the frame, it’s ability to define content, create relationship, present juxtapositions and quote out of context. It raises the fundermental Photographer’s question – What should be included what should be excluded? He proceeds to sum it up beautifully;
“This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billard table.”
He then unpicks the relationship of photography to time and the ‘decisive moment’ (Cartier – Bresson). In order to impose some meaning on an image, to make it a picture, the Photographer is obliged to arrange the elements by moving the camera. The issue of vantage point is therefore raised. All the while the points made are illustrated with a great selection of photos.
See more images at JPG magazine.
