December 2008 Archives

If you like portrait photography—even just a little bit—then I highly recommend Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images.

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the wonderful and fascinating photographs in Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images. The book reveals about three hundred photographs of various celebrities—movie stars, artists, politicians, writers, sports heroes, rich and powerful business moguls and more—in lavish full, and sometimes double, page format. Some photographs brought back powerful memories of the times we experienced, while others made me howl with laughter.

Whether you are a serious student of photography or someone who wants a beautiful coffee book, I urge you to buy and enjoy this wonderful book. You will not be disappointed.

In a somewhat tangential direction, I urge you to read an article at Studio Marcotte: The Decline of Fashion Photography. And, be sure to read its accompanying comments, for they are interesting and provocative. Think about the comments when you are enjoying Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images. As you enjoy and study each photograph, ask yourself: What, if anything, makes this photograph art?

And if you are a photography enthusiast yourself and a person who uses Photoshop™, then I highly recommend David Nightingale's Chromasia Photoshop Tutorials. I will be mentioning more about his tutorials in upcoming posts.

I wish everyone a Very Merry Holiday Season and a Very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Safe New Year!

My photograph of the Bow River in Banff National Park is hosted at Flickr. If you click on the picture, you will be taken to my Flickr account where you can see more pictures.

Although it is too late for holiday shopping, at least it is too late for most of us, I highly recommend Annie Leibovitz at Work by Annie Leibovitz. While the book contains some of her great pictures, the book is more focused on how she approached her photoshoots and her experiences during her photoshoots.

For example, The Stobist: Annie and Elizabeth, Minute-by-Minute provided a great YouTube, shown below, of Annie Leibovitz's session with the Queen.

With every chapter, Leibovitz wrote a clean, concise essay on her photoshoot with various celebrities. Moreover, she describes how she her photography and her approach to photography has evolved. Throughout her book, I got the strong sense that Leibovitz is extremely pragmatic in using whatever works. She embraces new technologies and approaches. While she certainly is not afraid of using a lot of equipment during a shoot, she gave me the impression that most often less is better.

One surprising item—at least for me—is that Leibovitz does not consider herself a great conversationalist with the ability to put people at ease. When I read Yousuf Karsh's biography Portrait in Light and Shadow: The Life of Yousuf Karsh, his conversation and interaction with his subject was of paramount importance. Leibovitz places tremendous emphasis on familiarity too, but I sense with a different style. Whereas Karsh was always prepared in advance for his subject's session, Leibovitz's preparation often includes spending substantial time with her subject prior to the actual shoot.

If you are at all interested in photography, I highly recommend Leibovitz's book. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read with valuable insights sprinkled throughout.

1. Prologue
2. Nixon's Resignation
3. The Rolling Stones
4. John and Yoko
5. Conceptual Pictures
6. Advertising
7. Al Sharpton
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger
9. Dance
10. Demi Moore
11. Performance
12. War
13. O.J. Simpson
14. Impromptu
15. Patti Smith
16. Fashion
17. Nudes
18. Groups
19. Presence and Charisma
20. Being There
21. My Mother
22. Sarah
23. Susan
24. Hollywood
25. The Queen
26. The Process
27. The Road West
28. Equipment
29. Ten Most-Asked Questions
30. Publishing History
31. Chronology
32. Acknowledgments

And if you are a photography enthusiast yourself and a person who uses Photoshop™, then I highly recommend David Nightingale's Chromasia Photoshop Tutorials. I will be mentioning more about his tutorials in upcoming posts.

I wish everyone a Very Merry Holiday Season and a Very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Safe New Year!

My photograph of the Rocky Mountains Seen From Calgary is hosted at Flickr. If you click on the picture, you will be taken to my Flickr account where you can see more pictures.