Category: Books & Publications

New cyanotype book from AlternativePhotography.com

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

(The book is called Blueprint to cyanotypes: Exploring a historical alternative photographic process and costs US $34.)

Alternative Photography press release:

Malin Fabbri and Gary Fabbri have written a clear and well illustrated step-by-step guide to making cyanotypes. It is easy to follow for the beginner and an inspiration for the more experienced photographer.

The cyanotype is often the first alternative process that people try. Digital photography has given this historical process new life, now you can create negatives in your computer and develop the prints in the sun, combining one of the earliest photographic techniques with the latest. The cyanotype process is a perfect compliment to today’s digital photography, whether you are making creative prints or fine art. It gives experienced photographers and artists a great excuse to take their eyes off the computer screen and get their hands dirty. Blueprint to cyanotypes is all you need to get started with cyanotypes. It is full of information and tips. It is also inspiration to see samples of 19 artists currently working with cyanotypes.

Blueprint to cyanotypes is published by AlternativePhotography.com – a website and information center for alternative photographic processes, dedicated to education and research. The website currently represents over 200 artists and continues to grow.

Information About the Book

Publisher: AlternativePhotography.com (2006)
Printed by: Lulu.com
Format: Paperback, 68 pages, full color
ISBN: 978-1-4116-9838-3
More information: http://www.alternativephotography.com/BlueprintToCyanotypes.html

Blueprint to Cyanotypes is available for purchase at www.lulu.com/alternativephoto, a print on demand service.

About the Authors

Malin Fabbri, from Sweden, has over 8 years of printing experience in cyanotypes and teaching workshops. Blueprint to cyanotypes is a result of a Masters thesis from Central St. Martin’s School of Design in London, in "alternative photography". The research for the thesis involved a lot of work with cyanotypes and also sparked the idea for the book. Malin also started the website, AlternativePhotography.com – an information centre for historic photographic methods in use today. She is still actively managing its expansion as the editor. Gary Fabbri is from Rhode Island, USA. An early interest in writing and drawing led him to pursue both fine art painting and writing. His paintings have been exhibited throughout the east coast. His master’s thesis lead him to find work in the television industry and he moved to London to work as an editor and writer/director. As a director Gary has made numerous shortfilms, television adverts, programmes and documentaries. Gary and Malin moved to Stockholm in 2004 where Gary runs his own company, and continues to write, direct, paint and make cyanotypes.

More info and buy from AlternativePhotography.com

Unseen America worker self-documentary photo book

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

David Usborne writes in The Independent:

A group of low-paid people in the US—many of them illegal immigrants—were given cameras and photography classes and asked to capture their lives.

…

Due out in shops across the United States this week, Unseen America offers highly unusual and often poignant glimpses of the ordinary lives of low-salaried workers in the US, the majority of whom are immigrants and often without legal papers.

…

It began when Esther Cohen, the executive director, organised free photography classes for blue-collar workers across the country, many of whom had never taken a picture in their lives. Cameras, donated by supporters, were given to them and they were encouraged to capture images that represented their lives in America…

Read the article at The Independent

Order from Amazon.com or from Amazon UK.

Cartier-Bresson’s The Decisive Moment now online

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

A scanned version of Henri Cartier-Bresson‘s long out of out of print and fantastically expensive photography book, The Decisive Moment, is now available online at e-photobooks.

Quoth the Wikipedia:

Cartier-Bresson is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was one of the first serious photographers to shoot in the smaller 35mm format, and is commonly considered the undisputed master of candid photography using the 35mm rangefinder camera. He helped to develop the "street photography" style that influenced generations of photographers to come.

Looks like a new must-read: The View From The Studio Door, by Ted Orland

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Paul Butzi writes in his blog entry, Another Instant Classic from Ted Orland on The Online Photographer:

I had been thinking pretty hard about photography and art when I came across a book that Orland had co-written with David Bayles, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking. This little book asks (and answers) questions like ‘Why should we make art?’ and ‘Why is it so hard for artists to continue making art?’ When I came across it in 1997 or so, I thought I’d come across one of those happy, synchronistic coincidences—a book that was just right for me came along at the exact moment I was ready for it. Since then, though, I’ve come to realize that it’s a timeless classic—that every artist faces many of the same hurdles, and Bayles and Orland drew on their experience to give us pragmatic, practical ways to not only get started making art we care about but to overcome the hurdles and roadblocks that so often result in our not picking up the camera for months on end.

This is pretty much my exact take on Art & Fear, except that I just discovered it a few months ago. I have since been ramming it down the throat of suggesting it to every artist—be they photographer, potter, dancer, painter, writer, musician, whatever—that I know. I’ve been meaning to do a review of it but haven’t found the time to even try to do it justice.

Ted Orland, co-author of Art & Fear (and noted toy camera photographer), has just come out with a new book, View from the Studio Door: How Artists Find Their Way in an Uncertain World (not available from Amazon until 15 April, 2006, though it seems to be available everywhere else).

He writes, "In The View From The Studio Door I’ve tried to confront many broader issues that stand to either side of that artistic moment of truth.

Issues like:

  • What are we really doing when we make art?
  • For that matter, what is art, anyway?
  • Is there art after graduation?
  • How do we find our place in the artistic community?

"These are questions that count, because when it comes to artmaking, theory & practice are always intertwined. Simply put, this is a book of practical philosophy—written by, and for, working artists."

I’m picking up a copy today and will post more once I’ve read it. In the mean time, I do suggest reading Paul Butzi’s comments on it. It’s got all the poop and he says it better than I can.

Free Polaroid image transfer e-book by Holly F. Dupré

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Fine art photographer Holly F. Dupré, has published an e-book, Polaroid Image Transfers – Tools & Techniques. It’s clearly written, covers everything from film and paper characteristics to manipulations to mounting and reproduction for press. Essentially, this is an ass-kicking document from start to finish. And it’s free! Thank you Ms. Dupré!

Continue to the intro page or download the PDF directly.

Via Heather Hollingdale

Free PDF book: The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs

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Wilhelm Research has released their book, The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs: Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, Slides, and Motion Pictures, by Henry Wilhelm with contributing author Carol Brower—originally published in 1993—as a free, downloadable PDF.

You can get the individual chapters here at Wilhelm Research’s site, or from this direct link to the whole thing in one 79.6MB PDF file.

While I haven’t read it yet, chapter titles such as "Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, and Color Slides: Which Products Last Longest?", "Print Mounting Adhesives and Techniques, Tapes, Rubber Stamps, Pencils, Inks, and Spotting Methods for Color and B&W Prints", "Display and Illumination of Color and Black and-White Prints", and "Handling and Preservation of Color Slide Collections" have bumped it to the top of my reading list.

Thanks, Wilhelm Research!

Via Silverprint News