I'm a fourth year photography student whose just graduated high school. I'm considering majoring or minoring in photography, and I'm especially interested in black and whites... If anyone has anykind of reading material, I'd extremely appreciate it. Thanks in advance. Jenn Bray.

-- Jenn Bray (JelloKlutz@aol.com), July 04, 2000

Answers

All of Ansel Adam's books, all of Fred Picker's, The Zone VI Workshop and The Fine Print and do the tests. Good luck! Pat

-- pat krentz (patwandakrentz@aol.com), July 04, 2000.

Gradient Light : The Art and Craft of Using Variable Contrast Paper by Eddie Ephraums. Paperback (March 1996)

Creative Elements : Darkroom Techniques for Landscape Photography by Eddie Ephraums. Paperback (October 1995)

chris

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), July 05, 2000.

You may already be familiar with _The Film Developing Cookbook_ by Anchell and Troop. A very clear exposition of the relationship of films and developers. _The Art of Photography_ by Bruce Barnbaum. Good thoughts on interpretation, and making your ideas work. If you can find it (used?) _The Creative Photographer_ by Andreas Feininger. Fine philosophical and practical ideas by one of the great photographers. The rest of his work is worth a look, too.

-- Paul Harris (pharris@neosoft.com), July 05, 2000.

If you are undecided between major and minor in photography, choose it as a minor and major in something that will bring in a steady paycheck. On your own, read about the difference between "whose" and "who's", which is a conjunction of either "who is" or "who is". I'm deadly serious; mistakes like that leap out at a potential employer.

For readings in B&W photography: 1. search your local library 2. search amazon.com, and then ask your library if they can order the books for you from their interlibrary loan program 3. search eBay Remember, looking carefully at B&W pictures is as productive as reading about them. The publisher Taschen (Germany) has 1000 page books of photographs. You can search on eBay, amazon.com, or the used-book outlets (www.powells.com, www.abebooks.com, www.bibliophile.com) The trick is to find the book you want to read, and then either buy it used or get it from a library.

If you're serious about B&W and photography, you'll never lack for a challenge. It's a great medium. Just be careful about quitting your day job.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), July 06, 2000.

Forget the books on Technique, you'll learn that in school and on your own. Get books of photography and about photography, and photographers. Weston's "Daybooks," Richard Avedon's "Autobiography," "The Best of Life," Karsh "Portaits of Greatness," Cartier-Bresson "Photographs," Biographies of Walker Evens, Dorothea Lange, W. Eugene Smith, Ansel Adams, Steiglitz and Steichen, and the many large-volume books of their work. Don't buy them yourself, that's why we have libraries. Photography is a visual Art, with a history going back 25,000 years. Study paintings -- you can learn more about lighting from Rembrandt than anyone else. And classic lighting and composition from the movies of 1925-30.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), July 06, 2000.

my 2cents worth--study (on your own and institutionally) all art forms--this will make you much more well rounded in how you view your surroundings. My other cents worth is to take some business courses (marketing, basic {at least} accounting, and some basic business math. Every successful photographer I know is also a good businessman, or he has the resources to hire someone to handle the business matters.

-- fred (fdeaton@hiwaay.net), July 08, 2000.