LJ Collection Development- From Film to Pixels: Titles for Shutterbugs

When the topic of photography was first reviewed in LJ (see Kathy Anderson's 'Zooming in on Photo Books,' LJ 7/92), the digital camera, which uses light sensors to record an image on a magnetic disk or memory card rather than on film, was still in its infancy, only just introduced in 1990. In the years since, its popularity has grown as prices have come down and consumers have recognized the technology's convenience. Digital images, which are either scanned into a computer from film or produced with a digital camera, can be sent around the world via the Internet in less than a second, meaning there's no time- and money-consuming film developing or shipping.

Young couples now routinely e-mail photos of their newborns to distant grandparents, and travelers create digital photo albums of their most recent trips on web sites like www.cartogra.com to share with friends and co-workers. On the commercial front, the advertising, magazine, and newspaper industries increasingly rely on this new technology. On a strictly artistic level, computerized images have given photographers the capability of controlling not just the composition of the subject but the subject itself, leading to debates over exactly what a photograph is and the degree to which it should be altered or manipulated.

PCs notwithstanding and although one major film manufacturer indicates that the sale of film is 'maturing' or leveling off, film photography is not dead yet. Many editors of magazines and books prefer film slides for their publications, and most family photos are still taken with film. The reason? The best camera film still has ten times the resolution (clarity) of digital images.

There is no reason, therefore, for librarians to cut back on titles about this type of photography; indeed, it is important that they provide a large selection of how-to resources on color film techniques and composition for patrons of different capabilities, from beginners to advanced. Among the many publishers in this field, Amphoto stands out for the quantity and overall high quality of its titles. The best of the current authors on technique is British photographer John Hedgecoe, but the late Ansel Adams still offers valuable advice in his influential three-volume how-to series (The Camera, The Negative, The Print), first published in 1949 and reissued in paperback by Little, Brown in 1995.

Wonderful images can be produced with black-and-white film, but only the most avid photographers are using it now. Your collection should reflect this usage pattern (unless you serve a large number of serious photography students): limit your selection to a few of the newest and best titles (e.g., Roger Fremier's Techniques for Black-and-White Photography or John Garrett's Black-and-White Photography Masterclass). On the other hand, if you own Adams's photographic compilations, hold on to them even if it means rebinding. They're classics that all photographers will appreciate.

As for digital photography, the technology is still so new that the market is flooded with books aimed primarily at novices, with only a few for more advanced photographers. But collection development librarians should try to purchase titles for all skill levels.

Ardent hobbyists and professionals continually spend money on the best equipment to stay on the cutting edge. Magazine product reviews, price guides, and photography-related web sites are very good sources of information on the latest equipment.

Because almost every community has its share of professional photographers or talented amateurs who would like to market their work, a basic collection should also address the business side of photography, with market directories, legal guides, and other practical texts.

While instructional manuals have their place in the study of photography, libraries, depending on their budgets, should also consider coffee-table 'picture' books and photography histories. In the same way that painters learn from the great masters by visiting art museums, photographers at all levels can glean knowledge about the different kinds of photography and techniques (art, portrait, landscape, travel, photojournalism, etc.) from such leading figures as Alfred Stieglitz, Lewis Hine, Man Ray, Diane Arbus, and Cindy Sherman. Such books may be a bit pricey (although Aperture does an inexpensive 'Masters of Photography' series), but they're worth the investment. And they circulate well.

Over the last ten years cameras, lenses, and electronic flash have become so computerized that equipment manuals published before 1995 should be weeded. But be careful about what you choose to discard as there are still a number of people who collect and use older models and antique cameras. Handle books on photographic composition differently, since the same elements and principles of composition apply now, just as they did decades ago.

Due to space limitations, materials on home video, black-and-white photography, and specific digital photography software programs (e.g., Adobe PhotoShop) have been excluded. Starred [.] titles are for most collections.

A final word of advice: Walt Chandoha, a former World War II photographer who's now one of the very best garden photographers, once said, 'If you want to become a good photographer, study artistic [not just photographic] composition.' So, head your patron shutterbugs toward the 750s as well as the 770s!

Film Photography

*Hart, Russell. Photography for Dummies. Hungry Minds . 1998. 408p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7645-5065-9. pap. $19.99.

*Hedgecoe, John. John Hedgecoe's New Book of Photography . DK. 1994. 264p. photogs. index. ISBN 1-56458-508-5. $29.95.

McCartney, Susan. Mastering Flash Photography: A Course in Basic to Advanced Lighting Techniques . Amphoto: Watson-Guptill. 1997. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8174-4545-5. pap. $24.95.

*Meehan, Joseph. The Photographer's Guide to Using Filters . rev. ed. Amphoto: Watson-Guptill. 1999. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8174-5452-7. pap. $24.95.

Going Digital

*Allen, Bryan. Digital Wizardry: Creative Photoshop Techniques . Amphoto: Watson-Guptill. 1998. 150p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8174-3797-5. pap. $29.95.

Ang, Tom. Silver Pixels: An Introduction to the Digital Darkroom . Amphoto: Watson-Guptill. 2000. 127p. photogs. ISBN 0-8174-5889-1. pap. $27.50.

*Bavister, Steve. Digital Photography: A No-Nonsense, Jargon-Free Guide for Beginners . Collins & Brown, dist. by Sterling. 2000. 160p. photogs. index. ISBN 1-85585-781-2. pap. $19.95.

Binder, Jenni. Digital Photography: A Basic Guide to New Technology . Kodak Bks: Silver Pixel Pr. (Kodak Workshop Series). 2000. 128p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-87985-797-8. pap. $24.95.

*Greenberg, Steven. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography . Que: Macmillan. 1999. 383p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7897-2109-0. pap. $24.99 with CD-ROM.

*King, Julie Adair. Digital Photography for Dummies . 3d ed. Hungry Minds. 2000. 342p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7645-0646-3. pap. $24.99 with CD-ROM.

Sadun, Erica. Digital Photography: I Didn't Know You Could Do That. . Sybex. 2000. 352p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7821-2843-2. pap. $19.99 with CD-ROM.

*Sheppard, Rob. Basic Scanning Guide for Photographers and Other Creative Types . Amherst Media. 2000. 82p. photogs. ISBN 1-58428-039-5. pap. $17.95.

Photo Equipment

McBroom, Michael. McBroom's Camera Bluebook: A Complete Up-To-Date Price and Buyer's Guide for New & Used Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories . 6th ed. Amherst Media. 2000. 323p. index. ISBN 1-58428-013-1. pap. $29.95.

Composition

Busselle, Michael. Better Picture Guide to Landscape Photography . Rotovision: Watson-Guptill. (Better Picture Guide). 1998. 127p. photogs. ISBN 2-88046-370-X. pap. $19.95.

*Norton, Boyd. The Art of Outdoor Photography: Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional. Voyageur . 1997. 152p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-89658-346-5. pap. $21.95.

*Peterson, Bryan. Learning To See Creatively: How To Compose Great Photographs . Amphoto: Watson-Guptill. 1988. 144p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8174-4177-8. pap. $18.95.

Photos Into Dollars

American Society of Media Photographers Staff. ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography . 5th ed. Allworth. 1997. 408p. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-927629-14-3. pap. $24.95.

Crawford, Tad. Business and Legal Form for Photographers . rev. ed. Allworth. 1999. 224p. index. ISBN 1-880559-82-X. pap. $24.95 with CD-ROM.

*Cribb, Larry. How You Can Make $25,000 a Year with Your Camera No Matter Where You Live . rev. ed. Writer's Digest: F&W. 1991. 211p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-89879-445-5. pap. $16.99.

DuBoff, Leonard D. The Law [in Plain English] for Photographers . Allworth. 1995. 207p. index. ISBN 1-880559-19-6. pap. $18.95.

*2001 Photographer's Market: 2000 Places To Sell Your Photographs . Writer's Digest: F&W. 2001. 634p. ed. by Donna Poehner. photogs. index. ISBN 0-89879-978-3. pap. $24.99.

History Of Photography

McDarrah, Fred W. & others. The Photography Encyclopedia . Schirmer. 1998. 692p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-02-865025-5. $95.

*Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography . 3d ed. Abbeville. 1997. 695p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-7892-0028-7. $65; pap. ISBN 0-7892-0329-4. $40.

'Picture' Books

Choroszewski, Walter. New Jersey: A Photographic Celebration . Aesthetic Pr. 1996. 166p. photogs. ISBN 0-933605-06-4. $35.

Leibovitz, Annie (photogs.) & Susan Sontag (text). Women . Random. 1999. 255p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-375-50020-0. $75; pap. ISBN 0-375-75646-9. $45.

*Muench, David (photogs.) & James Lawrence (text). Plateau Light . Graphic Arts Ctr. 1998. 116p. photogs. ISBN 1-55868-416-6. $39.95.

Turner, Pete. African Journey . Graphis, dist. by Watson-Guptill. 2001. 184p. photogs. ISBN 1-888001-99-2. $60.

PhotoJournalism

Bryan, C.D.B. The National Geographic Society: 100 Years of Adventure and Discovery . rev. ed. Abrams. 1997. 528p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8109-3696-8. $49.50.

*Goldberg, Vicki & Robert Silberman. American Photography: A Century Of Images . Chronicle. 1999. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-8118-2622-8. $40.

Newman, Cathy. Women Photographers at National Geographic . National Geographic. 2000. 272p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7922-7689-2. $40.

*Photos That Changed the World: The 20th Century . Prestel. 2000. 184p. ed. by Peter Stepan. photogs. ISBN 3-7913-2395-4. $29.95.

Periodicals

Outdoor Photographer . 10/yr. $14.97. Subs: PO Box 57381, Boulder, CO 80322-6311; 800-283-4410; www.outdoorphotographer.com. ISSN 0890-5304.

Popular Photography . m. $19.94. Subs: PO Box 54912, Boulder, CO 80322-4912; 850-682-7654. ISSN 1531-3093.

Web Sites

[For an additional listing of photography web sites, see the WebWatch column, LJ 5/1/99.-Ed.]

Fodor's Focus on Photography
www.fodors.com/focus

Kodak Digital Learning Center
www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc

PCPhotoREVIEW.com: The Ultimate Resource for Digital Cameras
www.pcphotoreview.com
For film cameras, see PhotographyREVIEW.com.

Smart Computing in Plain English
www.smartcomputing.com

For commentary on the titles above, please see the printed issue of LJ for June 1, 2001.