52 Assignments - A practical series of photography books

 

52 Assignments - Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer is one of the books in the 52 Assignment series recently published which could prove informative and helpful to any photographer. Ross Hoddinott is a multi-award winning photographer of natural history and landscape while Mark Bauer is also a landscape photographer who runs excellent workshops in the UK. So both know their stuff. Other books in this series cover topics such as nature, street, experimental and travel and are written by photographers with expertise in that field. All are recent and so the information in them is up-to-date. For this blog we'll stick with Landscape as an example.

The book starts with an overview of the 52 weekly assignments which are comprehensive as you can see. From the basics of composition and technical advice on specific topics such as shooting a sunset, to printing and selling work online are all covered here. The books are also well sized to take with you when you are following the assignment.

Each assignment is headed with any special kit or tips that you should consider as well as some of the practical steps to getting the shot you want, along, of course, with examples.

The above shot suggests online resources too that can help you time your arrival for the best shots and reminds you that the sun can continue to give perfect and interesting light beyond the time it sinks below the horizon.

Following the simple assignments not only helps you get excellent shots (provided the weather plays ball) but adds a wealth of information that will be relevant for much longer. All the books can be bought online but as prices vary considerably do shop around. For anyone looking for a reasonably priced Christmas or birthday present for a photographer this series could be very helpful.

Great British - John Blakemore

 

There are probably few living photographers who have been as influential as John Blakemore over the years. Yet his star does not burn as brightly as Bailey, McCullin or Parr, whom most people would name immediately. 

Blakemore was born in 1936 and discovered photography while on national service with the RAF in Aden. Self-taught, as most people were at that time, he returned to his hometown of Coventry determined to record the re-construction of the city. He had become inspired by Edward Steichen's "The Family of Man" which he had seen in a copy of Picture Post sent by his mother while abroad.

He worked as a photographer initially for Black Star agency and then in a number of studios producing portraits and commercial work. He also became a printer of black and white photographs - of which he has become a master over the years learning, and using, the Zone System made famous by Ansel Adams

After a spell as a photographer at Courtaulds he left Coventry and joined his friend Richard Sadler as a lecturer of creative photography at Derby College of Art, later becoming Emeritus Professor of Photography at Derby University where he taught from 1970 until 2001.

Landscapes and still life are his main subjects and he is known for his handmade books, many of which are now in his archive in the Library of Birmingham. He has consistently championed the British countryside and landscape, working in the same small areas for many years to develop a close relationship and understanding of them. Working mainly in black and white he says that "the silver print is my chosen and primary means of expression". His book, "John Blakemore's Black and White Photography Workshop" is still held as a masterclass in landscape work. His landscape work has been described as richly nuanced which comes, at least aprtly from his printing techniques.

He is also famous for photographing tulips for over a decade of which he says "The tulip journey, then, was ultimately a visual journey, an investigation and discovery of visual possibilities. The tulip became an object of attention and fascination. It became both text and pretext for an activity of picture-making. The photographs are not finally, or not primarily, about tulips: they contain tulips. To say this is not to diminish the role of the tulip. Had the vase of flowers on the table when I made the first tentative exposures exploring the space of my kitchen been, let’s say daffodils, then the journey, if it had ever begun, would in all probability have been shorter. The daffodil, although it is a delightful flower, exhibits a stubborn rigidity of form; it lives and dies at attention. The tulip, however, is a flower of constant metamorphosis; it stretches towards the light and gestures to occupy the space." And that observation, perhaps, say what all photography is about.

You can visit his website here :- https://www.johnblakemore.co.uk/ 

There is also a recorded talk by him presenting his work from 1955 - 2016 at the Meeting of Minds conference in 2017 here;- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8woJC-0lg

Seven great You Tube sites to help you as a photographer

 

It is arguable that photography is far more complex these days than it ever was in the days of film. It isn't that it is simpler but the digital proliferation of equipment, lighting, programmes for post production, techniques and ways of showing work are thrown at photographers from all directions. At the same time the internet can provide more free help than was ever available even twenty years ago. So in these days of lockdown what better than to be able to access some new skills, improve old ones, or even think about trying something different. 

The problem is which help to turn to. The internet is awash but some sites are far better and more reliable than others. This blog concentrates on You Tube, which is one of the most accesible ways of getting help because it is highly visual and provides commentary yet can be variable in the way in which advice is presented. You can also halt a presentation or re-run it so as not to miss anything. The seven links provided here are a starting point to You Tube Channels I have found extremely helpful. Each example covers a different aspect of the sort of help you may want. If you find the examples I have included here useful then I suggest you subscribe to the channel so that you automatically get updates when a new programme is released. Equally if you want to find out more about the channel you can click on the their icon which will take you to their home and show you many more of their You Tube videos. Most of these are American but don't be put off by that although some interpretation may occasionally be needed !! 

ONE

PHLearn is a site that teaches Photoshop in easy stages. This seems to be the most used package in digital post production. This particular link takes you to a lesson in using the recent sky replacement tool as an example. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ognLpUNLDwM          

TWO

Tony and Chelsea Northup have some great reviews of kit and cameras - such as this one for anyone thinking of buying the new Canon EOS R5 (for instance). They give good reviews and are not afraid to point out the drawbacks too. In addition they have a live broadcasts on Thursdays which are sometimes worth watching depending on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93XjksrZKgQ  

THREE

COOPH proves that you don't need expensisve lighting or equipment to play a few tricks and make your photos stand out.... includes using smartphones and home shooting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIRpw_O5VzI   

FOUR

This community, SLR Lounge, is dedicated to helping photographers think more about what they are doing and why. Run by working, professional photographers there are a variety of discussions and tips. This one considers whether articifical intelligence is ruining photography. Bet you had never considered that before - or at least not framed in that way...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfHt0fMKRF4 

FIVE

One of my favourite channels with photographer Jay P Morgan who has a no nonsense approach to advice. Simple, direct and always useful. The Slanted Lense covers a variety of topics but his advice on the use of lighting, indoors and out, is invaluable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfF3-5qgyn4 

SIX

Possibly the most common photographic genre is landscape photography. It is accessible to all and costs nothing. Beauty abounds and changing light and seasons makes it endlessly variable. So here is Thomas Heaton, an English landscape photographer, to help you think about how to make those landscapes even better....although this one looks at why it took him two years to decide to make a photo book of his work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOkc4MamYgE 

SEVEN

Anthony Morganti provides by far the best help in learning the complexities of Lightroom. If you shoot in RAW then Lightroom really is the best programme to use for my money. But it is big and it is that size that makes it so good. You will never learn all the complexities by sitting and fiddling with it so someone like Morganti to guide you through it is worth having on hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0f0NiDBPbk 

If you have enjoyed this blog or found it useful then why not subscribe and allow new ones to find their way to your inbox automatically. Feel free to leave a message for me as well. I'm always interested in the thoughts of others, including new sites which I have not yet come across. 

In My Room - a book of intimate photographs by Saul Leiter

 

Saul Leiter is known to many as one of the original New York street photographers, and notably one of the first to use colour film during the 1950's. What some may not know is that during his life he shot thousands of mono pictures of his wives, lovers and friends in his flat and small studio on East 10th Street.

In this excellent book "In My Room", with an introduction by Carole Naggar and afterword by Robert Benson, are shown a very small sample from this collection. In his afterword Benson writes "The women in these photographs are unguarded: they are naked, not nude......They are just out there, these women, frail, beautiful and deeply human." The intimacy with which Leiter worked is clear and palpable. The models are people he knows, and who trust him, which could explain why they were viewed as so private. Shot between 1952 and the early seventies they use natural light, which softens them and gives an almost accidental feel. 

They could be voyeuristic apart from the fact that we know they were shot with complicity from those involved. Many just show the preparations for everyday life. Others are more sensuous and personal. All feel as though you are being allowed into a small private world of tenderness. They could never be described as salacious. Rather they are uninhibited. The pictures are massively different from the very controlled portraits and fashion shoots he did for Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Esquire and other top magazines with experienced models.

Some are almost abstractions which his use of black and white allows. many hold the feeling of his love for Japanese art, as he himself first studied painting.

In her introduction Naggar says "Leiter's nudes have a spontaneous and romantic quality, like the scattered pages of a diary, or stills from early movies.......Leiter's gaze is not that of the typical male: the women can be in turn shy, aggressive, or playful, but they are always partners and full participants in a give-and-take...". 

For anyone wishing to photograph women there are some wonderful lessons to be learned here about closeness and trust.

"In My Room" by Saul Leiter with an introduction by Carole Naggar and an afterword by Robert Benton is published by Steidl (ISBN 978-3-95829-103-4). 

An interview with Margit Erb of the Saul Leiter Foundation about the work can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yz-301syQ0