John Blakemore's B&W Photography Workshop - Opinions Please

I already have Les McLean's "Creative B&W ..and Tim Rudman's "Master Printing Course" books. Can anyone tell me what extra or different John Blakemore's book might give. Better still has anyone got all three who is willing to give me his opinion?

Thanks

pentaxuser

I have John Blakemore's book and have thoroughly enjoyed it, reading it from cover to cover or just browsing random sections. It is not so much a techniques book as an introspective look at the heart and mind of one photographer. I found this book to be an inspiration in that it affirms my own desire to see the world around me in new ways.

This link provides some background on Blakemore's career and includes an audio clip of Blakemore discussing his photoagrapy and his view of humanity and the world. Well worth the listen.

http://www.lensculture.com/blakemore.html#

I'd say it is quite different in that he talks more about his motivation and ideas about photography than the other two.

The reviews on amazon.co.uk are pretty good I think (which is handy, as they save me a lot of typing ) and the "Look Inside" gives some idea of his writing style when writing about photography.

If you are going to Northumberland (or if anyone else is interested), I will bring my copy with me. Actually, I think I'll bring it anyway as I'm there all week...

Cheers, Bob.

As someone who has several of Blakemore's books (but not the one you mention) and has done several workshops with JB, I would say his particualar technical trick is multiple camera exposure. As a printer, his skill level is normal professional art printer level - high but not particularly exceptional. I would be surprised if he could teach you anything that Les McLean or Tim Rudman can't. From an artistic point of view, I find more is less in the sense that the more I look at his work, the less it says to me.

Thanks all. Hadn't expected any answers tonight. APUG is like the city that never sleeps! The book was offered on e-bay.As the cover has a test strip look I had assumed it was largely techniques. I put in a very low best offer on e-bay to be safe in case it wasn't quite what I had assumed and it appears the offer wasn't accepted. At least it now shows in the items I didn't win although there is no direct message from the seller. I wasn't sure how the best offer system works but presumably if mine was the only offer and it was, it was refused. The seller is a large bookshop in Leicester. I presume that it sets a pre-set best offer acceptance mark which is close to the BIN price. Most of the items are straight BINs and not combined best offer/BINS as this one was.

Is that how best offers work? I couldn't find any info on e-bay.

Anyway it sounds as if I wouldn't have learned anything that Tim or Les doesn't teach in their books in terms of techniques and it looks as if there is a secondhand version on Amazon that is closer to what I might be prepared to pay than the BIN price on e-bay

pentaxuser

I picked up a copy in the local half-price bookshop the other week (USA, not UK). I'd say this is not a really technical book - certainly not on a par with Tim Rudman's toning work, Barry Thornton (Edge of Darkness in particular), or George Todd's From Seeing to Showing. Or Stu Williamson's Concept to Print, for that matter.

I use books like these as reference points - I may or may not agree with the viewpoints or use the techniques.

I agree with what's been said above, it's a good read, but not a technical read. However it is a book that I would recommend for your photographic library, it's incomplete without a copy.

Best offer is not automated. If the seller likes your offer they accept and you pay hime. If they don't like your offer they can flat out refuse it which they did in your case or they can make a counter offer. Which you can then counter, And so on.

There are many books that are better at teaching techniques, but Blakemore's Workshop book is special. Like Thorton's Edge of Darkness, it touches or resonates with me as a fellow human who uses photography for exploring both the world and himself. If you're ever in a photographic lull (similar to writer's block) , his book is a workshop for visual journey. Highly recommended!

pentaxuser said:

The book was offered on e-bay.

pentaxuser

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P.U

Why bother with ebay. After being lent the book, I decided to buy it and found it on Amazon, soft back, as new, for £1.99. With postage it arrived at my door for less than a fiver.

With regard to all three, I have them all now. I find myself forever dipping in to Les and Tim's, though I find that John's is a little bit more above me just yet. I say this because he pre-visualises his photograph and taylors the negative to that visualization, by way of + or - development and the use of the zone system. Which is o.k because he works with sheet film, but for myself, a roll film user, it leaves me wanting. Still a book well worth having though, and good to read his thoughts behind his work.

Best

Stoo

I agree with Stoo concerning books on Amazon, many times they are much cheaper than the bay.

Mike

MartinL said:

Best offer is not automated. If the seller likes your offer they accept and you pay hime. If they don't like your offer they can flat out refuse it which they did in your case or they can make a counter offer. Which you can then counter, And so on.

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Martin.Thanks. What "my e-bay" says is that the offer has expired which I take it means the same thing. It seems as if the seller has until the end of the auction to respond to my offer. He can simply not respond if he chooses, which is what seems to have happened and this constitutes a refusal. In other words he can simply ignore my offer. If he fails to respond within the time limit of the auction he can presumably change his mind afterwards and contact me but as my offer is deemed to have expired I am under no obligation to buy at my offer or even respond. However if both buyer and seller decide to continue the negotiation they are free to do so but presumably this is then done outside the bounds of e-bay as I can see no mechanism which then allows me to pay via Paypal as the item has then dropped off the e-bay listing.

To stay within e-bay the seller would have to re-list and I would have to make the pre-agreed offer instantly to ensure that no-one else got it.

I am sure that none of this will happen in this case as the item is still there requiring a BIN price or further best offer. I seriously doubt, in the case of a commercial book seller, if any best offer which is more than say 50p or a £1 below the BIN will be accepted and it calls into question whether it makes any sense for the seller to include a best offer option but that's another discussion.

It's just that I like to be fully au fait with the rules on best offer and how it works and thought I'd use this opportunity to expand my knowledge via others such as yourself who are more au fait with e-bay.

Stoo. Thanks I might keep my eye open for an amazon bargain. You got yours at almost a charity shop price.

Thanks

pentaxuser

There are several copies listed on abebooks starting at £10, or £2.13 if you get one from the USA but I dare say postage would make up the difference.

I agree with pretty much everything the others have said - I feel it is most definitely a book one should have in one's mitts. I enjoyed it hugely and go back to it regularly.

Mark

In my opinion John's book is probably the best of all my black and white photography books largely because there is so much of himself in it.

I got it as a Christmas present and it has had a profound effect on my photographic thinking. Although it can be a little academic in tone the essential point that I think he makes in the book is that of perservering with a subject even if it seems to offer limited scope initially. He describes how, by using different techniques we can say many different things about a subject and go beyond the initial cliches. This is demonstrated in his collection of tulip images which make up a substantial chapter of the book and involved about a decade of image making.

I wish there were more books like this out there (I am sure there are)

Les

I have four books (Les McLean, Tim Rudman, Barry Thornton and John Blakemore). They come at subjects differently and are all good reads. I get something from them all, John's no less than the rest.

Les McLean said:

In my opinion John's book is probably the best of all my black and white photography books largely because there is so much of himself in it.

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Les, you are being far too modest.

Looks more and more as if it's worth a little outlay. After all there are no books where I am eventually going. Pity, as I understand that the light there is excellent for reading but the heat affects concentration.

pentaxuser

another vote of confidence for the Blakemore Book. The book caused me to re-evaluate everything I'd done before and think much more analytically about everything I've done since ... and I feel my pictures are all the better for doing so.

I have just bought Les's book(waiting for the mail), but I think I'll go back for this one also.

I attended one of John's workshops in 1980 and I've always found his approach to photography fascinating and informative - plus he certainly knows how to print!
I bought this book as soon as it came out and reviewed it on Amazon UK in 2005.

Having also read Tim Rudman's, Eddie Ephraums, Barry Thornton, etc, - all very good btw - I would say that John's is a worthy addition to any library.

johnnywalker said:

I have four books (Les McLean, Tim Rudman, Barry Thornton and John Blakemore). They come at subjects differently and are all good reads. I get something from them all, John's no less than the rest.

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What is the Les McClean book that some of you are mentioning? I'm sure that he is too modest to bring it up himself.

Creative Black & White Photography by Les McLean published 2002. A very worthy addition for an essentials library list.