THe one film photography related book you would keep

Christopher Walrath

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Let's say, for sake of argument and curiosity, that you photography bookworms had to choose only one of the photography books you own and donate/sell/whatever the rest. Which one would you keep?

Limit your answer to only one book please. I'll go first.

'The Negative' - Basic Photo 2. Fifth printing, 1971.

Why? Well, it has become my go to photographic Bible to refresh myself from time to time and this edition really helped me to make my Weston Master IV light meter more a part of my process rather than just a cool old light meter. I love this book and it is the last one I would part with.

How about you guys?
 

Curt

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Ron LarFor4X5 said:
.
Yosemite And The Range Of Light, signed by Ansel Adams.

I alsmost eBay'ed it last year, for $2,300.00.

Luckily, I came to my senses ...


Ron
.
Click to expand...

I have a copy of Yosemite and the Range of Light and it is signed by Ansel Adams, I bought it in a used book store, nobody bothered to look in side I guess.

The one book I'd keep is Paul Strand, Photographs of the Southwest.
 

mike c

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Curt said:
I have a copy of Yosemite and the Range of Light and it is signed by Ansel Adams, I bought it in a used book store, nobody bothered to look in side I guess.

The one book I'd keep is Paul Strand, Photographs of the Southwest.
Click to expand...

Thats a keeper.
 
OP
OP

Christopher Walrath

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I didn't think of BTZS. I second Mike. I think I would have to hide one.
 

yeknom02

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What's BTZS?

I would have to second The Negative, but then again, I don't have many books.
 

mike c

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Chris I was thinking you where thinking of reference books not coffee table ones. I think.
 

Vaughn

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Out of just the instructional photography books, I would keep Modern Carbon Printing.

Out of my books of photographs, Between Dark and Dark by Thomas Cooper, and I would mourn the rest...
 
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Curt

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Oh! I forgot, Vaughn's carbon printing manual!!! smiley face here.

When Paul Strand was dying he mumbled "all my books", then he was history. For silver printing the book to keep is the little Zone IV manual by Fred Picker. It's an excellent book that cuts though the technical information that the excellent Ansel Adams book series have. I have the early edition of AA and the last edition of the series too for an intense complete read.

For picture books, portfolios, the Brett Weston series is totally outstanding, to view them completely you need to have a magnifying glass, the printing is that good. Those who have them know what I mean.
 

2F/2F

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Photo book or technical/text book?
 

sun of sand

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i use the library


apug is really boring me lately
just lobbying for something that wont come
 

M.A.Longmore

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sun of sand said:
i use the library


apug is really boring me lately
just lobbying for something that wont come
Click to expand...

.
{Refrain}
You cant always get what you want (3x)


but if you try sometimes well you might find youll get what you need


/ C - F - / / / Dm - F - C - F - /


.
 

mooseontheloose

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The Photographer's Master Printing Course by Tim Rudman. I learned more about printing from that book than 2 years of darkroom classes and many failed attempts in trying to deal with St. Ansel. Actually, it's a toss up between that and the toning and lith books, but since I have to choose only one, that would be it.

(In fact, I had to face this kind of scenario in moving to Japan -- photo books, whether technical or coffeebook, are generally pretty heavy, and it was hard to choose which few would cross the Pacific with me, and which would stay behind.)
 

Laurent

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May I keep AA's trilogy ?

In fact, I think it would be "Way Beyond Monochrome", all the information I need about the darkroom work and some more.
 

MattKing

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Until recently I would have said Tim Rudman's Toning book, because it was so hard to find another.

Same for Way Beyond Monochrome, except I knew much earlier that the 2nd edition was on it's way.

I have two sets of the AA trilogy - and know that it's relatively easy to get more.

So I guess I have to look for another that is rare and hard to find .
 

jp80874

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Great subject. Love the suggestions. For me to choose would be too painful, difficult, unnecessary and frustrating. I will simply take my most recent purchase. “Detroit Disassembled, Photographs by Andrew Moore.” The exhibit was staged by the Akron Art Museum. The first edition was sold out before I saw the book. “They” decided on a second printing which I willing paid full retail to obtain. Andrew Moore will be speaking about his work September 16th at the museum and perhaps he will be kind enough to sign my book.

http://www.akronartmuseum.org/exhibitions/details.php?unid=1499

“Watch behind-the-scenes footage that includes interviews with Andrew Moore, exhibition curator Barbara Tannenbaum and funders Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell in this Detroit Disassembled documentary produced by Western Reserve PBS”.
http://video.westernreservepublicmedia.org/video/1536891086/

John Powers
 

2F/2F

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Well, no answer to my question yet, so I will answer for both.

If it was a technical book or text book, it would probably be "The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes," by Christopher James; the newer, fatter edition. I don't do alt. processes more than silver prints, but I sure as heck need a book to do them when I do.

If it was a photo book, it would be a difficult choice between "Color Photography," (Ernst Haas), "Lee Friedlander" (1970), "Figments from the Real World," (Garry Winogrand), "Clifford Coffin (Even though I am not really interested in fashion photography, Coffin's images are amazing to me. If you have to shoot fashion, this is the way to do it, IMHO.), and, of course, "The Americans."

If it came down to it, I'd probably pick the Friedlander book out of the photo books, and the alt. processes book out of photo books and technical books combined. It is the most useful to me. I have seen the pix in the books a zillion times, and pix are nothing more than entertainment anyhow. I'd keep the Christopher James book because it is something that would teach me something about photo history and processes all in one.
 
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