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Why It Does Not Have To Be In Focus /anglais
Paperback. Pub Date :2013-09-16 224 English Thames Hudson Why take a self-portrait but obscure your face with a lightbulb (Lee Friedlander. Provincetown. Cape Cod. Massachusetts (1968) Or deliberately underexpose an image (Vera Lutter. Battersea Power Station. July 13. 2004) And why photograph a ceiling (William Eggleston. Red Ceiling. 1973) In Why It Does Not Have To Be In Focus. Jackie Higgins offers a lively. informed defence of modern photography. Choosing 100 key photographs with particular emphasis on the last twenty years she examines what inspired each photographer in the first place. and traces how the piece was executed. In doing so. she brings to light the layers of meaning and artifice behind these singular works. some of which were initially dismissed out of hand for being blurred. overexposed or badly composed. The often controve...
- GenresPhotographyArtNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2013
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377 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Higgins
3 booksThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 13, 2024
я чула немало снобського як про сучасну фотографію (від тих, хто не цікавиться нею), так і про цю книжку (від тих, хто цікавиться).
виявилося, це просто нормальний, хоч і дуже суб'єктивний, як і будь-який канон, путівник сучасною фотографією.
часом можна почіплятися і до вибору авторів, і до добору їхніх робіт, але це один із тих рідкісних нонфіків, які не засипають фактами, а рухають шось у мозкові. тому я б радила взагалі усім, хто працює з візуалом або навіть візіями *пафосно поправляє щербатий монокль, куплений у алкаша на барахолці*
але попереджаю, що присутні технічні подробиці, й автору плювати, якщо ви не знаєте чим відрізняється мокрий колодієвий процес від сухого.
мені подобається, як сучасна фотографія, що б вона не робила, завжди намагається "прорватися крізь вдаване обличчя на камеру". іноді показово іронізуючи з удаваної щирості, як ґевін терк, іноді звертаючись до кічу, як мартін парр (у цій книзі немає, але дуже раджу глянути його фотографії ялти після 91-го) чи, як джилліан веррінґ, імітуючи безпосередність.
сподобалася верстка і формат інформаційних блоків. із недоліків — жахливо вичитаний, якщо це й відбувалося, текст :[
одруківки, зайві пробіли або їхній брак, загублені частки "не" й інші слова, часом кривуватий переклад цитат, надто прямий, і тому нелогічний.
3+
"...щоб значення фінального зображення було масштабнішим за суму його частин" (про колаж)
"є щось збочене у тому, щоб використати фотографію — медіум, який нібито записує реальність — для створення абстракції"
"я почувався рибою, яка дивитися на токіо з-під води"
виявилося, це просто нормальний, хоч і дуже суб'єктивний, як і будь-який канон, путівник сучасною фотографією.
часом можна почіплятися і до вибору авторів, і до добору їхніх робіт, але це один із тих рідкісних нонфіків, які не засипають фактами, а рухають шось у мозкові. тому я б радила взагалі усім, хто працює з візуалом або навіть візіями *пафосно поправляє щербатий монокль, куплений у алкаша на барахолці*
але попереджаю, що присутні технічні подробиці, й автору плювати, якщо ви не знаєте чим відрізняється мокрий колодієвий процес від сухого.
мені подобається, як сучасна фотографія, що б вона не робила, завжди намагається "прорватися крізь вдаване обличчя на камеру". іноді показово іронізуючи з удаваної щирості, як ґевін терк, іноді звертаючись до кічу, як мартін парр (у цій книзі немає, але дуже раджу глянути його фотографії ялти після 91-го) чи, як джилліан веррінґ, імітуючи безпосередність.
сподобалася верстка і формат інформаційних блоків. із недоліків — жахливо вичитаний, якщо це й відбувалося, текст :[
одруківки, зайві пробіли або їхній брак, загублені частки "не" й інші слова, часом кривуватий переклад цитат, надто прямий, і тому нелогічний.
3+
"...щоб значення фінального зображення було масштабнішим за суму його частин" (про колаж)
"є щось збочене у тому, щоб використати фотографію — медіум, який нібито записує реальність — для створення абстракції"
"я почувався рибою, яка дивитися на токіо з-під води"
November 10, 2016
Library book. 2.5 stars
As an artist and photographer I don't really feel the need for someone to tell me why it does or does not have to be in focus or be conventional (whatever that is) but I read it anyway.
Ho hum. I know I've always been a bit on the outside but I must be getting too old and grouchy as I can't stand pretentious writing or art. Some good photographers, some well known and some newcomers, glad to see more women presented but many shots chosen by the author and the explanations did not engage me.
One example: I liked Gillian Wearing's self portrait a la photo booth style but really, spending $15,000 to get the right "artless" shot just makes me laugh.
Another that comes to my mind is the Eggleston. Of all of his groundbreaking color work, it is not one I would have chosen to squeeze on a tiny page to demonstrate dye transfer.
I did not care for the coded and segmented layout. The photos are too small often broken by the page (no surprise though, it is a smaller size trade paperback). The picture credits and index in the back need a magnifying glass to read. Fortunately the contents are larger.
The book was useful make a note of people whose work I'd like to see more of, Christian Marclay, Andrea Gursky, Sharon Core, Uta Barth.
You may find it more revelatory than I.
As an artist and photographer I don't really feel the need for someone to tell me why it does or does not have to be in focus or be conventional (whatever that is) but I read it anyway.
Ho hum. I know I've always been a bit on the outside but I must be getting too old and grouchy as I can't stand pretentious writing or art. Some good photographers, some well known and some newcomers, glad to see more women presented but many shots chosen by the author and the explanations did not engage me.
One example: I liked Gillian Wearing's self portrait a la photo booth style but really, spending $15,000 to get the right "artless" shot just makes me laugh.
Another that comes to my mind is the Eggleston. Of all of his groundbreaking color work, it is not one I would have chosen to squeeze on a tiny page to demonstrate dye transfer.
I did not care for the coded and segmented layout. The photos are too small often broken by the page (no surprise though, it is a smaller size trade paperback). The picture credits and index in the back need a magnifying glass to read. Fortunately the contents are larger.
The book was useful make a note of people whose work I'd like to see more of, Christian Marclay, Andrea Gursky, Sharon Core, Uta Barth.
You may find it more revelatory than I.
July 20, 2016
I enjoyed this one. I liked the chapters landscape/look and abstracts/dissolve best. The short, snappy (pardon the pun) text makes it easy to read and there is plenty of food for thought here.
September 20, 2022
This book was recommended by a photographer I respect so I have to be honest and state I went into this book with high expectations. I was quite disappointed. I wanted to like this book. The concept of the main title is, I believe, an important one and there are good examples provided in the book: Amor Revealed by Sally Mann, or Every…Bernd and Hilla Becher Gable Sided Houses by Idris Khan for example.
This book should be viewed/read with the subtitle (Modern Photography Explained) in mind as this, I feel, is the true intention of the book. There are interesting concepts like Sohei Nishino’s Diorama Map series. But the book contains far too many examples of work that I was not prepared for. Jpeg NT02 by Thomas Ruff is a jpeg that was downloaded from the internet and dramatically enlarged to pixelate and destroy detail “disintegrating into a mosaic of pixels, echoing the pointillist structure of Neo-Impressionism.” I don’t mind keeping an open mind and having my assumptions questioned but calling this out as an important example of modern photography simply made me laugh. If this were the sole example it would have been funny, but the book is filled with examples like this.
The book also contains far too many examples of work that though technically are “pained with light” do not employ a camera at all. Nothing wrong with that but something I was not prepared for. My recommendation is that if you’re a photographer in the most widely accepted use of the term and are looking for inspiration, find the book at a library or skip all together. This is better suited towards that subset of “artist” that self-inflate the meaning and importance of their work.
This book should be viewed/read with the subtitle (Modern Photography Explained) in mind as this, I feel, is the true intention of the book. There are interesting concepts like Sohei Nishino’s Diorama Map series. But the book contains far too many examples of work that I was not prepared for. Jpeg NT02 by Thomas Ruff is a jpeg that was downloaded from the internet and dramatically enlarged to pixelate and destroy detail “disintegrating into a mosaic of pixels, echoing the pointillist structure of Neo-Impressionism.” I don’t mind keeping an open mind and having my assumptions questioned but calling this out as an important example of modern photography simply made me laugh. If this were the sole example it would have been funny, but the book is filled with examples like this.
The book also contains far too many examples of work that though technically are “pained with light” do not employ a camera at all. Nothing wrong with that but something I was not prepared for. My recommendation is that if you’re a photographer in the most widely accepted use of the term and are looking for inspiration, find the book at a library or skip all together. This is better suited towards that subset of “artist” that self-inflate the meaning and importance of their work.
July 28, 2017
Why It Does Not Have To Be In Focus', written by Jackie Higgins, was given to me by artist uncle, Chris Bucklow (who is actually featured in this book). In the inscription, he writes "This book is about the art of modern photography and it includes the people who are thought to be the best from around the world today."
And that's exactly what this is. It's modern photography explained; broken down if you will so that you can sift through what seems like an endless sea of creatives and get to the core. Choosing 100 key photographs with particular emphasis on the last twenty years Higgins examines what inspired each photographer in the first place, and traces how the piece was executed. In doing so, she brings to light the layers of meaning and artifice behind these singular works, some of which were initially dismissed out of hand for being blurred, overexposed or badly composed. The often controversial works discussed in this book play with our expectations of a photograph, our ingrained tendency to believe that it is telling us the unadorned truth. Jackie Higgins' book proves once and for all that there's much more to the art of photography than just pointing and clicking.
With all art, it is of course subjective. But Higgins provides an insightful breadth of what is out there, in a way that is both engaging and perspicacious. The layout of the book makes it perfect to pick up at intervals, to flip through the pages or a specific read - a perfect coffee-table book. The six chapters group the works into portraits, document, still lifes, narrative, landscapes, and abstract.
The best aspect of this book is the range of artists and techniques on show. Sometimes the subject of the photograph is subverted or experimented with (as in the chapter on portraits and narrative); other times technique comes to the fore. For example, Michael Wesely's years-long camera exposures, Gerhard Richter's doctoring of snapshots with lush smears of paint, or the many instances of cameraless photography. These are works that can be returned to again and again and they are a good starting point for further reading.
That said it does suffer from one fatal flaw and that is its compact size. The majority of photographs fall on the fold, and as a result, I was constantly frustrated by images being intersected by the angle of the inside of the spine of the book. This seems fairly minor, but for a book that relies heavily on the images, seems like a rather rookie mistake.
That said, this doesn't detract from the fact that this is a must-read; whether you're an art fan or not.
And that's exactly what this is. It's modern photography explained; broken down if you will so that you can sift through what seems like an endless sea of creatives and get to the core. Choosing 100 key photographs with particular emphasis on the last twenty years Higgins examines what inspired each photographer in the first place, and traces how the piece was executed. In doing so, she brings to light the layers of meaning and artifice behind these singular works, some of which were initially dismissed out of hand for being blurred, overexposed or badly composed. The often controversial works discussed in this book play with our expectations of a photograph, our ingrained tendency to believe that it is telling us the unadorned truth. Jackie Higgins' book proves once and for all that there's much more to the art of photography than just pointing and clicking.
With all art, it is of course subjective. But Higgins provides an insightful breadth of what is out there, in a way that is both engaging and perspicacious. The layout of the book makes it perfect to pick up at intervals, to flip through the pages or a specific read - a perfect coffee-table book. The six chapters group the works into portraits, document, still lifes, narrative, landscapes, and abstract.
The best aspect of this book is the range of artists and techniques on show. Sometimes the subject of the photograph is subverted or experimented with (as in the chapter on portraits and narrative); other times technique comes to the fore. For example, Michael Wesely's years-long camera exposures, Gerhard Richter's doctoring of snapshots with lush smears of paint, or the many instances of cameraless photography. These are works that can be returned to again and again and they are a good starting point for further reading.
That said it does suffer from one fatal flaw and that is its compact size. The majority of photographs fall on the fold, and as a result, I was constantly frustrated by images being intersected by the angle of the inside of the spine of the book. This seems fairly minor, but for a book that relies heavily on the images, seems like a rather rookie mistake.
That said, this doesn't detract from the fact that this is a must-read; whether you're an art fan or not.
November 22, 2019
Book should rather be called : modern quasi-performance experiments around photosensitive materials and some photography. Too much about 'unique' experiments like 'turning your hotel room into camera osbscura (which shows that it becomes not so unique anymore).
Also many descriptions of photographs are really far fetched, looking for 'discourse' and controversy in things which are not really controversial, nor touching.
This of course doesn't apply to the whole contents of the book, there are still some interesting shots there and artists mentioned to start exploring their works. But two stars I give this book reflect this proportion of interesting works to random 'artsy' pieces.
Also many descriptions of photographs are really far fetched, looking for 'discourse' and controversy in things which are not really controversial, nor touching.
This of course doesn't apply to the whole contents of the book, there are still some interesting shots there and artists mentioned to start exploring their works. But two stars I give this book reflect this proportion of interesting works to random 'artsy' pieces.
February 22, 2016
A fairly quick read, this book is great for people interested in photography but unsure of where to start, Higgin's books is more of a landing base: briefly discussing various contemporary photographers and one of their pieces; I would have enjoyed a more detailed book or perhaps a recommendation section at the end.
December 9, 2024
Аби зрозуміти назву видання, варто лише зазначити, що автор ставить за мету відповісти на питання: «чому фотографія не повинна бути яскравою, "правильно" експонованою, колірно збалансованою, обрамленою чи навіть скомпонованою фотографом або фотографкою, щоб мати художню цінність».
Праця налічує шість розділів: портрети/посмішка, документ/снеп, натюрморти/завмирання, наратив/дія, пейзажі/вид та абстракція/розчиняти, у яких розглянуто 100 світлин, що були зроблені переважно нашими сучасниками.
Кожній роботі присвячений свій розворот, у якому в окремих блоках:
🖼 пояснюється чому ця фотографія є витвором мистецтва,
🎨 описується підхід, що був застосований митцем/мисткинею,
🎤 розповідається про контекст, у якому була створена робота,
✏️ цитуються вислови, що характеризують фотографа/фотографку,
📕 перелічуються подібні проєкти того ж автора.
Завдяки такій структурі, можна по-різному знайомитися з кожною світлиною, що додає інтерактиву та підживлює цікавість.
Праця налічує шість розділів: портрети/посмішка, документ/снеп, натюрморти/завмирання, наратив/дія, пейзажі/вид та абстракція/розчиняти, у яких розглянуто 100 світлин, що були зроблені переважно нашими сучасниками.
Кожній роботі присвячений свій розворот, у якому в окремих блоках:
🖼 пояснюється чому ця фотографія є витвором мистецтва,
🎨 описується підхід, що був застосований митцем/мисткинею,
🎤 розповідається про контекст, у якому була створена робота,
✏️ цитуються вислови, що характеризують фотографа/фотографку,
📕 перелічуються подібні проєкти того ж автора.
Завдяки такій структурі, можна по-різному знайомитися з кожною світлиною, що додає інтерактиву та підживлює цікавість.
May 28, 2019
This book is composed of short conclusions, proceeding numerous photographic examples within 6 different photo genres. That said, Higgins doesn't offer any new insight within the pages. The conclusions are simplistic takes on why a photographer might choose to not depict the real world as it is. In this, the example images, in large are not literally blurred, but blur the lines of presumed truth in photography.
In modern day, photography has already largely lost the public's trust in it's absolute truth. We see things consistently called out for being photoshopped, etc. This may have not been as prevalent in the book's publication year of 1994, but it does make the words as a whole much less eye opening today, if they ever were.
In modern day, photography has already largely lost the public's trust in it's absolute truth. We see things consistently called out for being photoshopped, etc. This may have not been as prevalent in the book's publication year of 1994, but it does make the words as a whole much less eye opening today, if they ever were.
June 13, 2024
Siendo un libro de apariencia sencillo (y habiéndome costado nada y menos) le he sacado muchísimo partido y he descubierto una cantidad enorme de autores que no conocía y que me han fascinado.
Que el libro se divida en áreas temáticas facilita mucho el ir hilando autores y estilos.
Eso si, como recomendación personal, aconsejo leerlo con google al lado (o mejor aún, Pinterest) e investigar la obra de cada uno de los fotógrafos y fotógrafas que aparecen. Me he llevado la grata sorpresa de no haberme gustado la imagen que han elegido para algún autor y sin embargo luego asombrarme el resto de su obra.
Si eres estudiante/profesor de fotografía o simplemente aficionado, y quieres aumentar tu cultura visual, es un libro que claramente recomendaría tener.
Que el libro se divida en áreas temáticas facilita mucho el ir hilando autores y estilos.
Eso si, como recomendación personal, aconsejo leerlo con google al lado (o mejor aún, Pinterest) e investigar la obra de cada uno de los fotógrafos y fotógrafas que aparecen. Me he llevado la grata sorpresa de no haberme gustado la imagen que han elegido para algún autor y sin embargo luego asombrarme el resto de su obra.
Si eres estudiante/profesor de fotografía o simplemente aficionado, y quieres aumentar tu cultura visual, es un libro que claramente recomendaría tener.
September 16, 2019
This book served as a decent introduction to some contemporary photographers but I felt its format and choice of photos were uninspired and explanations rarely give analysis into related works, photographer and movements, and made it difficult for me to believe that the whole out of focus motif was important at all.
Why it does not have to be in focus fixates too much on whether something is form breaking and rebellious that it ignores passing judgement, offering analysis and actually trying to understand the content in the photo and its relation to the reality or unreality its trying to show.
Why it does not have to be in focus fixates too much on whether something is form breaking and rebellious that it ignores passing judgement, offering analysis and actually trying to understand the content in the photo and its relation to the reality or unreality its trying to show.
December 6, 2019
A good resource for seeing different different contemporary photographers' approaches to conceptual and experimental photographic methods. For the student of photography there are some great additional trails to explore amongst the photographers highlighted and some great nods toward photo history as well. A book I read for my digital photography class.
April 1, 2024
Got lucky to find this book while visiting the UK. While most of my portraiture tends to be hyper focused, the notion things didn’t have to be in focus allowed for the creation of some compelling imagery.
Well done!
Well done!
January 5, 2018
Bir kitap için bir yıldız vermek çok üzücü ama hakikaten, ciddi vaktimi çaldığını düşünüyorum.
April 15, 2018
Sanatın herhangi bir alanına merak duyan herkesin okuması gereken başarılı bir kitap.
July 15, 2019
Good book, a fun read but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read it.
June 7, 2021
An insightful book on the wonderful mistakes within photography and film. Incredibly intimate.
September 8, 2021
Was an interesting read, but at points I do feel like more explanation and ellaboration would have been fun.
December 7, 2021
Very interesting and approachable guide to modern photography. Really enjoyed it. It’s all art. There are no rules.
November 28, 2015
I bought this in a little, artsy bookshop in Brussels, Belgium for no particular reason other than the fact that I wanted a memento and I love books. I have read plenty of books on art, but not nearly enough on photography specifically. I admit that this medium is a bit lost on me, but I am more than willing to try to rectify the situation. To that (rectifying) end, I bought this book, and just recently finished it; I quite enjoyed it for what it is: a little pocket guide through the history of modern photography.
April 6, 2016
Her fotoğrafa meraklı insan için gerekli bilgilerle dolu, ufuk açıcı örneklerle dolu güzel bir kitap. Çok şey öğrendim.
Not: Kitabın Türkçe versiyonu o kadar iyi değil: Türkçe olduğu halde tam olarak ne anlatılmak istendiğini anlayamadığımız cümlelere, de'lerin da'ların ayırılmadığına, kimi cümlelerin yarıda kalmış olduğuna bakarak kitabın çevirisinin gözden geçirilmemiş olduğu görülüyor.
Not: Kitabın Türkçe versiyonu o kadar iyi değil: Türkçe olduğu halde tam olarak ne anlatılmak istendiğini anlayamadığımız cümlelere, de'lerin da'ların ayırılmadığına, kimi cümlelerin yarıda kalmış olduğuna bakarak kitabın çevirisinin gözden geçirilmemiş olduğu görülüyor.
February 21, 2015
A page by page examination of modern photography split by themes such as Portrait, Landscape, Narrative etc. A good introduction, but the images captured could have been better displayed with a larger format book.
October 3, 2019
If you are wondering about how we considerate photography is one form of art and why there is so weird blurry photos was make, this is for you. Like the really simple explanation about how the REAL PHOTOS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT ON PIXELS OR DIGITAL.
January 7, 2014
A fresh set of ideias. :)
October 4, 2014
great!
April 25, 2014
When one says 'famous photographs', I'd expect more from the realm of the public consciousness.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews