Making of Great Photographs

by Eamonn McCabe

Fascinating collection of some of the greatest images in the history of photography -practical technical breakdown discusses how the modern photographer can achieve classic effects the Making of Great photographs is a collection of images by some of the most important photographers in history. Eamonn McCabe discusses the techniques and approaches employed by the masters in Each image and, uniquely, how photographers can achieve similar effects using modern equipment. a Great collection and a stimulating, practical insight into the work of the masters of the photographic medium, the Making of Great photographs features a wide range of styles from the Fascinating and beautiful early images of Julia Margaret Cameron, to twentieth-century masters such as Edward Weston and Paul Stran, from the pioneers of the process itself such as Fox Talbot, to the celebrated post-war documentarist Tony Ray Jones. the Making of Great photographs is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of pho

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 2005

Reviews

[J.D. Steens · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is the meaning of “great.” Almost every photo in this book from the “Approaches and Techniques of the Masters” had no appeal.

The book’s introduction notes the long-debate between schools of thought as to what constitutes good photography. Photos for me are divided into three broad classes: content, quality, and artistic. Which school a viewer appreciates most is subjective. I gravitate toward good content, as seen from the eye of the photographer - authentic or unusual scenes, captured naturally in interesting ways (juxtapositions); subtle background features that, really, constitute the focal point of the picture; great colors or shapes that augment the focal point or are the focal point; simplicity as well as busyness; or combinations of all of the above. These appeal and are the best when combined with good sharpness, focus, lighting, etc. (admittedly, many great content scenes are irredeemably marred by poor photographic technique.)

This book is not that. It is for the most part about technique or non-evident meaning. While some of this feeds into and augments the content/quality criteria noted above, the problem with this curation (the photos in this book) is the claim that technique is the criterion for a great photo - much like writing that focuses on technique versus thought; or dress fashions that focus on style, not on the styled person who is empty of content. It is not that a photo’s artistic features are not something to appreciate. But, rather, it is that such photographs do not claim the sole mantle of what constitutes a great photo.

Some of the commentary on what is to be seen in this or that photo is pretty much a stretch. The photo of the gypsies is said to capture the plight of a persecuted people because they are boxed in, penned in, trapped by the door frame where they sit. Well, maybe, but it could be that they are just people posing for a picture. The Seat of Steps, Wells Cathedral 1903 is said to have reflected the photographer’s religious conviction.” The stairway leading toward the light was a “metaphor for the strong spiritual struggle of this world towards the next.” That may have been the photographer’s intent, but to a non-initiated viewer (as to the photographer’s intent) it is a so-so photo with nice horizontal and vertical lines that one might find to be fairly commonplace.

Beyond the stretched commentary, one of the photos in this collection deliberately misleads: the Burrows picture “South of the DMZ” shows the horror of war by claiming a wounded soldier leaning up against “a tree stump or a wooden stake, his arms outstretched and holding onto another stump, is reminiscent of a crucifixion…is reminiscent of a crucifixion.” The soldier reaching out to him, as if in shared agony, is, in reality, doing nothing of the sort. Rather, he was “staggering around aimlessly and stumbled straight past the stricken man, just glad to be able to sit down on the ridge.”

Some of the commentary is just empty pontification. Of an early photo in the history of photography, there is a broom leaning against the doorway. Speaking for the viewer, the commentary asks: “Who does the broom belong to? Where have they gone?” Really? Other photos need commentary to make them “speak.” A photo of a mother and child are said to portray the anguished plight of the refugee mother and her child whereas it could very well be the face of a frustrated mother whose child is hungry, tired, or lost a “toy.”

There were a couple of pictures in this collection that I liked, content wise. The 1967 photo of “English eccentricity at Glyndebourne” was great for its incongruous elements. It speaks for itself, but was, in an iffy sense, augmented by photographic technique (use of a telephoto). The 1938 Funfair picture at Southend-on-the seaside resort on Britain’s east coast is great because of the woman’s smile in the forefront of her roller-coaster ride, with her billowing skirt, and the mirror smiles of her companions are great per se. The smiles are authentic, not the raised-lips-and-exposed-teeth smiles seen today. I suppose the curve of the roller coaster cars behind her on the ride help the photo in a supplementary sense, but this is not the essence of the picture.

[Sinéy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up out of curiosity thinking I'd just flip through it but it was surprisingly interesting and easy read! Devoured the whole thing in two days! Fascinating and inspiring read!

[Kevin Connery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forgot I’d checked this out when I requested it, and it’s no better (or worse) than the last time.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Covers some outstanding photographers and photographs, and talks about techniques used to create them. I would buy this book, if I can find it...