The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression

365 Pages·2010·109.39 MB·English

by  Bruce Barnbaum

Photographic Arts Editions
B
a
r
n “… this [book] has saved me from many years of experimenta-
b
a The tion and let me get on with making photographs which I love to
u
do! Greatly improved my confi dence, this is the way photogra-
m
phy should be taught…” Jeffrey S. Johnson, Clarkston, MI
Art of
The Art of Photography
“I was also truly blessed to see both Mr. Barnbaum himself and
T Bruce Barnbaum his work at an exibition here in Oklahoma. His prints are truly
An Approach to Personal Expression
h Photography stunning. His book is equally so… [This book] is a must read for
Bruce Barnbaum any photographic artist...” Bryan, USA
e

A “A great book expressing Bruce’s personal approach to not
only b/w but colour photography. Some advanced techniques
r
illustrated with superb photographs. A book you can read cover
t
Bruce Barnbaum, of Granite Falls, WA, entered photography This is a newly revised edition of the classic book The Art of Bruce Barnbaum is recognized as one of the world’s fi n- An Approach to Personal Expression to cover and then return and read it all over again.”
as a hobbyist in the 1960s, and after four decades, it is still his Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression (origi- est landscape and architectural photographers, and for o Trevor Crone, photo.net
hobby. Photography has also been his life’s work for the past nally published in 1994), which has often been described as decades has been considered one of the best instructors
f
40 years. the most readable, understandable, and complete textbook in the fi eld of photography. This latest incarnation of his
P “This is more than a ‘how to’ book on simple photographic
on photography. The book has been completely updated to textbook, which has evolved, grown, and been refi ned over
Bruce’s educational background includes Bachelor’s and processes. It is as much the aesthetics of why things in photog-
address digital issues throughout. the past 35 years, will prove to be an ongoing, invaluable h
Master’s degrees in mathematics from UCLA. After working raphy work as how they work. I still enjoy and get great infor-
photographic reference for years to come. It is truly the
for several years as a mathematical analyst and computer With well over 100 beautiful photographic illustrations in o mation from it. It was one of my fi rst books on photography I
resource of choice for the thinking photographer.
programmer for missile guidance systems, he abruptly left the both black-and-white and color, as well as numerous charts, purchased and I haven’t stopped reading it.” James, photo.net
t
fi eld and turned to photography. graphs, and tables, this book presents the world of photog- Topics include:
o
raphy to beginner, intermediate, and advanced photogra- • Elements of Composition
Bruce has authored several books, some of which have be- g “This book is perfect for photographers looking to make a seri-
phers seeking to make a personal statement through the • Visualization
come classics. The Art of Photography was fi rst published in ous advance in the quality of their images.”
medium of photography. • Light and Color r
1994 and remained in print until 2002. Bruce has been self- Bert Krages, Portland, OR
• Filters a
publishing the book ever since, but with limited distribution Without talking down to anyone, or talking over anyone’s
• The Digital Zone System
(until now). head, Barnbaum presents how-to techniques for both digi- p
• The Zone System for Film “The textbook is just SOOO much better than anything else I
tal and traditional approaches in a clear, concise, and easy
Bruce is recognized as one of the fi nest darkroom printers on • Black-and-White h have read (including Adams, Davis, Lambrecht & Woodhouse,
to understand manner. He goes well beyond the technical
this planet, both for his exceptional black-and-white work, as • The Print and Presentation y Thornton, etc.)—it is just clear, sensible, and—above all—helpful.”
as he delves deeply into the philosophical, expressive, and
well as for his color imagery. He understands light to an extent • Exploding Photographic Myths Dr. David Rheubottom, PhD, U.K.
creative aspects of photography so often avoided in other
rarely found, and combines this understanding with a mastery • Artistic Integrity
books.
of composition, applying his knowledge to an extraordinarily • Realism, Abstraction, and Art
“Just have to say I’m so thankful for your book “The Art of Pho-
wide range of subject matter. • Creativity and Intuition
tography”. I have quite a lot of books on photography but yours
• A Personal Philosophy
Bruce has been an active environmental advocate for more stands out as the only one I use again and again. It is really
• And much, much more...
than three decades, both independently and through his a perfect blend of practical hands-on techniques and artistic
involvement and leadership with organizations such as the philosophy. “ Stig Hagen, Norway
Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, the Mountain Loop
Conservancy, Futurewise, and the North Cascades Conserva-
ISBN: 978-1-933952-68-0
tion Council.
54495
US $ 44.95
pAe
CAN $ 55.95
9 781933 952680
pAe
1745 SC Barnbaum Art of Photography.indd 1 26.07.10 16:54
The Art of Photography

BRUCE BARNBAUM
The Art of Photography
An Approach to Personal Expression
Bruce Barnbaum, www.barnbaum.com
Editor: Gerhard Rossbach
Project Editor: Joan Dixon
Copyeditor: Cynthia Anderson
Layout and Type: Petra Strauch, [email protected]
Cover design: Helmut Kraus, www.exclam.de
Cover photo: Bruce Barnbaum
Printed in Korea
ISBN 978-1-933952-68-0
1st Edition (5th [updated] reprint, October 2012)
© 2010 by Bruce Barnbaum
All photography © Bruce Barnbaum (unless otherwise noted)
Photographic Arts Editions in cooperation with:
Rocky Nook Inc.
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
www.rockynook.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barnbaum, Bruce, 1943-
The art of photography : an approach to personal expression / Bruce Barnbaum. -- [Rev. ed.]
p. cm.
First published 1994.
ISBN 978-1-933952-68-0 (alk. paper)
1. Photography, Artistic. 2. Photography. I. Title.
TR642.B364 2010
770--dc22
2010015511
Distributed by O’Reilly Media
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their
respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations
have been printed in caps or initial caps. They are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies; they are not
intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner. While
reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or
omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To my mother and the memory of my father.
For as long as I can remember
they both encouraged me to teach.
Bruce Barnbaum
31417 Mountain Loop Highway
Granite Falls, Washington 98252
USA
Phone or Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.barnbaum.com
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI 4 VISUALIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Step 1: Photographic Looking and Seeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
1 COMMUNICATION THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . 1 Step 2: Composing an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Enthusiasm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Step 3: Envisioning the Final Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Judging Your Own Personal Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Step 4: Planning a Strategy for a Final Print . . . . . . . . . . . 62
How Your Eye Differs from Your Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2 WHAT IS COMPOSITION? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Alternative Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
How the Human Eye Sees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Unified Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5 LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Simplicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Looking at Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Expressing Your Own Point of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Exercises in Learning to See Light More Accurately . . . 70
Simplicity vs. Complexity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Light Determines Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Types of Lighting / Quality of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
3 ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Light as Seen by the Eye and by Film or Sensors,
Contrast and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 and the Inverse Square Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 6 COLOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Line, Form, Contrast, and Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Color Wheel and Color Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Color Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Color and Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Color Contrast and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Positive / Negative Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Choosing A Color Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Color Digital Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Camera Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Light and Color Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Focal Length of Lens and Cropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Subjectivity and Mood of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Depth of Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 In Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Shutter Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7 FILTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Involvement with the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Black-and-White Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Rules, Formulas, and Other Problems and Pitfalls . . . . 52 Examples with a Hypothetical Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Contrast Control with Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Digital Filtration for Black-and-White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Infrared Film and Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Filters for Color Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 10 THE PRINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Neutral Density and Polarizing Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Black-and-White Enlarging Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Problems Associated with Polarizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Variable Contrast vs. Graded Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Fiber Base Papers vs. Resin Coated (RC) Papers . . . . . . . . 162
8 THE ZONE SYSTEM Black-and-White Paper Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
OF EXPOSURE FOR FILM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Making Contact Proof Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
A Brief Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Preliminary Work Toward a Final Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Film’s Response to Light: Building the Zone System . . 116 Make Test Prints, Not Test Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Translating Negative Densities to Print Tonalities . . . . 117 Two-Solution Development for Graded and Variable
The Light Meter—How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Contrast Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Review of Negative Exposure Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Dodging and Burning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Using the Zone System to Depart from Reality . . . . . . . 122 Integrating the Entire Process: Visualization,
The Zone System for Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Exposure, Development, and Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
The Zone System and the Inverse Square Law . . . . . . . . . 126 Burning with Variable Contrast Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
In Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Advanced Darkroom Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Inspection, Evaluation, and the Myth of “Dry-Down” . 183
9 THE BLACK-AND-WHITE NEGATIVE AND CONTRAST Potassium Ferricyanide Reducing (Bleaching) . . . . . . . . 185
CONTROL—THE EXTENDED ZONE SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . 129 Final Fixing of the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Chapter 9 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Local vs. Overall Contrast Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
The Negative During Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
The Bellows Analogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Selenium Toning Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Putting Higher Zones to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Other Toners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Reciprocity Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Chemical Coloration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Examples of Decreasing and Increasing Contrast . . . . . 137 Full Archival Processing of Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
The Exposure / Density Curve and Zone 4 Shadow Toning, Intensifying, and Reducing Negatives . . . . . . . . 197
Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Cold, Neutral, and Warm Tone Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Differences Between Photography and Sensitometry: Review of Contrast Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Texture vs. Tone and Zone 4 Shadow Placement . . . . . . 141 Color Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Pre-Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Scanning from Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Developing the Exposed Negative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Explanation of Compensating Development . . . . . . . . . 148 11 THE DIGITAL ZONE SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Two-Solution Compensating Development . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Basics of Digital Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Development Procedures for Sheet Film and Roll The Sensor’s Useful Brightness Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 The Histogram—The Heart of the Digital Zone
The Zone System and Roll Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Negative Materials and Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 The RAW Converter—Processing the RAW Capture . . . 219
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
High Dynamic Range Images—The Extended Zone Producing Something New—Its Real Importance . . . . . 310
System for Digital Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Be Prepared for Imagination, Innovation, and
Practical Considerations, Cautions, Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
17 APPROACHING CREATIVITY INTUITIVELY . . . . . . . . . . 319
12 PRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Intuition in Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Dry Mounting Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Avoiding Intuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Making Positioning Guides for Print Placement . . . . . . 244 Understanding and Misunderstanding Intuition . . . . . 321
Spotting, Etching, and Correction of Defects . . . . . . . . . . 245 Examples of the Intuitive Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Print Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Applying Intuition to Your Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
13 EXPLODING PHOTOGRAPHIC MYTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Myth #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 18 TOWARD A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Myth #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Flexibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Myth #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Visual Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Myth #4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Nonvisual Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Myth #5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Expanding and Defining Your Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Myth #6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Limitations of Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Myth #7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Developing a Personal Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Myth #8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Self-Critique, Interaction, and Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
14 PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES AND ARTISTIC APPENDIX 1: TESTING MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
INTEGRITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 FOR TRADITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Art, Communication, and Personal Integrity . . . . . . . . . 286 ASA (ISO) Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Contrast Development Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
15 PHOTOGRAPHIC REALISM, ABSTRACTION, Lens Sharpness and Coverage Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
AND ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 Bellows Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Photography as Fine Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Safelight Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Photography and Painting—Their Mutual Influence . 293 Enlarger Light Uniformity Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
The Strength of Abstraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Enlarger Lens Sharpness Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Inwardly and Outwardly Directed Questions . . . . . . . . . 298
The Power of Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 APPENDIX 2: ENLARGER LIGHT SOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
16 THOUGHTS ON CREATIVITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Obstacles to Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Prerequisites for Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
ix