Good Pictures : A History of Popular Photography by Kim Beil tracks stylistic changes in popular photography from the nineteenth century until today.
Stanford University Press
ISBN-13 : 978-1503608665
We are all photographers now, with camera phones in hand and social media accounts at the ready. And we know which pictures we like. But what makes a good picture? And how could anyone think those old styles were actually good? Soft-focus yearbook photos from the ’80s are now hopelessly–and happily–outdated, as are the low-angle portraits fashionable in the 1940s or the blank stares of the 1840s. From portraits to products, landscapes to food pics, Good Picturesproves that the history of photography is a history of changing styles.
Good Pictures identifies 50 of these trends that have been popular among photographers of all kinds, whether amateurs or professionals. The book’s 200 full-color illustrations include snapshots, commercial and art photographs, as well as material from vintage how-to manuals. Organized chronologically, each of the short chapters addresses a different stylistic trend, explaining its original appeal and how it was accomplished, as well as the reasons for its eventual decline in popularity. Everyone is a photographer now, making this book not only a comprehensive history of the practice, but also a source of inspiration.
About the artist
Kim Beil teaches art history at Stanford University and writes about modern and contemporary art for publications including Artforum, Art in America, and Photograph. She thinks of Instagram as research and can be found @kim.beil
Listen her interview
How to break the rules : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbiA9T1tRFU
Good Pictures : A History of Popular Photography by Kim Beil
€32.00
10 in stock
Description
Good Pictures : A History of Popular Photography by Kim Beil tracks stylistic changes in popular photography from the nineteenth century until today.
Stanford University Press
Good Pictures identifies 50 of these trends that have been popular among photographers of all kinds, whether amateurs or professionals. The book’s 200 full-color illustrations include snapshots, commercial and art photographs, as well as material from vintage how-to manuals. Organized chronologically, each of the short chapters addresses a different stylistic trend, explaining its original appeal and how it was accomplished, as well as the reasons for its eventual decline in popularity. Everyone is a photographer now, making this book not only a comprehensive history of the practice, but also a source of inspiration.
Kim Beil teaches art history at Stanford University and writes about modern and contemporary art for publications including Artforum, Art in America, and Photograph. She thinks of Instagram as research and can be found @kim.beil
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