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Disclaimer: I am casually acquainted with one of the authors (R.L.) via a photography forum, and one of my images is included in this book. However, I feel that neither of these issues preclude me from offering an honest critique.
I was at first struck by the size of this book: with 500+ pages, it is an encyclopedia! But the volume of this book is appropriate for its broad, technical scope. The book addresses the physiological aspects of seeing, and the refinement of print tonality... and everything in between. Consistent with the modern context, the reader will also find a thorough treatment of all the digital, hybrid, and traditional tools. With a strong emphasis on clarifying techniques, this book is *very* thoroughly illustrated. Hardly a page is without an example, an illustration or a graph. In addition, numerous tables and templates are found in an appendix. It's literally impossible for me to locate a technical topic that wasn't appropriately described. Yes, MTF, dry down, transmittance etc. are all given full schrift!
The risk that the authors take with this book is to overwhelm the reader with the technical scope, with insufficient treatment of the creative aspects that must always drive the successful craft. Indeed the book contains ~90% technical content. There is a small section on visualization, and a larger "On Assignment" section with narrated examples, but the reader will not find much discussion of fundamental issues such as: what distinguishes black and white photography as an art form; why black and white is effective in some cases for which color photography is not; and the special role of certain abstract graphical elements in the black and white craft.
For my own taste, there could and probably should be more weight given to these qualitative aspects, and for that reason my rating of this book is not perfect. That said, I realize that most readers expect and appreciate the technical guidance... and abstract statements about the unique effectiveness of black and white photography are probably best made with photographs rather than words!
Overall, this book is a real achievement- an authoritative reference that will be widely cited for many years to come. I recommend it very highly, and note that the low price is a very pleasant surprise, given the volume of very useful information. I am certain that this book will be at least as successful as the first edition, which is also very highly regarded.
I was at first struck by the size of this book: with 500+ pages, it is an encyclopedia! But the volume of this book is appropriate for its broad, technical scope. The book addresses the physiological aspects of seeing, and the refinement of print tonality... and everything in between. Consistent with the modern context, the reader will also find a thorough treatment of all the digital, hybrid, and traditional tools. With a strong emphasis on clarifying techniques, this book is *very* thoroughly illustrated. Hardly a page is without an example, an illustration or a graph. In addition, numerous tables and templates are found in an appendix. It's literally impossible for me to locate a technical topic that wasn't appropriately described. Yes, MTF, dry down, transmittance etc. are all given full schrift!
The risk that the authors take with this book is to overwhelm the reader with the technical scope, with insufficient treatment of the creative aspects that must always drive the successful craft. Indeed the book contains ~90% technical content. There is a small section on visualization, and a larger "On Assignment" section with narrated examples, but the reader will not find much discussion of fundamental issues such as: what distinguishes black and white photography as an art form; why black and white is effective in some cases for which color photography is not; and the special role of certain abstract graphical elements in the black and white craft.
For my own taste, there could and probably should be more weight given to these qualitative aspects, and for that reason my rating of this book is not perfect. That said, I realize that most readers expect and appreciate the technical guidance... and abstract statements about the unique effectiveness of black and white photography are probably best made with photographs rather than words!
Overall, this book is a real achievement- an authoritative reference that will be widely cited for many years to come. I recommend it very highly, and note that the low price is a very pleasant surprise, given the volume of very useful information. I am certain that this book will be at least as successful as the first edition, which is also very highly regarded.
Product Description
Ralph Lambrecht: From Germany and educated in the US, Ralph is a B&W fine art Photographer. His work has been displayed anywhere from private galleries to the London Salon of Photography. He has written for Camera & Darkroom, Black & White Photography, View Camera Magazine, Way Beyond Monochrome 1e, and he is an active community member of apug.org (Analog Photography Users Group) photo.net and Fotocommunity.From the UK, Chris has been a member of the Royal Photographic Society for over 25 years and he has invented and patented photographic equipment that sell worldwide. He specializes in landscape, infrared, portraiture, still life, and architecture-mostly in monochrome. Chris has spent a lot of time perfecting the use of digital and traditional technologies harmoniously and he has authored numerous articles on advanced printing techniques for Camera & Darkroom, Ag+ and Photo Techniques.
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