Contemporary art photography is paradoxical. Anyone can look at it and form an opinion about what they see, yet it represents critical positions that only a small minority of well-informed viewers can usually access. Why Art Photography? provides a lively, accessible introduction to the ideas behind today's striking photographic images. Exploring key issues such as ambiguity, objectivity, staging, authenticity, the digital and photography's expanded field, the chapters offer fresh perspectives on existing debates. While the main focus is on the present, the book traces concepts and visual styles to their origins, drawing on carefully selected examples from recognized international photographers. Images, theories and histories are described in a clear, concise manner and key terms are defined along the way. This book is ideal for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of photography as an art form.

摄影新批评丛书》以跨学科的视角对中国当代摄影的现象和特征进行梳理和思考，以摄影批评、摄影史研究、随笔以及访谈等灵活多样的文本样式，全面呈现中国摄影历史与现状的文化图景。本书为《摄影新批评丛书》之一。中国摄影史上有很多优秀的摄影批评家和批评文章，这些文章出现在不同的历史时期，散佚在各种报刊文集杂志网络中，它们都曾经或多或少对中国摄影的发展产生过重要影响。本书在各方专家意见的指导下，海选出52位批评家和学者共76篇极为重要的摄影批评文章，呈现出跨越1929—2013年中国近百年的摄影批评文本流变。从批评的角度呈现了一段更为真实的中国摄影文化史。

The first accessible guide to the key artists and uses of photography in contemporary art since the mid-1980s. An ideal introduction to this popular subject in contemporary culture, this highly readable book surveys work by more than 150 artist-photographers: Andreas Gursky, Nan Goldin, Philip-Lorca di Corcia, Richard Billingham, Jurgen Teller, Thomas Demand, Yinka Shonibare, Thomas Ruff, Jeff Wall, Wolfgang Tillmans, and many more. More than 200 examples of the most important works are illustrated. Themed chapters consider subjects such as narrative and storytelling in art photography, photographing the everyday and the insignificant, the use of photography in conceptual art, and the cool, detached, objective aesthetic prevalent in current art photography. 210 illustrations, 100 in color.

在线阅读本书 When it comes to photography, it’s all about the light. After spending more than thirty years behind the lens—working for National Geographic , Time , Life , and Sports Illustrated —Joe McNally knows about light. He knows how to talk about it, shape it, color it, control it, and direct it. Most importantly, he knows how to create it...using small hot shoe flashes. In The Hot Shoe Diaries , Joe brings you behind the scenes to candidly share his lighting solutions for a ton of great images. Using Nikon Speedlights, Joe lets you in on his uncensored thought process—often funny, sometimes serious, always fascinating—to demonstrate how he makes his pictures with these small flashes. Whether he’s photographing a gymnast on the Great Wall, an alligator in a swamp, or a fire truck careening through Times Square, Joe uses these flashes to create great light that makes his pictures sing. 点击链接进入中文版： 热靴日记:小型闪光灯的创造性应用

内容简介 照片无处不在，它已遍布我们生活中的方方面面。世界上每年大约拍摄几十亿张照片，我们中的绝大多数人都为此做出了贡献。然而，在这些照片中，仅有少量的照片能引起并保持人们的美学兴趣。那么，这些照片的摄影艺术和其他种种照片的区别是什么呢？摄影艺术的特殊价值又是什么呢？这些都是《美学与摄影》开篇要研究的问题。 《美学与摄影》是第一本从哲学上综合探究摄影美学意义的书。本书论述了摄影艺术独特的美学特征，分析研究了它们的性质和价值。不仅如此，本书还运用了其他摄影艺术的解释和评论补充了摄影艺术的诠释。因此，本书不仅对摄影独特的哲学美学进行了全方位的阐述，而且所阐述的都是摄影艺术的原创性美学理论；不仅为那些有志于对电影、摄影艺术、美学和艺术理论感兴趣的人士作了总体的介绍，而且还对此领域作了深层次的研究。 同时，本书还配有特点鲜明的精美插图，供大家在阅读中欣赏。 乔纳森·弗里德为英国阿伯丁大学教授。 目录介绍 总序 前言 概述摄影、绘画与相关图画种类 第一章　艺术和美学体验 第二章　摄影媒介的最初评价 第三章　摄影表现与视觉感知 第四章　摄影表现的美学意义 第五章　表现意义、隐喻和评论评价 第六章　面对世界：摄影与视觉表现透视图 第七章　美学理论、规范性和评论理论