Table of Contents

Introduction; Aims of book; Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' - consumerism, sexism and distortion of artistic worth by capitalism; Formalist/realist approach - Szarkowski and Shore; Sontag's 'On Photography'; Roland Barthes, "Camera Lucida”; Martha Rosler; Solomon-Godeau 'Inside/Out' (in conjunction with Sontag and Rosler this section illustrates how arguments develop); Clive Scott, photography and language; Grundberg's 'The Crisis of the real' - postmodernism; Raghubir Singh, "River of Colour”; "The Adventures of a Photographer”, a short story by Italio Calvino; Haitian poem by Felix Morisseau-Leroy; Poem by George Szirtes; Case studies - advertising and photojournalism (not major sections); Appendixes; Glossary; Index; Reading list; Theoretical and practical assignments at the end of each chapter.

Promotional Information

*Understand the gulf between practical photography and critical theory *Benefit from the international practical assignments and discussions to understand the relevance of the theory of photography *Inspiring, international images help explain relevant points

About the Author

Head of Photography at Rickmansworth School, UK. He is a consultant for exam boards in charge of deciding photography syllabi. He has a particular interest in demystifying critical theory.

Reviews

"Summaries of key texts are followed by thought-provoking questions and practical assignments...the texts are well chosen." - www.photoarchivenews.com "It's perfect for those who want to understand key debates in photography." - Amateur Photographer "Ashley la Grange has written an excellent book which navigates through the context and meaning of photography. It covers photography from a range of cultural and historical perspectives as well as guiding the reader though a visual language which many outside the world of academic photography can only guess at...Basic Critical Theory for Photographers is one of those books which should become part of the syllabus of many of the excellent photography courses that are out there." - www.kickstartnews.com "...a good introduction to theory for photographers looking to expand their understanding of their art form." - Photo Techniques