Looking at photographs
Laurent Jullier works as professor at the University of Lorraine and is amongst other member of the Advanced Research Team on the History and Epistemology of Film and Moving Image Study at Concordia University, Montreal. So you would expect an academic approach to photography and this is indeed what you get with this pocket size book, covering 175 pages and with 103 illustrations.
Laurent clearly knows a thing or two about how to interpret a photography and the history of photography. So this book will not teach you about depth of field or the like – it is more about the photo as such: it’s history, context and interpretation. And, as he says in the introduction, a photography is first and foremost a way of looking and witnessing – a new pair of glasses to to see the world via. Laurent positions the book as an invitation to examine your own relationship with images and as yourself why this picture has an effect on me? And what do I see when I look at it.
After reading the book I will say: mission completed. It is an excellent introduction to the history of photography and how to interpret an image. As well as a balanced view on the different aspects of photography – for example documentation versus abstract; evidence versus fake.
I often find that interpretation of art – including photography – can be taken a notch too far; the image cannot “carry” the weight of the far fetched analysis and interpretation. However, in this book I found a good solid balance and the analysis and interpretation seems to be done with both feet solid planted on the ground. So although clearly academic in approach, there is a sensible balance found in the analysis work presented here.
In a world were many photographers are more interested in talking about camera technology than photography, and where our social media feeds constantly pump a never ending stream of pointless images our way, it it wonderfully refreshing to read a book just about images and their interpretation. And for that reason I can fully recommend you spend a few hours reading this book. It left me a lot wiser (some will say the starting point made it easy) and I often find I go back to re-read parts of it again. In my humble opinion, a sign of good quality.
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Related reading
Review: Photographs 1943-2013 by Keld Helmer-Petersen
Review: The essence of photography by Bruce Barnbaum
Thank you very much, Frederik. Not only for the – as always – great and wise (sic!) content but especially for your humor.
Thank you for your kind words Bert – much appreciated!