Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks)

Being an avid reader of all things photography, most of the books that actully get published seem to have at least some merit. This book actually achieves the dubious distinction of being utterly useless.

It is nothing more than a scrapbook or stream of consciousness diary of sorts with no substance, no direction and no worthwhile information regarding the picture taking process. This literally could not have taken any effort to "write". The only people who put any effort into this one were the people who chopped down the poor trees to make this thing and the printers and bookbinders who assembled it. Don't waste your time or money on this one. Other than the foregoing, I enjoyed it immensely.


How to think, but not how to see   June 15, 2001
 36 out of 37 found this review helpful

This book is an excellent primer on the basics of photojournalism, and a good how-to guide on becoming a journeyman photojournalist. With chapters on each of the "bread-and-butter" categories of newspaper photography - sports, features, news, etc. - each section has interviews with veteran AP photographers on how they approach these sorts of assignments, and tips to help ensure that one will come back with a serviceable picture. In short, it's a good book for someone who's just getting their feet wet in the business of newspaper photography, and I'm glad it was one of the first books in my photojournalism library.

But much like AP photojournalism itself, the focus of this book is on how to create simple, clean images that tell the immediate story of the day. Except for some talk of basic "picture packages" in the features chapter, there's no suggestions on how to brainstorm and develop an in-depth photos essay, nor is there much type given on taking risks visually with photography, and creating new and innovative images while documenting the world.

In short, this book is a primer, and a fairly decent one at that. But I would urge anyone who picks this up to also get a book or three of photo essays and see how they can take their work to the next level.


MUST read for Photojournalists   May 21, 2001
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Brian Horton's book is a must read for photojournalists. Do NOT be misled that this is only for Associated Press photographers. Brian has interviewed many photographers on many aspects of being a photojournlist. Be sure to check out his interviews with photographers on how they handle fast-breaking situations. This book is not an f-stop and shutterspeed book but gets into the photojournalist's mind.


Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism   May 21, 2001
 15 out of 17 found this review helpful

This is a great inside look at photojournalism as it is practiced by the photographers of the world's leading news agency. Their work methods, how they think and react to a situation, and the forces that motivate them are all fascinating reading. And, the book is so current. It seems like only yesterday that we saw many of the photographs in this book first in our daily newspaper. Several of those photographs are analyzed in depth. The future of photojournalism also is discussed.