Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks) | 
 enlarge | Author: Brian Horton
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 35448
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.4
ISBN: 0071363874
Dewey Decimal Number: 778.9907049
UPC: 639785323457
EAN: 9780071363877
ASIN: 0071363874
Publication Date: October 30, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Written by noted AP photographer and photoeditor Brian Horton, this is an insider’s manual to one of the most glamorous and exciting media professions. Emphasizing the creative process behind the photojournalist’s art, Brian Horton draws upon his three decades of experience, as well as the experiences of other award-winning photojournalists, to instruct readers in the secrets of snapping memorable news photos every time. With the help of more than 100 photographs from the AP archives, he analyzes what constitutes successful news photos of every type, including portraits, tableaux, sports shots, battlefield scenes, and more, as well as offering tips on how to develop a style of your own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Bedtime stories February 16, 2008
It's an easy read, with interviews of assorted veterans of the PJ world. Most of these guys worked in the film era, so don't expect much on digital technique. In fact it's more about the human experience of these people, as they do their job as silent, passive witnesses to history. I can't say I learned anything, but I did read the whole thing, so it was cheap entertainment. If you are looking for practical advice or technical guidance you need to look for something less dated. These are bedtime stories, kinda like the stories my grandma told me years ago.
Dave
 Good if taken as what it is: a basic guide November 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book clearly is not meant for advanced journalism students but it's perfect for someone working as a stringer or a novice who is thinking about entering this field. The most important aspects of photojournalism are covered, including a section on electronic ethics. If ever you needed a good reason to keep ethical standards then the "Photoshop War" run by Reuters last year in Lebanon is an excellent example: one of their photojournalist was actively creating even more photo-edited havoc and carnage than what was actually happening... and slanting the images to make it appear as if Israel was indiscrimately destroying Beirut. I'd like to see an updated edition of this book that takes this into account but I doubt I'll see it any time soon.
 Way too basic August 15, 2006
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
If you are extreamly new at photography or maybe working for a high-school newspaper, this book would work well.
For anyone that is serious about hard-core photojournalism, like the professionals the book highlights, I do not recomend it.
I was looking for a book on some on ways to break into some of the big names. I just assumed that since it was an AP book.
"A Good Primer on Photojournalism (PJ)" July 17, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
"Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism", Brian Horton, McGraw-Hill NY, 2nd. ed. 2001, ISBN 0-07-136387-4, SC 223 pgs.
Sports photo editor at A-P since 1971, Horton has many credits including 2 books on news photography. This text explains PJ (picture story) - how a photographer "sees the story" is a skill requiring experience, insight, anticipation, inventiveness, & a passion. Often "breaking stories" are heavily covered & many photos require sensitivity, rapport, knowledge of equipment so to acquire a style using composition, cropping & those angles to communicate photo stories of news, emotions, life experiences, etc.
Horton quotes an A-P policy adopted in 1990 indicating "the content of a photograph will never be changed or manipulated in any way". Horton then goes on to recite of some widely published photos with recognized manipulations & public outcries leading to general distrust of media by the populace (& rightly so!). Indeed, even cropping can be viewed as manipulation, the latter generally a product of Madison Avenue influences that shouldn't reflect PJ integrity (need for well insulated photo editors).
Relying on "photo setups" can numb public's perceptions & lessen reality. Telephoto lenses as 80-200 zoom provides close-ups without intrusion despite an onerous sanctifying of 24 mm wide-angle to fill the frame by getting into the subject's face & personal space. Author interviews 8 pros on their perspectives & experiences in PJ & then concludes with a short summary of some changes in photography over the past half-century, namely the gradual switch from 4"x5" to 2 1/4" to 35 mm to color & now electronic (digital) imaging.
As a former newspaper photographer I'd been taught a good PJ shot did not require a title. I found Horton's book exacting, full of exciting photos, many good "how to" tips, and how PJ news photography has evolved into specialized art forms for optimum coverage of war, natural disaster, politics, crime, disease & subspecialities of certain sports as basketball, football, Olympics, Indy 500, etc. It is a pleasant, informative read, not overtly technical & fairly priced.
Decent Overview, Good for Motivational Purposes January 11, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book in hopes to satisfy my curiosity about photojournalism. I would say this book did a pretty good job of doing that. Although it doesn't address any real specifics of photojournalism, it does deliver a lot of the basic principles and general knowledge.
For what it was worth, I found this book to be an excellent read, with plenty of insights that would be valuable to any photographer, written with a very simplistic approach. I can see how ideas presented in this book could be applied to other areas of photography and not be limited to the field of photojournalism.
If you're novice photographer and looking for a technical, how-to, reference book, this is not the book for you. If you a photographer of any level, and you want to broaden your general knowledge of photojournalism, then this book would be a fine addition to your library. Also, I feel that this book could be used as a warm-up read prior to diving into the more advanced, technical books available on the topic.
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