Thinking Photography

In Thinking Photography, Diane Asso Griliches draws upon her knowledge as an experienced photographer to give readers an opportunity to learn and enjoy what can be accomplished with a camera. In an age when everyone uses a camera, the book offers a thoughtful approach to using it well. In her introduction, the author discusses the gift of science to this art, her particular love of the black-and-white-image, the varied attitudes of great photographers revealed in a selection of lively quotations and the fascinating history of photography leading up to today s pixilated revolution. The heart of the book is a collection of 130 photographs made by the author over a period of thirty years, selected and annotated to illuminate the many aspects of the artform. Every image is accompanied by a concise text delving into the issues raised by that photograph. In some cases, these are technical, involving composition, exposure, shutter speed, focal lengths, lighting, depth of field, and contrast. With some the author may reveal secrets of the trade in going about her work to achieve a particular effect or to overcome a problem. In other images, the discussions revolve around elusive but important issues such as ethics, responsibility, and the interpersonal relations between photographer and subject. A fascinating and unusual part of the book involves thirty images made with alternative processes with which Griliches has experimented. Several of these date from the time of the early inventions of photography platinum, albumen, salt, cyanotype, and Van Dyke prints. Other alternative photographic images include mordenage, photograms, polarisation, infrared, collage, and hand painting. These were chosen to illustrate their different aesthetic effects.