Book description
Ostensibly about landscape photography, More Than a Rock is a passionate and personal book about creativity and expression. In this series of essays, photographer and teacher Guy Tal shares his thoughts and experiences as an artist who seeks to express more in his images than the mere appearance of the subject portrayed. Tal makes an argument to consider creative landscape photography—expressing something of the photographer's conception through the use of natural aesthetics—as a form of visual art that is distinct from the mere representation of beautiful natural scenes. Tal covers topics such as the art of photography, approaches to landscape photography, and the experiences of a working photographic artist. His essays also include reflections on nature and man’s place in it, living a meaningful life, and living as an artist in today’s world. The book is decidedly non-technical and focuses on philosophy, nature, and visual expression. It was written for those photographers with a passion and interest in creative photography. Anyone who is pursuing their work as art, is in need of inspiration, or is interested in the writings of a full-time working photographic artist will benefit from reading this book. The book is visually punctuated with Tal’s inspiring and breathtaking photography. “Some images look like things, while others feel like things; some images are of things, while others are about things. …A creative image is not a record of a scene nor a substitute for a real experience. Rather, it is an experience in itself—an aesthetic experience—something new that the artist has given the world, rather than a contrived view of something that already existed independent of them.” ~Guy Tal **** Guy Tal’s photography is thoughtful, compassionate, and poetic; it’s no wonder then that his writings evoke similar feelings in me. If you want to be a better camera user, read your manual. If you want to be a stronger, deeper photographer, read Guy Tal. ~David duCheminPublisher resources
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Coyright
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- Foreword by Chuck Kimmerle
- Preface
-
Part I Art
- 1 My Audience
- 2 Difficult Questions
- 3 Art and Philosophy
- 4 The Things Themselves
- 5 Driving Miss Camera
- 6 The Phase of No Emotion
- 7 Lie Like You Mean It
- 8 The Meaning of Words
- 9 No Lesser an Art
- 10 Art and Rebellion
- 11 What Is Real
- 12 The Educated Audience
- 13 The Medium Is Not the Message
- 14 Contemporary Oligarchy
- 15 Art for People’s Sake
- 16 The Important Thing
- 17 What Makes an Artist
- 18 On Subjectivity
- 19 The Mythical Personal Style
- 20 Such Things Could Be
- 21 Where Credit Is Due
- 22 Shock and Awe
- 23 Artistic Promiscuity
-
Part II Craft
- 24 Finding the Needle
- 25 Forget Vision
- 26 Projects and Explorations
- 27 Of and About
- 28 On Art and Writing
- 29 Rethinking Visualization
- 30 Composition Means Nothing
- 31 Creative Blocks
- 32 The Missing Dimensions
- 33 The Concept
- 34 Breadth and Depth
- 35 Isolation
- 36 The Velvet Handcuffs of Predictability
- 37 Abstractions
- 38 Invisible Gorillas
- 39 To See as Beautiful
- Part III Experiences
-
Part IV Meditations
- 53 Big Thoughts
- 54 Heaven and Hell
- 55 The Meaning of Meaning
- 56 On Significance
- 57 The Art and the Life
- 58 Know This
- 59 Photography and the Creative Life
- 60 Stories of My Generation
- 61 The Wonderful Lightness of Being
- 62 The Problem with Moments
- 63 Attention Overload
- 64 Aboutness
- 65 Experience, Uninterrupted
- 66 The Abyss Is Always There
- 67 Politicizing Art
- 68 Meditations on Art, Work, and Solace
- 69 Reentry
Product information
- Title: More Than a Rock
- Author(s):
- Release date: July 2015
- Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
- ISBN: 9781681980102
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