Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 416 pages
• Published by: Focal Press September 14, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 024080855X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0240808550
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 2.2 pounds

Product Review
"Light and Lens encapsulates contemporary photographic practice in a thought-provoking, creatively organized, yet easy to use resource that I know I will be adopting for more than one course." -- Elizabeth Lee, SUNY Fredonia

"Congratulations on a fine new text book. I used the book in a second semester class last semester and appreciate your usual dedication to ideas and picture content. We spent quite a bit of time talking about ideas generated by the text. A nice break from the struggle to teach software. I will use the book again this coming fall for the same class." -- Barry Andersen, Northern Kentucky University

Book Description
Fills a missing gap by taking the traditional educational approach to teaching photography in an art department, with the emphasis on the new angles introduced by digital technology

Reader Reviews
As a photographer and college photography educator, I'm extremely excited about Robert Hirsch's new book Light & Lens: Photography in the Digital Age. We have adopted it in our photography department at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. I consider this an unusual textbook; even a pioneer book because of how it blurs the line between textbook and art book. It is an ambitious work in that it presents an immense amount of complex technical information very clearly and succinctly without leaving anything out, weaves historical information throughout, challenges students (everyone!) to "think critically" about the photograph and their own work at every turn, coaches, encourages, and it is ALSO beautifully designed - giving each artwork featured a real presence that inspires students. It is obvious Hirsch is a generous educator, active photographer, and thinker. The layout is elegant - really elegant (it even has a dust jacket!) so students and photography enthusiasts are buying an "art book" that has value beyond its wealth as a textbook. The scale of the book is about 7X17" opened with about 400 pages but looks small and is lightweight which I think was smart for a `heavyweight' subject. It can be held comfortably in the hand for good contemplative reading or placed easily on a small digital work station where it can be used as a technical reference or reference for the many innovative assignments included. It was obviously designed for those who love photography and want to see (or have their student's see) a bigger "picture" about image making in the digital age. It is for the instructor who sees students intimidated by the larger digital texts that are completely techie-oriented and don't usually address the important issues of personal process, critical theory, and the content and context of imagery. Here is a wonderful marriage of the craft and content of making photographs in the digital age and the book's physicality exemplifes that too.