Photo Icons I

by Hans-Michael Koetzle

Photo icons i (1827-1926)

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Art and Photography

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Hans-Michael Koetzle is a Munich-based freelance author and journalist, focusing mainly on history and the aesthetics of photography. He has published numerous books on photography and has been editor-in-chief of the magazine Leica World since 1996.

Reviews

[Sérgio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antologia das fotos mais marcantes da história da fotografia, segundo o especialista Hans-Michael Koetzle, com cada capítulo a ser dedicado a um fotógrafo e sua produção. A obra abre com a primeira foto a ver a luz do dia, em 1827, pela mão de Nicéphore Niépce, o inventor de um processo primitivo de gravação em vidro através do uso de asfalto sírio que demorava oito horas a surtir efeito. De seguida, somos introduzidos a Daguerre, e às suas fotos dos boulevards de Paris de 1838, fruto da invenção do daguerreótipo, um aperfeiçoamento do processo de Niépce que permitia o encurtamento da produção para apenas meia hora. A partir daqui acompanhamos os avanços da técnica até ao ponto da ascensão da fotografia como arte de moto próprio, bem como os diversos movimentos que a caracterizaram. Particularmente, o pictorialismo, advogado por Alfred Stieglitz, estilo que prefere a manipulação de cenários e de personagens, bebendo influências da pintura, e o objectivismo, de Karl Blossfeldt, precisamente o contrário do anterior, optando por captações livres de artifício e de montagem. À volta destes dois movimentos, da sua disputa e do seu cruzamento, veremos o surgimento de novas estéticas ao longo de todo o século XX, como a de Mapplethorpe, cujo trabalho apresenta influências de parte a parte, com uma tendência para o objectivismo.

[Paolo Aguas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally I’m not really good at taking photos, nowadays a lot of people put a lot of effort to take photos from small things like a meal to bigger things like travels, I’m the type of person who prefers to experience it and maybe take one or two photos just to look at it in the future. I’m not really the type of person who would take a crazy amount then choose one to post on Instagram, I mean unless the photo I took is really bad I would not do a retake. With that being said this book really opened my eyes when it comes to the history of photographs, I never really knew much about how it was invented or what were the iconic photographs but this book really explained and showed a lot of them (this is volume 1 so not all were shown) and explained the history behind the photograph (the person who took it, the method they used, etc.) and this book is just really well researched and it is simplified. So any person would be able to understand the importance behind each photograph that they showed in the book.

Overall this is a very well researched book that anyone who wants to add more to their ‘common knowledge’ should read this, honestly the beginning is very slow but once you go beyond it is a really good read.


P.S

This is not related at all but this book has been with me for a few years I do not remember how I got it or anything but this whole COVID19 pandemic has made me read a lot of books that I haven’t touched in many years. This pandemic is awful and I really hope it ends soon.

[Jarosław Loretz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pożyteczne opracowanie, dające przegląd pionierów techniki fotograficznej - poczynając od Nicéphore'a Niépce'a i Daguerre'a, a kończąc na Paulu Strandzie i Manie Rayu. Są ich biogramy, są zastosowane rozwiązania techniczne, są w końcu okoliczności, w jakich powstały zdjęcia uznane za kamienie milowe światowej fotografii. Trochę w tym wszystkim szkoda, że dla autora książki nie zaistnieli fotografowie spoza Francji, Anglii, Niemiec i USA, no ale cóż poradzić, skoro rzecz pisał Niemiec, opierając się na dawnych publikacjach ilustrowanej prasy przede wszystkim niemieckiej...

[Raquel C. Arco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iconic photos and the stories behind them. The author, Hans-Michael Koetzle, is a a Munich-based freelance author and journalist, focusing mainly on history and the aesthetics of photography. He has published numerous books on photography and has been editor-in-chief of the magazine 'Leica World' since 1996.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it and recommend it for writers at all levels.

[Roy McDine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb history of early photography - well written and illustrated.

[Nick Kovronskiy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into photography and social media, you've probably noticed how important image quality is for platforms like Instagram. It’s not just about snapping a good shot, but making sure your photos look crisp and vibrant when shared. I used to struggle with this too, especially when resizing images for the platform. That’s when I came across a great resource on https://skylum.com/blog/instagram-res... blog about Instagram resolution. It really helped me understand the best practices for resizing and optimizing photos without losing detail. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking to improve your Instagram game!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an eight dollar purchase at a local art store. One could debate endlessly on the selection of THE "photo icons" that were included in this little book. But, aside from that unsolvable situation, Hans (if I may call him that) devotes a lot of fleshy meat to each photo, expanding a little universe around each singular image and revealing the sustained power that photography holds on our understanding of the world. Bien hecho, Han.

[darío hereñú · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para los amantes de la fotografía, estarán de parabienes.
Amenazar que los fotógrafos son artistas de subsuelo, corren por cuenta y orden del denunciante/atrevido/cortoplacista mental.
Sigo siendo admirador de Ansel Adams (el tiempo pasa y cada vez más me atraen sus blancos y negros).
Más allá, René Burri con sus fotos de gauchos de nuestras pampas fue un hallazgo.
Un libro más de fotografía, y no será el último...
Sebastiao Salgado será el próximo, seguramente...

[Rhiannon D'Averc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and interesting, here you can learn biographies as well as techniques. As a photographer myself I found it pleasant to be told the stories of the photographs rather than lectured too much on how it was done and what equipment they used and how they got the exposure right, something you often get oversaturated with in photography books. A good effort all round.

[Anton Klink · Rating 3 out of 5]

The backstories of photos I've know for years was a fascinating read but the backstories of photos I'd never seen before was ho-hum at best. This though is not a failing of the book but a lack of education on my part, but then I am reviewing the book from my own subjective point of view and thus the book was of only limited appeal to me.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this review, highlighting key photographers of the past century. The photo choices are excellent, and Koetzle's essays are surprisingly good (usually in photo essays, you get so bored that you skip over the words). The combo of both makes this a 5-star review.

[Murf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of both iconic images and the stories behind them. Perfect for dipping in and out of, reading about the photographers and their processes is worth it even if you wouldn't be a fan of a particular shot. Very enjoyable.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fantastic - most fantastic was the fact that the icons started at the raw beginning of photography (mostly in France) which, for me, was new ground.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iconic photos and the stories behind them. It's fairly European-centric, because it was originally published in Germany, which is fine. A light and pleasant read.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight on the origins of selected 19th century photos from artists like Jacques-Henri Lartigue, August Sander, Man Ray, Daguerre, Niepce and Hippolyte Bayard.