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The Photographer's Eye
This book is an investigation of what photographs look like, and of why they look that way. It is concerned with photographic style and with photographic tradition: with the sense of possibilities that a photographer today takes to his work.
The invention of photography provided a radically new picture-making process-a process based not on synthesis but on selection. The difference was a basic one. Paintings were made- constructed from a storehouse of traditional schemes and skills and attitudes-but photographs, as the man on the street put it, were taken. The difference raised a creative issue of a new order: how could this mechanical and mindless process be made to produce pictures meaningful in human terms-pictures with clarity and coherence and a point of view?
John Szarkowski's The Photographer's Eye, based on a 1964 exhibition and first published in 1966, is an excellent introduction to the art of photography. It brings together pictures by both recognized masters and unknown photographers that offer an outline of photography's creative visual language, revealing the extraordinary range of the medium's potential. The pictures are divided into five sections, each an examination of one of the particular sets of choices imposed on the artist with the camera: The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, The Vantage Point. This 2007 printing makes the landmark book available again.
The invention of photography provided a radically new picture-making process-a process based not on synthesis but on selection. The difference was a basic one. Paintings were made- constructed from a storehouse of traditional schemes and skills and attitudes-but photographs, as the man on the street put it, were taken. The difference raised a creative issue of a new order: how could this mechanical and mindless process be made to produce pictures meaningful in human terms-pictures with clarity and coherence and a point of view?
John Szarkowski's The Photographer's Eye, based on a 1964 exhibition and first published in 1966, is an excellent introduction to the art of photography. It brings together pictures by both recognized masters and unknown photographers that offer an outline of photography's creative visual language, revealing the extraordinary range of the medium's potential. The pictures are divided into five sections, each an examination of one of the particular sets of choices imposed on the artist with the camera: The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, The Vantage Point. This 2007 printing makes the landmark book available again.
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
42 people are currently reading
3215 people want to read
About the author
John Szarkowski
69 books30 followersJohn Szarkowski was an American photographer and curator best known for his role as the director of the Museum of Modern Art’s Photography Department from 1962 through 1991. “Photography is the easiest thing in the world if one is willing to accept pictures that are flaccid, limp, bland, banal, indiscriminately informative, and pointless,” he once explained. “But if one insists in a photograph that is both complex and vigorous it is almost impossible.”
Born Thaddeus John Szarkowski on December 18, 1925 in Ashland, WI, he went on receive a degree in art history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1948. After working as a museum photographer at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, he moved to Buffalo to teach photography. The artist then relocated to Chicago, where he worked on his photobook The Idea of Louis Sullivan (1956). After his appointment at MoMA in 1962, Szkarowski would help launch the careers of Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and William Eggleston, among several others during his tenure. He also published acclaimed books on the history of photography, including The Photographer’s Eye (1966) and Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art (1973).
After retiring from the museum in 1991, Szarkowski resumed his own career in photography. He died on July 7, 2007 in Pittsfield, MA. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others.
Born Thaddeus John Szarkowski on December 18, 1925 in Ashland, WI, he went on receive a degree in art history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1948. After working as a museum photographer at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, he moved to Buffalo to teach photography. The artist then relocated to Chicago, where he worked on his photobook The Idea of Louis Sullivan (1956). After his appointment at MoMA in 1962, Szkarowski would help launch the careers of Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and William Eggleston, among several others during his tenure. He also published acclaimed books on the history of photography, including The Photographer’s Eye (1966) and Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art (1973).
After retiring from the museum in 1991, Szarkowski resumed his own career in photography. He died on July 7, 2007 in Pittsfield, MA. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
July 10, 2020
The best thing about the book is the five tenets it lays at the very beginning which can help any layman to understand and appreciate photography. If one completely absorbs these tenets it becomes easy to understand and critique all the photographs in the book. An excellent companion for all lovers of photography
January 16, 2008
I wish I could give this more stars. Read it, then get The Nature of Photographs by Steven Shore and grab a broom. Sweep your melted face off the floor, mop up any remaining brain fluids. Repeat and see the world with clarity and coherence.
October 25, 2017
A book to savour; to come back to time and time again.
"Robert Capa expressed both the narrative poverty and the symbolic power of photography when he said..'if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough'". With these words, Szarkowski set out the challenge that he further developed elsewhere: Is photography capable of narrative?
It's difficult to over-estimate the effect that Szarkowski's six page introduction had on me. All thinking photographers tussle with the twin-headed monster, "Orthos", that is photography: pictures that "take" reality vs pictures that go beyond their apparent intention to "enlarge one's sense of possibility… like organisms, reproducing and evolving".
And in dealing with this Orthos, we become aware of our own progressive discovery, of increasing awareness of characteristics inherent in the medium. Szarkowski was probably wrong in suggesting the narrative poverty of photographs. But he was right in emphasising their symbolic potency. This book examines this potency through five lenses: the thing itself; the detail; the frame; time and vantage point. His choice of photographs depicting these is exquisite.
"Robert Capa expressed both the narrative poverty and the symbolic power of photography when he said..'if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough'". With these words, Szarkowski set out the challenge that he further developed elsewhere: Is photography capable of narrative?
It's difficult to over-estimate the effect that Szarkowski's six page introduction had on me. All thinking photographers tussle with the twin-headed monster, "Orthos", that is photography: pictures that "take" reality vs pictures that go beyond their apparent intention to "enlarge one's sense of possibility… like organisms, reproducing and evolving".
And in dealing with this Orthos, we become aware of our own progressive discovery, of increasing awareness of characteristics inherent in the medium. Szarkowski was probably wrong in suggesting the narrative poverty of photographs. But he was right in emphasising their symbolic potency. This book examines this potency through five lenses: the thing itself; the detail; the frame; time and vantage point. His choice of photographs depicting these is exquisite.
October 11, 2021
The Photographer's Eye is a brilliant book by a brilliant mind. Reading the complete printed edition now, I realise that I shouldn't have delayed buying it so many years. A book to come back to, again and again.
"Photography, and our understanding of it, has spread from a center; it has, by infusion, penetrated our consciousness. Like an organism, photography was born whole. It is in our progressive discovery of it that its history lies."
I couldn't help but wonder what would Szarkowski think and write about today's continuous flux of photographic images.
"Photography, and our understanding of it, has spread from a center; it has, by infusion, penetrated our consciousness. Like an organism, photography was born whole. It is in our progressive discovery of it that its history lies."
I couldn't help but wonder what would Szarkowski think and write about today's continuous flux of photographic images.
May 30, 2013
An art book about photography, based on one of the first major exhibitions, The Photographer's Eye, held at the Museum of Modern Art. (MOMA), New York, in 1964. Overall, useful pics but ... perhaps the debate about the role of photography was useful in mid-1960s, but now this book seems outdated.
The key contribution of this work is the rather outdated theory of the elements of expression in photography: composition (focusing on realism and displacing/replacing painting), detail (instead of a while narrative), frame (synthesis), time (from short-exposure stills to long-running ghosts), and vantage point (which enables new angles to view the "real" world).
As a possibly timeless contribution, this book depicts well over 100 photographs, among others of Atget, Matthew Brady (secession war pics), Bill Brand, Peter Buckley, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Andre Kertesz, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Paul Strand, and Edward Weston.
The key contribution of this work is the rather outdated theory of the elements of expression in photography: composition (focusing on realism and displacing/replacing painting), detail (instead of a while narrative), frame (synthesis), time (from short-exposure stills to long-running ghosts), and vantage point (which enables new angles to view the "real" world).
As a possibly timeless contribution, this book depicts well over 100 photographs, among others of Atget, Matthew Brady (secession war pics), Bill Brand, Peter Buckley, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Andre Kertesz, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Paul Strand, and Edward Weston.
July 22, 2014
What's here is great, but I was hoping for more text. John Szarkowski's introduction to William Eggleston's Guide is a brilliant piece of writing, and was partially responsible for inspiring me to learn more about the art of photography. I guess I figured this book was his opportunity to really flesh out those ideas and add depth to the concepts he'd discussed previously. But really, it's a lot of the same concepts, and a whole bunch of black and white photos to back them up. Which is great, and still valuable, but not exactly what I'd had in mind.
January 6, 2021
Not a lot of text but what text there is sparks some decent reflection on the photographic process
Read
February 12, 2025Mezzo barato, aggiungo un libro alla sfida annuale
Read
September 1, 2025wonderful
July 18, 2020
"The photographer’s vision convinces us to the degree that the photographer hides his hand."
"To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft."
"To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft."
August 12, 2011
It was because of John Szarkowski that I am re-discovering black & white photography once again. Saw a quote by him in Photography: Foundations for Art & Design and was curious to know more. He's someone who has an appreciation and passion for photographs and imagery/representation. His words have enticed me to re-look and relish the old b&w images taken by Weegee, Andre Kertesz, Lee Friendlander, August Sander, etc...
It's fascinating how when I look back I realise the photographer's eye has not really changed that much after all.
It's fascinating how when I look back I realise the photographer's eye has not really changed that much after all.
July 7, 2014
A beautiful exploration of the first hundred-or-so years of photography, from the early tin-types of Matthew Brady and countless others whose names are forgotten to history, to the modern masters: Robert Frank, André Kertész, Edward Weston, et al. A wonderful collection of photography akin to Edward Steichen's famous Family of Man. Excellent for those who want to understand early photography.
March 31, 2008
This is a really gorgeous collection of photographs. The soldiers on the bridge! I go back and look at it often. Recommended to anyone interested in photography.
January 14, 2015
Just a selection of excellent photographs, famous and not famous photographers, over many years, organized by several themes.
June 9, 2012
A short and sweet book about the photography - the book is in B&W but the principles work for all types of photography.
February 10, 2013
A must read for photographers. It's a bench mark book on the examination of photographic composition.
January 20, 2013
This is one of the best books on photography I've read.
May 17, 2013
Great compilation of photos from masters of the 19th & 20th Century. Separated into chapters such as the frame , the subject, etc.
June 5, 2014
If you are just starting out, or have lost your way taking photographs this is a book that you should read and absorb.
November 20, 2014
Beautiful bit of writing at the beginning of this. A well curated exhibition.
July 17, 2015
An incredible collection of photographs, curated to get at the grammar and possibilities of photography
October 18, 2016
If you have an interest in photography, or are an amateur photographer I really recommend the book.
October 10, 2020
Since the pandemic began, I have taken to walking several miles a day in my neighborhood. The walks are very pleasing. I don’t live in the wealthy part of town but it is very liberal and middle class, and I say this in a way I never would have appreciated as a young man. The Biden/Harris signs far outnumber the Trump ones,there are lovely gardens flowering and elevated vegetable beds, though the early September weather dried roses till their dried petals turned to fragments and powder in my hands, and October has wilted the all the remaining vegetables except cabbage and pumpkins—and their brethren squash. There are many little free libraries in the front yards. The almost all look like bird houses and I treat them like roadside shrines and stop to pray at each one. Sometimes I take a book.
Recently I found this one. First published by the Museum of Modern Art, many of the photos take me back to my childhood as we had these sort of books around the house. Of course it’s a bit shocking how little I understood about someone, say Minor White, was trying to do. I’m old enough to forget a great deal, but at least now I can articulate why the photos were chosen by the curator and what they intended to illustrate.
And also why it is that only white (and Jewish) photographers are shown. We have the great Edward Weston but not the great Imogen Cunningham. We have the disturbing but exquisite Lee Friedlander but not Diane Arbus. And of course there’s no work by Gordon Parks or anyone in Asia: It is male and Eurocentric, and no one would curate like this anymore. Nevertheless, there are some of the most iconic shots in the art form and it’s worth the modicum of time this slim volume needs. Just don’t forget when perusing these stills that photography—as every other art—has invited more people of color to the party and now takes a much more inclusive approach to culture.
Recently I found this one. First published by the Museum of Modern Art, many of the photos take me back to my childhood as we had these sort of books around the house. Of course it’s a bit shocking how little I understood about someone, say Minor White, was trying to do. I’m old enough to forget a great deal, but at least now I can articulate why the photos were chosen by the curator and what they intended to illustrate.
And also why it is that only white (and Jewish) photographers are shown. We have the great Edward Weston but not the great Imogen Cunningham. We have the disturbing but exquisite Lee Friedlander but not Diane Arbus. And of course there’s no work by Gordon Parks or anyone in Asia: It is male and Eurocentric, and no one would curate like this anymore. Nevertheless, there are some of the most iconic shots in the art form and it’s worth the modicum of time this slim volume needs. Just don’t forget when perusing these stills that photography—as every other art—has invited more people of color to the party and now takes a much more inclusive approach to culture.
January 29, 2023
Excellent set of classic black and white photographs spanning several decades from the 19th century US Civil War, up to the 50s. Styles include still life, historical scenes, portraits, street photography and war or photojournalism. Some more experimental photos feature, including long exposures and even accidental artifacts such as blurred soldiers and two faced dogs. Although my favorite areas of macro and landscape are not overly represented, I still found the photos engrossing and inspiring.
The text is dated: the photographer is assumed to be a "he", and also there is an update required to address the Photoshop era, when statements such as the following are simply no longer true:
"The photographer cannot, like Turner, whisk an invisible town around a hill..."
Whilst the photographs are not always technically excellent (some are not sharp and would not pass any contemporary stock site check), the point seems to be the perspective and meaning that the photo conveys. Family portraits and street scenes of ordinary people are touching, as surely those people and their lives have come to an end. The photograph both provides a short glimpse into their short lives, whilst also providing a kind of immortality, if anonymous.
The final chapter is perhaps the most interesting: portraits involving reflections, shadow and the interception of the limited view of the camera by hats, cables or musical instruments, creating a sense of mystery about the model. Some photographs demand a more careful look, like a game to see what is the photo really of...
Recommended a keeper for any photographic enthusiasts (don't let the lack of color or the old-fashioned text dissuade...)
The text is dated: the photographer is assumed to be a "he", and also there is an update required to address the Photoshop era, when statements such as the following are simply no longer true:
"The photographer cannot, like Turner, whisk an invisible town around a hill..."
Whilst the photographs are not always technically excellent (some are not sharp and would not pass any contemporary stock site check), the point seems to be the perspective and meaning that the photo conveys. Family portraits and street scenes of ordinary people are touching, as surely those people and their lives have come to an end. The photograph both provides a short glimpse into their short lives, whilst also providing a kind of immortality, if anonymous.
The final chapter is perhaps the most interesting: portraits involving reflections, shadow and the interception of the limited view of the camera by hats, cables or musical instruments, creating a sense of mystery about the model. Some photographs demand a more careful look, like a game to see what is the photo really of...
Recommended a keeper for any photographic enthusiasts (don't let the lack of color or the old-fashioned text dissuade...)
March 14, 2021
Jorå. Visst ger den här boken en del tankar och inspiration på meta-planet. Jag fångas av ett par formuleringar - till exempel om tid och "the decisive moment" - som, om inte annat, redan fått mig att börja gräva i mitt fotoarkiv. Samtidigt lider den något av sin ålder. Mycket har hänt inom exempelvis digital bildbehandling som fått gränserna mellan de två världarna "konst" och "fotografi" att blandas ihop och gör att vissa påpekanden i boken inte längre är helt giltiga.
Men å andra sidan knyter det an till det boken inleder med att slå fast om fotograferingens demokratisering av bildskapande och synen på fotografen som en skala från bildskapare till fotograf till kameraburen allmänhet. Kanske existerar idag även en vertikal skala, där förhållandet till bildbehandling blir en faktor i denna alltmer komplicerade syn?
(Jag fascinerades även av fotografierna från amerikanska inbördeskriget. Jag visste att det fanns/finns fotografier från den tiden, men det hade inte slagit mig att det kunde innebära mer än bara suddiga bilder från olika strider...)
Men å andra sidan knyter det an till det boken inleder med att slå fast om fotograferingens demokratisering av bildskapande och synen på fotografen som en skala från bildskapare till fotograf till kameraburen allmänhet. Kanske existerar idag även en vertikal skala, där förhållandet till bildbehandling blir en faktor i denna alltmer komplicerade syn?
(Jag fascinerades även av fotografierna från amerikanska inbördeskriget. Jag visste att det fanns/finns fotografier från den tiden, men det hade inte slagit mig att det kunde innebära mer än bara suddiga bilder från olika strider...)
February 27, 2025
The Photographer’s Eye is a really interesting look at what makes a great photograph beyond just camera settings. John Szarkowski breaks photography down into five key ideas—The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, and Vantage Point—which help explain how photographers see and capture the world. Instead of focusing on technical stuff like shutter speed or ISO, this book is more about the artistic and storytelling side of photography.
One thing I really liked was how Szarkowski uses actual photos to illustrate his points. Seeing those examples made his ideas click, and it gave me a new way to think about composition and perspective. It’s not a step-by-step guide, but more of a deep dive into why certain images stand out and feel meaningful.
Some parts feel a little theoretical, so it might not be for someone looking for a hands-on how-to book. But if you’re into photography and want to understand the thought process behind strong images, this is a great read. It definitely made me look at my own work differently!
One thing I really liked was how Szarkowski uses actual photos to illustrate his points. Seeing those examples made his ideas click, and it gave me a new way to think about composition and perspective. It’s not a step-by-step guide, but more of a deep dive into why certain images stand out and feel meaningful.
Some parts feel a little theoretical, so it might not be for someone looking for a hands-on how-to book. But if you’re into photography and want to understand the thought process behind strong images, this is a great read. It definitely made me look at my own work differently!
June 21, 2018
this is a wonderful framing of considering photographs from certain vantage points. To understand the aesthetic of a photograph Szarkowski presents five frames that can help decipher and further discussion of a photograph- Time, Vantage, Frame, Detail, and the Thing Itself (the subject of the photograph, is it actual or does it challenge the observers concern with realistic presentation of a thing).
May 25, 2022
in this classic collection of early American photography, Szarkowski explains the advent of the art both through accidental and purposeful evolution. He identifies the primary artistic factors as:
The Thing Itself
The Detail
The Frame
Time
The Vantage Point
And these issues are individually represented by collections of photographs from the mid-1800's through the mid-1900's.
The Thing Itself
The Detail
The Frame
Time
The Vantage Point
And these issues are individually represented by collections of photographs from the mid-1800's through the mid-1900's.
February 1, 2024
The book is rich in photographs, but the concepts are not thoroughly discussed. It can be used to train your eye for good compositions and to gain a basic understanding of the history of photography. It also serves as a good reference book.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading it and found it to be an easy read.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading it and found it to be an easy read.
June 10, 2024
The book consists of intriguing black and white photos based on a 1964 landmark exhibition at MOMA. Although I was familiar with most of the photographers, all but a few of the selections were new to me.
Szarkowski grouped the pictures together in imaginative ways. The writing was brief and nothing special. The quotes, however, were quite good.
Szarkowski grouped the pictures together in imaginative ways. The writing was brief and nothing special. The quotes, however, were quite good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews