Science for the Curious Photographer: An Introduction to the Science of Photography

by Charles S. Johnson Jr.

This is a photography book for those who love science and like to understand how things work. It begins with an introduction to the history and science of photography and addresses questions about the principles of photography, such as why a camera needs a lens, how lenses work, and why modern lenses are so complicated. Digital photography raises more questions because enlarged images on computer screens reveal defects in color and resolution that are not obvious in small snapshots. What limits resolution, what is "noise" in images, and what level of detail can be appreciated by an observer? All of these questions and others concerning human perception of color and subjective image quality are treated in detail with some mathematics when appropriate. Finally the creation and appreciation of art in photography is presented from the standpoint of modern cognitive science. This book is appropriate for serious photographers and for students from college freshman to graduate level.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2010

Reviews

[Robert Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a scientific bent of mind and are a beginning photographer, this book is for you. If you are an experienced photographer but want to know more about the science that underlies photography, this book is for you.

Science for the Curious Photographer: An Introduction to the Science of Photography is not a comprehensive textbook, but it is a good introduction. Charles S. Johnson, Jr. gives numerous simple examples and studies to help the reader understand the relationship between what the photographer does and how the shot turns out. He begins with the pinhole camera, moves to film photography, and concludes with digital photography. Along the way he covers the science of optics, the psychology and physiology of color perception, the use of various lenses, shot composition, and many other topics, all presented in accessible language. For the math phobic, Johnson walks the reader through the math that underlies optics in such simple, accessible terms with explanations that give a solid understanding of the subject but don't go into every minute detail. If a reader is so math phobic that he or she is terrified of even simple explanations, the math sections can be omitted without too much loss of information.

I really liked this book, and I would encourage anyone who wants to understand the science underpinning photography to buy and read this book. Yes, there are other, more complete, more technical books out there on the subject, but this is one of the most approachable books on the subject for the non-scientist.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding overview of the science of photography for anybody with a moderate physics background.

[Doru Constantin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim (180 p.) volume covers a lot of ground, not only the obvious topics such as image formation or the physiology of vision but also, for instance, the operation of CMOS and CCD detectors and a discussion of polarization. The presentation is fairly technical, so an adequate background in physics is necessary.

The only critique would be that, for an introduction, it is somewhat light on the references (many of which are simply Wikipedia articles).

Review first published here.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, informative, and thorough! A good read even when it gets into rather technical areas beyond my rather average capacity for physics/optics. An apt title!

[Kevin Freels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine book if you are curious about the more technical aspects of how cameras and optics, sensors and film work.