Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks)

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: Anyone writing a positive review of this so-called book must be a relative of the author.

Being an avid reader of all things photography, most of the books that actully get published seem to have at least some merit. This book actually achieves the dubious distinction of being utterly useless.

It is nothing more than a scrapbook or stream of consciousness diary of sorts with no substance, no direction and no worthwhile information regarding the picture taking process. This literally could not have taken any effort to "write". The only people who put any effort into this one were the people who chopped down the poor trees to make this thing and the printers and bookbinders who assembled it. Don't waste your time or money on this one. Other than the foregoing, I enjoyed it immensely.

Rating:
Summary: MUST read for Photojournalists
Review: Brian Horton's book is a must read for photojournalists. Do NOT be misled that this is only for Associated Press photographers. Brian has interviewed many photographers on many aspects of being a photojournlist. Be sure to check out his interviews with photographers on how they handle fast-breaking situations. This book is not an f-stop and shutterspeed book but gets into the photojournalist's mind.

Rating:
Summary: Nice introduction book
Review: I bought this book since I want to become a photojournalist.
I am a photographer who has graduated a photo school few months ago. this book isn't for beginners, The little technical data may be misleading if read by a novice. Instead, it deals with content and the thinking and working process of photographers in this field. I find it as a nice introduction to the world of photojournalism,though a little "too good to be true" kind of book. The book definitely doesn't deal with the problems, the deadlines, the failures and the risks. This is like a postcard, where everything is perfect. There is a good side though, it is easily read, and very interesting. You want a more serious book, look some place else...
If you have the spare bucks though, don't hasitate and buy it!!!

Rating:
Summary: How to think, but not how to see
Review: This book is an excellent primer on the basics of photojournalism, and a good how-to guide on becoming a journeyman photojournalist. With chapters on each of the "bread-and-butter" categories of newspaper photography - sports, features, news, etc. - each section has interviews with veteran AP photographers on how they approach these sorts of assignments, and tips to help ensure that one will come back with a serviceable picture. In short, it's a good book for someone who's just getting their feet wet in the business of newspaper photography, and I'm glad it was one of the first books in my photojournalism library.

But much like AP photojournalism itself, the focus of this book is on how to create simple, clean images that tell the immediate story of the day. Except for some talk of basic "picture packages" in the features chapter, there's no suggestions on how to brainstorm and develop an in-depth photos essay, nor is there much type given on taking risks visually with photography, and creating new and innovative images while documenting the world.

In short, this book is a primer, and a fairly decent one at that. But I would urge anyone who picks this up to also get a book or three of photo essays and see how they can take their work to the next level.

Rating:
Summary: How to think, but not how to see
Review: This book is an excellent primer on the basics of photojournalism, and a good how-to guide on becoming a journeyman photojournalist. With chapters on each of the "bread-and-butter" categories of newspaper photography - sports, features, news, etc. - each section has interviews with veteran AP photographers on how they approach these sorts of assignments, and tips to help ensure that one will come back with a serviceable picture. In short, it's a good book for someone who's just getting their feet wet in the business of newspaper photography, and I'm glad it was one of the first books in my photojournalism library.

But much like AP photojournalism itself, the focus of this book is on how to create simple, clean images that tell the immediate story of the day. Except for some talk of basic "picture packages" in the features chapter, there's no suggestions on how to brainstorm and develop an in-depth photos essay, nor is there much type given on taking risks visually with photography, and creating new and innovative images while documenting the world.

In short, this book is a primer, and a fairly decent one at that. But I would urge anyone who picks this up to also get a book or three of photo essays and see how they can take their work to the next level.

Rating:
Summary: Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism
Review: This is a great inside look at photojournalism as it is practiced by the photographers of the world's leading news agency. Their work methods, how they think and react to a situation, and the forces that motivate them are all fascinating reading. And, the book is so current. It seems like only yesterday that we saw many of the photographs in this book first in our daily newspaper. Several of those photographs are analyzed in depth. The future of photojournalism also is discussed.