Reading

As well as spending a great deal of time with camera in hand recently I have tried to catch up with some reading.  I have just completed "Train your Gaze" by Roswell Angier, part of the courses recommended reading.  I can also recommend the book, it is a thought provoking overview of many aspects of portrait photography.  My main gripe is that I held of reading this until after doing the first assignment, I can really recommend that anyone attending this course should read the book before picking up a camera.

In particular the book introduces several very interesting exercises to develop skills and ideas of portraiture and what it means in the context of modern art.  I must admit, however, that many of the exercises would need a subject with great patience and tolerance as several need hours with a model doing very little to work.

Another stroke of luck recently was finding a copy of "Brassai Paris" for 10 Euro in a museum book shop, 

I wish all photo books were so well priced, especially one as well produced as this.  This contains some superb street as well as more formally posed photography showing the people and city of Paris in the 30's and 50's.