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Summary: a tour-de-force
Review: The book is a tour-de-force covering of human psychology and how it relates to photographic images. This sort of treatise has been done for screenplay writing where human mental principles are defined then shown how they affect storytelling. The author does the same for photography starting with Gestalt (grouping) psychology principles and then covering many others. Thus psychology principles that help photographers create and analyze photographs are given. This is not a book on camera technique but one one how a person experiences a photograph. Knowing how the mind of the photo viewer thinks really helps the photographer reach his/her photographic communication goal since the photographer can now press the correct psychological buttons to move the viewer's mind rather than relying purely on artistic intuition. I have a masters degree in filmmaking and this type of deep thinking into the photo experience is what I was looking for and the book delivers. Thank you author Zakia...one of the great photographic minds.
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Summary: Author's Opinion
Review: There are many different and useful ways to talk about images; aesthetically, historically, socially, technically, and so on. I have chosen the area of perception and psychology, and have selected those concepts that are highly relevant to photography-to image capture, creation, design, manipulation and editing. The concepts cross the various disciplines of imaging, from photography to graphic design, from camera to computer. Concepts such as synesthesia, pupillometrics, personal space, memory and association, archetypes, visual field dependency, color connotations, and subliminals are discussed. There is also a section on applied semiotics and an entire chapter on visual rhetoric.
When asked about the value of books, the author Eric Hoffer, remarked that any book that provides the reader with one new idea, has great value. I believe "Perception and Imaging" will do this and more. The book includes 125 photographs, 300 illustrations and 400 quotations that support the text.
Rating:
Summary: Author's Opinion
Review: There are many different and useful ways to talk about images; aesthetically, historically, socially, technically, and so on. I have chosen the area of perception and psychology, and have selected those concepts that are highly relevant to photography-to image capture, creation, design, manipulation and editing. The concepts cross the various disciplines of imaging, from photography to graphic design, from camera to computer. Concepts such as synesthesia, pupillometrics, personal space, memory and association, archetypes, visual field dependency, color connotations, and subliminals are discussed. There is also a section on applied semiotics and an entire chapter on visual rhetoric.
When asked about the value of books, the author Eric Hoffer, remarked that any book that provides the reader with one new idea, has great value. I believe "Perception and Imaging" will do this and more. The book includes 125 photographs, 300 illustrations and 400 quotations that support the text.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening, inspiring and fascinating
Review: This book gives a practical presentation of Gestalt psychology for photography and imaging. No background is assumed, no complex theory or jargon is introduced, everything is very educational and remains completely oriented toward practical imaging. The style is very enjoyable, the book is full of excellent illustrations and all the chapters end with exercises which are not only useful in a classroom context, but are also very inspiring for artists and photographers. This book is an excellent invitation to have a different point of view on imaging.It covers the figure/ground differenciation, the white/dark balance, perceptual grouping, associations, the importance of contours and in particular apparent contours, illusions, various morphisms (anthropo, zoo, ana, etc.), some subliminal aspects, personality, critique, etc. The bias towards a Gestalt explanation of all phenomena may sometimes be a bit too much, you just have to be aware of it and keep a critic mind. This book follows the landmark work of Pr. Arnheim on the subject (Art and Visual Perception), but with a more practical purpose and in a style which is easier to read.
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Summary: Learn more about Visual Literacy.
Review: This book is a nuts and bolts primer on how human beings make sense of the world they see. Anyone interested in learning more about visual literacy and the way pictures convey their messages would benefit by reading this book.
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Summary: An exciting odyssey.
Review: This book leads one on an exciting odyssey which interweaves the fascinating worlds of psychology and photography. Each page is full of surprises and comes alive explaining the visual world in an enlightening and interactive style.
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Summary: Nothing Else Like It
Review: This is the second edition of Perception and Imaging, but is also the latest in a string of precursors that included the small-press "Perception and Photography" from the late 1970s. This current edition adds almost 100 pages to the last. It explains why and how we see what we see. More, it provides the basis for the visual artist to take advantage and use that knowledge to make better images. The printing is much better than the previous edition (thankfully) and the higher quality paper does away with the separate illustration section that the first edition required. The quotes from imagemakers in the margins (taken from two out of print Zakia works that should be back in print) are a valuable addition to the main text that helps provide a context for the material. If you want to understand the psychology of visual images and visual messages, this is a unique book.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Else Like It
Review: This is the second edition of Perception and Imaging, but is also the latest in a string of precursors that included the small-press "Perception and Photography" from the late 1970s. This current edition adds almost 100 pages to the last. It explains why and how we see what we see. More, it provides the basis for the visual artist to take advantage and use that knowledge to make better images. The printing is much better than the previous edition (thankfully) and the higher quality paper does away with the separate illustration section that the first edition required. The quotes from imagemakers in the margins (taken from two out of print Zakia works that should be back in print) are a valuable addition to the main text that helps provide a context for the material. If you want to understand the psychology of visual images and visual messages, this is a unique book.
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Summary: .
Review: Your book is truly as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the mind in general. You have always been a treasure house of images and have enriched the theories of perception.
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Summary: A mandatory text.
Review: Your lovely book, Perception and Imaging, is now a mandatory text in our combined media course, "Concepts, Theories and Production." We will use it in both the digital as well as the photography parts of the course.
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