Please ask a reference librarian for assistance at any time. We will be glad to help!
Las Positas College Library has numerous resources on photography. Use the LPC Library's web page to access areas useful for researching this topic.
TR is main classification area for books on photography. You may browse the print collection located in the TR section easily. In the online catalog, a specific photographer is searched under Author such as Ansel Adams. Discussions of his work or collection of his materials by someone else would be searched under Subject. Areas or types of photography are better searched in the catalog under Keyword, such as photojournalism. Photography as a Keyword search in the online catalog is a very broad search term that can bring up many titles. Narrowing the search with a more specific subject term is often the best strategy.
Advertising Photography
Documentary Photography
Freelance Photography
Landscape Photography
Photography Artistic
Photographic Surveying
Photography, Technique
Photojournalism
Las Positas College Library subscribes to the following magazines for checkout:
American Photo
Aperture
Communication Arts
Popular Photography
In addition, you may want to find articles by using an online database. The databases can be accessed in the LPC Library or from home at LPC Home Page. Periodicals provide in-depth analyses of events and trends, research studies on particular subjects, and professional literature. When conducting research in the humanities, it is important to know the difference between "popular" periodical literature and more scholarly publications. A good guide to identifying whether your source is from a popular magazine or scholarly journal can be found in the LPC Library's guide, Scholarly Journals or Popular Magazines: What are the Differences? LPC Library Short Guide.
The databases in Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) have excellent coverage
of photography including such areas as photojournalism, landscape
photography, art photography, digital photography, and war photography.
Also EBSCO has an image database with photographs
on various topics, people, and events. Under Search Options you
can also limit your search in order to retrieve materials from
scholarly (peer-reviewed journals) or full-text articles. If
you are looking for something from a specific publication you
can limit your search by entering the name of the magazine or
journal. Try Academic Search Premier (EBSCO), Communications and Mass Media, or any
of the other EBSCO databases that look interesting.
You may also choose to search several EBSCO databases
at the same time by checking them before clicking continue.
Suggestion: Search for a photographer, such as "Dorothea Lange." Once
you find a good article, click on the pertinent subject headings in
the article, such as WOMEN photographers, or under the term people,
Dorothea Lange, to further broaden or narrow your search.
You may want to explore some Internet resources to supplement or enhance your research. Be cautious of information you find on the Web since the quality of sources varies tremendously on the Internet. It is always a good idea to check the information against another source. As with all information resources, whether in print or on the Internet, evaluate the quality of a site based on the following criteria:
Librarians' Internet
Index is an authoritative web directory,
which pulls together the best sites available. A search under
photography brings up well over 200 sites. To narrow search,
use more specific terms, such as photojournalism, photographer
name, etc. <http://lii.org/>
History
of Photography, maintained by a professor of the Royal
Photographic Society, contains biographical data on more than
100 important photographers as well as information on significant
processes, styles, and movements of the first eighty years
of photography. <http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/index.html>
American
Photography: A Century of Images, a PBS site, is well maintained
with interactive features and easy to use archives. <http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/>
Use the library catalog to find audiovisual materials. Use "Power Search" to limit your search in these three ways: by Type: DVD or Video, or by Location: Audiovisual Collection (to show all audiovisual types on photography), and by Library: Las Positas College. You also can specify an author, title, subject, or keyword (words and phrases) search for an audiovisual item. A subject search allows you to find audiovisuals about a topic or a person.
The Adventure of Photography: 150 Years of the Photographic Image. Kultur, 1998. DVD TR15.A3 1998 PT. 1-2. "Conceived as an introspective journey that takes you from the first daguerreotypes to war photojournalism, from fashion spreads to the greatest contemporary artists, this program includes 1700 pictures, 300 artists, and will appeal to all photographers-amateur and professional alike. This is not only the history of an amazing art form, it is also the adventure of one century and a half during which photography has captured the image of the collective conscience."
Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye. DVD. Fox Lorber Centre Stage 2001. DVD TR140.S7 A44 2001. “Examines the achievements and legacy of photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Includes an interview with Georgia O'Keeffe as well as film footage of other artists he inspired including Edward Steichen and John Marin.”
American Masters: The Artists. DVD. Wellspring, [2004]. DVD NX504.A54 2004 pt. 1-6. “Six biographies of America's most influential painters, photographers and creative minds." Disc 1. Richard Avedon: Darkness & light -- Disc 2. Alexander Calder -- Disc 3. Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive genius -- Disc 4. Man Ray: Prophet of the avant-garde -- Disc 5. Norman Rockwell: Painting America -- Disc 6. Alfred Stieglitz: The eloquent eye.
American Photography: A Century of Images. DVD. PBS DVD Video, 1999. DVD TR23.G65 1999. "The story of the pictures we have taken and where they have taken us. The series traces the profound effect photographs have had on American life--influencing what we buy, how we dress, how we get the news, and in the matters of life and death, medicine, science, and war."
Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film. DVD. PBS Home Video, 2002. DVD TR653.A3 A6 2002 “Portrait of a great artist and ardent environmentalist--for whom life and art, photography and wilderness, creativity and communication, love and expression, were inextricably connected.”
The Color of War. DVD. A&E Home Video, 2006. DVD D811.A2 C6567 2006 Pt. 1-5. “World War II was a black-and-white between good and evil. A dramatic commentary from the cameramen and photographers who captured the moments for posterity and memories of the soldiers who were there.”
Decoding Photographic Images. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004. DVD TR183.M34 1999. “This program focuses on how the basic components of photography -- line, shape, form, texture, balance, volume duality, point of view, depth of field and perspective – contribute to an image’s impact on the subconscious mind.”
Henri-Cartier Bresson: The Impassioned Eye. DVD.Palm Pictures, 2006. DVD TR140.C295 H46 2006. “This documentary takes a look at the innovative man that shifts his work from simple to astonishingly complex. He has an eye for geometry, and the convoluted aestheticism of architecture.”
Magic of the Image: Photography Revealed. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1999. DVD TR287.M34 1999. "This elegant program artistically unfolds the history of photography, including the contributions of Joseph Niepce, Louis Daguerre, Fox Talbot, and the Lumieres, with an emphasis on the processes involved in creating photographs."
Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde. DVD. Fox Lorber CentreStage, 1999. DVD N6537.R3 M367 1999. "Man Ray is the quintessential modernist figure: photographer, painter, object maker and collagist, filmmaker and printmaker, poet, essayist and philosopher. Born Emanuel Radnitsky in 1890, he went on to become the leader of the "American avant-garde" and the most enigmatic of the Dada-Surrealists who transformed the Paris art world during the ferment of the 1920's and beyond. This profile follows the creative genius from his youth in Brooklyn to his glory days in Paris and, finally, to his impact on future generations of artist in a variety of fields."
Masters of Photography. André Kertész. DVD. Kultur, 2006. DVD TR140. K47 M37 2006. “Profile of André Kertész, the father of 35mm photography," 80 years old and living in New York. He talks about his life and career and describes the genesis of some of his best known works.”
Masters of Photography. Diane Arbus. DVD. Kultur, 2006. DVD TR140.A73 M37 2006. “The work of photographer Diane Arbus as explained by her daughter, friends, critics, and her own words as recorded in her journals.”
Master of Photography. Edward Steichen. DVD. Kaltar, 2006. DVD TR140.S84 M37 2006. “Documentary on Edward Streichen, reflecting on his long life and his many achievements."
The Photographers. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2000. DVD TR790.P46 2000. "Photographers who have worked for National Geographic reflect on their art."
Photographic Storytelling. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004. DVD TR179.P46 2004. "The program explains how photographers work with images to communicate stories and ideas and how viewers interpret those images. Message manipulation deriving from point of view, context, editing, superimposing, cropping, recoloring, and captioning is discussed. Selective perception--seeing pictures through the filters of values and prejudices--is studied."
Photography and Making Art and Recording Life. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004., DVD TR624.P46 2002. “This program examines existing and emerging areas in photographic arts, including documentary, photography, portrait, still life, commercial photography and photojournalism."
Photography as Art. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004. DVD TR654.P46 2004. "When specialty cameras, trick photography, and digital manipulation are combined with creative genius, photography becomes an extremely versatile medium of expression and self-exploration. This program examines the history of photography, charting its evolution from a technical craft to a fine art. Works of Tim Macmillan, Catherine Opie, Suky Best, Alison Jackson, and Caroline Molloy are highlighted. Archival clips of Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andreas Feininger, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Duane Michals, Richard Avedon, and Elsie Hill are included."
Photography Storytelling. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Science, 2004, DVD TR179.P46 2004. “This program explains how photographers work with images to communicate stories and ideas. Point of view, context, editing, superimposing, cropping recoloring and captioning are discussed.”
Portraits and Snapshots. DVD. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004. DVD TR575.P67 2004. "Explores how professional and amateur photographers capture the essence of people."
Roots of California Photography. DVD. Monterey Museum of Art, 2002. DVD TR24.C2 R6 2002. “Chronicles the important photographic heritage of the Monterey region and pays tribute to some of the most important men and women in American photography, masters whose creative and technical visions changed the way the world views photographic art.”
Strand: Under the Dark. DVD. Kino on Video, 2002. DVD TR140.S78.S77 2002. "An overview of the life and career of photographer Paul Strand. Features Strand's most famous photographs, clips from his films, and interviews with his wife, friends, and collaborators."
Vietnam's Unseen War: Pictures from the Other Side. DVD. National Geographic Video, 2001. DS559.5.V537 2002. "Journey deep behind battle lines to experience a different side of the Vietnam War -- the side seen only through the lenses of North Vietnam photographers. Renowned British photojournalist Tim Page travels back to the land where he nearly lost his life to meet with North Vietnamese war photographers, revealing remarkable, never-before-seen photos and personal stories long hidden by time and tragedy."
W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult. DVD. Image Entertainment, 2001. DVD TR140.S627.W4 2001. "A profile of W. Eugene Smith as told through his photographs, interviews and dramatized sequences."
War Photographer. DVD. First Run Features, [2003]. DVD TR820.6.W37 2003. "James Nachtwey has been very close to the subjects he photographs and has been that way for over 20 years -- a time period in which he has not missed a single war. Follow as James goes from Kosovo to the West Bank to Indonesia as he searches for pictures he can publish. This committed, shy man is considered one of the bravest and most important war photographers of our time."
Some of the titles in the LPC Video collection on photography
are the following:
Annie Leibovitz: Celebrity Photographer. Videorecording. Home Vision Arts, 1997. MV22360. Anne Lebovitz began her career at Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970's and later worked for Vanity Fair. Some of her well-known subjects include Demi Moore, Yoko Ono and John Lennon, Whoopie Goldberg, and Clint Eastwood..
The Business of Photography. Videorecording. By B. Ratty. Media West Home Video, 1986. MV22119. Photography as a career and the commercial aspects of photography are topics given attention here. Successful commercial photographers and their associates explain how they present their work and the business aspects of commercial photography.
Classroom Collection. Videorecording. Santa Barbara: Brooks Institute of Photography, 1992. MV22859 pt.1-6. Vol. 1: Basic camera techniques. Vol. 2: Basic daylight exposure & equivalent exposures. Vol. 3: Metering & exposure controls. Vol. 4: Advanced camera techniques. Vol. 5: Black & white techniques. Vol. 6: Careers in photography. This video production is suitable for classroom environments and provides the teacher with numerous topics for discussion in class. The techniques shown, basic in content, along with well-structured information, give teachers the opportunity to expand course material.
The Darkroom. Videorecording. By David Healy. Media West Home Video, 1988. MV22120. Complete discussion of photographic darkroom procedures, including techniques for both black and white and color processing.
Dorothea Lange. Videorecording. Films for the Humanities, 1997. MV22394.
The story of photographer Dorothea Lange. Trained as a society photographer, she began documenting the effects of the Depression on ordinary Americans in the 1930's. Her images spoke eloquently of the plight of the poor and brought the distress and desperation of the Depression into the consciousness of the public.
Glamour Photography. Videorecording. Media West Home Video, 1991. MV22121. Presents the principles and techniques of glamour photography. Covers how to find models, make-up, wardrobe, lighting, and where to market glamour photos.
How To Photograph Your Art Using Natural Light. Videorecording. Laughing Dog Productions, 1994. MV22700. Presents the main elements necessary to produce a quality 35mm slide portfolio of art words, using natural light.
Introduction to Photo Interpretation for the Discovery and Evaluation of Natural Resources. Videorecording. By Arthur Sintzenich. Crystal Productions, 19?. MV21731. Describes how geologists, foresters, and soil scientists use aerial photographs to locate and survey natural resources.
The Photographers. Videorecording. By Jaime Bernanke. National Geographic Society. 1995. MV23196. Some of the best photographers in the world who have done assignments for National Geographic reflect on their jobs and their art.
Photographic Design. Videorecording. By B. Ratty. Media West Home Video, 1986. MV22190. Host Brian Ratty explains and illustrates many tips about photographic design. He covers selecting the right tools, visualizing the best composition, and designing with light and color.
Photographic Light. Videorecording. By Ron Bourke. Media West Home Video, 199? MV22122. Explores the use of light in photography, including how to control natural and available lighting, electronic flash, and artificial light.
Secrets of the Ocean Realm: Mountain in the Sea. Filming Secrets. Videorecording. By Howard Hall. [Los Angeles, CA]: PBS Home Video, 1997. MV22486. Explores the fascinating mysteries of the ocean depths. Spectacular underwater sequences by award-winning filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall reveal never-before-seen behaviors of sharks, whales, dolphins, and even more unusual creatures like wolf eels, demon stingers, and stargazers.
Suggestion: Keep the printouts of your sources, or write out all pertinent information on author, title, publisher, date, Internet location, or whatever is necessary to identify where you got the information. Follow the format recommended by your instructor or ask a librarian to show you a "style manual." There is a link to instructions for MLA or APA citations, as well as the online resource, NoodbleBib, a bibliography composer, on the LPC Library Homepage: Citation Style Guides.
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