The magic of second hand books
Bookshops. My favourite type of shop.
I visited a secondhand bookshop recently in which I came across two wonderfully old looking books which, together, formed a photography encyclopedia. The dusty volumes were bound in dark green cloth and looked as though they had been in circulation for a number of years. Bold gold lettering on the spine of each proclaimed proudly that they were the ‘Modern Encyclopedia of Photography’. Published in 1938, the books were in their time a depository of information for amateur and professional photographers alike. Indeed, flicking through the musty pages, I realised they remain valuable sources of advice. I was hooked and bought the books.
The first section I studied in detail was the bird photography chapter. Illustrated with black and white photographs, I found myself drawn into a world of spring time discovery. The author highlighted the thrill of hunting birds to photograph, recording their lives in images without harming the animals, and continuing the study at home. Looking at the pictures they had taken for clues about habits and behaviours, a photographer may build an idea of the lives of the birds. The writer recommended including some habitat in photographs to provide the viewer with an idea of the size of the bird. A simple point but good advice. It’s tempting to crop images of birds right down so that nothing of the surroundings are visible and the bird fills the frame. This can provide impressive pictures but does remove much of the context to the scene. However, there is a balance to strike between including habitat and cluttering the background, which can detract from the focus of the picture. Some ornithological knowledge is very helpful when watching birds; from recognising songs to spotting nests when the trees are bare of leaves and heavy with the cold of winter. Returning in spring time, the birds are likely to frequent the nest sites as they carry food to their hungry broods. The overriding aim is always to photograph without causing any distress or discomfort to the animals being photographed, paying particular care when there are eggs or young present to avoid frightening the adults from their nest.
Moving to the animal photography pages, I noted similar concern for the welfare of animals, and advice on recording behaviours as well as images. Hides and tripods were both recommended as primary items of equipment for the photographer, and again, the writer advised including some context with the pictures. Habitat, food items, and animals at different life stages are all of interest. Throughout the animal sections, I was struck by the preparation involved. Photographers were advised to watch and study the animals for several days (if not weeks) before a photo shoot, and to take as much time and care photographing a relatively tame animal as they would with something which was much rarer and harder to spot.
My lessons so far from these old editions are that the essentials remain the same, even in these days of modern photography and instant digital images. Practice, understanding the subject, attention to detail, and telling the story beyond the image combine to create enduring pictures which will appeal to a wide audience. Underpinning all of these elements is hard work. A good camera will take good photographs but it still takes a skilled and hard working photographer to make the images great.
