Look At This If You Love Great Photography

A critical curation of 100 essential photos • Packed with links to further reading, listening and viewing to take your enjoyment to the next level

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Pub Date 6 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 24 Mar 2021

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Description

Featuring 100 of the best photographs ever captured on camera, Look At This If You Love Great Photography is a must read for anyone who appreciates the power of the image.

In this beautiful guide to some of the most compelling photographs ever taken, photography journalist Gemma Padley offers concise, insightful summaries of just what it is that makes each one so special.

Having written for some of the most important publications on modern photography, Gemma draws on her expert knowledge to reveal the fascinating stories behind these incredible pictures, focusing in on why each image chosen represents such a high point in photographic history.

Uniquely curated to offer a fresh perspective on the medium, expect to see pictures from legends of the art form, including Ansel Adams and Martin Parr, alongside cutting-edge examples from the studios of the most creative photographers operating today.

Whether it’s gut-punching photojournalism that changed public opinion and made us question who we are, or images that rewrite the rules of photography and blur the lines between other art forms, this is a penetrating rundown of the pictures that really matter and you need to see them.
Featuring 100 of the best photographs ever captured on camera, Look At This If You Love Great Photography is a must read for anyone who appreciates the power of the image.

In this beautiful guide to...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780711256040
PRICE US$19.95 (USD)
PAGES 224

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Average rating from 27 members


Featured Reviews

This book was a wonderful surprise. It is filled with a variety exciting photography and fantastic descriptions that and side notes that lead you to where you can learn more, google more, read or view along the lines of each photograph, Very well curated and I can see myself immersed in this one. I wish the cover was more representative of the excellent book it contains.

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A wonderful read for anyone interested in the history of photography.

Reading through the book, there's photos I know I would have included and others I maybe wouldn't but honestly? How does one choose? What a mammoth task!

Choosing 100 photos in an age when everybody has a camera in their pocket is a tough to say the least. Each photo has a description from the author, telling you why they included it. There's also a very useful section for each photo on what to read/watch/similar photographers for those who are interested in learning more.

Some photos are exceptionay hard to view but have been included for good reason. Then others, like the photo of Picasso drawing with light which wasn't one I'd seen before, are filled with joy. I found a new favourite photographer. I had to keep stopping to look for more of the photographers work.

It would have been nice to have a bit more about the author themselves in it, a proper bio or similar.

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Really inspiring book and I enjoyed seeing the alternative views to the usual rules. Each photograph had a summary of when, where, how, why, a critique and further links to the photographer, exhibition, publications and websites to research. Good layout and easy to go back to refer to again. Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

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This is a brilliant photography book covering various ages and subjects. It has given background to the photographs and other photographers to look at if you liked an image. It is a useful reference book and a lot of thought has gone into the chapters and their subject matter. Some of the images did make for uncomfortable viewing but I can understand the reason for their inclusion.

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As a photographer and mentor, I was keenly interested in exploring the storytelling behind some of the world's greatest photographers. From the sublime to the horrific, Gemma Padley explores diverse photographs, prompting us to examine why they are exceptional and why their stories, or lack thereof, are so relevant.

One of my favourite images was taken in 2017 by Alice Mann, entitled "Dr Van Der Ross Drummies" in Cape Town, South Africa. I intend to explore more of her work. The author provides additional information about the photographer, including bios, video links as well as other photographers in a similar genre. "Her biggest coup though comes as a result of daring to make something of the edges off the frame and refusing to be found by those limits", which I found particularly intriguing and intend to use this technique in my own work.

I studied this book on a very small device as a PDF but examining the physical book would be far more productive and educational. I would recommend this guide to everyone who is interested in improving their visual storytelling techniques.

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I questioned the photo choices at first but it does build up to interesting images. It’s nice to see a lot of lesser recognized photographers. I loved that there was a attempt to include female and minority photographers (could do better). The analysis are interesting even If you don’t agree.

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Beautiful photographs on every page. I like that the author separated them into categories and described what the elements of the photographs are. Very different and interesting book!

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A great book for anyone with an interest in photography both as a medium in itself and as an aspect of other art forms or social commentary.

While there are 1 or 2 familiar images in the book, the majority are fresh and interesting. The page layout gives the image the opportunity to provide the most impact to the viewer while the commentary for each image is intelligent and insightful.

Alongside being introduced to many new photographers an artists, I also really loved the contextual information provided for each image which provided the photographers bio and links to search terms, images and videos to allow the reader the investigate the photos more in depth.

A highly recommended book for both casual viewers looking for an interesting read and for professional photographers looking to learn more about their craft.

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Thanks for the opportunity to review this book. I am looking at the three offerings in this series: photography, music and art.

This book celebrates photography in thematic chapters. With the incalculable number of photographs that have been taken across the world, it’s special when a capture... well, captivates. It tells a story or depicts something artistic. The author has attempted to curate a collection of photos which do as such. In my opinion, some pictures are better at this aim than others. Some are indicative of historical significance, tragedy, or evoke great emotion (positive and negative). Some are just artistic or creative in their display or design.

The photographs that are “great” to me are the ones that matter the most — the ones that humanize the tragedy, the ones that make you happy. Certain sections do a better job than others at evoking a response for me. I think the book starts off kinda weak in this area, then moves into the bizarre, and then into the “punch in the gut” as they put it, and rounding out with some of the most artistic endeavors.

All in all, I think it was a really ambitious project to limit all the potential choices down to 100, so I definitely see the task was probably difficult and challenging. I think that this would be a cool gift or a collection piece for someone who is into photography or art throughout the modern age.

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I recently reviewed another book titled, Look at This if You Love Great Art, and recommended it. I also like this title and think that it is well worth a look. The two books have features in common, especially links to additional resources. This information really gives the interested learner a chance to expand their knowledge base.

Again, the book has fun chapter headings. Some of these include Photos That Make You Look Twice; A Punch in the Gut; Photos That Could be Dreams and Colour is KIng. The photos here are intriguing and often elicit an emotional response in the viewer. The author’s text enabled me to see more in each photo than I might have on my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

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OH MY WORD I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved the pictures chosen, so many I had not seen before, but especially loved the essay that with them and the whole "if you liked this you should check this out". As a result of reading this there are so many more books and documentaries on my my watch list so I can learn more about the subjects and photographers. I can't wait to get this for my library and check out some of the other "Look at this" books available on NetGalley

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Look At This If You Love Great Photography is an engaging and accessible examination of 100 iconic photographs presented and curated by Gemma Padley. Due out 6th April 2021 from Quarto on their Ivy Press imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a beautifully presented book of photographs, from the beautiful to the horrifying, across the spectrum and drawn from the past and present. Some of the photos are mesmerizing and beautiful - many are uncomfortable or painful to study. Ms. Padley has done a superb job of curating these images; a monumental task to winnow through all the possibilities.

The entry for each image contains the photographer's name, the title of the work, the date, and a description and commentary. Additionally, each of the entries contains further resources for a deeper look at allied artists' works, and further links to explore for similar relevant photographs or videos.

This would make a superlative selection for library acquisition, maker's spaces/photography collectives, artist's studios, classroom, and home use.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Another wonderful book by Quarto publishers. It has 100 exquisite pictures taken from different planes of human existence.
Each picture is a story in itself. Some are happy, some are silent, while few are filled with fear.
Each picture makes you think. Questions you find are partially explained in the captions.
A wonderful picture book with history sewn on pages.

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