Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks)

"Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism", Brian Horton, McGraw-Hill NY, 2nd. ed. 2001, ISBN 0-07-136387-4, SC 223 pgs.Sports photo editor at A-P since 1971, Horton has many credits including 2 books on news photography. This text explains PJ (picture story) - how a photographer "sees the story" is a skill requiring experience, insight, anticipation, inventiveness, & a passion. Often "breaking stories" are heavily covered & many photos require sensitivity, rapport, knowledge of equipment so to acquire a style using composition, cropping & those angles to communicate photo stories of news, emotions, life experiences, etc.Horton quotes an A-P policy adopted in 1990 indicating "the content of a photograph will never be changed or manipulated in any way". Horton then goes on to recite of some widely published photos with recognized manipulations & public outcries leading to general distrust of media by the populace (& rightly so!). Indeed, even cropping can be viewed as manipulation, the latter generally a product of Madison Avenue influences that shouldn't reflect PJ integrity (need for well insulated photo editors).Relying on "photo setups" can numb public's perceptions & lessen reality. Telephoto lenses as 80-200 zoom provides close-ups without intrusion despite an onerous sanctifying of 24 mm wide-angle to fill the frame by getting into the subject's face & personal space. Author interviews 8 pros on their perspectives & experiences in PJ & then concludes with a short summary of some changes in photography over the past half-century, namely the gradual switch from 4"x5" to 2 1/4" to 35 mm to color & now electronic (digital) imaging.As a former newspaper photographer I'd been taught a good PJ shot did not require a title. I found Horton's book exacting, full of exciting photos, many good "how to" tips, and how PJ news photography has evolved into specialized art forms for optimum coverage of war, natural disaster, politics, crime, disease & subspecialities of certain sports as basketball, football, Olympics, Indy 500, etc. It is a pleasant, informative read, not overtly technical & fairly priced.

Better than advertised! Book did not even look like it had been opened - perfect, like brand new!Thank you - my daughter is going to love it!

I came looking for photojournalism guides after an editor rejected a photo because it "didn't tell the story." I bought this book because I read another review entitled "How to think, not how to see." I know how to see, but I didn't know how to capture a photograph that could be used by a news outlet.I'm quite happy with this purchase. This book has a permanent place in my collection.This book isn't for someone who aims for pure artistry. Nevertheless, the chapters talk about proper lens choices, use of depth of field, etc. There are other important topics as well: how to get the telling photograph during an emotional moment. I'd recommend this book for prospective photojournalists, and also for writers who must now get visuals to go with their stories.

A very informative book for someone interested in Photojournalism, like myself. Lots of words of wisdom from veteran Photojournalist and plenty of photos. Even though this book is slightly older and might have come along just before digital photography was making it's appearance, it still applies to photojournalism today. I find this book to be very inspiring and a worthwhile read.

I liked this book because it was stories told by photojournalists, giving examples versus a "textbook" approach. It showed that the resourcefulness, perseverence and creativity of photojournalists is what makes them successful, not necessarily following specific guidelines that cannot work in every situation. Very entertaining read.

I bought it as a photographer interested in improving my photo-journalism techniques and street photography generally. But this book - a text really - seems to be aimed at professional journalists, as much of the information is obviously intended for them. (eg: How to deal with your editor/boss etc) yet, it's too basic for professionals, unless, indeed, they are still studying journalism as a course. I found it to be poorly set-out and awfully presented. Perhaps it was intended to resemble a newspaper?! Poor photographic definition, bad type-face and bland and confusing overall presentation. It gave some good insights, but you had to search for them. Bill

Book was as advertised, arrived as forecast, and was good value for the money. The book is a good addition to my reference library.

Another great Amazon book.

As a source of tips and guidance on photo journalism and the art of photography whilst working on location and when dealing with news or documentary subjects this book is quite useful. It is however the most badly written book I have ever read. The standard of English, grammar, and the way the subject matter is developed and discussed is simply quite appalling. As this book is published under the auspices of the Associated Press this is unacceptable. Furthermore the publishers (McGraw Hill) should have appointed an editor to check the text and make the necessary corrections before the book was published. If an editor was appointed prior to publication then he or she along with the author need to re-examine their writing ability.I don't claim to be an expert at grammar or on writing books, nor am I claiming that anything I write is grammatically accurate, but I do try to be accurate and I have enough grasp of my own language to know when I'm reading something badly put together. I have struggled to get through this book. The writing is so bad that even by half way through the first chapter I was ready to throw the book in the bin. However, I have persevered and now that I have finished the book and underlined short passages and quotes I felt were relevant and to-the-point I now have a useful source of advice, tips and guidance on the subject of photojournalism. I can refer to the book whenever I need to and go straight to sections I have underlined.The book itself is rather odd. The glossy cover is well designed and printed but when you open the book what you see inside is incongruous with the cover: the paper for the pages is low grade and the text is printed in an oddly large font size. The book is divided into chapters, but within each chapter there is no further division of the chapter's subject into sub-topics. The text winds its way from one sub-topic to another without any paragraph headings or titles to let the reader know the topics are changing. At various points in the book you'll be reading about a topic one minute and a completely new sub-topic in the next paragraph without any kind of break or segue.I know many people would say there is a growing difference in the style of writing between Americans and Brits - and I know that some British writing (especially in the tabloid papers) is of a decreasing standard, however the standard of writing by the author falls woefully short of what it should be for a book on journalism (albeit photojournalism), and is quite simply riddled with eye-watering incorrect usage and frustrating grammatical gaffs. I ask the author to please check for the correct use of the comma. There are commas littered throughout this book and all too often in completely the wrong place.I don't like to be negative but I felt I would be a phoney if I didn't say in this review what I genuinely thought so that potential buyers of the book know what they're getting. There is some great advice to be gleaned from this book, and some useful tips for developing one's own photojournalistic style and ability. But it is a chore getting to the tips and advice, and in a book carrying the name of a venerable journalism association and intended for use by students of journalism and photojournalism this should not be the case.

I am a freelance photographer and with respect it has to be said that this does nothing but go on and on about a journey that to be honest I couldn't give a rats behind about thats not to say my interest is not there it certainly is is but this is just a story and offered nothing other than ripping me off almost £15 for the kindle version

Bought for work but not really read through.

This a great read. It presents the insights of a large number of photojournalists who share their insights on a number of significant themes relevant to all aspiring photographers.

This book covers almost every aspect of photojournalism. Value for money. I got everything which I required in the book.