The Oxford Companion to the Photograph

One of my goals for 2013 is to read the Oxford Companion to the Photograph. This heavy, encyclopedic history of photography was published in 2005.

According to the publicity department of the Oxford University Press in Toronto:  'The Oxford Companion to the Photograph marks a watershed in the medium as photographic practice and materials go digital. Arranged alphabetically with over 1,600 entries and an advisory board of 18, it is international in scope, providing extensive and in-depth coverage of photography from its beginnings in the early 19th century and into this century.'

The Companion is 446 pages with 49 colour plate, 239 black-and-white photographs and line drawings with subjects from abstract, documentary and landscape to photographers, sports war and wildlife.

At 8-9 pages a week I hope to absorb all the delicious facts, stories and events which up to now are little more than a thin Swiss cheese of facts picked up from scattered magazines or the occasional biography. Lets hope that changes and my interest in the black-and-white film medium will be re-invigorated.

After all, how can one really enjoy film craft without appreciating  the achievements both artistically and technically of those who have gone before.  - Peter

Sept 30, 2013: The Companion is too encylopedic
to read as a book. I kept going cross-eyed and
falling asleep. Never made it out of the 'A'
section. Although a great reference and occasional read.
- Peter