The Kodak Workshop series

The Kodak Workshop series was an excellent set of small books, intended to be a guide to expanding one's photographic knowledge and practice. Now out of print, several of the volumes underwent significant revisions during their lifetime, sometimes resulting in dramatic changes in content.

In addition to the books listed here, the series also included Photographing with Automatic Cameras and Existing Light Photography, which cover introductory matters well, and a group on home darkrooms, which — if you're interested in such things — are worth reading as well. Most of the books are from the film to digital transition period, but cover understanding technique rather than specific operating methods, so they are still useful.

Derek Doefflinger, The Art of Seeing. I think the first two chapters, "Preconceptions" and "Awareness" are the most valuable, but the rest of the book is also worthwhile, if nothing else for the stunning photographs typical of Kodak publications.

Using Filters explains and illustrates how filters work and how to choose them. It deals with the "normal" filters as well as effects filters.

Artur Landt, Lenses for 35mm Photography, is a detailed exploration of optical principles, lens construction, and use. There's always something new in this one, which is more technical than most of the series.

Jack Neubart, Electronic Flash, explores the technical aspects of flash and light in general, types of flash units, a variety of techniques, and a practical section called "fun flash adventures." This book seems to have undergone the most revisions. Some versions focus on a particular flash unit, while others are more generic.

William White, Jr., Close-Up Photography, starts with spectacular photos and then explains how it all works. This book includes two important chapters, one on large-format cameras by Dennis Brokaw, and "Photographing Miniatures" by Malcolm Furlow. Train lovers have often been awed by Furlow's work with model rail subjects — here he makes it look easy!

Revised 29 March 2010; original posted 2004