In this volume, Washington Post photography columnist Frank Van Riper assembles a selection of photographic insights from his columns. A photographer and writer, he seeks to inform and entertain readers with vignettes on the art, craft and business of photography. Chapters include answers to basic and rarely-addressed technical questions, from shooting pictures under fluorescent light to defending oneself against bloodthirsty mosquitoes; cutting-edge interviews with photography icons of various genres; essays on the everyday life and great moments in the life of a photographer; and reviews of photography books and shows.
| Introduction | ix | |
| State of the Art | ||
| A Few Days in the Life 10/29/93 | 3 | |
| The Fictionalized Photograph 02/18/94 | 7 | |
| Hunting for Bear with a Hasselblad, Part 1 04/07/95 | 10 | |
| Hunting for Bear, Part 2 04/14/95 | 13 | |
| Max MacKenzie Must Have a Great Camera ASMP, Focus, Spring 1996 | 15 | |
| Portraits Under the Big Top 08/02/96 | 19 | |
| Playing with (Really Big) Trains 09/13/96 | 22 | |
| Shooting a Star (Nailing Hale-Bopp with a Drink in My Hand) 04/25/97 | 25 | |
| Vultures with Cameras 09/26/97 | 28 | |
| Why Black-and-White is Better 10/10/97 | 30 | |
| The Making of the 100-Person Millennium Portrait 07/09/99 | 33 | |
| The Incredible Shrinking Overhead 08/11/00 | 36 | |
| When Technology Weakens Technique, Part 1 10/20/00 | 39 | |
| Cuba: Taking Strong (and Wrong) Exception 02/02/01 | 42 | |
| When Technology Weakens Technique, Part 2: Digital Downsides 03/16/01 | 45 | |
| On Becoming a Photographer | ||
| A Niche Takes Time 08/13/93 | 51 | |
| Photographing an Icon 08/19/94 | 54 | |
| Putting a Fair Price on Your Work 02/10/95 | 57 | |
| Sacred Space 10/06/95 | 59 | |
| In Praise of Obsession ASMP, Focus, Spring 1996 | 62 | |
| Ignorance and Naivete ASMP, Focus, Fall 1996 | 65 | |
| Stephen King, Photography Teacher 01/05/01 | 68 | |
| Shooting People | ||
| Photographer of the Bride 07/17/92 | 73 | |
| Photographing Children, Part 1 08/21/92 | 76 | |
| Photographing Children, Part 2 08/28/92 | 79 | |
| On Location with Stephen King 12/09/92 | 83 | |
| Better Portraits 03/18/94 | 86 | |
| Portrait of a Jazz Great 08/25/95 | 89 | |
| Breaking the Rules at the Kennedy Center 04/26/96 | 91 | |
| Focused Flash for Great Portraits 01/31/97 | 94 | |
| Simplified Location Portraiture 08/18/00 | 98 | |
| Dramatic Location Portraits 08/26/00 | 101 | |
| Technical Tips | ||
| Perfection in Platinum 08/05/94 | 107 | |
| The Archival Portfolio, Part 1 01/20/95 | 109 | |
| The Archival Portfolio, Part 2 01/27/95 | 111 | |
| Taming the Green Fluorescent Monster 02/17/95 | 113 | |
| Photographing Artwork Part 1 03/17/95 | 115 | |
| Photographing Artwork, Part 2 03/24/95 | 118 | |
| Marilyn Monroe Loved Tungsten Film 08/01/97 | 120 | |
| Capturing Venice at Night 04/10/98 | 123 | |
| Dash of Flash Adds Substance 01/15/99 | 126 | |
| Mixing Light Sources Adds Spice to Your Pictures 09/29/00 | 129 | |
| Using Camera Shake for Better Pix 01/26/01 | 132 | |
| Practically Speaking | ||
| Emergency Items for Your Camera Bag 11/13/92 | 137 | |
| Shooting Safely: Eye Protection 04/16/93 | 140 | |
| Shooting Fireworks 07/02/93 | 143 | |
| Better Printing 01/07/94 | 146 | |
| Photography in the Garden 09/02/94 | 149 | |
| Foiled Again 05/19/95 | 153 | |
| Murphy's Photo Laws 05/24/96 | 156 | |
| Surviving a Flood 08/29/97 | 158 | |
| Harry Hamburg: Honing Skills 01/02/98 | 160 | |
| Patience and Preparation Equal Good Pictures 09/11/98 | 163 | |
| Good Manners Revisited 10/09/98 | 166 | |
| Pictures During Performances 05/28/99 | 168 | |
| Street-Smart Guide to Avoid Camera Theft 07/14/00 | 171 | |
| Equipment: The Good, the Bad, the Basic, the Classic | ||
| Filters and Hot Sauce: Use Each Sparingly 11/06/92 | 175 | |
| The Diana/Holga Mystique 07/30/93 | 178 | |
| Tripods: "Can't Live with 'Em ..." 08/06/93 | 181 | |
| The Perfect Portable Location Lighting Kit 01/14/94 | 184 | |
| Keep it Simple(r), Stupid ASMP, Focus, Summer 1995 | 187 | |
| Diffusion: A Sharp Difference 09/01/95 | 190 | |
| Delta 3200: A Superb See-in-the-Dark B&W Film 07/23/99 | 193 | |
| Hasselblad: The Perfect System 11/10/00 | 196 | |
| Reviews | ||
| David Hockney, Revolutionary 04/23/93 | 201 | |
| Harry Callahan, an Introduction 04/21/95 | 203 | |
| Dorothea Lange's Ireland 03/15/96 | 205 | |
| Understanding Indians 10/25/96 | 207 | |
| George Tames: Choosing his Shots 12/27/96 | 209 | |
| The Artistic Ambition of Mathew Brady 10/17/97 | 212 | |
| Ansel Adams: Tracked by His Indelible Prints 11/14/97 | 215 | |
| Mean Drunk in a Dark Bar 04/23/99 | 218 | |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson and Brassai: Two Different Ways to Greatness 10/29/99 | 221 | |
| Dissecting the Stravinsky Portrait 04/21/00 | 224 | |
| Edward Steichen: Diminished by his Success 01/12/01 | 226 | |
| Great Photography Books: A Dinner Table Debate 02/09/01 | 229 | |
| Steiglitz and New York: A Town to Match His Ego 04/06/01 | 233 | |
| Interviews | ||
| Alan Markfield: Movie Stills Shooter 09/24/93 | 239 | |
| Fred Maroon Captures the Capitol 12/17/93 | 242 | |
| Wegman's Rays of Light 10/15/93 | 245 | |
| Frans Lanting's Okavango 01/21/94 | 247 | |
| Neil Selkirk: Seeing and Shooting by Instinct 04/29/94 | 249 | |
| Jeffrey Kliman's Blues in Black-and-White 09/27/96 | 252 | |
| Bruce Davidson and the Inner Portrait 11/07/97 | 254 | |
| David Burnett: Working Against the Crowd 07/31/98 | 256 | |
| Hell in a Viewfinder: Kosovo 09/08/00 | 259 | |
| Sheila Metzner's Platinum New York 12/15/00 | 262 | |
| Photographic Memories | ||
| In the Family, in the Frame 04/30/93 | 269 | |
| War Photographer's Poignant Legacy 07/16/93 | 272 | |
| Unburied Treasures: UMBC's Amazing Photo Archive 06/18/93 | 275 | |
| Worst-Case Scenarios 10/01/93 | 277 | |
| Requiem for Daily News 08/12/94 | 280 | |
| Xmas Memories/Presidents, Hostages 12/23/94 | 283 | |
| Dancing Bears 09/15/95 | 285 | |
| Colonel Teague's Wartime Film Lab 06/06/97 | 287 | |
| Oi Veerasarn Remembered 10/01/99 | 290 | |
| The Day I Shot Aaron and DiMaggio 10/27/00 | 293 | |
| Revisiting a Classic: the Legendary Leica M6 07/21/00 | 296 |
Overview
In this volume, Washington Post photography columnist Frank Van Riper assembles a selection of photographic insights from his columns. A photographer and writer, he seeks to inform and entertain readers with vignettes on the art, craft and business of photography. Chapters include answers to basic and rarely-addressed technical questions, from shooting pictures under fluorescent light to defending oneself against bloodthirsty mosquitoes; cutting-edge interviews with photography icons of various genres; essays on ...