Joel Meyerowitz: How I Make Photographs
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- Create Date：2022-06-25 09:53:32
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Joel Meyerowitz
- ISBN：1786275805
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Summary
The "Masters of Photography" series is a new approach to photography how-to。 Each volume is dedicated to the work of one key photographer who， through a series of bite-sized lessons and ideas， tells you everything you always wanted to know about their approach to taking photographs。 From their influences， ideas and experiences， to tech tips and best shots。
The series begins with Joel Meyerowitz， who will teach you， among other essentials: How to use a camera to reclaim the streets as your own， why you need to watch the world always with a sense of possibility， how to set your subjects at ease， and the importance of being playful and of finding a lens that suits your personality。
The series begins with Joel Meyerowitz， who will teach you， among other essentials: How to use a camera to reclaim the streets as your own， why you need to watch the world always with a sense of possibility， how to set your subjects at ease， and the importance of being playful and of finding a lens that suits your personality。
Reviews
Munnster Tcm
，
Quick read but full of wisdom and anecdotes on photography。 Now I need to practice what he preaches！
César Vásquez
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Compré este libro porque un amigo me lo recomendó y me encantó。 Conocía poco del trabajo del fotógrafo pero me agradaba bastante。 El libro quizás no aborde nada nuevo si eres alguien que ya hace foto， pero la forma en que describe sus experiencias y sus consejos hace que uno como fotógrafo se emocione。 De mi parte ya hacía foto pero el libro igual me hizo replantearme muchas cosas y sentirme emocionado y con ganas de salir a tomar fotos。
Mónica Lara Perez
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Es un genio。
Anna Cogo
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Un piccolo bijou per gli appassionati di street photography alle prime armi， come me。 Oltre a consigli pratici sull'approccio alla fotografia di strada e su come trovare il proprio "stile" di fotografia （per me utilissimi）， Joel Meyerowitz condivide esperienze personali e racconta i retroscena nascosti dietro alcuni dei suoi scatti migliori。 Forse sarà meno essenziale per fotografi navigati， ma io l'ho trovato davvero prezioso e ricco di citazioni e concetti da ricordare。 Un piccolo bijou per gli appassionati di street photography alle prime armi， come me。 Oltre a consigli pratici sull'approccio alla fotografia di strada e su come trovare il proprio "stile" di fotografia （per me utilissimi）， Joel Meyerowitz condivide esperienze personali e racconta i retroscena nascosti dietro alcuni dei suoi scatti migliori。 Forse sarà meno essenziale per fotografi navigati， ma io l'ho trovato davvero prezioso e ricco di citazioni e concetti da ricordare。 。。。more
Timojhen
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Great （quick） read。 I love street photography and having no training， there’s a lot to ponder in this。 It’s written with a straightforward style and a lot of practical examples which I appreciate。 Expect I’ll come back to it， started experimenting with some of the suggestions today。
Rushi
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Friendly， insightful， and thought-provoking。 This is not a "how-to" book to take perfect， Instagram-worthy photographs but more of a chat about photography。 Joel is a wonderful teacher， and this short book covers topics from how to use light， composition， and humor in street photography。 It also includes photographs taken for this book and several photographs from his portfolio over the year。 I will be revisiting this book often。 Friendly， insightful， and thought-provoking。 This is not a "how-to" book to take perfect， Instagram-worthy photographs but more of a chat about photography。 Joel is a wonderful teacher， and this short book covers topics from how to use light， composition， and humor in street photography。 It also includes photographs taken for this book and several photographs from his portfolio over the year。 I will be revisiting this book often。 。。。more
Monana
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Excellent book for someone who just starts to do street photography
N。Barber
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Meyerowitz is very much an instinctive photographer， whose analysis of his own art has developed， in part， retrospectively。 This is less of a guide book and more of a personal commentary therefore， although it does guide， albeit generally and implicitly。
Krisztina Czibere
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Loved the his perspective of taking photographs。
Joe Langdale
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Interesting read， didnt spark any inovation for me or any inspiration。
Jenny
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This book is so charming and personal。 Feels like Meyerowitz wrote a 'how to' for a friend。 I like the phrase "making" photographs rather than "taking" them; it gives a sense of agency and creativity to the artist， which is exactly what I think a photographer is。 There is zero pretension here。 Meyerowitz doesn't tell you to run out and spend wads of money on a fancy camera。 He instructs you to pick something that feels good to you and get out there。 Let the streets， light， scenery， people guide This book is so charming and personal。 Feels like Meyerowitz wrote a 'how to' for a friend。 I like the phrase "making" photographs rather than "taking" them; it gives a sense of agency and creativity to the artist， which is exactly what I think a photographer is。 There is zero pretension here。 Meyerowitz doesn't tell you to run out and spend wads of money on a fancy camera。 He instructs you to pick something that feels good to you and get out there。 Let the streets， light， scenery， people guide your photos。 This is essential reading for anyone interested in photography。 。。。more
Gogor Seta Dewa
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This book lets you see a glimpse through Joel's keen eyes in photography。 This book lets you see a glimpse through Joel's keen eyes in photography。 。。。more
Grace Kao
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Nice to see some of Meyerowitz’s photos along with some tips and anecdotes。 My favorite passage is when he talks about using large format in Cape Code （coincidentally the Meyerowitz book I have that clued me in to his work isn’t on his street photography， but Cape Light）: “One of the first things I discovered was that a large-format camera sees into the oncoming darkness。 It’s as if time adds light to the photograph。 I found myself struck by the beauty of dusk and how this big camera could stand Nice to see some of Meyerowitz’s photos along with some tips and anecdotes。 My favorite passage is when he talks about using large format in Cape Code （coincidentally the Meyerowitz book I have that clued me in to his work isn’t on his street photography， but Cape Light）: “One of the first things I discovered was that a large-format camera sees into the oncoming darkness。 It’s as if time adds light to the photograph。 I found myself struck by the beauty of dusk and how this big camera could stand there， like a faithful companion， and show me all the information that was there。 Early in my time in Cape Cod， I developed a whole body of work around the idea of dusk， of ‘entre chien et loup。’ That French expression translates literally as ‘between the dog and the wolf，’ but really it means between the known and the unknown， or the tame and the wild。 That blue hour can sometimes evoke feelings of fear。 There is also a kind of ambiguity， and that appealed to me。” 。。。more
Monika Makarewicz
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Great little book that draws attention on how to feel photography and not the tools you’ve got。 Something that I was really looking for。 It makes you think and see the photography in a different perspective。 It shows you some tips on how to make the image， what to look for in the scene but also very helpful things on the final process of editing the image。 Highly recommended。 Loved it very much。
Sandra Hernández （Vita Flumen）
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Si ya practicas foto de calle desde algún tiempo te anticipo que Meyerowitz va a decirte lo que ya sabes。 Sin embargo， lo dice con tanta poética que valdrá la pena leerlo y terminarás el libro con el impulso de querer salir a la calle y vivir todo eso que ya sabes y que te acaban de volver a decir。 La iluminación no viene precisamente de lo que dice sino de cómo lo dice。 Meyerowitz es un genio。
Allan Leonard
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Joel Meyerowitz is a renowned street photographer， long before the term became a familiar recognised genre （or subgenre of documentary photography）。 Once working as an art director， after an encounter with photographer Robert Frank， he quit his job and set out with a Pentax camera。 Meyerowitz is known for his recording of street life in his native New York City， covering a span of several decades。https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=UaU2-。。。Meyerowitz features in the Masters of Photography online cou Joel Meyerowitz is a renowned street photographer， long before the term became a familiar recognised genre （or subgenre of documentary photography）。 Once working as an art director， after an encounter with photographer Robert Frank， he quit his job and set out with a Pentax camera。 Meyerowitz is known for his recording of street life in his native New York City， covering a span of several decades。https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=UaU2-。。。Meyerowitz features in the Masters of Photography online course。 To complement this programme， there is a planned series of short books; How I Make Photographs is the first in the series。This book is a collection of 20 short essays， accompanied by related images from Meyerowitz’s extensive catalogue。 The chapters are easy to read and the images are used to good effect。 The style of writing is that of a calm and kind conversation。Meyerowitz shares his wisdom with the reader。 He wants us to trust our passions and not to hesitate when making photographs。 Not family album snaps but images that show the mystery and magic of people。 It can be uncomfortable dealing with the chaos of the street， but if you show warmth and sympathy， you can reflect that in your images; yet resilience helps。 Keep a sense of awe and keep your eyes open。 Anticipate the moment—through practice。 Make portraits through relationships。 Let your images tell a story。 See the visual humour of daily life。 Look for the details of gestures。 Challenge your inventiveness。 Find a lens that suits your personality—but wide is better。 Pay attention to composition （get your subject off centre）。 If a project excites you， go into it with an open heart and lots of energy。 Reflect on your style and what you’re subconsciously been drawn to and make something of it。 Give your work form and meaning。The book took me less than two hours to finish。 Indeed， one can see a purpose of this book as providing a taster of more insightful learning from the full Masters of Photography course。 And that is fine， because this small but well formed book is a delight to read and be inspired by。 How I Make Photographs can be a pick-me-up to remind you that documenting the everyday can be satisfying and a valuable element of discovering yourself and the world around you。 。。。more
Bill Green
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I have a passion for street photography。 This is a book I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in street photography; from beginner to advanced， you'll find something to help you here。Joel Meyerowitz says， "Once you have a camera in your hand， you have a license to see。"Meyerowitz talks of his relationship with his father， who encouraged him to look at everyday stories in the street。 The enthusiasm of the father was soon to become the same for Joel。Working at an agency he assisted renowned ph I have a passion for street photography。 This is a book I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in street photography; from beginner to advanced， you'll find something to help you here。Joel Meyerowitz says， "Once you have a camera in your hand， you have a license to see。"Meyerowitz talks of his relationship with his father， who encouraged him to look at everyday stories in the street。 The enthusiasm of the father was soon to become the same for Joel。Working at an agency he assisted renowned photographer Robert Frank; and that one day of assistance led him to the passion of his life。From that day onward he embraced the smells， the colors， and the stories of the streets。 From that one day he saw everything differently。Starting out he says that the process is all about finding your identity as an artist and as a human being who is interested in the world around you。 He encourages me， the reader， to accept my insecurities 。。。 act。。。 and the very act of taking photographs will lead me to becoming a better photographer。He talks of the importance of books as reference。。。 immersing myself in the work of others 。。。 inspiration will give me ideas。 He encourages me to analyze the how and why。 And he tells me that when the well has run dry， and I've lost the inspiration to shoot， to look to books to reinvigorate and motivate。He draws on photographic examples from Henri Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus， explaining his thoughts on their different styles。He encourages me to own the street， understand that I share it， and I have the right to take photographs。 He inspires me to be courageous， be pleasant， smile - ultimately to engage with people in the street。He encourages me to understand that those important moments will come。。。 to keep shooting， stay present， watch for occurrences or stories that will develop and present themselves。 Be ready。。 watch。。 anticipate。 Watch & be present for emotions， gestures or actions that will lead me to that special moment。He suggests making connections with subjects， and trying street portraiture。 He says， "Once you begin making a portrait， a special energy between you and the subject comes into being。 You have entered their private existence and engaged with them， and they have accepted your move。"He writes about finding the story。 Ultimately this is what the street photographer wants - a compelling story told by a photograph。 An example is his famous Paris photograph showing a man who's fallen to the pavement。 People step over and around him， seemingly uninterested in making an effort to help him。 He encourages me to be open to the humorous events or situations that unfold around me。He tells me that sometimes， the small gestures or happenings can have the greatest impact， so 。。。 get in close。 Look for the details that will help me make a great story，He tells me to embrace my head as well as heart; looking for the elements that will， in combination， make a great photograph。 The right light， the right angle， and subject。 To always be on the lookout for the right subject， time and place。He talks of body language and communication， moving to affect your shot or affect your subject in their movement。 Being respectful。。 being invisible at times。。 introducing yourself at times。。。 to accomplish a result。The right camera and the right style。。 they're personal choices。He encourages me to be creative in the placement of my subject in the frame。 The center isn't necessarily best。He offers me notes on composition， encourages me to push myself to create something bigger than myself。He inspires me to create projects and collections。 "As you become more sensitive to the way photography works， and to your own instincts， you will enlarge your emotional and visual capacity， and that will allow you to see your world in a richer， more complex way。"This book is an easy read。 Not a table top book - nothing fancy - perfect size for your camera bag。Five stars for the inspiration alone。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Will
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Really picks up steam in the last few chapters with the more philosophical aspects of photography。 Having read it， I don't think I'd pay for the course that accompanies it， but it's a good pickup for anyone working on their craft。 Really picks up steam in the last few chapters with the more philosophical aspects of photography。 Having read it， I don't think I'd pay for the course that accompanies it， but it's a good pickup for anyone working on their craft。 。。。more
Kylie D
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The first of the Masters Of Photography series， in this book award winning photographer Joel Meyerowitz gives his tips on the rewarding art of street photography。 Covering subjects such as composition， lens choice and how to put your subject at ease， Meyerowitz tells us what to look out for while out and about with our cameras。 Packed with stunning images from the streets， this book is an inspiration to any photographers， no matter which genre they prefer。 I'm now looking forward to venturing ou The first of the Masters Of Photography series， in this book award winning photographer Joel Meyerowitz gives his tips on the rewarding art of street photography。 Covering subjects such as composition， lens choice and how to put your subject at ease， Meyerowitz tells us what to look out for while out and about with our cameras。 Packed with stunning images from the streets， this book is an inspiration to any photographers， no matter which genre they prefer。 I'm now looking forward to venturing out this weekend， camera in tow， to put some of these tips into practice。My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kristen Keats
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I thought this book was an interesting approach to "edu-art-tainment。" I think it's aimed for people who not only enjoy looking at photography， but perhaps are into the hobby of photography and want to improve。 It's aspirational and inspirational。 I don't think the audience for this book is anyone who has worked in the field of photography for a long time or who already knows their own aethetic or process。 Meyerowitz has imparted wisdom in many venues and formats over the years， and is generous I thought this book was an interesting approach to "edu-art-tainment。" I think it's aimed for people who not only enjoy looking at photography， but perhaps are into the hobby of photography and want to improve。 It's aspirational and inspirational。 I don't think the audience for this book is anyone who has worked in the field of photography for a long time or who already knows their own aethetic or process。 Meyerowitz has imparted wisdom in many venues and formats over the years， and is generous with his views on photography， so I found the content not especially groundbreaking。 Additionally， he is rather a classic street photographer， which while that is still a thriving subgenre in photography， it isn't what I would describe as the contemporary photographic zeitgeist。 As such， I think this would be a good gift for someone looking to get into photography， or someone who especially enjoys Meyerowitz' work and would like to know more about his thought process。*I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley for review* 。。。more
Online Eccentric Librarian
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More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Photography is a huge subject that falls into many categories: macro， nature， portrait， event， and with this book， street。 And while many aspects of photography are universal across the disciplines， I feel those looking to become or enhance/analyze street photography will find this most inspiring and useful。 Street photography isn't about just candid portraiture and certainly Meyerowitz was fortunate to grow up in a m More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Photography is a huge subject that falls into many categories: macro， nature， portrait， event， and with this book， street。 And while many aspects of photography are universal across the disciplines， I feel those looking to become or enhance/analyze street photography will find this most inspiring and useful。 Street photography isn't about just candid portraiture and certainly Meyerowitz was fortunate to grow up in a major city （New York） that has provided him with so much inspiration。 From amusingly lit alleyway doors to a screaming child in front of a car， it's so much about patience， positioning， and especially moment。 And while most of the portraits are from the 1960s and 1970s， I appreciate the time Mr。 Meyerowitz has put into a heartfelt discussion of his craft。Most of the book is small chapters of tips with 3-4 photographs and accompanying text。 They are brief: about five pages each。 Topics range from finding inspiration， not being bashful， capturing the defining moment （a la Cartier-Bresson）， using your head and heart， composition ideas， knowing your camera， color or black and white， light as a subject， etc。。 In very personal text， Meyerowitz describes how he came about his craft and how his past influenced his ability to capture some of his most engaging images。 It's always a pleasure to read a photographer's own words/descriptions for his images。Yes， at times this felt like an endless advertisement for the Master of Photography videos。 E。g。， quite a few times， we are given rather useless product placement。 E。g， "When I was out filming the Master of Photography series， I came across this spot。。。。。。。" It's just useless information thrown in there more as a hard sell than adding to the conversation or understanding of the art or an image。 The acknowledgement at the end of how much Meyerowitz like working with the people at Masters of Photography probably tells a lot about why he put in so much product placement。 But it is always a turn off when someone tries so hard to plug something。I always look for interesting discussions of equipment as much as a final image's meaning。 But there isn't a lot here about the equipment other than that Meyerowitz hated the 50mm and stuck with the 35MM。 This is definitely a book about inspiration rather than technical， with a hard focus on capturing decisive moments and what to do to ensure the stars align for the perfect shot。As a portrait photographer， I don't do a lot of street photography and instead concentrate on the commercial aspect of selling my work to public and private sectors。 So there wasn't enough in there for me in that regard; if I shot my clients as Meyerowitz does， I wouldn't sell much （which is why I am probably a terrible street photographer and should use this book as a stepping board to shoot that more）。 What I got most from the book is that the man has a great heart and truly loves photography。 That his greatest asset is his ability to be genial and put people at ease so they give him images that are candid and meaningful。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Janin
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One of my very favorite photographers。 While the book was smaller the n stature than I thought it would be when I ordered it - it is still worth your time。 It’s a basic overview of his photographic development with images spanning approximately 4 decades。 His comments on each photo and the reasons why he was drawn to making the image are both elucidating and inspirational。
Diego Munoz
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I would like to say that I enjoyed his work covered in this book， but that is not the case。 I read this after reading "cape cod" which I felt was brilliant。 This book covers his start， and all the work through to the cape cod period。 The thing that doesn't appeal to me is that most of the black and white photos rely on a coincidence or a gimmick that you may not spot at first， as the basis of the photo。 It relies less on the beauty of his camera work， which was shown in his later color， cape pho I would like to say that I enjoyed his work covered in this book， but that is not the case。 I read this after reading "cape cod" which I felt was brilliant。 This book covers his start， and all the work through to the cape cod period。 The thing that doesn't appeal to me is that most of the black and white photos rely on a coincidence or a gimmick that you may not spot at first， as the basis of the photo。 It relies less on the beauty of his camera work， which was shown in his later color， cape photos。 So as a street photographer， I'd prefer the grittiness or inventiveness in the framing of William Klein or the emotions caught by Robert Frank。 I'd much prefer to look at his large format color photo books， than this one。 。。。more
Thomas Thorstensson
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Great monograph to read for me as It nicely puts my own influences into context and I can as a photographer relate to his body of work， especially his non-obtrusive camera work: Joel drives the middle lane in between Frank and Winogrand。
Karen
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Small but perfectly formed book。 Great introduction to how Meyerowitz got to where he is， his working through from B&W to colour， to large format。 the plates are good quality， my only gripe with this book was that the page numbers were on the inside corner of pages， close to the spine which involved having to really spread the pages to find out which page was which （in the essay at the beginning， numerous plates are mentioned， so there was lots of flicking back and forth hindered by this awful s Small but perfectly formed book。 Great introduction to how Meyerowitz got to where he is， his working through from B&W to colour， to large format。 the plates are good quality， my only gripe with this book was that the page numbers were on the inside corner of pages， close to the spine which involved having to really spread the pages to find out which page was which （in the essay at the beginning， numerous plates are mentioned， so there was lots of flicking back and forth hindered by this awful system）。 。。。more
Shane
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Not only are the photographs great， but Meyerowitz provides terse paragraphs explaining his thoughts behind the photograph， which is perhaps the most interesting part of the book。
L。S。
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This album had a great influence on how I understand urban photography。 Great photos and very openned explanation。
Mira
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Not as great as Ven Der Elsken， but there are some funny moments captured and such beautiful colours。 Still not the mastery of the other dude。 He almost disappeared so the subject is all you think about。 Meyerowitz still seems very present。 I guess taking photos can be a bit zen， but I'm probably way too clonky to ever come close to taking photos like this hahaha！I think the trick is breathing like you're sleeping， people think you're not there and it becomes a subconscious process。 Not as great as Ven Der Elsken， but there are some funny moments captured and such beautiful colours。 Still not the mastery of the other dude。 He almost disappeared so the subject is all you think about。 Meyerowitz still seems very present。 I guess taking photos can be a bit zen， but I'm probably way too clonky to ever come close to taking photos like this hahaha！I think the trick is breathing like you're sleeping， people think you're not there and it becomes a subconscious process。 。。。more
CD
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