Joel Meyerowitz: Seeing Things: A Kid's Guide to Looking at Photographs

Is it a book for toddles? Is it a book for teenagers? First of all, it is an extraordinary book, in which the author introduces the reader to many famous photographs, and only one of his own. Each photograph has a short text which helps a lot understanding each imagine and induces the reader to understand the basics of photography. Were it not for this book I think I would have never discovered a very important detail in one of the most cherished photos of Cartier-Bresson: the man caught in the air ready to fall in a splash. It is really a guide to kids, and a very good guide to photo understanding. Not only for kids, but also por old people like me. Two years ago Aperture Foundation (the same which edited this book) published another extraordinary book for kids called "This equals That" aiming as well as a guide to photography. Which is better? I would say "This equals that" can be Step One. And this book from Meyerowitz can be Step Two. I cannot tell which one is better, but I can tell I feel very happy at having both of them. "This equals that" has no text, so it is a book which explains itself by only using images, then you only need your eyes to get it (anyhow Aperture has on its web page a guide to help understanding this book to readers and teachers and it really does the work). Meyerowitz' book, though the photographs by themselves are worth buying the book at large, the text helps a fifty per cent. I am sure this book will soon end being translated into many languages. I think both books serve for small children, even for toddlers, on condition that an adult helps the child to get them at 100%. These two outstanding books go together like salt goes with pepper, or peaches with cream! IF you have a child, or like photography a lot, buy them both. You will not get dissapointed. Thanks Meyerowitz, thanks Fulford and Shopsin, thank Aperture (you are doing a great job and each time better).

Disappointed. There was never an ah-hah moment, where the writer pointed out something unnoticed. A very good photographer (JM) is not necessarily good at analyzing photos in an interesting way.The format ( vert and horizon) was annoying as was the different sized font. Different sized font almost always indicates an attempt to enliven boring text. I work as a photographer in education and was looking forward to this book - but I saw very little that would engage young people (

Excellent book! Meyerowitz walks you through the components of each photo, explains the significance of the individual components, and explains how the individual components fit together to form the final composition. He's very insightful and it's well written. My only criticism is that the font size could have been bigger in some places, but I imagine that the target audience (kids) won't have that problem.

I was going to give this book to my 9 year old grandson who is very interested in photography, but after looking it over I decided it wasn't "kid-friendly" enough for that age. Instead I gave it to my teenaged grandson who was taking a photography class in high school. It was a great success! It is a beautiful book to own. The cover is stunning. Each page has a photograph by a different photographer with comments by Meyerowitz about what elements make the image memorable.

I've noticed that some reviewers think this book might be a bit old for children. However, my interest in photography started when I looked through my aunt's Time-Life Photography set. Don't underestimate children. Some will benefit from this book and will turn to it repeatedly as they mature.

This is NOT a "book for kids," despite its title. It is, however, and outstanding book for teenagers and adults wanting to learn how to look at, appreciate, and/or take photographs. How good is it? It is so good that I have added it to the list of books required for the documentary photography course I have taught for 15 years at MIT. Using a well chosen selection of famous photographs, Joel Meyerowitz, a photographer best know for his New York street photography and his gorgeous images of Cape Cod, breaks the images down into their visual and psychological components, and forces us to consider the melding of content and composition.

Great, well-written introduction to thinking about photography. Beautifully designed.

Great book - even for someone that has been teaching photography for 30 years. Design is innovative, small bits to digest (and to teach with) and well done. Great book!

Excellent book with wonderful design and very good quality printing.Other reviewers on Amazon.com have said that this is not for kids. I'd disagree, I think that it has broad appeal. It is a great introduction for older children (10+) but will appeal to adults alike. One whole page is devoted to each image with the text on the opposite page. The text is minimal but though provoking and nicely presented.I have a huge interest in photography and own many books on the subject. This is quite unique and managed to surprise me with a few images that I have never seen before.Highly recommended.

This book is well suited for the age group it's advertised to educate. The images are representative of the 'lesson' being taught, and the words used are engaging. The book, though, is generic enough to be used as an introduction to photography for any age group, with only a few changes in the wording and approach to the specific audience. I will be using the book to teach a group of over-65's who would like to get started in photography in their retirement years, which illustrates what I mean above...! A wonderful book..!

An amazing book, where Meyerowitz analyses the photos of some famous photographers.

Top

das buch hat mich in jeder hinsicht überrascht. sehr gute zusammenstellung der beispiele, hervorragende verarbeitung der kompliziert gestanzten titel und rücktitel und höchst unterhaltsam zu blättern.auf jeden fall eine dringende empfehlung für jeden, der sich für die entwicklung der fotografischen ausdrucksweisen interessiert... und fast schon kein kinderbuch mehr. oder anders gesagt, ein sehr anspruchsvolles buch für interessierte junge und nicht mehr ganz junge menschen.