Book Review: Pictures on a Page; Harold Evans; Heinemann Ltd, 1978

 Whilst reading other students’ blogs for this Level 2 module, I read a review on an out of date book called ‘Pictures on a Page’ which had been published in 1978.  I managed to obtain a copy which looks a little old but is still a very interesting read.  The book is well set out and each chapter clearly described.

There are dynamic introductions to each chapter giving compelling explanations of famous images, some of which I had seem before.  The author stresses the importance of honest, reality captioning which I have found interesting.  Harold Evans emphasised that a caption could make, break or distort the truth.

Harold felt it was important to spot the differences which moved an average picture into one that was unforgettable.  He described a session with Henri Cartier-Bresson about picture composition and was advised by Bresson to turn a picture upside down to highlight the good and bad points of it.

He quoted that W. Eugene Smith (page 123, Beauty out of Minimata) who felt that cropping should be carried out selectively as ‘the world did not fit conveniently into the format of a 35mm camera’.

It's a very old book considering how the fast today's digital world moves but all the chapters are still very relevant today.  So many times a photographer today pushes his shutter button knowing he could

manipulate the subsequent image to improve itextensively.  Looking at the images in the book shows that manipulation was rife in the darkroom for skilled darkroom technicians and you are given a glimpse of what could be achieved 30-50 years ago.

If you are keen to produce excellent images within a publication, then find a copy of this book and scour it from end to end.  You will be amazed how relevant it still is.