More Than a Rock

Ostensibly about landscape photography, More Than a Rock is, at its core, a passionate and personal book about creativity and expression. In this series of essays that is organized into four sections Art, Craft, Experiences, and Meditations photographer Guy Tal shares his thoughts and experiences as [...]
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Ostensibly about landscape photography, More Than a Rock is, at its core, a passionate and personal book about creativity and expression. In this series of essays that is organized into four sections Art, Craft, Experiences, and Meditations photographer Guy Tal shares his thoughts and experiences as an artist who seeks to express more in his images than the mere appearance of the subject portrayed. Tal covers topics such as the art of photography, approaches to landscape photography, and the experiences of a working photographic artist.
More specifically, Tal makes an argument to consider landscape photography beyond its usual representational status, where landscape images are simply pictures of beautiful natural scenes. There is nothing wrong with representational imagery, but Tal makes a plea to move beyond representation into the realm of the truly creative. Creativity requires something beyond the objective qualities that are inherent in the subject, the tools used to make an image, or the circumstances of the image itself; it requires something subjective, originating from the unique mind of the photographer.
The title of the book comes from a quote from classic photographer Edward Weston: This then: to photograph a rock, have it look like a rock, but be more than a rock. As Tal further elaborates, The representational image may portray a rock, which may be interesting in its own right. The creative image, however, must communicate more than the likeness of a rock, even if a rock is all that is in the frame. Instead of simply representing the landscape in his imagery, Tal uses the visual elements and natural aesthetics as evocative metaphors, creating images that are not merely of, but about, the places and things that have become personally meaningful to him.
The book is decidedly non-technical and focuses on philosophy, history, and visual expression. It was written for those photographers with a passion and interest in creative photography. Anyone who is pursuing their work as art, in need of inspiration, or interested in the writings of a full-time working photographic artist will benefit from reading More Than a Rock. The book is visually punctuated with Tal s inspiring and breathtaking photography."