Zen in the Art of Photography

ZEN IN THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY, first published in 1969, captures the joy of photographing and the meaningfulness of the pursuit of photography for the photographer and culture at large. It is not a book about how to take a good photograph. In the broadest sense, ZEN IN THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY is a poetic ode on photographing with an open heart/awareness that is saying thank you to life itself. As such, the text expresses and explores in simple words the connection between and the relationship of the photographer to the subject in the lens in the Decisive Moment when the shutter is released. During the Sixties and the Seventies, based on the number of books sold, this book influenced more than thirty-thousand plus photographers and non-photographers in North America, Japan, and Europe. It was used as a textbook in many universities (including Harvard) and at photography and art centers, received rave reviews, won awards, was translated into a German edition, and carried as a talisman by many photographers some of whom passed it on to a photographer friend as a well-worn and heartfelt gift. Long out of print, this is a revised edition published in 2011.