Research Guides: Photography: Home

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Books to Get You Started

Catalogue Search

Use the following terms in a subject search to find related items in the library catalogue.

Subject headings to explore:
• Photography
• Photography history
• Photography, artistic

Why Reference books?

Question: What value lies in a reference work? Why should you bother to consult these books?

Answer: Reference books help create a framework around your topic. They can help guide you in asking the right questions. Reference books can help researchers become more efficient database searchers - in formulating which keywords (or search terms) to use. Scholarly reference books also contain bibliographies (!!) - a listing of some of the most respected secondary and most useful primary sources on a topic. In a nutshell.... reference books are a great way to begin your research.

Books to Get You Started

Here are some awesome books to get you started on your research topic. Please note: E-Books are restricted to current TRU students, staff and faculty

Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography by Lynne Warren (Editor)
Call Number: TR 642 .E5 2005 V.1-3
The Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography explores the vast international scope of twentieth-century photography and explains that history with a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary manner.
Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography by John Hannavy (Editor)
Call Number: TR 9 .H25 2008 V. 1-2 House of Learning
The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of world photography up to the beginning of the twentieth century. It sets out to be the standard, definitive reference work on the subject for years to come.
Looking at Photographs : A Guide to Technical Terms by Gordon Baldwin; Martin Jürgens
Call Number: TR 9 .B35 2009 at House of Learning
From its origins at the end of the 1830s, photography has never ceased to evolve both aesthetically and technologically. The past decade has given rise to the new age of digital photography, so Looking at Photographs, first published in 1991, has been revised and updated to define and illustrate terms from the earliest processes to this new technology. At once a rich and informative glossary and a history of the medium, this fully illustrated guide will be invaluable to all those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the art of photography.
The Focal encyclopedia of photography by edited by Leslie Stroebel and Richard Zakia
Call Number: TR 9 .F6 2007 Print & E-book
In over a 1,000 entries, this book gives definitions, creative ideas and suggestions for success in creating beautiful photographs.
The Oxford Companion to the Photograph by Robin Lenman (Editor)
Call Number: TR 9 .O94 2005
This is the first Oxford Companion to deal with the subject of photography. It appears at a watershed in the medium's history, as digital imaging increasingly dominates the global photography scene at both amateur and professional levels.
The Abrams Encyclopedia of Photography by Quentin Bajac; Christian Caujolle
Call Number: TR 9 .P4813 2004
A comprehensive reference traces the history of photography from the invention of the daguerreotype in 1829 to the breakthroughs in digital photography today, covering such key themes as portraits, still lifes, photojournalism, and NASA images while exploring the ways that the use of pictures has influenced public perspectives.
The photography encyclopedia by Gloria S. McDarrah, Fred W. McDarrah, and Timothy S. McDarrah
Call Number: TR 9 .M39 1999
This encyclopedia provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of photography covering topics such as: action photography, Kirlian photography, reproduction rights, salt paper process, and pictorialism. Also included are brief biographies of major photographers.
Understanding a Photograph by John Berger
Call Number: TR 187 .B467 2013
John Berger's explorations of the relationships between the individual and society, culture and politics, and experience and expression through the written word, films, photographic collaborations and performances are unmatched in their diversity, ambition and reach. His television series and book "Ways of Seeing" revolutionized the way that art is understood. Now, "Understanding a Photograph" gathers the photography writings of one of the most internationally influential authors of the past 50 years.

Websites

Related Associations & Societies

Websites

MoCP Museum of Contemporary Photography
The MoCP is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography.
Eastman Museum
International Center Of Photography
The Royal Photographic Society
Prints and Photographs Reading Room (Library of Congress)
The Museum of Photographic Arts
Historic Photographs - Photographic Processes
Handmade Photographic Images by George L Smyth
National Gallery of Canada
The permanent home of the world’s most comprehensive collection of Canadian art, including online exhibitions and features. Other collecting areas include Indigenous art, European, American and Asian art, Photography, Prints and Drawings, Contemporary art.

Research Strategies

Research Tips

Some really great resources to consult are:

Guide to Evaluating Web Sites
Learn how to recognize high quality information on the internet and in print.
Following a Citation Trail
Discover how to find a book from a reading list or a bibliography/reference list.
Citation Management
This guide provides an overview of citation management and its benefits, and information about getting started with either RefWorks, Mendeley, or Zotero.

Quick Links

Article Databases
See the full list of all TRU article databases
Find your Subject Librarian
Connect with the librarian best able to help you in your research
Online Forms
Find the right form to submit an ILL request, book a group study room, request a book purchase, and more!
TRU Library Events & Workshops Calendar
Calendar listing current workshop offerings at the TRU library

Citation Guides

Common Citation Styles

ACS Citation Style (American Chemical Society)
APA Citation Style 7th ed (American Psychological Association)
Psychology and other social sciences, e.g., Linguistics, Sociology, Economics, Criminology. Also Nursing and sometimes Business. But check with your instructor!
APA Citation Style 6th ed. (American Pscyhological Association)
guide to citing your sources for Psychology and other social sciences, e.g., Linguistics, Sociology, Economics, Criminology. Also Nursing and sometimes Business. Check with your instructor for which edition to use.
ASA Citation Style Guide (American Sociological Association)
Sociology and other social sciences, but check with your instructor to be sure.
Chicago Manual of Style
Style guide. Commonly used for History, the Humanities and various other disciplines. However, check with your instructor.
CSE Citation Style (Council of Science Editors)
Biology and other sciences.
MLA Citation Style (Modern Language Association)
Style guide. Frequently used in English and Humanities studies. Check with your instructor to be sure.

Photography

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Books to Get You Started

Catalogue Search

Why Reference books?

Books to Get You Started

Websites

Related Associations & Societies

Websites

Research Strategies

Research Tips

Quick Links

Citation Guides

Common Citation Styles

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