(BOSTON, MA - October, 2009) Focal Press, a division of Elsevier, is pleased to announce the publication of Photography in 100 Words by David Clark and would like to invite selected press members to request a gratis copy for review.

David Clark is a photography journalist and author. He was the senior features writer on Amateur Photographer magazine for nine years, during which time he met and interviewed many of the world's great photographers.

The question "What is photography?" is not an easy one to answer. Thousands of words have been written in an effort to do so, in academic journals and books by cultural commentators such as Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes. If we acknowledge that it is impossible to provide a definitive answer, can we at least distill the meaning of photography into somewhat fewer words, and get to the very essence of the medium without diminishing its importance as an art form?

This book aims to do just that. David Clark has selected 50 iconic images by some of the world's greatest photographers and asked them to explain how the pictures were made and their creative approach. From these interviews he has chosen 100 words - two from each photographer - that encapsulate their philosophy, and which are picked out in bold in the text. Martin Parr, for example, likes to capture ambiguity in many of his images, whereas David Bailey hopes for the perfect accident. For Harry Benson a news picture must have a sense of crisis while reportage photographer Paolo Pellegrin sees his role as that of a witness. And while Harry Cory Wright strives for completeness in his landscapes, Michael Kenna is drawn to the idea of suggestion.

The highlighted words work on two levels. As well as giving insights into iconic images from the photographers who took them, they build over the course of the book into a unique creative lexicon of the photographic medium - one which crystallizes its many aims and functions, perspectives and meanings. Thought-provoking, insightful and inspirational, Photography in 100 Words will appeal to all photographers and anyone who seeks a better understanding of the medium.

• Features a host of famous names, including Ralph Gibson, Art Wolfe, Elliott Erwitt, David Bailey, Martin Parr, Frans Lanting, Nick Danzinger, Dennis Stock and Yann-Arthus Bertrand
• World renowned photographers discuss their philosophy and approach, and explain their iconic images
• Includes photographers from all branches of the medium, from landscape to still-life, portraiture to reportage
• The hardback format makes this a collector's item for photographers and enthusiasts alike

Photography in 100 Words
David Clark
ISBN: 9780240813004
Pub Date: October
Price: $ 29.95

About Focal Press
Focal Press has been a leading publisher of Media Technology books for 70 years. We provide essential resources for professionals and students in many areas including: film and digital video production, photography, digital imaging, graphics, animation and new media, broadcast and media distribution technologies, music recording and production, mass communications, and theatre technology.

Front cover: Photography in 100 Words, by David Clark. Image provided by Focal Press.