Feininger, Andreas. The Creative Photographer by Andreas Feininger.

Prentice Halll, 1955. Fourth printing, 1965.  4th printing, hardcover with protected very good dust jacket. 329 pages.  Major sections: An Approach to Photography, The Subject, The Photographer, The Picture, and The Picture Story.  Many of the best illustrations are by Feininger himself, a veteran LIFE magazine photographer.  Includes female nudes.  Photographers include Andreas Feininger; Alfred Eisenstaedt; W. Eugene Smith; Fritz Henle; Erwin Blumenfeld; Gjon Mili; George Silk; Robert Samberg; Dick Walters; Angus McBean; Rolf Tietgens;  et al.  Note: not to be confused with later editions in the 1970s that have an ISBN number.  This 4th printing is now uncommonly found. Summary:

First published in 1955, with various revised editions, The Creative Photographer is a cornerstone text by Andreas Feininger, the architect-turned-photojournalist for LIFE magazine. The book serves as a manifesto for "purposeful" photography, shifting the focus from the camera as a mechanical tool to the photographer as a creative engineer.

Core Philosophy: The Mind vs. The Machine

Feininger’s primary argument is that a camera is a mindless recording device; creativity only begins when the photographer understands how to translate a three-dimensional, moving world into a two-dimensional, static image.

• Visualization: Like Ansel Adams, Feininger stresses the importance of seeing the final print before pressing the shutter.

• Selection and Rejection: He posits that the artist’s greatest power is the ability to exclude distracting elements and simplify a scene to its graphic essence.

The Four Elements of a Photograph

The book is largely structured around what Feininger considers the essential building blocks of the creative process:

1. The Subject: Choosing subjects with inherent meaning or striking form.

2. The Composition: Organizing lines, shapes, and textures to guide the viewer’s eye.

3. The Light: Using illumination not just for exposure, but to define mood, volume, and space.

4. The Technique: Mastering tools (lenses, filters, darkroom work) solely to serve the first three elements.

Key Technical Concepts

• Perspective Control: Drawing on his architectural background, Feininger provides deep insights into how different lenses (telephoto vs. wide-angle) distort or compress space to create specific psychological effects.

• The "Graphic" Quality: He champions high contrast, sharp focus, and bold textures—style markers that became his signature at LIFE.

• Honesty in Imagery: While he encourages creative manipulation, he warns against "gimmickry," arguing that every technical effect must have a narrative justification.

Structural Approach

The book is divided into logical phases of creation:

• Part I: The Functions of Photography (Why we take pictures).

• Part II: The Subject (Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary).

• Part III: The Picture-taking Process (The mechanical execution).

• Part IV: The Final Result (Evaluation and editing).

Significance

The Creative Photographer remains a classic because it avoids the "cookbook" approach of many technical manuals. Instead, it teaches a way of thinking. Feininger’s rigorous, analytical style encourages photographers to be disciplined, intentional, and above all, critical of their own work.

"A photograph is not 'taken,' but created; and the more control the photographer has over his medium, the more creative his work will be." — Andreas Feininger

Andreas Feininger (1906–1999) was a prominent French-born American photojournalist, architectural photographer, and writer celebrated for his graphic black-and-white images of mid-century New York City and intricate structural studies of nature. Son of the Expressionist painter Lyonel Feininger, he grew up in Germany and trained in cabinetmaking and architecture at the Bauhaus and technical schools before turning full-time to photography. Immigrating to the United States in 1939 to escape the rise of fascism in Europe, he served as a staff photographer for Life magazine from 1943 to 1962, completing over 300 assignments. Drawing heavily on his architectural background, Feininger pioneered the use of custom-built long-telephoto lenses to capture striking, compressed perspectives of urban skyscrapers and bridges, while also creating meticulous macro studies of natural specimens such as shells, bones, and plants. A prolific educator, he authored dozens of influential textbooks and manuals on photographic technique, leaving an indelible legacy on modern photojournalism and visual composition.