The Praktica Book by Roger Rossing written in 1963.

The Praktica Book Roger Rossing

If you are at all into vintage Praktica cameras, then this is probably the book to read !!

First published in 1963, with a second edition in 1965, and a third in 1966, Roger Rossings book is a must have in my opinion.

Written over sixty years ago, this book is, if you are into vintage Prakticas and actually using them, as relevant today as it was in 1963.

I read a copy of this book in the early 1970's whilst doing CSE and O level photography at school. It helped me a great deal, no I did not own a Praktica at that time, I was actually using an Exa 500, but the clear and well written book covered everything I needed to know about photography in general, not just Praktica.

The introduction on the cover just about sums it up. This book was written in such a way anyone using an SLR in the early 1960's would have benefitted in reading it. Basically this book taught me the art of photography when I was at school.

Everything was in there, technique, composition, how to see a picture, depth of field etc etc, it was all in there written in a way that even a 13 year old could take in and understand. But today the same book is teaching me all about the history of Praktica and the different models up to the Nova and Prakticamat.

They are all in there, from the first Praktica to the Prakticamat!

Oh and it contains the best explanation of depth of field you will ever read! Complete with three little German wooden figures from the Ore Mountains Erzgebirge, which is an area along the East German / Czech border which I have been lucky enough to explore.

But who was Roger Rossing ?

Roger Rossing was one of the most famous photographers in East Germany at the time of this book. He was born in on March 1st 1929 in Leipzig Germany and after the war studied photography Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. He and his wife were part of the 'Action Fotografie' group in Leipzig in the 1950's, who put on two major exhibitions in Leipzig in 1956 and 1957. The couple were both authors and both photographers, the golden photography couple of the GDR. In photographs of the couple they are often seen wearing strange looking Berets!

Roger Rossing died on April 7th 2006.

So if you are at all interested in old Praktica cameras and SLR photography in general consider buying and reading this book.

Copies crop up online from time to time, well worth seeking out and reading!

Take care,

Phil