Bryan Peterson's Understanding Composition Field Guide: How to See and Photograph Images with Impact
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Photography & Video
Bryan Peterson's Understanding Composition Field Guide: How to See and Photograph Images with Impact Details
About the Author Bryan Peterson is a professional photographer, internationally known instructor, and the bestselling author of Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition; Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Photography Field Guide; Understanding Flash Photography; Understanding Shutter Speed; Understanding Close-Up Photography; Learning to See Creatively; Understanding Digital Photography; and Beyond Portraiture. He is also the founder of the online photography school The Perfect Picture School of Photography (ppsop.com). Bryan lives in Chicago. Read more
Reviews
I liked this book. I like Bryan's writing style, although I do think in this book it has a bit more of an "edge" than in some of his previous books. However, he always writes in a style that is easy to remember. I found "two steps closer" a refreshing way to remember to fill the frame, for instance, and who would have thought of "crying babies" for background distractions?I have always thought of myself as a "fill the frame" photographer - sometimes too much filling the frame to the detriment of showing the environment. However reading this book that I had gotten lazy and was NOT filling the frame so much anymore - a good mental kick in the butt. I had my wife look at some of my pictures - old and new - and she really gravitated to the ones that "filled the frame." I shall also watch out for "crying babies" in the backgroun when setting up a shot.The last thing I immediately recognized was that I had gotten away from what i used to call "zone focusing." I used to use it all the time to set an area of acceptable focus. I have gotten away from that with newer lenses that only have a distance scale and not a DOF scale as the old manual ones had. However, Bryan reminds that using the distance scale and a few easy to remember distances you can basically set up your lens so you don't have to focus - and thereby work much faster.There is much more of value in this book, and it is a pleasure to read. If you are new to photography, there is a wealth of information. If you've been around the block a few times, there are good reminders. I've been at it since 1959 and, while I' now only shoot for pleasure, I still found some excellent reminders, ideas, and energy in this book. It is highly recommended.
