Familiarity with
your camera and lenses to the point where you don't have to think
constantly about the technical details, leads to more creative
photos. This is what Peterson suggests. Play with you camera and
lenses. Lie on your back and look up, climb a tree and look down, use
different lenses to capture the same scene and evaluate the
differences. He includes an exercise that while time consuming is
designed to accomplish this.
In addition to his
suggestions for developing an intimacy with your camera, Peterson
covers the basics for taking outstanding photos: design, composition,
light, and a short section on Photoshop. The text in each section is
easily within the scope of beginners as well as more advanced
photographers. I found the use of several examples of the same scene
taken from different perspectives the most useful part. Peterson
discuss each example: what's good, what's lacking, and why he chose
to experiment with another perspective. Necessarily, this leads to a
certain amount of autobiography, but I found it fascinating. It's
instructive to see how a professional thinks about his compositions.
Whether you're a
seasoned photographer, or more importantly, a beginner, this book
gives you something to think about. Most seasoned photographers
should know the contents of the text very well, but the glimpse of
how another photographer constructs his shots is illuminating.
I highly recommend
this book. I enjoyed it and felt that I learned a great deal. I'm not
a professional, rather an enthusiastic amateur, but I plan to try all
his
exercises. I'm sure they will help me to feel more at ease with my
equipment.
I reviewed this book
for Blogging for Books
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