The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

6 Comments

1. Bisma says:

   September 18, 2009 at 1:51 am

   This is the best single volume on visual design and composition over the years. Painters need for a book so beautiful. Freeman's first book of 1980, "Picture", has always supported the situation, in my humble opinion, to be the best single volume. His new book than the first with a significant margin.
   Freeman is one of the few photographers, or artists of every stripe, who can express their thoughts related to art, in particular states, modes of analysis, and not in the jargon of much of what is written about art that lacks any real content. Not only is he a photographer of exceptional talent, with dozens of books to his credit, but one who has learned the grammar of images, and is one of the few who can describe how and why visual phenomena work.
   This is the most comprehensive volume on this theme further in terms of number of topics presented and discussed in a reasonable time. It is also more effective fusion of the ideas of Gestalt theory of perception current design elements traditional initial impression. The first 60% of the book deals with the more detailed aspects of the draft picture.
   The last two chapters of marrying the other part of the composition, which is harder to articulate well: the message in an image, or desire of the photographer. Only in this book by an author has tried to define the main categories of intention to make a picture. It then classifies the physical and mental health as a photographer goes after, constructs, or recognizes the image – the process.
   During the discussions that introduce the topics of digital imaging that a photographer can use to influence the design of an image. Perhaps the most powerful is that in the digital camera and post processing technologies allow the photographer to apply the color images of all aspects of the control of a previously available only in the wet chemistry lab for the images in black and white and many others.
   Make no mistake. . . . This is a book for readers. You can not get the full benefit of this book of illustrations alone, in the manner of many "how" of art and photography books these days that have pictures but little text. But this is the book for photographers reflexive return again and again for many years.
   The only way we can be far better would be twice as many pages. It would be a wonderful textbook for any studio art, photography, art history or art appreciation course in high school or college or school.
   May 5, 2009, update. The number of examinations, the number of responses to comments, and other sources of information indicate that this book is a best-seller among books on photography certifiable. The response to this book indicates that there is a large market for information on the structure of the images and writing effectively in this difficult, the interaction between the design and content of intangible property, or the structure and expression / post.
   My hope is that photographers Freeman and another author could / publish books to deepen the problem of the composition. To date, print the situation is daunting. This, Mante, and books of Hoffmann are still only in English, trying to compose images on the most basic levels. Together, these three books include a presentation very strong at the intermediate level of image structure and the different approaches to give meaning and expression in any of the images.
   Again, however, you might say. To date, no depth look at the role of similarity and the extent to cause the viewer to move through an image. That is, the functions, shape, size, sound, color, address, etc., have priority in the eye in which combinations, and how the proportionality, or violations of the same work?
   Until now, this reviewer can find no published research is why Alfred Yarbis updates are breaking ideas about the movement of the eyes in the images of 1950 and 1960. His work is quoted to this day as the final study in this field. Their results suggest that the demands of many artists on the role of "main line" may be nothing more than a litter.
   And the tones and bright colors really seem to project toward the viewer and the shadows behind? One Russian scientist has an important argument that, in fact, are the shadows of what appears to "project" and reverse lights. Their work is not available in Italian.
   E 'success or failure of a still image articulable only in terms of intangibles? At this point in the history of the arts and the contributions of psychology and studies in the visual brain, one must be able to make concrete statements on the structure and role in the success or failure to perform the expression of the artist or meaning.
   Unfortunately, artists, photographers very few who can write, you can focus clearly enough on these issues Nitty-Gritty of statements that have a real meaning. A disproportionate percentage of writing about art is still down to the hand shaking and crying, always, always, apparently.
   This is one of the gifts of Freeman that he can write analytically and to be a great success, the versatile artist. The success of this book indicates that the demand is there for interesting information on the images. The three authors, is not much of a supply.
2. Anonymous says:

   September 18, 2009 at 3:40 am

   Let me begin by saying that while writing books of photos of life (including The Joy of Digital Photography (Lark Photography Book), Michael Freeman did not know and have never communicated with him. That said, it is probably the best composition and the book design to be found – and this applies equally to professionals and amateurs. This is the first book, in fact, I remember about those issues with such depth and clarity of thought.
   Freeman was one of my favorite writers and this book continues her photographic book long series of great reads (his recent book, The Complete Guide to Digital Photography is also worth of property). Sometimes I have to laugh at what your writing is very English, but it's just fun, not distracting.
   The main thing I like the photographer's eye is that Freeman addresses the problem from a perspective very thoughtful. While the book contains the basic elements (lines, shapes, dynamic tension, balance, etc.) also spoke at length about emotional issues: the chiaroscuro and the key, the search for order, reactive thinking, etc. These are the concepts that photographers most experts (and artists) are faced once you have a sense of solidity of the elements of design and construction.
   I often wonder if the design is more of a process of reflection or an instinct – and I think that is a combination of both. In reading this book, in fact, I can see better the importance of taking an objective and analytical look at a composition as do great scenes and how we can do to react instinctively and find a quick way to make them useful and dynamic picture. Very often, when there is a large topic that does not have the luxury of time to decide how to build the image of "get" what you see.
   What is the value of studying the composition and image design: to prepare to take quick decisions. If you're hiking in the desert outside Tucson, for example, and there is a silhouette of a great potential of a Saguaro cactus at sunset, with only two or three minutes to organize elments, choose the best point of view, the best lenses and then exposure. E 'tragic to spend day after day for the exploration of strong images, and then only approach.
   Freeman's book is filled with an extraordinary number of images with a big emotional and geographical diversity. These are all over the world images of class, not only "how-to" examples and it is difficult to imagine that a photographer to come with all these great pictures. As I said, to write and illustrate books, pictures of myself and I am sometimes amazed by the work proflific Freeman.
   If you are looking for a book about design, do not let $ 20 stand between you and all this great knowledge and hundreds of examples, and (what he might say from my book, too!). Just buy the book – or ask the library to do so.
3. Viviano says:

   September 18, 2009 at 6:04 am

   Ok, at any time to talk aboutPhotographic composition and rules in order to get into a gray area, since art is subjective by nature. What the author does here is to show their photos and explain what are the compositional techniques used and because he thinks the job. The book is very comprehensive and provides numerous examples. The print quality is excellent, as in most of Focal Press. If you want a book that explains the theory of photographic composition and provides an example to demonstrate the concepts, then this is the book you need.