Question on a Book!

[Carl in Louisiana]

I have been looking into adding a couple of books to start building my library, which is not much of a library, and ran across "Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters by Michael Frye". My questions are has anyone here read this book and will it be a good one to learn more about photography from? B&H has it but delivery is 7-10 weeks after ordering. I have heard of Ansel Adams before, would love to learn from his work, but have not heard of Michael Frye before. I will be ordering two books and possibly this one also on Saturday evening so any help would be greatly appreciated.

The two I am ordering; "The complete Guide to B & W Digital Photography by Michael Freeman" and the other is "Understanding Exposure 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photos with any Camera, by Bryan Peterson"

[The Blue Boy]

Hi Carl,

http://www.michaelfrye.com/index.html

He seems to be a competent enough professional photographer, though I haven't read any of his books. There are so many books and tutorial blogs out there at the moment it's becoming difficult to choose between authors. I'd stick with these forums mate!

[Poaceae]

It is an excellent book and he is a photographer whose work I admire. You can get the book for a little over $15 at Amazon.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Thanks Mark, I have looked him up on the net and read about him but wanted the pros opinion on the book. I learn a lot from reading as most times I am not sure of just how to pose a question that everyone can understand just what it is I am asking. I do plan on sticking with the forums here. I will have more time for photography right now and will be posting more in the near future. However I do want to learn as much as I can. A school or anything that would cost a whole lot is out of the question for me right now. So the next best thing is books and the web. I just don't want to learn from the wrong ones, like you stated there is so much out there.

[The Blue Boy]

Carl,

I was new to digital when I first joined this site and I have learned so much in a short space of time. The members and the tutorials here are second to none mate.

@John, I looked at his web page and he does seem pretty good. Will look more tomorrow.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Carl,

I was new to digital when I first joined this site and I have learned so much in a short space of time. The members and the tutorials here are second to none mate.

@John, I looked at his web page and he does seem pretty good. Will look more tomorrow.

Thanks again Mark, I do look forward to learning more from you and others here. It is a great forum and I have been thru tutorials and posts reading as much as I can but I know that I have such a long way to go. You are and encouragement and I do appreciate your response. I am sure that as soon as I get started posting pictures I will learn much more and faster. I am new to Lightroom and Nik Software and been watching tutorials on those as well. I should have started this a long time ago when I was younger...LOL

[Carl in Louisiana]

It is an excellent book and he is a photographer whose work I admire. You can get the book for a little over $15 at Amazon.

Thank you John, I will check out Amazon. I took another look at his site and his work is awesome and found a little more info on the book itself and I think I will add that one as well. Those three should give me plenty to read and try to comprehend.

[rambler4466]

With Michael Freeman you really have to pay attention. His writing is 'heavy'. Wonderful photos, however, which he uses as examples of what he is trying to teach. Another I like is David duChemin and Photographically Speaking. He describes his philosophy and creativity, his " expression of vision or intent". He then has a selection of 20 of his photos and tells the hows and whys. He also includes a series of exercises so his readers can experiment with his ideas.

Peterson and other authors have expressed their gratitude to John Shaw. Read any of his books. His main message: Before you click the shutter, answer the question, "Why am I taking this picture?" and "What am I trying to convey to the viewer?"
He wants us not just to take pictures, but to "make photographs!" He wants us to think about the process of photography, the mental process about what to include, how to organize and think about exactly what it is you want the photograph to be. Wonderful stuff! He teaches the art! If nothing else, just read the introductions of his books.

Another author who aims to teach us the art is Brenda Tharp and her book Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography
Example: "Balance is harmony or a sense of equilibrium....But do you always want that?....While the eye seeks harmony and equilibrium, providing the opposite can be stimulating". p. 87 Balance

When I was a kid my parents subscribed to National Geographic. I never read much of the text, but the pictures...wow!
Tharp's book could be like that. You would be missing out on important reading, but the photos are indeed, wows!

[Carl in Louisiana]

With Michael Freeman you really have to pay attention. His writing is 'heavy'. Wonderful photos, however, which he uses as examples of what he is trying to teach. Another I like is David duChemin and Photographically Speaking. He describes his philosophy and creativity, his " expression of vision or intent". He then has a selection of 20 of his photos and tells the hows and whys. He also includes a series of exercises so his readers can experiment with his ideas.

Peterson and other authors have expressed their gratitude to John Shaw. Read any of his books. His main message: Before you click the shutter, answer the question, "Why am I taking this picture?" and "What am I trying to convey to the viewer?"
He wants us not just to take pictures, but to "make photographs!" He wants us to think about the process of photography, the mental process about what to include, how to organize and think about exactly what it is you want the photograph to be. Wonderful stuff! He teaches the art! If nothing else, just read the introductions of his books.

Thank you Frank I will look into those books you have recommended. I purchased the first two I have listed above but will have to let the funds build back up for more. Plus I like to read books as I buy them, one or two at a time, any more than that and I somehow tend to let others slip through the cracks without reading them.

[Colin Southern]

Instead of buying a book, I'd head on over to www.kelbytraining.com - sign up for a month (prob about same cost as a book) - and work through some of the MANY videos by world-class photographers (inc landscape photographers).

My bet is that you'll learn a lot more, in a LOT less time.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Instead of buying a book, I'd head on over to www.kelbytraining.com - sign up for a month (prob about same cost as a book) - and work through some of the MANY videos by world-class photographers (inc landscape photographers).

My bet is that you'll learn a lot more, in a LOT less time.

Thank you Colin, that does look very interesting and I just may give it a try for one month.

[Colin Southern]

Thank you Colin, that does look very interesting and I just may give it a try for one month.

You're very welcome Carl. For what it's worth, I seldom buy books anymore. Some may argue that "you get to keep the book" whereas "you don't get to keep the training videos", but in reality "you get to keep the knowledge from both" ... the videos just get far more knowledge in, in far less time

[drjuice]

Not a specific book, but I like Rob Sheppard's ideas about anything outdoors. He has a number of books out and also writes a regular column in Outdoor Photographer (http://www.outdoorphotographer.com). Entering his name in the search pane on the left below the banner should give you quite a few dozen of his columns as well as other, larger, not quite so focused on how to but on doing.

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