[DOC] Chanel: A Woman of Her Own by Axel Madsen at Arts-Photography

Review

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Another great one from Bryan PetersonBy SMXSteveIve gotten more out of Bryans books than any other source and here he has another great one. While it may seem this is a repeat of his Bryan Petersons Understanding Photography Field Guide: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera this book takes those ideas a step further into composition. Not only is this book full of Bryans great colorful photos the layout is well designed; colorful; easy to follow and understand. And thats the Kindle version! If you are like me; constantly learning; this is another great one to step up your photography!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book - RecommendedBy John McQuittyI liked this book. I like Bryans 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 dont 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 youve been around the block a few times; there are good reminders. Ive 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.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book for improving your photosBy BostonAaronMany years ago Kodak published a book "How to make good pictures" which implied that enjoyable photos just dont happen; they are created. In this small book Bryan Peterson will show you how he does it; with some tricks of the trade. (If you want even more tricks read Scott Kelbys "The Digital Photography Book series) Peterson goes through the usual suspects; frame your subjects; rule of thirds; backgrounds; focus (depth of field); arranging items within the picture and many others. Because the publisher printed the example photos on excellent paper; you can really see what Peterson is talking about and the sometimes subtle differences between pictures. Even though this book can be read by itself; I think the reader would get even more out of it by first reading the authors classic book "Understanding Exposure" which everyone seems to quote. In Understanding Exposure" he describes better how f stops effect depth of field and emphasis and the differences betweeen Depth of Field in DSLRs and compact cameras. In this book he does list the camera; lens and f stop used for each photo but; to the best of my knowledge he never really explains how to get the same effect with the better compact cameras. "Understanding Exposure" will explain this; especially the 3rd edition.I think that Peterson lifted some of the photos from his other books and on page 251 he points out that our cameras now have the advantage of automatic winders! Really. Petersons photo examples are usually taken with a full frame DSLR Nikon camera or a professional DSLR camera with a crop factor of 1.5. Even his limited use of the Leica D-Lux (rebadged Panasonic LX-3/5) can do much better that the film rewinders. Im sure this just slipped by.By reading this book; you can at least get some small idea of the thoughts and creativity of a really great photographer who also enjoys teaching.