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

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos | Michael Freeman | A must have book for all Photographers

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The Photographer's...

	The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos Michael Freeman Focal Press, 2007 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 38 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Design is the single most important factor in creating a successful photograph. The ability to see the potential for a strong picture and then organize the graphic elements into an effective, compelling composition has always been one of the key skills in making photographs.
Digital photography has brought a new, exciting aspect to design - first because the instant feedback from a digital camera allows immediate appraisal and improvement; and second because image-editing tools make it possible to alter and enhance the design after the shutter has been pressed. This has had a profound effect on the way digital photographers take pictures.
The Photographer's Eye shows how anyone can develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs. The book explores all the traditional approaches to composition and design, but crucially, it also addresses the new digital technique of shooting in the knowledge that a picture will later be edited, manipulated, or montaged to result in a final image that may be very different from the one seen in the viewfinder.

Features
*Covers both traditional in-camera composition and the new opportunities for picture-making made possible by digital imaging editing
*Shows how to explore situations and locations in order to find the best possible photographic possibilities
*Uses clear examples from real photographic assignments, with schematic illustrations of how and why the pictures work

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Finally! A Photography Book EXCLUSIVELY About Composition

This is the photography book I've been hunting for on the shelves all these years! It pairs the much broader area of Art Composition down the essentials that apply to photography. It returns to the theme of photography's inherint compositional constraints. No hyper-facination with equipment or equipment settings. I know I don't think like an artist, but I've always wanted the photography specific aspects of composition made accessible to me - in that respect this book knocked my socks off.

A must have book for all Photographers

The book starts out with the basics of composition. Each subsequent chapter builds on previous chapters; capitalizing on the lessons learned. The sample pictures are excellent and clearly demonstrate the chapter's lesson. Whether you're an amateur or a professional, as I am, you will learn from this book. It has become a permanent part of my library and will be something I refer back to over and over again. There are not that many good books about composition and this one stands head and shoulders above the others.

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Fantastic

This book sets out the principles for composition and visual construction of photos brilliantly. A variety of shots for each topic are shown, explaining why the 'bad' ones don't look quite right and for the 'good' photos the secret to the composition is explained.

Wonderful mix of good writing and GREAT pictures - just what I needed

I had been looking for a book on design for ages, since they tend to be expensive, I looked in second-hand book stores first, but it seems that all I found there was way too boring and tedious for me: starting with basic shapes only to build up to how to incorporate them into photography half way through the book at best. That could very well be the way to go for serious design/photography students, but I do not have time or interest in something that detailed and technical. I wanted a nice overview of the techniques that are available to a photographer, and not just a "follow the rule of thirds" kind of advice that you get from most online photography tips, but a more profound discussion on why the rule of thirds is even important, how it tends to affect the viewer, and when is it appropriate to break it.
And this book provides exactly that - a brief but concise overview of the most prominent design theories, based on the research on the way we see/interpret things. I am definitely not a design expert after having read this book, but I know as much about it as I need/can afford to learn at this point, being an amateur with no ambition to go pro in the observable future.
To me, it's like learning the grammar in a foreign language. Sure, you can probably survive in a country for a week by using words and verbs, but you will not be able to carry on a meaningful discussion with anyone without knowing how to string those words and verbs together. This book might not have taught me every tense and rule there is in the language of photography, but it gave me a better understanding of the logic behind them and cemented my knowledge of rudimentary structures.
The illustrations in the book ARE extremely well-chosen and beautifully reproduced, which is not always the case in photography books, alas. They are a treat to look at.

To address some of the critiques voices here in the respect to this book:
1) No, it does not cover ISO, shutter speed and aperture, and you are better off buying the book by Peterson if that is what you need. I read Peterson first, about a year ago, and it felt right to read this book second, they are not in any way complementary, their focus is totally different, but combined, they provide you with a deeper understanding of what you do when you look through the viewfinder.
2) I find the book very well written. It's concise, clear and well-illustrated and I even found it a pleasurable read. I would definitely not say it is hard to read, it is not the most fun and light-hearted thing you'll ever read, but it's not fiction, it is technical writing, so it will hardly come as a surprise to you. It is definitely among the least convoluted technical books I've ever read.
3) As to "it adds nothing new to the matter"... Well, first of all, it IS a book that basically summarizes the last 100 years of research in the design and its perception, so it does not claim that it is ground-breaking and new!
Second of all, this is a valid criticism only for those who already have dozens of photography books and are looking for more (but then again, if that is the case, why are you even looking into Freeman? he is clearly not geared towards a seasoned pro). If this is your first book on design, as it was for me, pretty much EVERYTHING in this book is going to be new for you to a degree (yeah, I've heard of the rule of thirds before, but never read a detailed overview of how it came about and why).

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Wonderful & Useful

I am so delighted I bought this book. It's beautifully illustrated, well-written and practical! Mr. Freeman steps you through the key steps of composition that can be taught (then it's up to you to have the 'eye' to be able to capture what he's suggested!); framing images, design basics, photographic elements, using light & color, intent and the process of composing a shot. The photos Freeman's presented provide great examples of what he's suggesting we, as readers do. And the accompanying text offers a mix of factual and insightful, experiential information. The length in each section is just right. Sort of Goldilocksian, not too much, not too little. It's a nice complement to the photo Composition book by David Prakel (which I also think is very well done).

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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