Customer Reviews

The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

just a long advertisment for some cheezy filters. the one gem tucked in the ad was, "expression is more important than technique" in portraiture. not that technique is unimportant, but expression is king.

save your money. i recommend bill peterson's "beyond portraiture" instead

I am a professional photographer and have a library of photo books many by the Amphoto publisher. I own the first Cantrell book on weddings, it is the best wedding book I own. Unfortunately, however, this one does not match up to her first effort. While the book has much detail about equipment, camera settings, and technique, the photos used for illustration are far too standard. Too many look like they are from the PPA (Professional Photographer magazine) and not the style that customers are looking for today. While I admit that there is plenty of good information about equipment, technique, and personal development, I take exception to an author who takes payment from a corporation to essentially advertise the product.. I am totally turned off by the shameless promotion throughout the book in both text and photographers for the Canon system. It is obvious that there were promotion dollars or equipment paid to the photographer for development of this book. shame on you Bambi.

This is a good book for inspiration, and some new ideas. It assumes that you are already a photography, and does not try to to teach portraiture so much as offer you some ideas and maybe new things to try. Amphoto's books on the whole, seem to really be nothing more then either reviews or just general guides- they keep themselves way to short page-length wise(always about 129 pages) to really server as instructional aides. This one really does give some good ideas about how to change up how you maybe take a portrait- but once it again, it only aims to inspire, not instruct. I do give it kudos for actually breaking down the use of 1 or 2 NIK 3rd party filters. If your looking for step by step instruction, your better off with a focal press book. Still if you want to see what type photos can be produced, this other is pretty awesome.

I bought this book hoping to find a compendium of techniques to enhance my skills a photographer. What I found is the quintessence of emptiness. This book is vague and editorial. It does not teaches the reader anything at all. It is a sequence of photographs with banal comments and very high level considerations. I honestly do not even believe it is a beginners book, it is just a retrospective on some of the author's pictures. The front cover quotes: "Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results"...sorry but there is nothing inspiring here.

I think this is a very useful book. There is a lot of talk about getting to know your subject(s) and the intended use of the portrait. The statement, "Anyone can be a photographer - but only a few photographers are artists" is part of the introduction and sums up how the book has been developed. Clear explanations of how photographing men is different from women, along with tips for working with every age group from newborns to seniors and families, make this book a great place to start, especially if you are self-taught.

I am a Canon shooter and it was nice to have the lens setup that's referred to in the book, however, my husband shoots Nikon and he's found the guidance just as helpful as I have.

I liked this book enough that I've ordered the others by these two authors.

I found a lot of the information in this book to be things that should be common sense. It does bring up some interesting points.A good book if you are just starting.

An excellent resource for anyone who is looking for ideas to improve both their technique and interpersonal skills as a photographer. Bambi is one of the most gifted people photographers of our generation. The greatest part is Bambi's enthusiastic personality is as amazing as her photographs.
As proven in her photographs, Bambi is one of those people who makes everyone and anyone comfortable and smile. I always learn new things from her books. Bravo! Keep them coming.
Nancy Koritz
Tokyo, Japan

I picked this book up at the store while looking for another. It was very easy to read and I understood what they were trying to tell the reader. Gave me some wonderful idea's. I especially liked how on the side of the photo it told you the camera info. I am a self taught photographer and for me that info was very useful. Would highly recommend this to anyone and plan on buying all the other book published by Bambi and Skip.

This book is a good read for anybody interested in taking better portraits. It's not too technical for the non-professional and is deep enough creatively for seasoned photographers. I recommend it.

Bambi Cantrell is a well-known wedding and portrait photographer and Skip Cohen is president of Rangefinder Publishing: the two pair their considerable talents and experience in The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results, which teaches the basics of portraiture from the foundations of acquiring and using professional equipment to learning the rules of portraiture and when and how to break them. From shooting babies and children to adults, special settings to special lighting conditions, this teaches a range of skills and packs in color and black and white photo examples throughout, making it a top pick for any lending library strong in portrait photography.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch