Customer Reviews

The Art of Photographing Nature

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Art of Photographing Nature is probably not for the beginning photographer, but once you?ve learned how to manipulate the camera well enough to consistently make good, properly focussed exposures, you ought to look at this book if you?re interested in nature photography. And I do mean look, because that?s the way this book teaches.

This is a book about photographic composition, which is something a photographer must know well to make pictures that are more than snapshots. Technique is referred to, but if you want a how-to book get John Shaw?s ?Nature Photography Field Guide?

Although Hill claims the writing credits and Wolfe the photography credits, this is somewhat misleading. The form the book takes is to show a picture taken by Wolfe, or more often two, and then have both comment on the compositional choices. Since Wolfe is one of the greatest living nature photographers and since Hill is the former picture editor of Audubon Magazine, their commentary is illuminating. I found the comparison between two pictures of the same or similar subject matter, including why they found one better than the other, to be particularly insightful. It also adds to the discussion that each of them brings a slightly different sensibility to the pictures. There are even a few sets where the two disagree as to the better picture.

As I said before, this is not a technique book, but technique is examined as a way to enhance the composition. For example, in the section called ?Reading the Light?, the authors talk about how to find 18% gray, to get a standard exposure from a light meter. But than they talk about how to use that information to make pictures lighter or darker to enhance the subject.

There are various methods of teaching. Some teachers provide principals and then give examples. Others present the example and then derive lessons from the example. Most of us benefit by a combination of both approaches. Usually photography books take the former approach. Hill and Wolfe use the latter and this book does it as well as any nature photography book I?ve seen.

P.S. Even Wolfe?s second choice pictures are a pleasure to behold.

I really liked this book. The photographic images are well reproduced and fascinating. The dual presentations of the two authors (photographer and photography editor) allowed for different perspectives that really increased my understanding of the creative process of taking and analyzing these images. The use of multiple photographs of the same subject (some that worked well, some that didn't work as well) and the related discussion was very helpful. The text went beyond the typical photographic techniques recitation to present artistic concepts and how this impacted the "success" of the captured image. I wish the book was even longer with more excellent photographs.

This was my 3rd book on Photography. When I compared with other 2 books, I really find it an EXCELLENT book on the very basic or Fundamentals of Photography. This book tells you how you should isolate your subject, what color situations to choose, how to frame the picture, how to read light, how to set Shutter speed and Aperture to achieve Depth of Field or Isolation of a Subject etc. This book is almost free of technical jargons but explains evrything you want to know about photography. When I started reading it, I was a little disappointed because of not so amazing photographs but as I continue to read I found that the photographs really tell you the basics. Moreover, the book is not too verbose so you can read it fast and at the same time build up your knowledge. I read the complete book in 3-4 days cause it's so gripping and interesting. Oh, I forgot to tell one thing. This book also contains various aspect of photography for a magazines or for a story etc. Martha Hill happened to be the Picture Editor of Auduban. Therefore, I highly recommend this book for everybody.

In this book, acclaimed nature photorapher Art Wolfe teams with Marth Hill, former picture editor for Audubon Magazine. Using side by side photo comparisons and speaking from the different perspectives of photographer and photo buyer, Wolfe and Hill teach the difference between a good photo and a great one. Highly recommended for those considering marketing their nature photography.

I purchased my copy of this book in 1997 and have read it more than once. Art Wolfe's photography is outstanding and the inclusion of two or more takes, with explanatory verbiage, on the images is of great value in understanding how he got the shots and what goes into making the best shots.

Martha Hill also provides interesting insight for the photographer on the inner workings of a publication or at least the photo editing function. This can be useful to those determined to sell their work for publication.

Both Art's & Martha's explanations on why they like a certain image in a comparative spread are illuminating and they occasionally disagree as to which image is best. This is, of course, perfectly acceptable as the individual perspective that each brings to the table, Art's artistic perspective, and Martha's publication-oriented perspective, as well as their personal tastes all come into play in determining what is the "best" image.

An otherwise good effort is marred by poor text editing. This book, or at least the version that I have - last date 1993 - could have benefited from a text editor. There are many instances in which the technical information - lens length, aperture, f stop or shutter speed - provided in the image caption and that provided in the text disagree. The first of these occurs on pages 6 & 7. The image caption notes that the shutter speed for the Adelie penguins was 1/250, but the text indicates 1/500. (I provided this citation so that you can see if the version of the book you are looking at has been updated. Hopefully, any newer printings would have rectified this issue.)

The frequent inconsistency of the technical information relating to how an image was captured should have been caught in the editorial process. In addition, if one of the purposes of the book is to be instructive, although not in a text book fashion, it fails, at least partially, in this mission due to the inconsistent technical information.

All in all, this was a good book with many tips for the budding nature photographer. Even experienced photographers who do not have nature experience can learn from Art's discussions.

The Art of Photographing Nature is a unique photography book. Not only do you get a master photographer (Art Wolfe) dissecting his own work, his commentary is supplemented by Martha Hill. Ms. Hill was formerly the editor of Audubon Magazine and brings an entirely different perspective to the analysis. The hundreds of photos not only show off Mr. Wolfe's considerable ability but also provide fertile ground for the discussion of what make one shot more desirable than another.

This is not a book that will satisfy those desiring a step-by-step guide to nature photography. It's more of a free form discussion that is illuminating but will provide as much food for thought as it does hard information. In fact, the two don't always see the same picture the same way and that in itself is interesting though, again, it could frustrate someone looking for one right answer. As long as you can accept the book for what it is, I highly recommend it. In fact, this is one book that you shouldn't read just once. Come back to it every so often and you'll find that it opens your eyes to new possibilities again and again.

This is a fantastic book that covers everything from lighting to predicting the behavior of wild animals for photography. Very illustrative and to the point.

This strength of this book is the comparison format. For every type of photo being discussed, there are multiple examples of each, with explanations of why one might be chosen over another - not just by Wolfe, but by photo editor Martha Hill.

You not only get different techniques for each shot, you get two perspectives on why each works (or doesn't work). Not a great deal of technical information presented, but still very useful for wildlife and landscape photographers.

The great strength of this book is that Art Wolfe shoots the same subjects with different film, exposures, filters, lenses, light conditions, etc. You can thus see the impact that different framing or lighting has, very clearly. Plus the photos are phenomenal!

This outstanding book features the breath-taking photography of Art Wolfe. Each of Art's photographs are discussed both by Art himself and Martha Hill, the former photo editor of Audubon magazine. It is interesting to see the "story" behind the photos: how Art set up the shot, what film was used, metering method, etc - and then see Martha's comments on the same photo from her photo editor perspective. A must have