Customer Reviews

STILL LIFE & CLOSEUP PHOTOGRAPHY (Better Picture Guides)

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This is one deceptively simple little book that addresses the creative side of photography.

One by one, the author shows a series of photos he's taken. He then explains the creative decisions he made when taking them.

He follows a simple formula of seeing - thinking - acting. From the original concept of the shot, he takes us through his creative decisions followed by technical details. Additional notes are sprinkled throughout the text, including charts and drawings where appropriate.

It's important to note what this book is not:

It is not a cookbook. While he specifies that he's used a long lens or wide angle, he never names brands. He does not give specific apertures or speeds. Many readers will find this disappointing, even though it makes perfect sense: your own photos will have their own requirements based on light, lens, iso, etc.

It is not for novices. The reader is going to have to know what a small/wide aperture is, since he never explains it.

For those who are comfortable with the technical side of photography, however, this is a much-needed next step into the creative aspect. There is more to this art than getting the settings right. It's a treat to be able to look over Michael Busselle's shoulder and have him explain why he did what he did.

Not a bad book if you like near-dark or dark photography. But the body text of a book is a terrific place to tell your graphic designer to chill out & stop fooling around with type effects. This book adopts a grating "playful" approach to text that defies you to read it. 120 page of three to ten enlarged words jumping out at you for no reason. Example p 58:

"A high position has given a COMMANDING view. Such IMAGES can have a creative as well as a historic purpose."

I'd pay a few dollars to punch this graphic designer very hard.

This book was a total disappointment to me. It did not have any useful information and technical in-depth explanations. A few good photos were placed in this book to seemingly give you the impression of best seller, which I guess might give it some resale value.

I would recommend this book if you just like to look at pretty pictures and wonder how they did that.