Customer Reviews

Camera Ready: How to Shoot Your Kids

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As other reviewers have said, this is a photo album of the author's kids. The photos are wonderful and enjoyable. The style is relaxed, somewhat candid and mostly black and white. I bought the book to learn more about his technique. However, he does not share much information on how to achieve these wonderful photos. So, I plan on using the book and his photo style as inspiration and the trial and error method to achieve similar photos . Even though it falls short in technical information, I still enjoyed the book and I feel it will be benificial in improving my own photography.

This is a fantastic book that I return to again and again for inspiration. Granted, there is not a lot of text, not a lot of "how to". But, as with anything one tries to do at a high level, photography is mostly art and not science. You can read lots of books with f-stop measurements, shutter speeds, etc., but those won't teach you nearly as well as looking at good pictures, and taking lots of pictures. Elgort's text provides the basics, all one really needs. By studying this book, you get the same lessons as Kelsh's book: Get Close, Study the Light, and Use Lots of Film. You don't get to be a great music composer by reading books on composition, you get better by listening to music and studying scores. Most "how to" photo books are like reading books on bicycle riding -- this book has you actually get on a bicycle and ride. In addition, Camera Ready is a beautiful coffee table book -- the subtitle "How to Shoot Your Kids" also gets a lot of smiles.
By the other reviews, I can see that this may not be a book for everyone: not for techie photographers, not for absolute beginners, etc. But with a little knowledge, this book can really help you with your most important pieces of photographic equipment: your mind and your eye.

I love photographing children and found this book to be very inspiring. I purchase this book as a gift for every friend or family member who has a baby, and I always receive rave reviews. This book is about inspiration and getting your children to a place where they are comfortable and familiar with having the camera around. This way you will have candid photographs of your children where they are natural and unaffected - by capturing their true essence. ... By following Arthur Elgort's simple advice, my photographs of children have improved tremendously.

this book will inspire you to take pictures of your kids. if a famous fashion photographer -- with a great sense of humor -- prefers to take candid pictures of his own kids than fashion models, you can do it, too. he also tells you which kind of camera to buy, the best ways to get your film developed and how to get over the fear that your kids are not as photogenic as his. a fantastic baby shower present, especially for anyone with an interest in fashion or design (it's designed by the extremely fashionable art director and photographer, steve hiett). if you have kids, you should have this book.

More than a unique gift for new parents (I've given this several times), the book is an inspiring refresher for informal portrait photography, whether or not children are the subject. Moreover, Elgort gives us a visual lesson in loving fatherly attentiveness.

I was looking for specific advice about "how to shoot" my kid (photographically). I did not get it. This book REALLY IS just a photo album of the author's own kids. While some people may be able to infer how to achieve great photos of their kids by looking at Mr. Elgort's photos, I needed more "how to" instruction. There is very little text in this book at all and I felt the title was misleading. If you are looking for excellent instruction on how to photograph your children (babies in particular) buy HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR BABY by Nick Kelsh, a far superior book which I bought after trashing this one.

i first discovered this book in a book store while looking at photography books, browsed through it, and left. but i kept thinking about it, and came back again, and again, to look at it. the pictures are really good and inspire you to take pictures of any kid that comes your way. he proves that the best pictures of kids are those that are candid and taken often...this book really inspired me to take pictures of children i know, and by just looking at the many pictures in the book, i got a better idea of how to do it.

Great for new comers with kids. Offers suggestions that you may not of thought of, Encourages you to think outside the square.

This book arrived wrapped in plastic wrap. This is always a bad sign. When you walk into a bookstore and find a book wrapped in plastic, you know it's because the publisher surmises that if you could actually browse the book's pages, you wouldn't buy it. Anyway, I was looking for "how to" advice re composing good photos, putting the subject at ease, etc. However, this book is really just a photo album of the author's own children. It's all very well and good to include such photographs to demostrate techniques, but this book was very short on text. It is literally just page after page of shots of his kids. While I can admire the fact that Mr. Elgort takes great photos, this book didn't help me to learn how to take great photos myself.

when this gorgeous and playful book by a fabulous fashion photographer came out, it was the CHIC-est baby shower gift (even better if you know arthur and you can get it signed!).

the kids and their lives are sweet and inspiring and the advice is friendly and unintimidating - just like a real live conversation with the photographer himself.

now that it's out of print, it is even cooler! if you know any hip parents - buy this book now in large quantities!