Customer Reviews

Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a survey of technical and artistic considerations and techniques that can make novice and intermediate photographers more capable, and more satisfied with their shooting endeavors.
The promise on the back cover of "Creative Composition, Digital Photography Tips & Techniques" is that it will help you:
* Unleash the power of your imagination
* Learn to pre-visualize photos
* Find what's important about your subject
* Frame photos for impact
* Recognize powerful compositions
* Find magic in everyday objects
What it delivers is a broad, though arguably shallow, survey of enough techniques and insights to improve the abilities of many photographers.
The novice will find technical and artistic guidance that, with attentive application, can elevate his or her photos from snapshots to interesting images. The intermediate shooter will be inspired to explore new creative methods shown in the author's examples. The advanced photographer will be reminded of techniques s/he may have neglected and will gain fresh insight into principles of composition.
Speaking of composition, I selected this book based on the title: Creative Composition. It turns out that fully a third of it is a compendium of technical information, included because the author asserts that you need that knowledge to be competent at composition. In other words, he says that you can't pre-visualize an effective image if you don't have a grasp of basic photographic technique. I agree, thought might argue that this was an easy way to add bulk to the book.
Some of the 64 topics covered in the technique section include lenses and focal length, sensor size and focal length, using exposure modes, reading histograms, depth of field, blur and bokeh, extending dynamic range, extending focal range. These are typically discussed in five to 10 paragraphs, so don't expect thorough explanations. As you would expect, every section relies on the authors images to illustrate the points covered. Each includes focal length, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and whether hand-held or tripod mounted. Although there is discussion of 35mm (full-frame) focal length equivalence, the author only tells you once that he is shooting with cameras with a 1.5 factor.
The second section is organized around principles such as photography as deception, abstraction, double takes, photography and paradox, patterns, framing, the golden ratio ... As in the technical section of the book, the composition section is heavily weighted toward images. A generally brief discussion of a compositional technique is fleshed out with one to eight illustrative images, with a sentence relating each to the technique.
Before I enumerate my criticisms of the book, let me say that I approach this with 50 years of photographic experience, from childhood snapshooting, to yearbook staff, to professional auto racing, commercial, and fine-art photography. I certainly do recommend Creative Composition to any novice or intermediate-level photographer; there is much to learn in it.
Where this book falls short of its potential is in areas where the author has provided sketchy information or mere hints of what the reader could wish to learn. He mentions shooting hand-held HDR (high dynamic range) without explaining how. Ditto for "multi-raw" shooting.
The discussion of depth-of-field (DOF) and bokeh neglects to mention issues of highlights and the shape of the aperture. I didn't see mention of the impact of trailing-edge focus on making the subject pop against the background. And the discussion of the impact of focal length on DOF is, in absolute terms, incorrect (perpetuating common misunderstanding). Clearly misleading is the statement, "The depth-of-field preview on a DSLR lets you look through the lens fully stopped down ..." In fact, the DOF preview lets you look through the lens at the working aperture, which is generally not "fully stopped down" to the smallest aperture.
This book also perpetuates the myth that lenses with focal lengths longer than "normal" are always telephoto. In fact, the definition of telephoto is that the lens is physically shorter than the focal length. Though the author offers a simpler definition, the focal length is the distance from the secondary nodal point to the rear focal point of a lens. That may be more information than you need, but it is accurate information.
Just one last gripe: the explanation of histograms. First, the author provides illustrations of "good" and "bad" histograms. But different scenes will produce "good" histograms that do not resemble the examples. Photo examples with their histograms would have been hugely illuminating (pardon the pun). It would have also been beneficial to mention that a) color channel histograms are available on some cameras, and b) histograms are based on the camera's current JPEG settings, so raw file histograms may differ from what you see during in-camera review.
But enough carping; this is a book I will recommend to the students I teach in workshops and tutoring sessions. It is a book that will inspire me to shoot in new ways. Unless you are a most advanced shooter, you can find inspiration to learn new techniques, even if you do have to do further research for detailed instruction.

I have read dozens of books that attempt to deal with the very difficult subject of photograph composition. Many of them rely too heavily on the author telling the reader how to "look" at things differently. What this book does throughout is very different - it actually helped me "see" things with a much clearer eye. For example, the chapter on "Seeing the Unexpected" prompted me to go out in search of macro and abstract details after reading the author's very good advice about asking yourself the simple question: "is there another way to approach this?"

Harold Davis is an accomplished photographer and his photos in the book are great examples of how creative composition can change a dull scene into an intriguing one. But what really makes this book stand out is that he talks about HOW one goes about making better photos, and his advice on creating a game plan and using pre-visualization is really good. I also found the chapters on how to create photographs that tell stories and how one should go about researching a photo to be particularly helpful and full of good advice.

An added bonus throughout this book is the details that the authors shares on each of his photos that are utilized to illustrate a chapter - you get an insider's look at the lens length, the f/stop, the ISO and the exposure that was part of crafting the image. Very helpful and quite interesting - especially on some of the shots where he used longer exposures.

The reason I read reviews on Amazon is because I like to see what other readers thought about a book before I ordered it, and I assume that you are reading this review for the very same reason. If you are someone who wants to expand your photographic ability and would like to learn how to do so through good fast paced instructions that are easy to follow and implement, then this is a great book for you. It is also one that will stimulate you to go out and try new things, and I believe you'll be a better shooter after reading this volume.

Highly recommended.

"Creative Composition" is not so much a nuts and bolts tutorial as opposed to a book where he aims to get individuals thinking about what and how they shoot their images. The book is divided into 4 parts, "Cameras don't take pictures, people do; Unleash your imagination; Photography and paradox; and Photography is design. Each part makes heavy use of Davis' images which are accompanied by technical information including lens used, and exposure data which is linked to the accompanying narrative.

"Cameras don't take pictures, people do," is a concise introduction to different camera formats, exposures, depth of field and other technical aspects of taking pictures. Davis, through his concise narrative and his photos, illustrates these concepts and how they relate to the making of creative exposures. He also discusses and illustrates the use of tools such as a fisheye lens and lensbaby lenses in the context of creative image taking. Davis' discussion of a few points, such as digital asset management, is a bit too cursory.

"Unleash your imagination" focuses on having the reader think about more than taking snap shots. He mixes strong images with a discussion of visual ambiguity, and abstraction, the importance of vision as well as photography being magical, poetic and at other times narrative. This is not a subject matter that is easy to discuss or illustrate (as was showing the effects of different shutter speeds or apertures), but by discussing the choices made with respect to specific images, Davis illustrates the possibilities available to the one with the camera.

Certain aspects of abstraction and unusual ways of looking at the world is also the subject of the next part,"Photography as paradox." Here, Davis observes how sometimes the recorded image can be deceptive. He displays the usefulness of digital tools to help make such images, particularly through the ability to make composite images from an original file. Davis only discusses using digital tools as opposed to providing step-by-step directions.

The final part, "Photography is design," is where he discusses the presence of lines, patterns, rhythm and iteration in photographs as well as the impact of light, the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. His discussion is less providing rules of composition, but rather illustrating some elements that make some images so effective.

"Creative Composition" does link the technical aspects of photography with some of the more artistic choices one must make. It instructs through illustrations and making the reader aware of the possibilities he or she has in making their own work more distinctive and stronger.

As an addendum to the review as originally written (and as a response to a comment), I should state my giving 3 stars is probably being conservative with stars. If I could give 3 1/2 stars I probably would and I can easily understand others giving higher ratings.

I'm not a professional photographer, and don't have that natural "eye" for photos, so I am always looking for books to at least help me technicaly get better photos.
I really like this book because it is written in plain english and is very clear for those of us who aren't seasoned professionals.

The book opens with equipment and technique. All those years of point and shoot cameras do not prepare you for a manual one. To a novice, this is a very handy chapter.

The book primarily focuses on encouraging your creative eye. This could be disconcerting for someone who is looking for a really techical book although he does cover that in the last section. It covers technique, unleashing imagination, paradox (reality and unreality) and design.

For a beginner photographer I think this is a great book for opening up your mind to creativity, although I would also suggest another more "technical" book for more indepth info on that side of the camera. One reviewer wrote "Much of the time Davis helps the reader to learn to "find the magic in the mundane". I think that sums it up perfectly.

Creative Composition is a valuable addition to the genre of how-to-photograph books, which tend to focus on the technical aspects of photography. Unfortunately, for many readers who are already skilled in using a camera, Davis devotes over 1/3 of his book to technical issues, but these he covers in relation to the creative choices a photographer makes.

The book is divided into four sections covering technique, unleashing imagination, paradox (reality and unreality) and design. Reading the book, I was initially frustrated because I wanted the author to discuss design and composition first, especially since we frame a picture before making technical decisions and manipulating the resulting photo. But finally at the end of the book he did adequately cover design elements - line, shape, pattern, iteration, rhythm, frame, light, color and tone.

My initial disappointment with Creative Composition (which includes more pictures than text) changed as I paid more attention to Davis' impressive images, and realized that in doing so I was training my powers of perception more than my analytic mind. Readers seeking formulas to help them better compose photographs need to be aware (or reminded) that left brain knowledge alone will rarely result in an inspiring photo. One does not THINK such a photo into existence. If anything, one develops a wider and more fluid ability to perceive, so that choices one makes taking a picture are a blend of intuitive perception and the knowledge that has hopefully penetrated from the analytical mind to a deeper cellular level.

Creative Composition does provide valuable guidance for composing and manipulating photographs, but much of its value is in the training of one's capacity to SEE. Such ability results not just from studying the text, but at least as much from experiencing and actually absorbing that images that illustrate Davis' main points.

Some of these main points which I found most useful include suggestions related to: composing for black and white, looking for visual ambiguity/double takes, and penetrating beyond obvious forms to see the unexpected or underlying abstraction. Much of the time Davis helps the reader to learn to "find the magic in the mundane."

As a photoshop instructor, I had no objection to sections demonstrating photo-manipulation techniques, and found some of his examples of creative ways to combine images quite evocative. But such photo-manipulation is not for everyone, and Davis' tendency to tell WHAT he did without explaining HOW he did it is not entirely helpful even to the Photoshop user.

When I drive to classes on the same roads for twenty years, I often deal with the tedium by imagining that I am an alien who just catapulted from a spaceship onto earth, and am trying to figure out what all these bizarre shapes around me are, and what function they serve. Odd as it may seem, such an exercise in imagination does help me to see differently, to reorganize the literal scene and view the world in an expanded way.

Reading Creative Composition likewise has a similar effect - particularly because of the way in which the images illustrate the principles Davis presents, and speak to a deeper part of the self. All that the book is lacking is a chapter of creative exercises a photographer might undertake to further open the gates of perception and stimulate creativity.

It's clear in reading this book that Harold Davis is very passionate about photography. He writes so warmly about the subject of the photo be it human or inatimate object. This really draws the reader emotionally into the particular photo that he's describing. The Author Harold Davis does this better then any other author of photography books that I have read. One of the ideas that he presents so well is becoming almost interactively involved with the subject of the photo that you are taking.

The book is basically divided into four sections.
Cameras don't take photos, people do.
In this section the author talks about the technical aspects of photography and you can use these tools, understanding how they work and how it will impact the image. What I got from this section is thinking about what you're trying to capture, having the right equipment to do it and then executing your idea. Take it from though to reality.

Section two:
Unleash your imagination:
In this section Davis really drives home the idea of looking at what your image is and what it could become through the use of different types of lenses, filter effects and post processing. So much of photography is visualization makes this point through the photos that he shares with us. One of the things that the author points out is that you can take a beautiful picture of a well known sight and everyone will know where it is, you can take a picture of a beautiful flower and that could be anywhere. Possibilities are all around you. Look at the big things as photo ops but take the time to look at the smallest things, be aware of your surroundings for images present themselves in all sizes shapes and colors is really what I got from this section.

Section three:
Photography and Paradox:
In this section Davis talks about the settings that he used on his camera and post processing multiple photos to make one composite image. Unfortunately he doesn't tell you step by step through the software what he did but it's ok because this isn't a book on how to use PhotoShop. These images are amazing though. What I got from this section is to turn on your photographic mind, why not blur the lines of reality with photography. You are still in the end creating art.

Section four:
Photography is design:
Davis talks about lines, circles, shapes in photography. Davis also talks about seeing these patterns and using them to draw interest and direct you eye visually. Davis also talks about the use of color and light to enhance your photo. What I got from this section was simply taking to account all of the visual environmental factors properly framing the image.


I would describe myself as a fairly good armature photographer. .I gained a lot technically from this book but what I really gained was taking the time to immerse myself in the shot, think about the possibilities and think about the environmental factors. I haven't read any other of Davis's book but I will now. The photography is beautiful and I rally appreciated the warm enthusiastic writing style.

Instructing photographers about creativity is hard. It's not like technique where there are rules, like use a large f-stop if you want to limit depth of field, or use a shutter speed equal to one over the focal length for a hand-held shot. It's not even like discussing composition where you can say, all things considered, it's better to apply the rule of thirds. Instead an author has to tell a person how to see.

It's hard to review a book on creativity, since each reader seems to respond differently to styles of particular authors. Thus even though I didn't find this book helpful, others might.

The author is certainly an excellent and creative photographer as the examples in the book reveal. He appears to be of two different minds. Some pictures, like those of his children, favor content over form, while others seem to favor form, almost to the exclusion of content, like many images that border on abstraction. (My own style lies somewhere between these, reflecting my preference for more realistic images where the form explicates the content.) For the images shown in this book, Davis seems to prefer either macro-photography, especially of flowers, or mysterious landscapes.

The book opens with a section on equipment and technique. I was perplexed by the need to include this section since it seems to me that people who have reached the stage of interest in creative composition would already have known this information. The second section is called "unleash your imagination" and it is here that the author talks about the use of visual ambiguity, photography as magic and as poetry, and abstraction. These were interesting concepts, and I frequently wished that he had discussed them in more depth. For example Davis urges seeing what is in front of you, but this raised a number of questions in my mind. Since most people believe they are seeing what's in front of them, how can one tell if he or she is missing something? If you are missing something, how do you refine your senses for better seeing?

The third section discusses photography and paradox. Unfortunately, I found most of the section dealt with heavily manipulated images, even though there are many opportunities for paradox in the unmanipulated world. The final chapter was called "photography is design" and it was here that the author dealt with most of the standard composition rules, like the rule of thirds, and frames within frames.

As I said above, there are many approaches to creativity, and a person striving to improve creativity should search all the avenues until he finds one or more that are helpful. Perhaps this book may be such an avenue for you.

Having read many books on creative composition, I would say that Creative Composition by Harold Davis is excellent but does not distinguish itself greatly from the large pack of books on this subject matter I have read or browsed through. However, this is a beautifully put together book with so many example photos and to the author's credit, with every photo is included the camera settings used. However, Mr. Davis also quietly slips in a lot of Photoshop use and for that work he is very vague or silent on the settings he used. As a big Photoshop user, this disappointed me. Overall, I think Mr. Davis drives home very important points on creative composition but again, almost all of them have been printed somewhere else before. I will say this however- if I could only purchase five books on creative composition, this book would be one of them. Also, at $29.99 (before Amazon discount), it is at a very competitive price for this type of book.

logical, sometimes philosophical, advice

Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques

"My work is best when I lose myself in the process. I am not thinking about where my photos will be published or how much money they may make. I am not caught in an inner dialog with myself. Instead I am in a creative trance, where nothing matters but the creative process itself." --Harold Davis, Creative Composition

I found Harold Davis' Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques to be an Impressive book filled with Stunning photos and photo compositions, logical, sometimes philosophical, advice on composition and creativity, and a bit about how each photo was made.

Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques would make a lasting, even memorable, gift for the person in your life interested in photography. I even learned about the Fibonacci sequence -- and how it relates to creative composition! :) Highly Recommended! --Katharena Eiermann, Professional Photographer, 2010

To start - and maybe prevent myself from repeating it throughout this review - I'm a fan of Mr Davis' images. I frequently find them breathtaking and always eye-popping. The images included in this book are creative, instructive, inspirational and, at times, impossible. The book is about how he does -- and we might -- make them possible.

This isn't a Photoshop cookbook, although Mr Davis lists accompanying techniques he may have used in an image. One of his other recent books, The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing, could be viewed as an instructive companion.

Mr Davis' intent, I think, is to show that what we see as image makers can and often should be very different from what is "there" in order to convey the reason for the image. From lighting and composition (with wide and deep examples and explanations of many approaches to composition) to post processing, he shows what can be done to design what he sees and wants to see - inspirational, creative and beautiful art. In my view, he succeeds.

A few highlights for me were:

1. Storytelling. We have a miracle baby too and his record of his daughter in the NICU (maybe the same one ours was in), brought back the jarring mix of machinery, fear, and care. It's a powerful series.
2. Seeing the unexpected. I laughed because for some reason it made me think of Steve Martin's Let's Get Small bit. That aside, it's well worth studying.
3. Double-take surprises in images.
4. Concentration on shapes as critical to the image.
5. Leaving mystery and ambiguity in the photograph.
6. Seeing his treatment of places I've been many times - Embarcadero's spiral staircase, Ft Point in San Francisco - demonstrated that I hadn't seen what was there. I'll do better next time.
7. His treatments of stairways and domes. Spectacular and my favorites.

Mr Davis includes his shot settings with explanations of why they were selected; helpful, but this isn't a settings cookbook either -- the settings are just some of the tools. Seeing and creating the image is the point for me.

It's a very pleasing book to read, with images and text flowing nicely. The book's value to me, though, is in returning to it for ideas, beauty and to build my "muscle memory."