Customer Reviews

Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is about taking pictures of people; not just portraits, but also people at events, and even, in a few cases, people in the landscape.

The book is divided into five parts. Part I includes a portfolio of pictures from Carnevale, in Venice, with the author's pithy comments like "Choose a creative angle. Break the traditional rules of composition and look for unique angles." There is also a short portfolio of pictures from Mongolia, in which the author mentions different pieces of equipment he found useful in taking the pictures.

Part II includes 19 chapters, each a bit of photographic philosophy, like "Adding Props", together with several photos that are said to illustrate the point and a few hundred words of explanation.

There are parts on outdoor and indoor photography that provide several tips on photographing in these lighting conditions. The book concludes with a section on using Photoshop, wherein the author describes several techniques that can be used to manipulate images for a different effect.

Sammon is an enthusiastic author and that comes through in the writing. He is also takes interesting, colorful and exciting pictures in exotic places that will catch the reader's eye, including Venice, Namibia, and ranches in the American Southwest. Yet, after the pleasure of reading this book, I realized that I was looking at a book that combined a portfolio of photographs (some of which I recalled from other Sammon books) and a bunch of tips. I like to see instruction built up in a structured fashion rather then as tips. For example, Sammon gives a lot of tips about depth-of-field, but never gives a comprehensive explanation of the subject.

Moreover, it seemed to me that this was the same ground that Sammon had covered in several of his other twenty seven books. If you've never read a book by the author, this volume may be a lot of fun, but if you've read one of his more general books, you may find this book repetitious. The tips seem to be aimed at the beginning photographer, rather then the advanced image maker. For the expert, it may be useful to be reminded of some of the tips, but there will be little new here.

I suspect that publishers believe that there must be reference to Photoshop to make a book applicable to digital photography. Pitching the Photoshop section of the book to more manipulative techniques, rather than mentioning basic exposure and color controls, might lead new photographers, who appear to be the main audience for this book, to conceive of the software as a tool mainly for image alteration. Moreover, Sammon's instructions sometimes utilize destructive adjustments, like dodging, rather then the more generally favored adjustment layers.

If you've never read a book by Rick Sammon, this one will certainly be a lot of fun. If you are looking for some kind of advanced advice, you probably won't find it here.

I'm about to graduate from a digital point-and-shoot to an entry level DSLR camera. In order to create all those images that will wow my friends, I read through the book Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People by Rick Sammon. If you're looking to focus on people and faces, this book puts you in the proper mindset on how best to shoot in a way that captures more than just an image.

Contents:
Introduction - The Camera Looks Both Ways
Part 1 - Cameras Don't Take Pictures, People Do: A Quick Look at Gear
Part 2 - Photo Philosophies: Making Pictures Versus Taking Pictures; From Head to Toe; Creating a Sense of Place; Dead Center Is Deadly; Horizontal and/or Vertical; Silence Is Deadly; Being There and Being Aware; Portraits Versus Environmental Portraits; The All-Important Background; Paying People; Dress for Success; Body Language and Hands; Seeing Eye to Eye; Choose a Location; Adding Props; Seeing Pictures Within a Picture; Adding a Person Adds Scale to a Picture; Thinking Creatively; Taking Fun Shots
Part 3 - Capturing Action; Using Reflectors; The Beauty of Using Diffusers; Garage Glamour; Daylight Fill-in Flash; The Disequilibrium Technique; The Key to a Good Profile; Photographing People in Low Light and at Night; Group Photography; Take Advantage of Backlight; Photographing Festivals; Creating a Sense of Depth
Part 4 - Indoor Photography: Rembrandt Lighting; Shooting Silhouettes; Basic Flash Techniques; Using Lighting Kits; Working with Mirrors; Photographing a Stage Show
Part 5 - Enhancing Your Pictures in Photoshop: Create a Beautiful Black-and-White Image; The Renaissance Painter Effect; Color and Black-and-White in the Same Image; From Snapshot to Artistic Image; Create the Disequilibrium Effect; Change the Shutter Speed and F-Stop; Remove Distracting Elements in a Scene; Brighten a Subject's Eyes and Smile; Basic Skin Coloring; Hand-Color a Picture; Playin' with Plug-ins
Epilog: Your Assignment - On-Location Portraiture
Index

This seems to differ somewhat from other photography books I've read in that he spends more time talking about composition and lighting rather than the technical details of exposure, f-stops, and other nitty-gritty elements. It's not that he ignores those details, but he's more concerned about issues like framing, background, subject interaction, and telling a story. As such, I could implement many of these techniques regardless of what camera I'm using. Yes, there is a limitation when you can't fully control lens selection and such, but you can still using lighting and composition to get memorable pictures. As the title indicates, Sammon is focusing (no pun intended) on the techniques involved in shooting people rather than scenery or special effects. While I don't expect to be an expert a day after the new camera arrives, I now realize that shooting people is something that says as much about you the photographer as it does about the person being shot. I'm looking forward to working through the "lessons", which is how each chapter is laid out. I also got a much better appreciation for the role of Photoshop in getting that image that looks professional. I have so much to learn...

About the only thing I didn't care for in the book is that a significant number of pictures in the book are from a select few photo shoots that he did. For instance, Silence is Deadly introduces an attractive woman with different facial expressions based on how the photographer was talking with her. But she then shows up repeatedly in staged old-time Western shots, and you learn that she's a model. In that case, the photographer definitely has a subject who can provide more than a spur-of-the-moment series of images. The other western shots carried the old-time saloon theme, and they looked more staged than I would have expected. On the other hand, his African tribe shots are very real. I just don't think I would have used them as much or as often as they were used to illustrate the different points.

Even with that minor nit, there's a lot to learn from this book for people like myself who are trying to kick up their skills to a new level.

In an age where many 'academic' Art historians and studio Art teachers often feel that art is about thought and explanation as opposed to inspiration, revisualization, craft and execution, this exquisitely illustrated book teaches how world-class images are the result of both inspiration careful visualition AND execution.

Rick Sammon shares techniques he uses to make extraordinary and artistic portraits. He reveals important tips and strategies for engaging the subject and setting up the shoot, along with techniques for photographing in a variety of conditions indoors and outdoors.

His side by side comparisons of subtle and sometimes not so subtle changes that make all the difference taking the image from 'acceptable' to meaningful, is one of the most helpful aspects of his book. The book handles sometimes highly technical parameters in a simple and easily understood way. It teaches the value of understanding the craft so that the photographer does not stumble over technique as he/she tries to illustrate and share an important thought.

facetoface is a must study for young working professional portrait photographers but also extremely valuable for those wishing to commit art.. This book helps the artist to deliver on his/her vision. And as any mother knows it is easer to conceive than to deliver. Artists deserve to learn the same.

David A.Page
Fine Arts Photographer (ret.)
Duke University

Relatively recently I got into DSLR photography and more recently I began photographing people. I have learned something from every photo shoot that I have done, but it has been a lot of trial and error. I just purchased Rick's book and find it a fabulous reference. A number of the reviews refer to this as a "beginner's book", which it definitely is; however, I think it really will have tips and ideas that even a well seasoned professional can use.

There are a number of aspects about this book that I reall like. The most obvious is the extensive use of photographs to help the reader compare and contrast the effects of a particular technique. Another thing that I liked was the overall organization. Five parts to the book with multiple lessons in each. Each part and lession seemed to naturally flow to the next. Best of all, though, is he starts off with "Jumpstart Your Session." This section gives a quick overview for impatient people like me.

What I find most challenging about learning photography, or just about anything, is that there are so many things you need to pay attention to. Until you have been doing it a while it is almost impossible to remember everything you need to for each shot. However, with experience these things become ingrained. In a relatively short number of pages, Rick's book covers all of the basic elements; and because of its organization, it is easy to take a quick refresher course or to focus on one thing.

I started working with models because I like taking candid photos of everyday people. However, I still struggle with coming up to people and asking to photograph them and conversely, I do not like to just walk up and photograph them. Ricks book touches upon this. While he does not spend a lot of time discussing the topic and most of his examples are in foreign countries, I felt they were very applicable. In addition, he provides insight into working with models, which is what I have started doing because at least you have a subject that you know is willing to be photographed and will work with you to perfect the shot.

One last thing that I will mention is that this book does not go into using tons of equipment, which specifically fits what I like to do. I do not have umbrellas, dozens of flashes, booms, and all of that. So his approach to travelling light fits very nicely into my tastes of the resources of most beginning photographers.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about photographing people; both as portraits or people within their environment.

this is a great book. its really well written, and the photography is wonderful. I studied photography at the Pratt Institute and I found this book as informative and helpful as my advanced portrait class. Its fun to read, imaginative, and easy to understand. i really recommend it.

This is a refreshing, imaginative look at a topic that has been done to death. Rick Sammon approaches the topic from a people-to-people standpoint, rather than as any type of portraiture book. I especially liked the space devoted to photographing people of other cultures. I really didn't want or need another Photoshop book, but at least Sammon doesn't weigh down this guide with image manipulation, when the true value of his advice comes from telling us how to use photography and camera tools to capture people pictures.

This book would gives a few hints and tips but not in great depth. For anyone interested in looking at nice photos and some small hints and tips then maybe this book may be for you. For you who wants to get into the details, then maybe look elsewhere.

Rick Sammon's "face to face" book is more than just a great guide to digital photography. I found it very easy to read and understand. I appreciated how the information was written in an "entertaining genre" instead of in a "tedious, uninteresting and structured style". I especially liked how Rick gave examples of what went wrong in certain photographs and how to correct them. He seems to really connect with his subjects and that connection comes through in his pictures. I am a photographer who likes to try to "capture the shot" in the camera but after reading this book I am looking forward to going out there and "Making Pictures Instead of Taking Pictures". I also know that this book was not intended as a photoshop lesson but for someone like me who knows very little about photoshop, part five was very enlightening. Last but not least, one of the great things I love about the book is all the wonderful images inside of it. Not only is "face to face" a great instructional guide but it looks great on my living room table for all my guests to see and explore!!!

The cover photograph on Rick Sammon's book says it well. This is a book about faces, faces of people young and old, people from various cultures around the world, people you will enjoy meeting, people who will engage you face to face These compelling environmental portraits are illuminated with practical and easy to follow personal accounts of how the photographs were made. The "how they were made" is important. He distinguishes between taking a photograph and making a photograph
Sammon is a people photographer, a teacher and prodigious author of many books that are instructional, interesting and `user friendly'. This book provides not only a way of seeing but also a way of living.

I agree with a lot of the good already lauded for this little volume. There are some thoughtful tips to guide the photographer to see people in addition to the shot. That said, this book is short on variety. One would think that a career photog like Sammon has a wealth of photo shoots to draw from in order to illustrate the points he makes. Instead the book is burdened with too many similar shots from too few sessions in my opinion.