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54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A typographic treasure ..., December 6, 2000
I couldn't agree more to Richards introduction, when he says: "Modern automatic cameras have eased the burden of having to understand what's going on when you press the shutter. However, this often means the process and the variable elements that go into creating a successful image remain a mystery, and cannot be repeated." To be able to repeat good quality photographs you have (you need) to understand and to control the picture-taking process. I have read this book in one hit -- I couldn't let go -- the text is short and precise, the photographs are stunning and the caption contains the details you need to know to understand the scene. Many pictures have a counterpart to show you what had been improved by using different settings, lense or filter, etc. Travel photography is a super-set of abilities, not only the landscape scene, not only the family album type picture, not only macro shots, but all of it. This book will not let you down, by explaining in enough detail what to watch out for... it covers the lot, from selecting a camera to suit your needs, a suitable type of film, "a guide to taking better pictures", even how to make money out of your shots, in case you want to. The author concentrates on what is necessary, don't be scared when hearing about filters, one is a must (UV), another is very helpful (Polarizer) and two others are nice to have (find this out for yourself). The book is definitely worthwhile the money... way cheaper than taking test pictures and to find the settings on your own. You still have to take test pictures to test your capabilities, but I reckon you'll save five rolls :-) P.S. Why "A typographic treasure"? -- The layout of the book is excellent, the sections of the book a clearly visible, helping you to find you way around.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Travel Image Subject Matter Inspiration, January 30, 2001
By A Customer
An okay little book with lots of tips and hints on travel photography. The real strength of this book is the coverage of potential subject matter, providing plenty of food for thought. If your a beginner you may find coverage of the basics a bit brief, though there is still useful content in these early sections of the book for all. As an early intermediate picture taker, I found the lens aperture and shutter speed information included with most of the images useful in understanding the scope and context of those combinations selected for the different subjects. If you know your way around your camera equipment and are looking for some inspiration on what to photograph on that once in a lifetime trip, then take a look at this book. It is small enough that you can take it with you without adding too much to the baggage.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Advice is simplistic and there are superior resources, perhaps a decent single book for the reader on the road, May 21, 2007
Richard I'Anson has been a professional travel photograph for two decades now and has become a familiar face in the Lonely Planet series through his collaborations with Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet: Chasing Rickshaws and Rice Trails: A Journey Through The Ricelands Of Asia & Australia (Lonely Planet Pictorials). His book LONELY PLANET TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY first appeared at the turn of the millennium, and this second edition followed in 2004.
I'Anson's book covers all the basics of photography, such as choice of lenses and film, setting of such variables as shutter speed and aperature, and when to use a tripod and when not. The book's points are illustrated with dozens of I'Anson's own photographs, mainly from the Indian subcontinent, and the instruction is coloured by his own tastes, such as using natural light as often as possible and avoiding flash. The book succeeds as a general introduction to photography, and I think that my photos are at least slightly better now than before I purchased the book.
However, I'Anson's advice is extremely simplistic, as other reviewers have pointed out. There's little here that's specifically about travel photography, and so any other introduction to photography would cover the same group, perhaps even more economically. In fact, on one of the last pages I'Anson gives a list of URLs to websites with publicly available guidance, which turn out to be even more in-depth than LONELY PLANET TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
The book's production is also unideal. It's annoyingly typeset completely in sans serif. That makes it hard on the eyes, and only in a roundabout way did I discover that the author's surname is I'Anson (with i) instead of l'Anson as one might assume. The book is also printed entirely on plates, which is a necessary evil of a book aiming to display full-quality photographs, but which means that the book will add significant weight to your pack.
Advance hype was that the second edition of the book would include the world of digital photography. Unfortunately, digital very much seems an afterthought here. The advice is meagre, simplistic ("make sure you insert your digital camera card properly"), and generally in those spheres of digital that would go out of date most quickly and did. The manual that came with your digital camera probably gives better advice on taking good photos that I'Anson does, especially when so much of the text is taken verbatim from camera manufacturers.
All in all, I would recommend LONELY PLANET TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY only for those travelers who are going to spend a long time on the road and unconnected, who need all the info packed into one single volume. However, you're going to get through the material very quickly, and wonder why you got such a pricey and heavy book for so very little benefit.
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