Customer Reviews

Macrophotography: Learning from a Master

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The photos in this book are superb. In macro photography I'm really attentive to backgrounds, and Loaec has mastered the very difficult task creating colorful exciting backgrounds on high magnification images. The author demonstrates his highly evovled skills time and again with an abundance of awe inspiring photographs.

My disappointment with the book is with the text. Maybe there's something lost in translation, but I find the writing rather stilted, and the information content was sparce. There was very little discussion that helped me understand how he produced his very fine images.

I did note that in many cases he used comparatively low magnifications, and then cropped and enlarged to create his images. This would not be evident, though, to those who are not practiced macro photographers.

The book is full of good information and broken down to understable chunks, with lots of great pics. Some of the equipment he is recommending is very pricey for your average hobbyist, but if you want to learn and see macro photography this is a good choice

This book not only covers the basics but goes into some very elaborate set ups for doing advanced close-up work. Great printing quality also helps this volume be the number one reference in this field.

My only complaint with this book is the use of the terms "macrophotography" and "microphotography", instead of the more proper photomacrography and photomicrography, however I must assume this somehow is due to language translations. Anyway, I find this book good in that it deals with the more modern styles of cameras with all the auto-everything devices. This should make the book more comfortable with folks who didn't grow up in the prehistoric era when cameras didn't even have built in light meters. I find the book is written in a way to be very understandable to photographers of all levels. I also found some interesting ideas for very elaborate studio-type setups that should be of use to even professional photographers who think they already know everything. I think the numerous large images within the book are excellent and could allow this book to exist just as a "coffee table" book. I'm currently teaching a class on scientific photography and I'm going to use this book as a reference for the class.

The photos that pack this great book are amazing! If you are even considering getting into macro photography you should own this book. I found myself up late into the night unable to put it down. Afterward I was so eager to get out and explore this new world that I had never put much thought to. Who would have thought tiny bug and other "creepy crawlies" would be so colorful and fascinating?

Macro photograph is very hard to master. Even with the best of equipment, it requires command of your equipment, knowledge of your controls or lack of controls, continued practice, and especially, patience. Subject depth, wind, complexity of view, and lighting are difficult to manage.

Gilles is a master's master. The book's included artwork is magnificent. His photographs of (flying) insects are remarkable if not seemly impossible images. (His lighting / IR sensor equipment / technique are quite advanced, but within your reach if so inclined). His examples are biased more towards insects and amphibians in flight, above ground, below ground, and underwater as opposed to other possible subjects such as flowers, bark, rocks, ice, etc. The art, alone, is worth this book's purchase.

Most of his techniques he teaches you are straight forward, and really, quite basic once you understand the elements and your control over them, but you must have Gilles's patience. He provides technical data on all of his art. He excels in giving you the technical detail behind his methodology.

Few books in my photographic library compare in depth to this book. Many of Ansel's books are good comparisons for subject depth. In macro photography, I cherish all of Tony Sweet's books, especially the Fine Art Flower Photography, which cover both technique and composition theory. I like John Shaw's Closeups in Nature for subject matter coverage (broader orientation), and I learned a lot from it initially. However, Gilles excels over Shaw in his chosen sphere of subjects, personal skills, and book subject depth. I'm happy to have all of these books in my library.

Physically, Gilles Martin's book is a big 9 1/2" (w), 11 1/4" (h), and ~1" thick. Printing, paper, illustrations, color, and photographic quality are A+.

That the illustrations will be fascinating it was clear to me before I got the book. In addition, the enthusiasm of the author for the subject is quite contagious, so beware: if you buy this book, you will soon end up spending time behind your camera!
I also enjoyed the way the book presents both sophisticated and simple equipment, and has the good sense not to discourage you from going to take pictures with something that is not top of the line. On the contrary, many passages encourage you to experiment and improvise.
What I did care less for are a couple of math blunders (the explanation on the rounding of aperture values on page 102, f/8 is actually f/8 and not f/7.999) and inexact print of the DOF formula (on page 117).
I also enjoyed the loving and respectful attitude to nature and all living creatures.
Finally, there are lots and lots of tiny details about shooting in the field that I learned from the book.

Excellent technical details and exquisite photos !!!

This book is one of the best I have seen in this field and IMHO is on "the top" of what I have collected over several years. It is refreshing to see technical details and high quality prints together, there is enough for novice to high end macro-photography enthusiast!!!

My hobby - Macrophtogrpahy, photomicroscocpy etc ...

This is the daddy of all macro photo books Ive ever seen!
Wonderfully layed out and stunning photos. A very big book that is well worth it for beginners but especially advanced photographers.

I found this book:

1) Full of awesome pictures. Will inspire you to want to be this good!
2) Lots of text - gives a good overview and lots of details. Good for the beginner up to intermediate level of knowledge. If you are an expert, I doubt you would be reading books like this, you would be writing them.

The reason I gave it only 4 stars is that this book is HEAVY. This is not a book you cuddle up in bed with at night. In fact, it's big enough that it's even hard to read on the couch. You will need to sit at a desk or table to not feel like you are being crushed by it. If you want, feel free to read it while you are doing your morning bicep curls and in a few short weeks... people will nickname you Arnold!