Master Composition Guide for Digital Photographers [Paperback]

Ernst Wildi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

This handbook explains how minor placement and color adjustments can enhance—or ruin—images.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mak[es] it easy to see how each technique will affect the final image."  —Photo Life

"Shows how the right filter and lens choices can improve composition."  — Shutterbug

About the Author

Ernst Wildi is the author of Composition Techniques from a Master Photographer, Creating World-Class Photography, Photographic Lenses, and Step-by-Step Composition Techniques for Digital Photographers. He lives in Watchung, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc. (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584281790
• ISBN-13: 978-1584281795
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Really disappointed, March 7, 2007

By 

Rob Fisher (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Composition Guide for Digital Photographers (Paperback)

Sorry to be a voice of dissent. I bought this book on Amazon and feel it doesn't live up to its title - 'Master Composition Guide'. I was expecting an advanced book. After reading it I have the feeling that it is a book created out of bits and pieces from other photography books (some quite old) and given a strong title and the descriptor 'digital' to make it sound more relevant to a modern audience. I see no justification for the 'digital' adjective. Composition principles are largely independent of capture medium or camera format. I find the prose style very wordy and authoritarian and at times patronising and contradictory of itself. There are many examples of sentences with long, punctuated lists of items, things, examples, words, etc., etc., etc., (just like this sentence) that become tedious to read. A couple of examples are enough to get the message across. It's not a large book but it could be made much more concise with some strong editing. The words 'must' and 'should' are very prominent and give the book a dogmatic and prescriptive tone. Much of the stuff mentioned has no place in a book on composition. For example, talking about varying the temperature of developers in a wet darkroom to control the contrast of negatives! We've moved on from there. With due respect to an accomplished author/photographer, I was annoyed that I spent my money on this book only to find that it is a rehash of much old material with far too frequent references to equipment (digital, medium and large format film cameras etc.) and processes and techniques that are really nothing to do with good composition and more to do with an airing of knowledge and experience. Composition is format independent. I'm a photographer with more than 30 years experience and I was looking for another reference that could help me fine tune appreciation and understanding of the artistic nuances of photographic composition. For me, the word 'master' in the title of this book was overstated. It covers well known basics reasonably well but could do so in a more concise fashion. I may sound harsh but that's the way I see it. By comparison, I have books by Freeman Paterson, Bryan Peterson and Gross & Shapiro that I find much more useful. And this is a not a paid advertisement for those authors!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, we really needed this!, July 29, 2006

By 

Fender "Strat" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Composition Guide for Digital Photographers (Paperback)

Too many digital photography books concentrate on the hardware, and not enough focus on the art of taking good pictures. Even those that do cover photographic concepts try to take too broad of an approach. This book covers just one thing: good composition, and does it well. This should be the first book you read when you start taking photos with a digital camera. Learning all the controls and settings can come later. If you understand how to compose your photos, using the guidelines in this book, you will be way ahead of the curve.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wide range of composition techniques to learn from, April 19, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Composition Guide for Digital Photographers (Paperback)

Ernst Wildi's MASTER COMPOSITION GUIDE FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS reviews a wide range of composition techniques for landscapes, still lifes, people and nature photography. From developing compositional elements and learning how to use lines effectively to understanding elements of distortion, distracting colors, and composition, here are many of the master techniques which help differentiate the professional's eye from the amateur's attempts.