Customer Reviews

Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wavered a bit on whether this was a four star or five star review. One the one hand the book covers ground not to be found in any other source I'm aware of and does so in an accessible manner. On the flip side it isn't without some flaws. Upon further consideration though I decided the larger issue was going to be who was reading it and what they wanted from it. I wouldn't be surprised over time to find many 5 star and 4 star reviews for this book mixed in with a few much lower ratings from those who didn't get what they expected.

With that in mind, I'll give the book a solid five stars if you have the right expectations and are aware of a few caveats. With that in mind I'll offer some advice to help potential readers have the right expectations up front:

- Definitely use the Look Inside feature and examine the table of contents, the book covers a lot of more contemplative topics than a photographic technique or composition guide does. Note the title includes "Creativity and Personal Style" and in fact a large part of the text is dedicated to these topics that perhaps certain readers will not connect with. This is some of the most unique and helpful material in the book (at least to me) but I can certainly imagine not all readers being receptive to it.

- Take advantage of the existing essays available online by Alain Briot to get a feel for the writing style. Numerous essays are available on his website as well as the Luminous Landscape website and these will hopefully give you a flavor for the writing. In fact some of the essays available might be considered rough drafts of some of the content in this book.

- Be aware the author is a bit wordy at times. Sometimes he seems to linger on a point or return to a topic so many times it may seem tiresome. This may annoy some readers. My recommendation is to console oneself by noting just how generous the author is with the text, this book has lots and lots of text for a photography book. There are many pictures to be sure, but they are not as giant and dominating as in many books and there just is a lot of writing in its 350-some odd pages. If your perception is the author rambles just consider it as being extra conversational and realize that with all the text in this book there is room to waste some space (and I use the term "waste" lightly, one reader's waste will be another reader's treasure).

I often find saying what something isn't can be helpful, so here is what I don't think the book is:

- It is not a survey of composition rules or techniques. I'd recommend Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye" for that or Briot's prior book.

- It is not a "How To Become a Landscape Photographer" book.

- It is not a "How To Sell and Market Your Images" book.

- It is not a "How To Process or Print Your Images" book.

It is worth saying that there are parts of each of the above "It is not" topics addressed in the book, but they primarily are filling in some details or making broader connections to the overarching topics of creativity and personal style. There is a composition section but it isn't about the normal staid rules.

As this is likely the first review of this book I'll provide some quick comments on the sections/chapters.

Section A is on the differences between how we see and how the camera sees. For me I think he was preaching to the choir and it seemed a bit long in the tooth. Also he spends an inordinate amount of time discussing his annoyance with people seeing a nice picture and reacting with "you must have a nice camera". I suppose as someone who sells beautiful photos he hears this a lot and I've heard similar complaints from others, it just doesn't seem like addressing a reader who probably is already aware of this adds a lot to the text. Besides that labored point he provides a very good overview of a number of differences between what the camera sees and how we perceive not just a scene but a place and a time. This material is covered in other places, he misses a few points I'd consider important, but on the whole even if I feel the section is a bit long winded it does lay a good springboard for many topics that will be repeatedly touched upon throughout the remainder of the text.

Section B is on the "New Rules of Composition". Rather than the standard rules the focus here are on some broader topics, namely light, color and tone and how they are actually part of the composition. There were some very useful observations and perspectives in these chapters. I enjoyed both the "Light" and "Color" chapters. I thought the early part of the "Color" chapter covered basic color concepts well addressed in many other sources, but the later half was excellent. Again, Briot gives you lots and lots of text, so if some of it isn't new or relevant to you that really isn't a big deal. I found the black and white chapter spent too much time segueing into another "artists should feel free to alter the contrast/color/etc. of their photos" sermon - he makes great points, I just have been convinced of them for years anyway. The last chapter of this section with examples and a check list are really excellent material.

Section C on creativity is really the most unique part of the book. I won't even try to summarize it. It is very thought provoking and probably needs many readings. This is the section I'm sure some readers will rave about and others might consider fluff. I know I like it and I also know I haven't digested all of it to the point of making any further comment.

Section D is on the audience and a fair bit of it is probably most useful to those who make images for a living. That said I found at least half of it to be useful to me as an amateur as the concept of art speaking to an audience and the audience speaking back to the creator is universally true regardless of how small that audience might be. The concept of addressing an audience is also an important part of any creative process.

Section E covers some technical aspects that relate to other parts of the book as well as being a good catch all for advanced techniques perhaps not well addressed other places. Also contains some insightful concluding material.

You'll note there were sections I didn't feel worthy for inclusion in the book, specifically from my perspective at the time of reading. I also suspect that any of the topics that didn't connect with me, or portions that don't connect with other readers, are present in the book because the author has encountered enough photographers hung up by those very topics to consider them a worthy inclusion. Alain Briot teaches a number of workshops and seminars, so I suspect he probably has a pretty good handle on what a broad spectrum of photographers will find illuminating and has cast a wide brush.

This was a long review, as the first reviewer I figured I should be as complete as possible. I think there is great material in this book for all photographers who have mastered basic technique and composition. I'm also sure some readers will love each and every part of it, while others might like less than half of it. I fall somewhere in between I think and I am very happy with what I've taken away so far. I emphasize "so far" as I expect to need to revisit the text more than once.

The first review posted by Ken Walsh gives a good review of the book, one with which I mostly agree. I'll talk about a few other items.

Alain Briot states that he brings his perspectives as a painter to his compositional approach to photography. He titles his approach a "new" approach to composition. He approaches "photography as an art form." "Art is concerned with expressing emotions, feelings, and opinions."

While Mr. Briot may think he is bring something new to the photographic creative process, a casual reading of the words of a representative photographer from the last millenium shows that his ideas about art and photography are not so new: "A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed" Ansel Adams.

What Mr. Briot does bring to the discussion of photography as art is a challenging treatment on the path from photographic concept as it begins in the mind of the photographer to the final representation of that concept in the finished print. His detailed discussion about the choice of light, the use of color or black and white to enhance that concept, and the final cropping and color balancing on the computer is itself a work of art.

The unique parts of the book are the chapters that explore photography at a very personal level, Finding Inspiration, Exercising Creativity, Developing Your Vision, and Achieving Your Personal Style. They invite you to examine yourself to find what personal creative efforts you may be able to bring to the process, visions you have that will stamp your work as your own, much as an art critic can look at a Monet or a Matisse and instantly recognize the artist. These topics are infrequently discussed in most books on photography. A deep understanding of your own reasons for your love of photography has the potential to elevate your work from depictions of "reality" to personal meditations on life and our place on the planet. i.e. only from a recognition of the need to understand yourself can you create the art which you would show to the world. These chapters have the feel of a meditation written by a mystic, I salute Mr. Briot for his treatment of the personal, emotional human-machine interface aspect of photography.

To some, there will be little appeal in these sections, others will want to read and reread them. I find myself in the second group.

Recommended

This Rocky Nook book by author Alain Briot is a must read for professionals or semi-pros who have all of their film and/or digital camera technical abilities under good control. Beginners would be better served to first read Briot's also excellent previous book "Mastering Landscape Photography." The main emphasis in both books is primarily landscape photography.

Several sections are devoted in great detail to the differences between what we see and what the camera sees. The difference between photography and reality is very important to learn. From my personal art experience, various art teachers in the past insisted their students never use photographs as reference material. Digital cameras and photo management software are now making it a new situation.

New Rules of Composition are contained in 147 pages of this 350 page book. Extensive information is given about composing with light, in color, or in black and white. Important elements of a strong composition are covered in great detail.

The Creative Process is the strong part of the book followed by a chapter about Personal Style. Of much interest to those wishing to sell their work is the section about Audiences and Bestsellers. A very valuable chapter near the end deals with Image Maladies and how to correct them. This checklist is the most technical part of the book and deals a lot with Photoshop and Lightroom software settings.

One fault I found with the book is the extremely small font size through it all, not good for older folks with trifocal glasses. In spite of this serious fault I stayed with it until the end and enjoyed every word of every chapter. (There are quite a few typos also.)

Almost every one of the 14 chapters ends with Skills Enhancement Exercises and a Conclusion. These are like mini-workshops, which could be very valuable to anyone with the dedication and perseverance to complete all of them. If becoming a really proficient fine arts photographer is your goal then this book is for you.

This is a very personal book on landscape composition - despite the broader title. With "personal" you need to take the good with the bad. If the author has an old 1960s filter, he takes a picture of it and places it in the box. Silly. It should not be your first book on the topic. But if you want to know more about the process and thoughts of a good landscape photographer this is a fine book. It is a bit wordy and should have had less text and more pictures. Loads of the pictures are from the Arizona desert and I would have preferred to see a bit more diversity. I should really change the rating to three stars.

I've bought my first DSLR and also bought 15 photography books on amazon. I'm evaluating the books from the perspective of a somewhat knowledgeable amateur.

I like books about composition and I have found that the best approach is to buy books from different authors. Many authors have multiple books, but they all tend to be kind of similar. So my key advice is to go for diversity. Before you buy the current book, I would get the following: Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision, The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos, Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition), and Seeing Landscapes: The Creative Process Behind Great Photographs.

I've bought my first DSLR and also bought 15 photography books on amazon. I'm evaluating the books from the perspective of a somewhat knowledgeable amateur.

I bought this book to add to my collection of books that offer both

outstanding images and a variety of interesting insights by the photographer -

and perhaps for more inspiration to go out and create more images.

As a person with a lifelong passion to create compelling images I

am interested in hearing the motivations & operating philosophies

of other photographers and artists.

I'm pleased to report that Briot delivers great images and some insights into his own

perceptions and style. I feel that sometimes he stretches a bit to try to capture in words

what he "states" quite convincinly with great images, but most photographers do that.

Check out the Edward Weston "Daybooks" -- which I think are some of the best

works related to this field. Photographers like to poke around in the ditch of meaning - not often adding much if anything to the greater impact of the image itself...but it's a pleasant exercise that

reminds me of discusing golf over a beer on the 19th hole. It adds nothing to the game itself, but there's plenty of pleasure in the analysis and it pumps up the urge to go out and play the game some more.

It's well worth the cost.

As a landscape photographer I am always excited to find new books that delve into the loftier pursuits of our craft-namely those items found in the title of Alain's book. It is the second book by this author and expands some of the ideas he developed in his first book. The two together are excellent bedside companions. I have followed Alain's photography for many years and find it inspiring to my own work. In Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style Alain brings to words many of the concepts, practices, and thought processes that influence his own style. The opening chapters discuss a variety of subjects that all photographers, especially landscape photographers, need to know including basic differences between how cameras and humans see, composing with light and color, seeing in black and white, and the importance of strong compositions. From there he delves into the creative process from finding inspiration to developing your vision and working on a personal style. He also devotes a few chapters to thinking about your audience and ends with some basic manipulations for image problems.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. It is full of information and requires you to extract the concepts and begin to put them in to practice. And in my mind this is precisely why it is so valuable. It requires you to read, step back, contemplate, and question. I loved for instance Alain's descriptions of the type of light one finds in the landscape. I know this light. I chase it all the time. I just never thought of it in descriptive terms. And now I don't stand in Antelope Canyon with out thinking about the concept of "air light" or chiaroscuro. There are also some excellent skills enhancement exercises laced throughout the chapters.

This book is not about Photoshop technique or RAW processing. Nor does it contain all of Alain's beautiful work. But some of it is there. And in these words and images you can begin to see how he thinks and approaches his work. And through this comes a way to think, and perhaps rethink, about your own journey. Many have commented about the books "wordiness". I would not let this deter you. It is written in the way Alain speaks. When you read it, Alain is talking to you in a calm, reflective way. In a way it is as if you are having a conversation. Personally I like this. And you don't have to read cover to cover in one sitting. In fact I don't recommend this. It is best digested and absorbed over time. And when I go back for another bite I always seem to find something new. A great addition to my library.

This book starts off absolutely wonderfully. As I read through the first few chapters of the book, I thought this was exactly the book I was looking for: a book with great technical information, along with topics covering the aesthetic aspects of photography, that work together to make images successful.

The first section discussing how camera vision and human vision are different is excellent. Other books do describe this, but I have not yet seen a treatment as thorough as in this book.

The second section talks about compositional elements. The chapter on light was great! This wasn't your typical hard vs. soft, direction, time of day, kind of knowledge. There was great information about how to find this light with precise planning. This section also talks about composing using colour and black/white. I thought these were thorough and thought-provoking. I've always been against manipulating photographs in software, but Briot makes an excellent case for why this is important and helps the reader understand how important changing colour variables can be to making strong images. There is a short section of "elements of a strong composition", but there wasn't much beyond some basic knowledge, that I've seen presented better in other books.

After these first two sections, the book takes a big turn for the worse. In fact, for me, it changed from "great photography book", to "badly written new-agey self-help book". Briot has long-winded, anecdotal, repetitive (or boring) lectures about inspiration, creativity, "vision" (which was particularly bad), and "personal style". I kept plodding through these chapters, until I couldn't stand it anymore and just skimmed or outright skipped these sections. The discussion is really abstract, frequently self-referential, and tiresome. There are parts that just read like a rant of how Briot feels about people that don't understand photography.

The next section is titled "You and Your Audience", and was equally meaningless (at least to me). I didn't find anything in this section or the previous one insightful or beneficial to my photography.

The book ends on a better note going back to some technical topics. There's a short, but fairly obvious checklist of technical and artistic things to remember when taking a photograph, and then a chapter on image maladies that talks about fixing common problems (mostly in photoshop). I think a dedicated book on photoshop/lightroom would be far better, as the topics were pretty superficially covered. It covered enough to give you the 'jist' in most cases (it definitely was not covered in a "how-to" level of detail, though).

I was left with a real love/hate relationship with this book. The photographs were excellent, and I loved the first two sections. I would almost recommend buying this book just for those parts alone, but it had enough really bad sections that I would find it hard to justify this as a permanent part of anyone's bookshelf.

This is one of the greatest book that hits the base of the field of photogaphy. I dare say it is a MUST for any photographer. It might have not much technicality or how to go on with the camera or some magical tricks to turn out ordinary images to some amazing ones, but it simply a book about the real identity of photography, the philosophy of photography, and how to think when doing photography.

It has lot of discussions about philosophical (or spirituality if you like to call it), there are a set of exercises at the end of every chapter that ought to help you out on thinking and getting used to shaping your own mentality in photography.

Maybe the major examples and discussions are going around landscape photography, but the tips and the education of the book expand far to any field of "artistic" photography, and not necessarily only the landscape field.

The chapters following the artistic touch, are mainly about living as an artist and financial matters and marketing discussions and how to grab an audience and what are the audience you seek...etc. It's not all about just being an artist but also how to make some living (with integrity).

Also the chapters before the end got some check-lists to follow. Very useful for a fast rhythm check up with your work, and there is a chapter about fixing images (not a heavy load fixes but essential fixes like cropping, color cast correction...etc).

Finally, if you got other technical books about photography, I do believe you won't achieve or be satisfied at least, much about your photos, until you get some spiritual touch with an artistic hue in your heart, when you get behind the camera to work, and this book gives you all. It is a complete journey.

BOOK REVIEW

Alain Briot

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION, CREATIVITY, AND PERSONAL STYLE

I would like to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book although I found it very esoteric. Briot has really put in perspective a highly technical, philosophical and creative process.

As an experienced landscape photographer I found the technical discussion interesting but can see where most `artistic' or hobbyist photographers would soon lose interest. His theories on composition and then `breaking the rules' echoes my own developed practices. His discussion on landscape photography composition and the use of light can be applied to any other type of photography and is well presented.

The philosophical discussions reminded me of being back in college and wondering about the reasoning behind the lecture. Creativity is a personal decision and how one gets to that point is just as personal. I got lost in some of these pages.

I found the chapters on creativity and style to be the best in the book. The author explained and discussed how to find the best light, how to `see' the subject and how to create an image, not `take' a photo; all without a step by step instruction on `how to'.

As previously stated I like the book. I would recommend the book to any photographer as learning something new and hearing someone else's point of view is always beneficial. The book is well produced and the color reproductions are outstanding. My only negative is the small print is too `gray' and not enough contrast between ink and paper.

Alain, if your reading this review, I am going to start with what dosnt work first. Your writing style has WAY too much filler. You seem to write 2 pages of text to get an idea across when one paragraph should suffice.

Have you ever watched the movie "A River Runs Through It"? The part where the young son submits his paper to his father, who edits it and hands it back to him saying "Again, Half as long".

This would be the only area I would reccomend improvment.

As for the information contained, very through, an while wordy, very well explained.

I think any person looking to dive seriously into their landscape work could benifit in reading the concepts in this book.

Definitly worth the price of admission.

Roman Johnston