Customer Reviews

National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the most exciting books that National Geographic has published in recent times. One stunning image after another it lives up to its representation by showing the best photos found in the National Geographic archives. There is little text in this book and it relies heavily on the quality of the images selected. The sample photos and the video only give you a taste of what is between the covers. I must admit that I am biased, because one of my photos is in the book. It was an honor to have one of the only photos I ever sent to National Geographic to be selected by Annie Griffiths to be included in the book.

As a photographer, I will be learning from this book for years to come. What makes beauty in a photograph is a question this book answers. It may seem like a small trivial question to some, but Annie gives an elegant answer with some of the most beautiful photos that represent the best of our world. This book helps reaffirm to me that photography can be a medium of how to view this world and live our lives in the simple pursuit of beauty. What greater purpose could a photographer or a person have?

It is no wonder to me that the popularity of this book is rising, and I applaud Annie Griffiths for the theme of beauty that opens before your eyes with each turn of the page.

When I sit for awhile with this book a quote from George Eliot comes to mind:
"The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone." I treasure the moments that each photographer has brought to my eyes.

National Geographic has prepared a collection of "Simply Beautiful Photographs" into a nicely sized coffee table book. One of the few times, the title of a book perfectly sums up its contents.
The book is quite heavy, mainly because of the heavy stock paper and over 500 pages contained there in.
The pictures have been divided into examples portraying : light, composition, moment, time, palette and wonder. Many are a two page size, beautifully composed , with no print over them and a small description of the photographer and the place - given either on following pages or on a white border. They are stunning pictures.
Turn the pages and they can take your breath away both from form and picture and content.
This is indeed a book for lovers of beauty, of photography and the world around us.

National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs by Annie Griffiths will inspire all budding photographers. As an amateur photographer who has never had any training, works such as this provide not only a classroom in which to study the work of those who are professionals, but also a statement of the beauty around us providing we have the eyes to see it. With 500 pages of photographs and a minimum of text, Simply Beautiful Photographs is a generous peek at the holding of National Geographic.

The beginning of each chapter is headed by a quote from a notable person that relates to photography if not directly, then at least tangentially. Photographs are clearly labeled and provide the name of the photographer. If I have any criticism for this work it is that the date of the photograph is not provided. There are several pictures that are culturally interesting and the date might have provided some context.

Still, this is a five star book from any angle you can think of. Priced at $35 is also a plus. Normally books such as this are $50 or better.

I highly recommend.

Peace always and bless us all.

I was very excited about this book after I heard Annie Griffiths comments in an interview. The book arrived and I look forward to reading more about what Annie writes on photography. That said I was very dissapointed in the quality of the printing. It is not the high quality print/photo book that I was expecting.

Without any doubt, the book consists of beautiful photos. What displeases me, as in many other books, is that a picture fill two pages and the meeting of both the center, greatly vex the composition of the photograph by which the book was produced. I do not understand where is the art direction or production of the book not see this failure as destructive of photography. [..]

I was very excited when I saw this book arrived at my desk. The front and back covers are really vivid and beautiful as the book's title. However,once I truned the page over. I was very disappointed! Although the book contains a number of beautiful photos, the quality of the printing is very low. It is like looking at the book from the 70's from my parent's bookshelf. Most, if not all, photos are pale and grainy.
With printing technology today, I belive National Geographic could have done much better job, still at this reasonable price, in giving these great photos a respect they deserve. Seriuosly, my small ink jet printer at home can produce much better printing quality than what are in the book.

I just received this book and was really excited to open it. I am not an expert and this is my personal opinion so no offence but I am disappointed. Yes the photos are nice from a photographical sense but they are spread over 2 pages and to me seem stretched like when a normal video is stretched to a wide screen; also on a hardcover the middle break lessens the enjoyment of looking at the photos. The pages lack lustre and photos seem kind of hazy (or maybe its just my elderly eyes). I look at the cover and think it would have been better to have the photo on one page. I don't really care about the dabbles either - lets face it this is not a literary book but a photo book ; yes egotists! if I can't pawn this off then I would rip the pages out and frame some of the photos - actually the pages should have been rippable.

Was leery at first not knowing exactly what I'd be getting with this book. But the pictures are outstanding and well worth the buy.

National Geographic has for a long time been the gold standard when it comes to nature and travel reporting and photography. The magazine is World renown for its glossy, stunning photography and in-depth articles on many distant lands, regions and peoples. Hence it is not surprising that a collection of some of its most beautiful photographs will be nothing short of breathtaking. The book is a compendium of nature, landscape, and people photography. Some of the photographs are noteworthy for their sharpness and clarity, while others aim to capture motion in a dynamic and engrossing way. The book's large format helps make the photographs stand out and immediately capture one's attention. The book is fairly heavy, and in my opinion it is THE coffee table book. The timeless beauty of many of the subjects that are depicted will ensure that this book will remain fresh and relevant for many years to come.

While there are certainly some great pictures here, many are simply mediocre at best. Given the vast well of material from which to choose, I was surprised (disappointed) at many of the selections Ms. Griffiths selected. That said, the book is well worth the Amazon price. Of note, many of the best pictures are Ms. Griffiths own photographs.