Photography: The Art of Composition [Paperback]

Bert Krages (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Introducing a radically different approach that applies modern cognitive science to show photographers how they can develop their perceptual skills.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, photographic composition has been taught mostly by applying the principles from the field of graphic design. But the factor that distinguishes the work of master photographers is their ability to see and describe scenes visually. This book follows contemporary educational methods used to teach fine arts such as drawing and painting, concentrating on teaching the perception of critical visual elements and understanding how they will be rendered photographically. "In many respects, this book can do for photography what Betty Edwards’ best-selling Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain did for drawing. Many people believe that seeing is a mysterious gift, the so-called ‘artist's eye." says Krages. The core of the book is a group of sixty exercise that readers perform to learn how to perceive points, lines, and shapes in static and dynamic settings. These exercises are structured enough to push photographers to develop their cognitive abilities while at the same time flexible enough to allow for individual creative expression. They also show the importance of knowing about the subject and provide some history about the specific genres at the heart of each exercise. 250 B&W Illustrations

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Photographers can now perfect their ability to perceive and record scenes with this fresh approach to composition. Unlike other composition resources, which are based on graphic design principles, Photography: The Art of Composition uses cognitive science to help photographers develop greater artistic proficiency. Illustrated by more than 250 photographs, this book offers a series of exercises sure to help photographers see and perceive their environment differently. Chapters and exercises cover:

Developing your intuitive sense of composition to create better photos - Understanding how the human brain perceives images - Developing your visual acuity by studying art and photography - Learning how to shoot in a wide variety of genres including street documentary, photojournalism, nature, landscape, sports, and still-life photography - Thinking and working like an artist -Choosing the right camera equipment

This informative guide will help photographers develop their cognitive skills and take compelling photos.

About the Author

Bert P. Krages is a photographer and attorney who is the author of two previous photography books, Legal Handbook for Photographers and Heavenly Bodies: The Photographer’s Guide to Astrophotography. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581154097
• ISBN-13: 978-1581154092
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Needs Color, though..., April 9, 2006

By 

Thomas A. Mcelvy "Tom McElvy" (Virginia Beach VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photography: The Art of Composition (Paperback)

Countless books have been written about composition. Many of us go by the basic, "seat of our pants" approach of "If it looks good in the viewfinder, shoot it!" However, Bert Krages, the photographer and attorney, has not given us just a book... he has given us a workbook.

The Book opens with basic Visual Skills information - primarily, the importance thereof. His section about viewing other people's photographs I found useful in not only looking at my own photography, but at others. Perhaps a valuable skill for readers, not only for judging photo competitions, but to help us compare our own work to the masters of the 20th century.

The remaining chapters touch base on the camera as a tool, then it jumps into the exercises. And there is an exercise for darn near everything! I think that is what so fascinated me with this particular book...it is not all concepts, but rather, practical working exercises. The author walks you through everything from points to lines and shapes. Each exercise has subheadings of "About the Genere," "About the Exercise, "Setting Up the Exercise," and "Technical Considerations." In short, everything you could ask for - you just supply the equipment and other materials necessary to make it happen.

The closing chapter is probably one of the most important in the book - "Thinking Like an Artist." About 10 pages, primarily of text, Krages explores how photography has influenced the other visual arts, and the acceptance of photography as an art form. It is a section I find myself reading several times a week, to reinforce some of the other material in the book.

The only negative I can really say about the book is that the photographs appear to be dark and murky, and a book like this really should have contained color images.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Set of Exercises for a Photo Class, July 8, 2005

By 

T. Campbell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photography: The Art of Composition (Paperback)

While I agree with much that Mr Photo says in his recent review, I think the book would be a good one around which to base a set of exercises in a photo course to help new or intermediate photographers hone some skills in seeing and composing. Or a disciplined new photographer could benefit from going through many of them on one's own. But there are several other books that suggest good sets of exercises.

There are a lot of words in this book. The early chapters and the prefatory sections for each exercise are incitefully written. The captions to many, but not all of the illustrations in this book are helpful in pointing out strengths and weaknesses in some of the photos, but in general, neither the text nor the photos go far to help one analyze a viewfinder image or a photo to understand its visual structure and perceive the strengths and weaknesses in the image.

A signal weakness of this book is its own visual presentation. It is boring to look at and to use. The use of only monochrome illustrations for a book on photo composition is old fashioned, though it may have been a budgetary imperative imposed by the publisher. The poor, low contrast print quality of the photos contributes to the unispiring visual impression.

The title leads one to hope that this book is a comprehensive look at composing photographs. Unfortunately, it is a good introduction only to part of the composition problem.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Structure for the Beginning Serious Amateur, August 14, 2005

By 

doggedydays (Oregon) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photography: The Art of Composition (Paperback)

This is wonderful little workbook for the beginning, but serious photographer, such as myself. The author defines the elements of a compostion and, through exercises, shows how they can be appreciated in order to create an appealing photograph. The introduction, intimidating for the non-artist, leads one to believe that this will be a text on the psychophysiology of visualization. Such is not the case and the remainder of the book is a helpful primer. In addition to composition, the author includes exercises that allow one to estimate, and improve upon, some basic technical skills.