Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If the book simply stayed right there in the realm of how-to, go-to advice, it would be a wonderful book indeed. But it crosses the line from useful to inspire because David opens up much more than his camera bag. He opens his considerable heart and mind, both of which belong to a masterful storyteller driven by an acute sympathy for the human condition, coupled with an intense curiosity and respect for both the differences and the sameness of the world.”
-Joe McNally, photographer, author of The Hot Shoe Diaries and The Moment It Clicks

"David does something here that few have ever done—he not only shows his absolutely captivating images, he shows the thought process behind those images, as well as how to start capturing the types of images we all long to take. People will be talking about this book for years to come. It’s that good!"
-Scott Kelby, photographer, author, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals

Product Description

Within the Frame is a book about finding and expressing your photographic vision, specifically where people, places, and cultures are concerned. A personal book full of real-world wisdom and incredible images, author David duChemin (of pixelatedimage.com) shows you both the how and the why of finding, chasing, and expressing your vision with a camera to your eye. Vision leads to passion, and passion is a cornerstone of great photography. With it, photographs draw the eye in and create an emotional experience. Without it, a photograph is often not worth—and can’t capture—a viewer’s attention.

Both instructional and inspirational, Within the Frame helps you on your photographic journey to make better images of the places and people you love, whether they are around the world or in your own backyard. duChemin covers how to tell stories, and the technology and tools we have at our disposal in order to tell those narratives. Most importantly, he stresses the crucial theme of vision when it comes to photographing people, places, and cultures—and he helps you cultivate and find your own vision, and then fit it within the frame.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; 1 edition (May 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321605020
• ISBN-13: 978-0321605023
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Reference
  #6 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > How-to
  #7 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in a long time, May 21, 2009

By	Kirk P. Fisher (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've bought and read dozens of how-to photography books over the years. I enjoyed Peterson, Freeman and many others. In the digital age we have a glut of books on digital photography and post-processing by well-known self-promoters churning out the product. Until now, the only two remaining on my shelf were Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography and Bob Krist's Spirit of Place.
Within the Frame will join them. When millions of photos are snapped by cameras and phones or produced via software, David eloquently reminds us that vision, creativity, sensitivity and thought are (and always have been) at the core of making (not just taking) meaningful images. This book is a must-read, and one which you'll return to again and again for inspiration and insight. Deserves to be in hardcover, and easily earns the right to be called a classic.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking with David DuChemin, May 28, 2009

By	Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Taking a picture is easy. You aim the camera, fiddle a few dials if you have a digital single lens reflex camera, and press a button. Taking an image that speaks to people, perhaps even rises to the level of art, is much harder. You have to add a secret ingredient, vision, to get that kind of image.

There are tons of books that talk about technique, like exposure, composition, post processing and so forth. As far as I know there are only a handful of good books that tell about how to get the secret ingredient. This book is one of them.

A description of the chapter headings doesn't do justice to the book, or even a look at the subheadings. What can one learn about a book from a heading like "Indecisive Moments" in a chapter called "Within the Frame"? It all sounds so vague.

A few years ago in a review I wondered whether you can teach someone to be creative (which I took to be similar to developing vision.) The author took issue with me in a conversation, even though I had praised her book. Now six years later I still wonder if you can teach someone vision.

Vision is not like exposure. It's not a matter of setting menus and dials and getting feedback from a histogram. It's vague and amorphous and not everyone will view a subject and see it with vision. Yet it's critical to photographic success.

DuChemin gives the effort to teach vision a good shot. For example early in the book he urges the reader to "shoot what moves you". Good advice that almost doesn't need any explanation, although the author's discussion certainly reinforces the point.

In the later chapters, the author provides more specific guidance about things to look for in certain subjects. For example he notes that in photographing places we should "slow down" and "try going deeper rather than broader".

The author's images are all striking and support his thesis. Moreover he notes that post-processing is essential to realizing the vision you had when you captured the image. It is a minor quibble but I certainly wished that he could show how this worked with a few more of his images. Almost none of the books on post-processing do this. Perhaps that can be a subject for his next book.

Maybe it's because I've been watching "In Treatment" on television, but it seems to me that the author can't teach you how to get good photographic vision. Rather he can just walk along with you and point to things while you find your vision buried deep within you. Fortunately duChemin is an excellent walker and pointer and most serious photographers will benefit from reading this book.

Given the nature of this book, especially the point regularly made that seeing is more important to a photographer then is equipment, it seems almost sacrilegious to point out that there is an additional chapter on line about gear for the traveling photographer.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overflowing with Information, Inspiration and Motivation., May 13, 2009

By	Jeffrey Chapman (NY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an admirer of David duChemin's photography as well as an habitual reader of his blog, my expectations for his first book were extremely high. Following weeks of impatient anticipation, "Within The Frame" arrived on Monday. Remarkably, he has managed to exceed my expectations. David duChemin is a gifted communicator. He has written a book that is full of information and inspiration. More than reading, it's like sitting in a leather chair around a cozy fire in an Adirondack lodge on an Autumn day, while engaged in captivating conversation about vision and photography with David himself. It's inspiring, rewarding and, yes, comfortable. I'd like more. Much more.

David duChemin has clearly not only thought about what he wished to say but also how the reader would digest the information. For example, he mentions panning, and, is if he can see the reader's curiosity peak, he adds a bit of how-to into his vision manifesto.

This is definitely not a how-to photography book that will collect dust on your shelf. This is all about personal vision and the whys of photography without being nerdy or scientific. There is indeed how-to information that sneaks into the book, but it's just enough to help less-experienced photographers without boring more-seasoned photographers. And the book is overflowing with inspirational images.

This book is a no brainer. It's a must for anybody interested in photography. After having read this book, you will never look through your viewfinder in the same way again, and your photographs will almost certainly be better as a result.