Fine Art Nature Photography: Advanced Techniques and the Creative Process (Paperback)

by Tony Sweet (Author) "Whenever I approach a field of flowers, I look for a single flower with space between it and the flowers behind it to create a..." (more)
Key Phrases: intensifying filter, warming filter, extension tube, Maryland Nikkor, Tennessee Nikkor, Singh Ray (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book of nature photography instruction and inspiration features striking full-color images and concise, informative text. It includes the author's stunning nature images from across the United States. The text offers specifications on equipment used, when and where the photos were taken, details on why the image works, what the photographer was looking to accomplish, how the image was shot, and unique lighting or compositional challenges the image illustrates.

About the Author
Tony Sweet is a nationally known nature photographer, workshop instructor, and lecturer. A member of Fuji's Talent Team 2002, he also regularly contributes to Shutterbug and Rangefinder magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 107 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811727505
• ISBN-13: 978-0811727501
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,585 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Form, Form, Form!, August 19, 2002

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

One way to analyze any piece of art is from the point of view of form and content. Photography usually seems more concerned with content. Music, on the other hand, having fewer formal counterparts in the real world, seems to place greater emphasis on form. Thus, it came as no surprise to me that the work of Tony Sweet should be a lot more about form than other photographs, because Sweet is a former musician.

Sweet's pictures are wonderful. They are rich in color arranged in ways that you rarely encounter in photography. He loves to play with early-morning and late-day light, and mist seems to call him to his camera. His subject is outdoor photography but that just seems to be a carrier for color. Occasionally you will have to look at a picture for a while before you distinguish the content, but while you are looking you will probably be absorbed by the intense tones. You may even look at a picture and say "I never realized the world looked like that!"

Each picture is accompanied by a little blurb that tells you what Sweet was trying to capture and the tools that he used to accomplish it. Not all of these tools worked for me. I didn't particularly like the photographs made by making multiple exposures on a single frame and moving the camera slightly between each exposure. On the other hand the greens and blues reflected from a long exposure of falling water made me realize that I ought to be concentrating more on the color in the world around me.

If you buy this book hoping it will make you a more creative photographer, then a lot of work will be required. This book notes what the photographer was looking for in his pictures but does not tell you how he got there. You will have to examine the pictures and extract the principles on your own. If you want to develop your creative instincts you will probably be happier with something like Freeman Patterson's "Photography and the Art of Seeing"

In today's world there is a tremendous amount of argument about the manipulation of photographs in computer programs. Well, these photographs have been manipulated just as much, but in the camera, through the use of long exposures, light-enhancing filters, and selective focus. If you disapprove of such manipulation, then you may not be interested in these pictures. If on the other hand, you believe with Picasso that "Art is lies that tell us the truth", then you will enjoy this unusual exploration of the visual world.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Photos, Short on Instruction, September 1, 2003

By	Bruce Appelbaum (Yorktown Heights, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sweet's book is basically a portfolio of about 50 images, with camera, lens, filter, and exposure information.

The photos are great, but the explanations that go with them are fairly terse and could provide more instruction.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book!, July 18, 2002

By	J. Barclay "Photoguy" (Chalfont, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very inspiring book! It is full of terrific ideas presented in a logical format. I love how Tony presents an image (all truly wonderful by the way) and then on the opposing page walks you through his thought process in creating it. His discriptions are simple yet elegant and technical only when they need to be. This book should be an instant hit. It is wonderful for those who love to be inspired by beautiful artistic images and has just enough technical/technique information to send aspiring photographers running into the field to make more beautiful images!