Which book on compostion should I get?

[pentahedron]

I'm deciding between this

Amazon.com: Bryan Peterson's Understanding Photography Field Guide: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (9780817432256): Bryan Peterson: Books

And this:

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (9780817439392): Bryan Peterson: Books

The field guide covers more topics including those in Understanding Exposure, but I don't know if that one is more specialized so to speak.

[Photologyst]

I recommend this book:


Amazon.com: The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos (9780240809342): Michael Freeman: Books

[pentahedron]

What level is that generally intended for? Looking at the reviews it seems to be for more experienced amateurs.

[Photologyst]

Originally Posted by pentahedron

What level is that generally intended for? Looking at the reviews it seems to be for more experienced amateurs.

It is a superb book. You can't go wrong at any level. The only criticism that I have is the print is very small.

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by Photologyst

I recommend this book:


Amazon.com: The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos (9780240809342): Michael Freeman: Books

+1

Have this book and it's great. I've even recommended it to other people in the book store looking for books on composition or just a book to give to a photographer friend starting out.

The basic layout of the book is that it shows you an interesting picture. Then it shows you why it's interesting by drawing lines and arrows all over them explaining why your eyes are drawn to certain things or why your eyes explore it a certain way.

You can learn the technical aspects anywhere but there are very few good books on composition.

[pentahedron]

Thanks. I'll take a look at it in the bookstore when I get a chance to see if it is what I need since I'm just starting out.

[Aleix]

I cannot agree more regarding Freeman's book. I learned from it too and is one of my favourite books concerning photography, and my first choice in the field of composition. You won't regret it.

[LeeR]

I think that one of the reasons there is so much confusion among photographers about composition is because of books like those mentioned above. Sure, they have some merit and I think you can get some great ideas from them, but they are mostly an opportunity for good photographers to show of some of their best work and are woefully inept when it comes to helping people improve their compositions. I would strongly suggest you venture across the aisle and see some of the books painters are reading on composition. The principles are the same, but painters have been doing this for far longer and have a lot more experience.
A few years back, Betty Edwards rocked the visual art world by inviting everyone to join in the composition game with her two groundbreaking books, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and "Drawing on the Artist Within." It was a very different approach to composition, one that even inexperienced artists could comprehend and they remain among the very best books on the subject. I promise you that if you read these books and do the exercises your compositions will improve dramatically; far more than the fluff put out by most photographers.
(I read Betty Edwards book after I had received a formal education in Photographic Design. Even with all that education I was shocked at how much I learned from the books. I kept wishing someone had shown them to me when I was in school. That doesn't mean they are difficult to comprehend, quite the opposite; they were written for anyone to understand but the implications are quite profound.)

[pentahedron]

Originally Posted by LeeR

I think that one of the reasons there is so much confusion among photographers about composition is because of books like those mentioned above. Sure, they have some merit and I think you can get some great ideas from them, but they are mostly an opportunity for good photographers to show of some of their best work and are woefully inept when it comes to helping people improve their compositions. I would strongly suggest you venture across the aisle and see some of the books painters are reading on composition. The principles are the same, but painters have been doing this for far longer and have a lot more experience.
A few years back, Betty Edwards rocked the visual art world by inviting everyone to join in the composition game with her two groundbreaking books, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and "Drawing on the Artist Within." It was a very different approach to composition, one that even inexperienced artists could comprehend and they remain among the very best books on the subject. I promise you that if you read these books and do the exercises your compositions will improve dramatically; far more than the fluff put out by most photographers.
(I read Betty Edwards book after I had received a formal education in Photographic Design. Even with all that education I was shocked at how much I learned from the books. I kept wishing someone had shown them to me when I was in school. That doesn't mean they are difficult to comprehend, quite the opposite; they were written for anyone to understand but the implications are quite profound.)

That's some great advice. I considered painting books but figured I would be better with those made for photography. I'll look them up as well.

[IainM]

+1 to the Betty Edwards! and to the comment of looking at painters and painting.

Definitely the way to go.

Most photography books just have lots of little rules about lines and curves n things, but don't really help.