Composition books

[MsbS]

A while ago I read a review of a book by Michael Freeman titled Image: Designing Effective Pictures. The books get a lot of praise - this seems to be THE book about composing your shots. However - the availability is very limited. There are no copies on ebay, and hardly any on amazon (and they don't ship outside US).
Do you know if there are other bookstores that sell it (and ship to Europe)? Or - are there other good books about composition that are more available?


Oh, BTW: that's my first post here, so hello everyone!

[Aperture Nine]

Go to the library and look for books by Ansel Adams. Oh, and welcome!

[Beverly5876]

I've tried and tried and it looks like I've finally got things right so that I can post. Hey! Better late then never, right?

I haven't checked out composition books before. It seems that I gravitate more towards the actual 'mechanicals' of cameras rather than what to do with them. LOL

I've always been one to just 'do my own thing'. My thinking is that 1) If I like it, then I'll enjoy taking the photos and 2) If I like it, surely somebody else out there will also.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Beverly

[vandergus]

There's another book by Michael Freeman called The Photographer's Eye which I'm currently reading. It approaches composition not by a set of rules that makes good photographs but by understanding how the viewer responds to the structure of the image. For example, instead of saying "Use the Rule of Thirds when composing a photograph", he would say "Placing the subject off center adds interest and prevents the image from being static". There are times when you may want the subject to be static image or a more straightforward framing in which case you disregard the rule of thirds. He goes through many different aspects of the photograph using lots of examples along the way. I'm sure that I'll be rereading it several times in order to get everything out of it.

As far as availability goes, I found mine at the local bookstore and I'm sure amazon has it in stock.

[tdmsu]

I have also read The Photographer's Eye. It is a great book, something I go back to when I need a refresh on my way of seeing photos before I make them. I recommend it!

[MsbS]

Thanks All - The Photographer's Eye just made it to my wishlist

I also thought that maybe it's a good idea to read some books about composition for artists (painters). I suppose the rules are pretty much the same?

[Booter]

the John Hedgcoe books are good. He's been at it for years. I got my start with his books.

[Aperture Nine]

Originally Posted by MsbS

Thanks All - The Photographer's Eye just made it to my wishlist

I also thought that maybe it's a good idea to read some books about composition for artists (painters). I suppose the rules are pretty much the same?

Indeed. Look at this, for example:
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/...bgoldslide.htm

Generally it is about what pleases the eye. I also borrowed a book about working with colors as a painter, about how colors work or does not work together when next to each other. I didn't read it though, too busy.

[Pshorten]

I will have to look for this book in the library.

[rodrigo]

One book in the subject that I loved was Learning to See Creatively, by Bryan Peterson (who is also the author of another highly recommended book called Understanding Exposure, it's in my wishlist).