Well since I am on my summer holidays after my GCSE exams I have had a lot more free time than usual. I therefore decided to delve into my pile of books 'to be read'. So I decided to start at the top and gradually work my way down. So this is the first book, Click
, by Charlie Styr, a teenage award winning photographer.
The Book Review
Click proclaims that it is "The first-ever how-to
photography book for teens, by teens". To a great extent I agree however I believe that it is ideal guide for a anyone, not just teens, even remotely interested in photography. Click takes you from the essential basics of photography such as Composition (The rule-of-thirds) and Lighting through to subjects to photograph such as pets, yourself and the landscape to finally retouching your images and what to do with them after you've photographed them such as entering them into competitions and selling them.
Sections in the book
1. The Basics You Need to Know (Camera, Lens, Flash, Exposure, Accessories, tech terms, composition and lastly lighting.
2. Portrait Photography ( isolating the subject, composition, revealing a persons character, Photographing subjects Indoor, Outdoor and in the Night, photographing Pets, Groups and finally yourself.)
3.Nature and Landscape Photography (The Basics, Urban and Night Landscapes, Photographing animals and insects and taking photos underwater)
4.Sports and Action Photography (Photographing the right moment and sequences, Panning to add Motion Blur)
5. Photojournalism and Documentary Photography (Telling a Story through your Photos, Taking Pictures of Day-to-Day moments, Travel Photography)
6. What to do after capture (Why Alter an Image?, Basic Retouching Tips (Cropping, Saturation and Levels) to Releasing your Inner Artist)
7. Getting Your Pictures Seen (Photo Competition and Selling your Photos)
I particularly enjoyed the fifth chapter on Photojournalism as I loved some of the stories that the photos told. I especially loved the photograph on the first page of the section 'Shooting Everyday Moments' (pg 110) with a pair of pink well used converses sitting on a window ledge in my opinion waiting to be taken outside.
Top Things I learnt From Click - How to photograph a sequence (didn't know before in fact about photographing a sequence)
- Not to use a flash when photographing underwater as the water particles become more visible but rather a strobe.
- What a Diptchs is! (two related photos next to each other)
- That you can create some good photos by combing film and digital techniques.
My Rating
10 Out of 10
I found this book a very pleasant read that was easy to understand and follow, and so I believe it fully deserves 10 Out of 10. I think it has greatly improved my photography, particularly the creative side and it will certainly improve your photography too. The book feels smooth and nice to touch and the printing quality is excellent. The example photos throughout the book are all stunning (I find it really hard to believe that all the photos where taken by amateur
teen photographers), very inspirational and illustrate the points very well.
I think that even if you didn't read a single word of this book (although I highly recommend you do) this book with it's great photos will firstly motiv
ate you to go out and take some photographs and secondly change the way you see the world (You will start to see photographic opportunities everywhere around you)
So why not check out
Click at Amazon where it is 35% off.
Have you read any good photography books? If so, I would love it if you shared them in the comment box below.
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