Customer Reviews
Perhaps the best book regarding photographic composition - By: C. Papachristophorou, 07 Jul 2008 
I have always been skeptical about buying books that deal with photography either because there exist too many online tutorials which cover many aspectsin detail or simply because the techniques each book covers are more or less the same rewrittenin a different format.
This book by Michael Freeman though is trully a gem & a "must-have"in the library of every photographer.
It covers most photographic composition aspectsin a great detail with perhaps images of excellence regarding composition, including schematic figures outlining & justifying the choice of the composition which exactly hit the point the writer is trying to make. It is printedin premium, relatively thick, paper with high quality images.
- The book is well structuredin 6 main chapters beginning with the usage of the image frame, the positioning within the viewfinder of the camera & generally the placement of a scenery & objects within the frame
- Chapter 2 explains the objective principles of design & why certain photographs pop up from the lot if thinking is allocated to aspects such as Gestalt theory, Dynamic tension, patterns, visual weight etc.
- Chapter 3 walks us through the elements that compose photographs such as lines, shapes, focus, motion exposure & others.
- Chapter 4 highlights the importance of light neededin composition & its association with color.
- Chapter 5 analyzes the intentin composition, that is the purpose the photograph was takenin order to please aesthetically by teaching & explaining among others, planning, ahead thinking & reactiveness, simplicity & complexityin photographs, ambiguity etc.
- The book finishes with chapter 6 whichin detail explains why process is so necessary prior to composing & shooting a photograph.
This draft description only outlines a few of the topics covered & by no means it can show the true depth of the book.
A small word of advice though. This book is not purely intended to teach basic rules of photography (although the writer explains topics such as the rule of thirds & HDR) but it rather builds & expands on some existing knowledge & fine granulates the art of photography through composition & design with the utmost intent to help the user develop the skills to shoot great images.
The book helps ! - By: Britta Campe, 07 Jul 2008 I bought this book after reading the reviews as I'm not into too technical stuff...
It's a very handy book which nicely &in easy terms (I'm not an native English speaker) explains about composition, what our eyes see or focus on & therefor why we better take a photo this or that way.
The book contains many example photographs which makes it even easier to see what the author means.
more design than composition - By: Ray Fung, 27 Feb 2008 
i was looking for a book to help with my photo composition & was recommended this, so perhaps i was expecting something a little 'less formal'
for me, its quite formal & concentrates on design aspects rather than composition itselfin which i would think of things such as framing subjects etc, but perhaps i was just expecting more along the lines of "rules of thirds", "bottom heavy images" etc.
with that said, its a good book for ppl who have already familiarity with general composition rules.
At long last - By: Mr. C. Celik, 05 Dec 2007 A book on composition that delves down further than the rule of thirds & the likes. I'm still waiting for my copy but had a half hour skim through it's contentin a book shop, can't wait to start reading. He uses shapes on his photos to describe what makes the compostion work on certain situations. I found the content easy to read & comprehend.
One worth buying - By: Happy snapper, 03 Nov 2007 I'm not usually a fan of books by Michael Freeman but when I received this book, I was pleasantly surprised. It covers the basics concepts of composition in-depth with more clarity than his previous books.
The book covers areas such as; graphic photographic elements (horizontal lines, vertical lines, curves, motion etc) composing with light & colour (colourin composition, colour relationships, muted colour, black & white) intent (reactive or planned, simple or complex, clear or ambiguos)
The book has a great & careful selection of photos to support the text & clearly illustrate the concepts covered.
Don't let his previous books stop you from buying this one.
Enjoy!!
