Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

[groovyone]

Review: Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Laurie Excell is a pretty good read to spark some creative thinking in how you compose your photographs. It is well written and full of photos showing how changing your composition can impact the photo. This includes colors, B&W, portrait vs landscape, and careful framing within the viewfinder. Each photo listed the camera settings used such as shutter speed and aperture.

The beginning of the book starts off with a lot of basics, like gear used, how aperture works, etc and provides a good launching point for beginners or novices. Laurie wrote most of the book but there are chapters from other photographers in areas where she is not strong, like sports.

All in all I'd say it is an good way to kindle some thought process when you go to take your next shot. Take the time to consider what it is you are looking at and why you are drawn to it, then how to maximize that and convey it to others. This book is accessible to beginners and still useful to intermediate photographers, and may even spark some ideas in more advanced shooters.

Where To Buy:

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Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

[Abel]

I took one of Laurie’s composition classes a few years ago while on a photography cruise and I was very impressed with her method of teaching. I know I learned a lot from hearing her teach so I’m curious to see how this book does as well.

[groovyone]

Of the 4 instructors in the DLWS NH workshop, her photos were closest to my own. She was very cool to talk to, and very willing to help. I bought the book because of that, but I think it stands very well on its own.

[David L]

It's a good book dealing with photography in all aspects that we are facing these days.Book is very thoughtful in giving ideas about shotting various moments and angles with composition.It is enjoyable to read and make ourself suggestive in snapping and shotting and possible to do others learning it.

[star3702]

Thanks for the review. I had this one on my list.

[duronboy]

I would like to start by saying that this book contains good information. However, I don't feel that it's ideal for a beginner. Beginners want to know how to create the images in the book, which this book does not discuss. I don't believe a book about composition should have so many heavily processed images. And, it's my belief that many of these images are indeed heavily processed. It's annoying when authors include camera settings for each shot, then fail to mention the post processing. Experienced and intermediate photographers can often distinguish between what effects different camera settings will render on an image, and what part of the image is post processing. Beginners can not. Now, the title of the book is Composition, which is what we all came for. I didn't buy this book for post processing, or HDR processing techniques. I bought this book for it's apparent use: Learning composition. I hope that any beginner who buys this book will realize that when photographing a similar situation in the book, they aren't doing something wrong when their images aren't remotely like what comes directly out of a camera.