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 enlarge | Author: Michael Freeman
Publisher: Focal Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.72
You Save: $11.23 (37%)
New (33) Used (12) from $18.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 973
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 10 x 9.2 x 0.3
ISBN: 0240809343
Dewey Decimal Number: 770
EAN: 9780240809342
ASIN: 0240809343
Publication Date: June 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 At last, a genuinely practical book on Photography. December 2, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was led to this book via The Digital Photography School website and having bought many good photographic technique books, this is the first to explain why and what to do. It covers every aspect of the subject in a positively illuminating way. It doesn't just talk about the "Law of Thirds" it explains and shows why this rule helps your photography; it gives specific examples of everything it mentions and also what you can do about breaking the rules. It is highly readable, is not patronising, it is totally expanding. If you want to get the best results, get this.
Another Freeman Jewel November 11, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
An excellent book for the intermediate and advanced photographer. And I'm sure the experts will enjoy this as a 'refresher' course!
Concise and with very good example photos, easy to read and definitely one of those books you will revisit several times.
Michael Freeman's books are all a joy and a real education to read.
Easily the Best Photo Design/Composition Book Available November 4, 2007
79 out of 79 found this review helpful
Let me start by saying that even though I write photo books for a living (including The Joy of Digital Photography (Lark Photography Book), I don't know Michael Freeman and have never communicated with him. That said, this is easily the best composition and design book that you'll find--and that goes for professionals as well as hobbyists. This is the first book, in fact, that I can recall that covers these topics with such depth and clarity of thought.
Freeman has long been one of my favorite photo book writers and this book continues his long streak of great reads (his other recent book, The Complete Guide to Digital Photography is also worth owning).I sometimes laugh at how extremely British his writing is, but it's just amusing, not distracting.
The main thing that I like about The Photographer's Eye is that Freeman approaches the subject from a very thoughtful perspective. While the book covers the basic elements (lines, shapes, dynamic tension, balance, etc.) he also talks at length about more emotionally-related issues: chiaroscuro and key, the search for order, reactive thought, etc. These are the concepts that more experienced photographers (and artists) find themselves confronting once they have a solid feel for design elements and construction.
I often find myself wondering if design is more of a thoughtful process or an instinctive one--and I think it's a combination of the two. In reading this book, in fact, I can see better the value in taking an objective and analytical look a how great compositions are made and how we can take scenes that we react to instinctively and find quick and useful ways to turn them into dynamic photos. Very often when you find a great subject you don't have the luxury of time to decide how to construct the image to "get" what you see.
That is the value of studying composition and image design: to prepare you to make fast decisions. If you are hiking in the deserts outside of Tucson, for example, and you come across a great potential silhouette of a saguaro cactus at sunset, you have only two or three minutes to organize the elments, choose the best viewpoint, the best lens and then make the exposure. It's tragic to spend day after day exploring for powerful images and then only come close.
Freeman's book is crammed with an extraordinary number of great photos with a vast emotional and geographic diversity. These are world-class images, not just "how-to" examples and it's hard to imagine one photographer coming up with all of these great photos. As I said, I write and illustrate photo books myself and I am awed at times by Freeman's proflific work.
If you're looking for a book on design, don't let $20 stand between you and all of this great knowledge and hundreds of fine examples (something I might say of my own book, as well!). Just buy the book--or ask you library to order it.
Finally, A Book With Detail On The Visual Art Of Photography... November 3, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have attended school and read many books on visual arts and photography. This book by far was one of my favorites. Although this topic has been done so many times before, this book in particular tends to be reader friendly and interesting. The chapters are rich with text, yet not overly written as to create reading bordum. The photo examples are clear and very easy to understand. When I purchased this book I was looking for something different than the usual redundant photography jargon manuals. I found myself reading slower and completely concentrating on the detailed concepts Mr. Freeman writes about. This is not a book you read with a camera in your hand, instead this is a book to help you understand the visual concept of design and composition when dealing with an empty rectangle (or square} to your eye. This book is for anyone that knows their camera, yet wishes to know more about what the thought process is before pressing the shutter release.Beware! You will find yourself reading this book twice.
Very much what I'd supposed October 17, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book presents just the kind of thing I was wanting to find in a book (or books). I've started to delve into digital photography, and had recently read a couple books on lighting, and wanted to study more about composition as well. This is the first one I've bought and read so far, and I find it very informative and helpful. Definitely no buyer's remorse... I'll keep it for reference and occasional perusing.
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