Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs

Top positive review

Approachable, simple and highly recommended

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

I wish I would have found this book years ago. It's simple and straight forward in its approach to simplifying photography. Too many times I find myself getting tripped up in the nuances of built-in camera controls. This book cuts through most of the noise to get to the essential controls and the basic approaches to photography. It's a quick read, but packed with essential points.

Henry applied to a photography book what most good/great photographers do to imagery. He took a complex subject, and distilled it down to the essential elements.

2 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

The_Dude

Good for Beginners

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2022

Good book for beginners to get some ideas about framing and perspective. Has some very cool photos to example these principles.

3,032 total ratings, 605 with reviews

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Geek Dad

Approachable, simple and highly recommended

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

2 people found this helpful

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Yami

Simple and amazing review

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

If you are taking your first step into photography as a hobby, then is probably as good as you could do. He will give you a quick grounding in the numerous aspects that make photography an art form.

He gives you key compositional concepts; from leading lines and framing, to rule of thirds and depth of field. Really making you think about your photographs while helping you develop your photographer's eye. There is an excellent chapter on light which every photographer should be thinking about constantly. One of my favorite things from this book with the fact that the author includes the "tip" and an example of a well photograph that applies the concept.

Also covered are the technical aspects such as the trio (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) and details of the various lens types and their differences.

There are some stunning pictures throughout which exemplify all the points made in the book which I found inspiring. They were helpful in solidifying the different concepts in my mind.

All things considered, I think this book is a damn good introduction to photography. Gives enough information to get you out taking good photographs without drowning you in formulas and jargon. Admittedly, further reading will be required as you develop as a photographer; but that is true of your journey into any art form.

4 people found this helpful

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EVP

Great primer for beginners looking for great shots

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

Photographically, I'd describe myself as a barely advanced beginner. I've got a lower end DSLR and I've learned as much as I can about it, but I just haven't had the time to use the camera enough to get over the initial learning curve that comes with experience. I ordered this book in hopes that it would give me a kick start on some of the important topics and cut down the time I'd need to spend on the curve towards taking great photos. For the most part, it's done just that.

Some specific thoughts:

- The jargon/vocab level seems right on point towards the target audience (assuming I'm pretty representative of the target audience). Nothing too technical at all, but at the same time not so simple that it takes too long to go through any one topic.

- The organization is great. You could easily read this all the way through and enjoy, but any of the topics are accessible by themselves.

- Content coverage: the sections on lenses, exposure, and especially composition are exceptional in my opinion. Short enough to get through in a snap, but just enough info to cover what you need to know. The composition section has a ton of great pointers that would take a lot of time and mistakes to learn on your own, but they're presented here clearly and succinctly, with great examples. The section on light was good as well, but only briefly touched on use of the flash, something that I think needed a little more coverage for amateurs like me. The "Seeing" section at the end was a lot more esoteric, and seemed to be mostly take-it-or-leave-it inspirational tips for people looking to take more artistic shots. Which leads to my last point...

- If I have one complaint, it would be that though geared towards the amateur, it still seems to lean slightly towards people trying to take artistic shots. I'm not the type who's going to plan a trip to my local park or abandoned railroad track to take photos as art for a gallery. I just want to take pictures of my life as it comes, during trips, family events, that sort of thing, and I'd wager that most amateurs are more in that camp. At the most basic, the fundamentals are the same, which is why the composition and exposure sections are so incredibly useful. It would have been nice to get just a little more coverage of less artistic and more traditional amateur photography.

This is an incredibly useful book, with a lot of information packed in briefly and clearly. If you're looking to pursue photography as art, this is probably just about as perfect a resource as it can get. If you're looking to take pictures along a more traditional line, there may be some superfluous information, but overall, almost all of the information you could ask for is still in there, and it's very very good.

23 people found this helpful

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avidreader

very helpful

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2023

Verified Purchase

I've been working on improving my photography skills for the past several years...I'd say I'm an intermediate amateur photographer. This book explains how things work and also gives practical tips, with excellent examples in the form of photographs that clearly illustrate each area. I also have the versions that focus on taking great landscape photographs and portraits, and they are also great.

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none

Good for beginners

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

Enjoyable read. Quick, easy and fun.

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Kelly Ballance

Basically the equivalent of a 4 year photography degree

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

When I’m asked for photography advice, this is the book I send people to. Every concept you need (& nothing you don’t) is covered in this quick read book. Even if you master only one or 2 concepts, your images will be improved. Worth every penny.

3 people found this helpful

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The_Dude

Good for Beginners

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

Good book for beginners to get some ideas about framing and perspective. Has some very cool photos to example these principles.

Helpful

BallroomPadawan

Whether you use a phone or DSLR, you need to read this

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I wanted to learn how to take better pictures once my daughter was born, so I spent a lot of time on Pinterest reading blog articles about it. Then I found this book and realized I wasted a lot of time. Everything I needed to know was right inside.

If you have a DSLR, he explains how to use something other than your “auto” mode in simple, easy to understand language. You actually UNDERSTAND how a camera works.

The bulk of the book is about composition, or how tot ale a good picture in general: Lighting, poses, general rules (and how to break them effectively). Each concept is illustrated with pictures. While you might think this part isn’t important, it absolutely is. In fact, it’s the most important thing you’ll learn about photography. Yes, knowing how to use your camera is important, but your pictures will stink if you don’t know how composition works.

9 people found this helpful

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Leila R

This book is for beginners

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

I'm getting a second copy of this book to keep it at work. It is true that the font is light gray and that it requires a strong light so you can read it. Very silly printing option, for sure. However, if you are a beginner photographer you'll find nuggets of wisdom on almost every page. You may not like certain photos (I hear you), but the message on how you should approach your subjects comes across well. Don't expect to agree with everything either; you don't have to. It's not a technical book, by the way. Consider this book an introduction to how to move away from the casual phone photography to photographing with purpose and creativity. The rest is up to you.

4 people found this helpful

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alextoddanderson

Wish I’d had a copy years ago.

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

Really accessibly explained concepts, techniques, and fundamentals. I fully intend to return to it in the future when I’ve forgotten something or am looking for quick inspiration.

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