Large format nature photography

KLIATT

The initial attraction of any book on photography is the photos themselves, and these are stunningly exquisite. The photos will inspire anyone interested in nature photography to think about working with a large format camera. Such cameras may be too expensive for young pocketbooks, but one can always dream—and should at least know what large-format cameras are able to accomplish. Chapter titles are to the point: Introduction; Composition; Light; Focusing the Camera; Lenses; Exposure, Film, and Filters; Gear and Weather; Career; and Resources. In other words, the book contains all the basic information that one needs to know about how to use a large format camera for nature photography. As such books go, the writing style is crystal clear, and succeeds in conveying the basic techniques. To some extent, anyone interested in nature photography will benefit from reading this book, in part because the author never forgets the fundamentals of photography. For example, on p. 14 he reminds the reader of "The Rule of Thirds," namely that "The eye seems to like a composition that places key elements of the image approximately 1/3 the distance from either the top to bottom or left to right of the frame." Each chapter begins with such basic information, e.g., in the chapter on lenses: "For the field photographer, there's always a trade-off between carrying heavy huge lenses with huge coverage (image circles) versus small lenses with small image circles that are lighter and therefore easier to carry" (p. 64). This book is the distillation of a master photographer who is, at heart, a teacher. If you have any interest in photography you will find the book hard to put down. Category:The Arts. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Amphoto, Watson-Guptill, 144p. illus. index, $29.95. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Prof. John Rosser; Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA SOURCE: KLIATT, March 2002 (Vol. 36, No. 2)