Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Knopf (November 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375711570
ISBN-13: 978-0375711572
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #272,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #146 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Handbooks & Manuals #390 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Reference #71175 in Books > Reference
Tom Ang is clearly a great photographer. And when writing about the art of photography, this comes through in text that is clear and informative. He knows what he is talking about, and communicates it well.However, when it comes to the science behind the photographs - whether it is the thin-lens theory, the inverse-square law, or any of the other many bits of physics that Ang name-checks in his book, his writing becomes confused. It is obvious that Ang is trying to explain things that he does not himself understand at more than a superficial level. As a PhD physicist, I found myself scratching my head while trying to work out what he thought he was trying to explain - if these sections of the book were an undergraduate essay on optics they would barely scrape a pass mark.The book is also plagued by poor figure editing. Labels on diagrams are incorrect (there are two distances marked s1 on the thin-lens diagram, for instance), captions do not seem to refer to the figures they are attached to, and figures are swapped (particularly in the section on Photoshop where a number of screen shots are incorrectly labelled).If you're after a book on the art of photography, this is a great read. I have really enjoyed it. But it is flawed, and if you want to understand the physics of photography you should really go elsewhere.
Let me start off by saying that though I am very interested, I am not a hugely experienced photographer. This book seems to have everything in it without being too lengthy or bulky. It answers every question I could have about photography in a logical, practical way while nicely explaining digital alongside analog photography(camera with film). The information given ranges from the obvious framing and focussing to which camera is best for what!It is also packed with example photographs which are extremely helpful and it shows both what to do and what not to do! I would extremely recommend this book to anyone mildly interested in photography as well as those more advanced since this book perfectly incorporates both!
I was recommended this book from a friend who's also a photography major. Our professor never gave us any text to check out, only photographers which is great, but sometimes you need a little bit of textbook advice. I would recommend this book as well.
This looks like a decent book, and unlike a previous reviewer I liked the fact he covers film; I couldn't afford a dslr but wanted to learn how to use an slr camera so I bought a Minolta x-370 for $30.00. I can't be the only one out there on a low budget, if you want to advance your photography skills and bought a cheap slr film camera like I did this book could be useful. The downside for the visually challenged is the font size is tiny. They probably did that to save some money but even with glasses it's a little hard for me to read. If you have perfect 20/20 it may be ok, but you could have difficulty reading it otherwise.
I bought this book because of an interest in photography because I like taking really good pictures and I wanted to get started with actually knowing what I'm doing, especially since I was planning to purchase a really good and expensive camera. This book is a treasure for me as a beginner because it left no aspect of photography unreferenced and it did not make me feel stupid. I also wanted to be able to make the most informed decision about the coming camera purchase because I planned to make a considerable investment as a non-professional in a camera with capability and features enough for me to take unquestionably excellent pictures (to my own mind, at least). I can say that I made a great choice in my last camera purchase, thanks to reading this book.This book is also a great read and seems to have great pacing. The subjects are thoroughly covered with plenty of example pictures and explanations, but no drawn-out dissertations, i.e., it doesn't bore me. The writing is succinct and informative and to a novice like me, full of revelations. I have to recommend this book also, because a professional photographer friend of mine read it and thanked me. He now has his own and tells me that he refers back to it regularly.I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I really believe that it strengthened my interest in photography and in learning to take the best pictures that I can.
The book is wonderful, but do not buy it used. About 6 of the images in the book were blacked out and/or covered with paper for some reason. I am going to donate it and buy it new. This is a very technical book, and I have all of my students buy it. It is excellent material to use teach a basic photography class.
This is a small encyclopaedia of photography and an excellent reference resource. You can read this and discover topics you want to learn more about then go looking for other sources specific to those topics if you need to. Mr. Ang does not go into great depth on any subject (so far, have not read the whole book yet) but subjects are concise and well flushed out. It is a great intro for those who don't know too much about photography and want to know everything, and a resource refresher for those who know a great deal. My friend and I both own copies and are awed by how much information is packed between the covers. It is also one of the most handsome softcover books I have seen in very long time, well constructed.
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