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The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

by Michael Freeman

Buy new: $29.95 $18.78 Buy used: $18.99

Editorial Reviews

Design is the single most important factor in creating a successful photograph. The ability to see the potential for a strong picture and then organize the graphic elements into an effective, compelling composition has always been one of the key skills in making photographs.
Digital photography has brought a new, exciting aspect to design - first because the instant feedback from a digital camera allows immediate appraisal and improvement; and second because image-editing tools make it possible to alter and enhance the design after the shutter has been pressed. This has had a profound effect on the way digital photographers take pictures.
The Photographer's Eye shows how anyone can develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs. The book explores all the traditional approaches to composition and design, but crucially, it also addresses the new digital technique of shooting in the knowledge that a picture will later be edited, manipulated, or montaged to result in a final image that may be very different from the one seen in the viewfinder.

Features
*Covers both traditional in-camera composition and the new opportunities for picture-making made possible by digital imaging editing
*Shows how to explore situations and locations in order to find the best possible photographic possibilities
*Uses clear examples from real photographic assignments, with schematic illustrations of how and why the pictures work

Customer Reviews

What I was looking for, excellent book!, 2009-11-10
by Jairo E. Benavides (Folsom, CA, USA)

I haven't finished reading it yet, so I'll post an update as soon as I finish, but up until now, it is exactly what I was looking for, not a technical manual on how to use a camera features, but more, the way a professional amazing photographer thinks while capturing amazing images.

Very good, 2009-11-09
by Jackal (Singapore)

Very nice book on composing pictures. This author tends to focus too much on technical things (shutter speed, focal length, etc.), but in this book he strikes a good balance.

There are many books about composition out there. I would recommend that you buy 3-4 different books on the same theme by different authors. You will then be exposed to different styles and ideas, and you will get the basics repeated. All good things :)

I just bought my first DSLR camera. I bought ten photography books on amazon. I'm evaluating these books from the perspective of a semi-advanced amateur. (On things I've learnt is that book by the same author tends to be very similar. So make sure you vary your authors when buying more than one book. Rather than saying this author is good, let me buy more from him/her.)

Very Good, 2009-10-07
by JAVIER FARRE Fdez-urrutia (Spain)

Very good book. It has really help me to take better photos. I keep reading it again and again, it is great!

Composition, 2009-09-25
by T. Werelius (Woodinville, WA United States)

Michael may not cover every aspect of composition but he covers 90% more than any other book I have read.

Many photographers (some great ones) use phrases like "Tension", "Balance", "Delay" etc. but when questioned can barely (if at all) explain what they mean, let alone give you insight into how to acomplish it.

I wish Michael had expanded on some of the concepts, I think he knows exactly how to use them but more images and a bit more text would have been appreciated.

If I come away with one new concept after reading a book on composition I am happy, I came away with 3 from his, and better understanding of some others (relationship between repetition, rythm and pattern, similar greatly helped me clarify my thinking)

Well worth the read, wish he would do an expanded version with more examples and text.

Best Book on Composition for Photographers (and Painters), 2009-09-20
by Cynthia Loyd (Los Angeles, U.S.)

Composition is a complicated concept, and this is the best book I've ever read on the subject. There are a lot of beautiful, thought-provoking photographs in the book, but the genius is in the writing, because the author delves very deeply into the science and psychology of composition, and how the eye sees, and how the brain and emotions process, images.

You'll need to be prepared to spend some time reading the whole book from beginning to end, and taking time to digest each concept, because if you just thumb through the pictures and captions, you'll be missing the best part. The book is very well-written, and Michael Freeman has an excellent vocabulary and command of the language. This puts some very complicated concepts within reach of anyone willing to spend the time reading. The pictures and captions are well-chosen and illustrate the text perfectly.

I recommend this book for painters, too. I've read a lot of wonderful books by painters dealing with composition, and I thought I sort of "got" it. But this book gave me a much better grasp of the art of composition, and I'm sure what I learned from it will make me a better painter, as well as photographer.

I also can't wait to read Michael Freeman's new book, "Perfect Exposure", which I just bought the other day. I'm sure it will improve my exposure decision-making just as "The Photographer's Eye" improved my compositional skills.