John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide
by John Shaw
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Book Summary Information
Author: John ShawEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-10-31
ISBN: 0817440593
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Amphoto Books
Book Reviews of John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide
Book Review: Excellent Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Quick summary: excellent - buy it. For more detail, read on.
Possibly the best book about photography I've ever read. It doesn't just describe nature photography, but also goes into many technical details about how to obtain the picture *you* want to obtain. Many of these details are fundamental to all types of photography (exposure, lighting, etc.), so there is something to be gained for everyone.
However, as the title of the book clearly indicates, the bulk of the text is dedicated to photographing in outside lighting - it *is* nature after all - so you might want to consider another book if your primary interest is indoor studio photography.
In terms of experience level, I think anyone from an amateur photographer just starting out to the seasoned pro will find useful tips and anecdotes in this text. I've been using an SLR camera for many years but I'm amazed at how many things I've learned from this book.
One small drawback is that the author only uses Nikon cameras and hence most of the equipment related advice is for Nikon branded equipment. He does occasionally mention Canon equivalents, although the charts and comparisons of sizes, weights, etc. are only for Nikon. Still, I use a Canon camera and found this to be only a very minor annoyance.
The book has so many excellent photographs (185) in it that it would be worth buying for the pictures alone. However, as long as you're buying a book of pictures, why not throw in an excellently written text describing in great detail how the pictures were taken and how to obtain similar results yourself?
It also has all sorts of interesting mini chapters - one is even included on how to take aerial photographs and includes advice on the types of planes and pilots to rent! A section I think I'll find especially handy lists some of the author's favorite shooting locations and what you can find there by month of the year (mainly in the United States).
The book was published fairly recently (2000), but still deals exclusively with film (mostly slide). So those of us using the newer digital SLR's will want to skim past the sections on choosing a film type, push processing your film, etc. However, it's kind of fun to read over these sections and realize how much easier things are now with digital. No more waiting through a whole roll of film to change your ISO, much faster ISO speeds with good results (I frequently use 1600 for macro work with no problem), no need to *buy* film or process, etc. After you've read the book, go out and buy yourself a Canon EOS 20D or equivalent and you'll see what I mean. ;-) The only time I wished the book discussed digital is with regard to the number of stops film can accurately reproduce (about 5). It would have been nice to see the equivalent information for digital, and some sections on digital exposure tips and tricks - but I suppose this is for the next version of the book.
Highly recommended.
Summary of John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide
An updated bestseller, this book of extraordinarily beautiful photographs of nature contains state-of-the-art instruction on how any photographer can aim for equally impressive results every time a camera is focused on the great outdoors.Even highly skilled photographers are often baffled by the problems facing them when they work outdoors. But with this exceptional field guide in hand, every photographer?beginner, serious amateur, semi-pro, and pro?can conquer the problems encountered in the field. Using his own exceptional work as examples, the author discusses each type of nature subject and how to approach photographing it. Specific advice and information cover selection of equipment and lenses; how to compose a shot; how to get close ups; and other tips covering a range of techniques to enrich various types of nature photographs.
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