A Guide to Photographing the Canadian Landscape

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing visual journey across Canada
Review: All to often photographers arrogantly believe their images will support weak writing. Benson and Wilson obviously had set a goal of writing and photographic excellence from the beginning, and did they ever succeed! From cover to cover this guide/reference/instructional, and yes, to some extent coffee table book, establishes a new standard -- a standard that will be extremely difficult for those following to attain.

The authors take us on a visual journey across Canada, from coast to coast to coast. The trip is one of visual stimulation, along with useful information on how to get there and when is the best time of year to visit. Non-photographers will also benefit from the detailed travel instructions.

Benson and Wilson are masters at extracting colour from a scene. Their overt use of filters stimulates the senses with each image pulling the viewer into the scene. Yet they succeed where so many others have failed: they use filters in a complimentary manner, not in a 'look at me I'm filtered because the photographer didn't know how to handle the light' variety. Fortunately for us, the authors put in a very useful chapter on photographic technique.

This book is visually exciting, a fun read and an excellant addition to my library. Even if you are not planning a trip north of the 49th parallel this book is worth the price simply because it is the best of its kind: it communicates. Kudos to the authors.

Rating:
Summary: useful book with good places and ideas, but over-saturated.
Review: As a canadian, I am happy to see a photography book that covers the country from one corner to the other. It is an easy, even humorous read, with plenty of good location and photography ideas. On the down side, the photographs by the two authors are good but enhanced over the top. they take a nicely saturated film like velvia, and top it up with blue/yellow polarizers and other enhancing filters. The result is the visual equivalent of a parfume bath, with the predictable result: it gives you a strong headache! Bottom line is this: it is a reasonable guide to photographing canada, and if you really want to, you too can do it in sledge-hammer saturation. What are the alternatives? If you want something more natural but without location info, try "The Last Wilderness: Images of The Canadian Wild" edited by Freeman Patterson. For a lot of great canadian location photography, try a series of coffee-table books by Pierre Berton ("Seacoasts", "Great Lakes" etc) photos by Andre Gallant.

Rating:
Summary: Colorful, both literarally and literaturely
Review: The authors present their view of Canada in a colorful and often in a 'colorful' manner. The photography is world-class and the writing is light, easy and often humorous.

This book was a constant companion on my trip to eastern Canada and a most helpful guide to locating well known locations, as well as off the beaten path "secrets."

I was not a photographer when I first read this book, nor was I after the second read-through. By the third read I was wanting to be: If the authors have this much fun pursuing their craft, then I want to be a part of it. Thankfully they included a very methodical techniques chapter for our benefit.

This book does not disappoint.