The Art Of Seeing: A Creative Approach To Photography

Rating:
Summary: Visualization basics
Review: A good intro book to expand the beginning photographers understanding of visual imagery. Will open your mind to new ways of viewing the world around you and lead you to create more interesting and engaging photos.

Rating:
Summary: Training for the Most Important Tool of Photography
Review: The Art of Seeing is the latest, and most unique, book in my small but growing library on photography. I bought it because I was taking the same photographs over and over again and getting bored and frustrated with a hobby that I used to really enjoy. This book helped me work on the most important tool of photography: my eyes.
This book does what it says: teaches the art of seeing. I have been stuck in a rut of trying to take the pictures that I am "supposed" to take according to what my preconceptions tell me make a good photograph. This book encourages you to see everything differently and to photograph whatever you want.
Doeffinger breaks the book down into different aspects of what makes a picture, including color, depth, and form. He teaches you how to gain a new respect for every part of what makes a picture great while encouraging you figure out on your own what would make a picture great for you. While being a more abstract book, it does not fail to mention what techniques will help you bring out what you see with your eyes and put in on film. It does assume that you already know the basics of photography such as arpeture and film grain, but is careful not to go over the heads of beginners. Being an out of print book, the pictures are a little outdated but overall I would recommend this book to any photographer trying to put new life into their pictures.

Rating:
Summary: Breaking out of the rut
Review: This is a very good book for breaking out of the rut when you find yourself totally stuck for things to photograph. While some of the images remind one of those you might take in an introduction to photography class, that's not all bad. It gets your creative juices flowing again. Book helps you break repetitive image making and promotes creative thought processes, and it's not as dull as this sounds.

Rating:
Summary: Discovering your true potential thru hightened seeing
Review: This is one of the best books that highten your photographic abilities. It makes you aware of preconceptions you may have about photography, and encourages you to explore your seeing and observation skills. Included are chapters on what elements make up a scene, the importance of composition and lighting, and varying your ways of looking and treating the subject. I've reread it several times, learning new things everytime. It's remarkably well written and is non-technical.