Rating: 
Summary: Author is holding back
Review: I've read dozens of books on photography and this one has to be the worst one. Why? As a aspiring photographer, I wanted to improve my compositional skill. That's why I bought this book. Bill may be a professional photographer (not a great photographer though IMHO), but he's not a good instructor or writer. This book failed to be an instructional book because details are held back.For example, he said he learned a great technique by shooting both B&W and color film for the same subject, but he didn't mention at all what technique he learned!!! Why mention it if he's not going to share it? All the technique he talked about in the book are so basic and vague that I get more confused after reading this book. I remembered I learned a lot from John Shaw's and Art Wolfe's books (two of the best and great nature photographers in the world). After reading this book, my mind has become confused. So, I'm going to stop reading it after finishing half of it.
Rating:
Summary: Something's Missing
Review: If there were a "Truth in Book Titling Law", Bill Smith would have received a maximum sentence. This book does not teach you what its title purports. Once a photographer has learned how to manipulate the controls on his camera for proper exposure and focus, he wants to know how to capture the world around him with a camera in a way that will convey it to others in the way that he comprehends it in his mind. This process requires the photographer first to see in his mind's eye what it is he wants to photograph, be it object, relationship or emotion. Next the photographer arranges the elements onto film or charge coupled device. Most people can learn how to make an exposure that people will recognize as part of the world. The quality of previsualization (to use the great photographer Ansel Adams' word) and composition is what makes the difference between a snapshot and art. The title of this book suggests that it will help you improve the quality of your photography. However, most of the language in this book is vague generalities that defy the reader to extract a useful lesson. Oh, there are some almost useful sections. The chapter "Look before You See" suggests a number of photographic exercises that could be useful. For example Smith advises that you shot a roll of film on a single subject. "Vary the camera angle, the lens, the distance from the subject, and the focus...." But then what. It would appear that we will automatically extract something from what is on film that will help us learn. But he doesn't tell us how varying the camera angle will effect the photograph. We apparently must figure out the results ourselves. Without a little more guidance, we could well end up with 36 shots of nothing satisfactory. I wondered if Smith was saying that a person can't be taught composition but can only learn by trial and error. If that's so, why buy a book? I'm not suggesting that the exercise approach is not one way to learn to be a better photographer, but it needs more explanation. If you're interested in a book that takes this approach, I'd suggest Freeman Patterson's "Photography and the Art of Seeing". But most of the book is even less useful. In the section on lens selection, Smith tells us the choice of lens is determined by subject, use of the photograph, the effect required and physical space limitations. But he doesn't tell us which lens is best for which subjects. Instead he tells us "learn and test the limitations and capabilities of each lens." Smith gives us a photographic history of his development as an artist that I might have found interesting if he had used it to instruct rather than say, "I began a career as a corporate photographer". He finishes his book by with a chapter called "Applied Design" which is supposed to give us insights into specific kind of shooting. The seven pages devoted to interiors look like a real estate sales brochure. He makes five learning points like "Decide whether to style the room" and "Choose your camera format". But he doesn't tell us what choice of format is appropriate for what situation. When I review a book that I can't recommend, I usually recommend another that I think is good. However since most of my work is in landscape and nature photography, I don't have a general composition book to recommend. But I'm certain that even if you were not interested in nature photography, you would learn more about composition from "John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide" than you could ever learn from "Designing a Photograph".
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspiring photos with not very much discussion
Review: Quite simply, this book doesn't live up to its name. The author is a competent commercial photographer who illustrates some simple photographic concepts by giving examples of his work. Unfortunately the discussion is usually only a few sentences and the photographs, while professionally competent, are not really inspiring enough for the amateur photographer. Many felt like the routine photography you might find in a travel brochure or real estate magazine. Furthermore there seems to have been no thought given to organizing the concepts and elaborating on them. All in all, for the amateur enthusiast looking to expand his artistic horizons, this is not at all worth purchasing. A much more informative and inspirational book would be the 'Creative Photography Handbook' by Lee Frost. It is filled with beautiful photos and thoroughly covers the techniques which are used to create them.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice examples, even for a seasoned non-pro shooter
Review: Real nice advice, and easy to read. Some things are a little simple an I knew already, but that is no reason to down grade the book. I picked up plenty of tips and will continue to do so. I don't read it as a book, but I flip through it and read a short chapter on whatever, just a few pages, and think about it. Great reference material. Pictures are good to great but that is not what it is all about,they are examples. Its about learning and bring up the quality to the next level. I am learning to 'see' better and thats what matters. The book works for me!
Rating:
Summary: Boring book with good concepts
Review: This book has some good points that are illustrated in the pictures in the book. Unfortunately, most of the pictures are quite boring. Overall, I finished the book much less excited about photography.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: THis is a good book if only for the exercises it provides and its intructions on how to evaluate your own work which is especially helpful if you cannot attend photography classes and or workshops. The only thing it lacks is a clear way to interpet your progress after each exercise.
Rating:
Summary: Useful
Review: This is an excellent resource for photographic design. In these days of digital photography, people are just clicking away and often don't think about the design of their photos. If you'd like to move from taking snapshots to taking photographs, this will give you the basics of photographic design. You'll learn composition, and how to "see". In other words, you have to develop an eye for the elements of design. This book should be read by students of photography. You'll notice a great improvement iin you photographs after reading this.
Rating:
Summary: Useful
Review: This is an excellent resource for photographic design. In these days of digital photography, people are just clicking away and often don't think about the design of their photos. If you'd like to move from taking snapshots to taking photographs, this will give you the basics of photographic design. You'll learn composition, and how to "see". In other words, you have to develop an eye for the elements of design. This book should be read by students of photography. You'll notice a great improvement iin you photographs after reading this.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book of Photography Ever
Review: This is the best and most unique book on photography ever published. Bill Smith is a talented photographer but his book evidences his multi-dimensional skills, which include producing a book. Bill's mastery of the written word, complimented with his photographic story telling, produce a book worthy of top shelf on your coffee table. For students of photography, you will not find a better teacher than Designing a Photograph. It is visually appealing and more than interesting. It makes a terrific gift for professionals, amatures and anyone who enjoys photos. Check out Bill's book on the Carribean for a real treat!
Rating:
Summary: Insights to the design process
Review: Too many photography books consist of the photographer spouting off about what lens was used and how they lucked out on being in the right place at the right time. This book is different. The author walks through the design process, talking about what to think about and how it applied to a particular shot. What is even better is he isn't afraid to show the shots that almost work but don't quite. You can see the results of several attempts and make up your mind for yourself as to whether the shot he likes best is the same one you'd pick. Very thought provocative with lots of self assignments to help you try out the concepts.
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