Rating: 
Summary: A Photographer's Toolbox
Review: What makes a photo work? What are the elements that catch the viewer's eye? Bill Smith, a working photographer, has captured this information in a great book. Through examples of Smith's work, he explains what went into each of the photos, what makes them work, and how the technique can be adapted by the reader. There are a number of books on creative techniques in photography, but the fact that this work is now in its second edition indicates that it has resonated with photographers. The high quality printing adds to the value of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: LESSONS FROM A REAL PRO--From Newark Star-Ledger 5/1/01
Review: When you shoot a photograph, whether it be a person, still life or scenic, what goes through your mind? How much thought do you give to the process of creating the image before pressing the shutter?These questions occured to Bill Smith of Freehold, a commercial photographer who realized that some people don't give these aspects of creativity much thought. His book, "Designing a Photograph: Visual Techniques for Making Your Photographs Work," was created to impart the experience gathered as a working professional, presenting the neophyte with some common-sense advice garnered from trial and error. Smith's 1985 work has just been re-issued in a revised editiion, updated to include changes in technology that have occured in the last 16 years, as well as more photographs by the author. Smith said he tackled the project because he felt there was a void in the market for books that can explain the process of designing photographs "in a way which is not only palatable but digestible." The book is peppered with small text boxes that feature "assignments" for the reader to try in an effort to develop a more studied eye. "All those assignments are what a photographer does unconsciously anyway, but unless you really have an awareness of what you do when you shoot, you don't necessarily think about it. I'm sure when you're taking a picture, you don't think, 'Well, maybe I should move in a little closer' or 'Maybe I should change my camera angle,' you just do it," he said.
| 
