Photographing the Landscape: The Art of Seeing

Rating:
Summary: Flat, flat, flat
Review: Although Fielder is admirable in his persistance, ambitiously pursuing the ultimate bland shot is not the pinnacle of artistic endeavour. Fielder has little to no sense of composition...read Muench or Maeda, this is not a good "how-to" book...the author doesn't know how.

Rating:
Summary: As with all things done well, the bottom line is hard work..
Review: Fielder's "The Art of Seeing" is above all a testament to the power of passion and hard work in the life of an artist. The author's writing is personal, proud and sometimes a bit arrogant, but he supports his panache with some powerful results--a collection of lovely and powerful landscape photographs. He moves too quickly through some of the technical information, and his "pizza" analogy is disappointing. But this "how-to" book is about more than technique. Between the lines, Fielder tells us that talent and technical skill are not enough...that life-long passion, dedication, care and hard work are the foundations of superior art.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I bought this book because John Fielder is very well known throughout Colorado, and I assumed he must be a good photographer. Unfortunately, I later realized that he owns his own publishing company, and this is the only reason any of his photos get published. Do not buy this book. John Fielder is, at best, an average photographer. I would recommend, instead, the how-to books by Art Wolfe or John Shaw. Wolfe, in particular, is a far better photographer than Fielder, and certainly provides much better advice.

Rating:
Summary: Not that bad, but not that good.
Review: I do feel that Fielder deserves more than one star for his efforts. He does take some good photographs. But he has built his reputation - not from the quality of his photographs - but from the fact that he owns his own publishing company. And there definitely are better photographers out there than Fielder. If you really want to learn how to take better photographs, I would have to recommend that you look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: It is truely an ART OF SEEING
Review: I have been taking pictures for the last twenty years. I like photography because of the challenges and possibilities everytime I press the shutter. Photography is an ART, and as such I admire many great pictures in many photography books and magazines, and this books got plenty of great pieces of ART. Like any photographers, I always like to find better ways to improve my pictures, and this book offers a great deal of practical concepts and details to make great pictures. The pictures in this book is truley Landscape, and the explaination is truly "an eye-opener". I like the explaination on ingredients of a well composed picture as well. A well written book.

Rating:
Summary: It is truely an ART OF SEEING
Review: I have been taking pictures for the last twenty years. I like photography because of the challenges and possibilities everytime I press the shutter. Photography is an ART, and as such I admire many great pictures in many photography books and magazines, and this books got plenty of great pieces of ART. Like any photographers, I always like to find better ways to improve my pictures, and this book offers a great deal of practical concepts and details to make great pictures. The pictures in this book is truley Landscape, and the explaination is truly "an eye-opener". I like the explaination on ingredients of a well composed picture as well. A well written book.

Rating:
Summary: Arrogant and Annoying
Review: I recently purchased this book on the advice from a fellow photographer that critiqued my work as an amatuer photographer. He said that this book helped him personally in his photography. I'm half way down with this book and find Fielder unappreciative of his ability. I agree that he is a good photographer, but the way he explains his photos is annoying. On a decent photo he will go into detail about the composition and how you eye flows across the picture. Sorry, but some of the photos he describes are not as good as he thinks. If you are looking for a "how-to" book, don't pick this one. Try John Shaw's Nature photography and you will get your moneies worth.

Rating:
Summary: The perfect book for beginning landscape photographers
Review: If you know John Fielder's name, you know that whatever that it is attached to is going to be top quality. I attended school near Lincoln, NE studying commercial art for 2 years ending in the summer of '96, and while there, I longed to see any landscape other than the plains which lack diversity. I lived to go back home on school breaks so I could enjoy the everyday view of the front range. Anyway, I started getting into photography in early '97. I had seen this book and had checked it out from the library multiple times. I found it very easy to read and understand, and being aware of good design, I found this book all the more enjoyable to read. It was designed very well. I learned the fundamentals of landscape photography and then some from this most valuable resource. By the time I was done, I knew what features I was looking for in a new camera. With a little shopping around, I found the perfect camera for me: a Canon Elan II E with three lenses covering the spectrum of 20-300mm. Living here in Colorado allows me to enjoy and look forward to the opportunities to take short and close vacations taking shots of some gorgeous country. Of course, with the great photos in this book, it gives you something to shoot for. I think that the book is very thorough and the display of bad pictures for examples add to the excellent touch. I couldn't recommend a better book for beginners. It's not difficult reading or hard to get into which I can't emphasize enough. Of course, with mostly Colorado photos, you can't go wrong either! If you want to know how to shoot landscapes, this book is for you. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Organized
Review: In comparison to Galen Rowell's books, the content is better organized and it is quite a good reference book for landscape photography.
If you have read any of Galen's books, you'll know that you literally have to mine for the relevant info in the midst of his philosophies and the accounts of his stories.
This one is closer to the idea of a how-to book and quite similar to John Shaw's style.

Rating:
Summary: Arrogant and Annoying
Review: It's always bothered me that another reviewer found fault with John's book, but I found none. John explains everything you need to know to become a great photographer. I was starting this career with little skill and the book dramatically improved every aspect of my work and I think it shows. All my photos were taken using the principles from his book--and I'm still reading it years after I bought it. I won't let anyone even borrow it since I refer to it so much. Incredible photos and insights! I can't afford his live seminars, but his book has gotten me a long way!