Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color \u0026 Composition in Photography (Updated Edition) by Bryan Peterson

Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color \u0026 Composition in Photography (Updated Edition) Reviews

• 
  Ali Niazi

  کتاب دید خلاقانه در عکاسی واقعا کتاب مفیدی در عکاسی است واقعا فقط داشتن دوربین حرفه ای و ... برای عکاسی خوب و جذاب کافی نیست بلکه باید دیدی خلاق در عکاسی داشت با خوندن این کتاب خیلی از محدودیت های که در ذهن شما در عکس گرفتن وجود دارد حذف می شود و یا نگاه شما تغییر می کند این کتاب بنظرم در ذهن و نحوه عکس گرفتن هر عکاسی می تونه باعث تغییر شود
• 
  Kerry

  Learning to See Creatively was a bit a disappointment for me. It seems odd to say this since I am still really a beginner in terms of photography but there didn’t seem to be a whole lot there that I didn’t know already. And for the most part, each concept was discussed rather superficially, then followed by a selection of photos that illustrated over and over again the very basic information that the author presented.
  
  For someone completely new to photography and composition, the second and third chapters would be the most valuable. They cover “Elements of Design (Line, Shape, Form, Texture, Pattern and Color) and “Composition” (Filling the Frame, Rule of Thirds, Diagonals, Framing, Picture Within a Picture, etc.) All topics that should be in a composition book, even if they could and should have been covered in more depth. Having said that, there were a lot of topics that should have been here but were inexplicably left out… the use and placement of negative space, body language and placement in portraits, just to name a few.
  
  Instead, the author focused his attention on a chapter about different kinds of lenses, (which I felt went on too long and should have been discussed later in the book in relation to the design concepts he discusses in chapters 2 and 3 rather than being the first thing discussed). He also chose to devote chapters to Digital Photography (including a section on why digital cameras just aren’t good enough and dictates of when it is and is not acceptable to use post processing) and a chapter on Career Considerations. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for information about careers in photography. But it seems to me that if you are reading a book about composition, it seems somewhat off topic especially when the composition sections were skimpy and incomplete.
• 
  Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance

  Learning to see creatively. Wow. Think about that. What a huge and bold title for a book. Is seeing creatively something we can teach? Or learn? And, if so, how?
  
  Bryan Peterson takes on this task. But he doesn't seize the reigns of teaching-to-see-creatively lightly. After all, this is the third edition; Peterson has been grappling with the ideas in this book since 1988. Peterson is no novice to photography, to creativity; his website reminds us that he has been a successful commercial photographer for over thirty-five years. He has lots to share with those of us who have just come to this world. And he does so.
  
  Peterson shares his secrets of how to see creatively in three ways. First, in a didactic, left-brained way, he provides the design, color, and composition rules for photography, some of which, one hopes, we have intuited for ourselves through our early successes and failures. Second, he shows lots of beautiful examples of his struggles to try out the rules. And, third, he offers exercises to build personal knowledge of those rules.
  
  Some books can be read in an hour; this book is a book I've lived with for several months. That, for me, is the mark of a good book: I don't just read the words, but I reread the words and try out the ideas.
  
  It's the trying out of the ideas that is most important, I think, in a book like this. So I thought I'd share some of my results.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  For a true test, you'd really need to see some before pictures, but take my word for it, these are much improved.
  
  What do you think? Does this sound like a book you should read?
  
  
  
  
• 
  Amanda Tero

  Before I finished this book, I had my camera in hand and was outside taking pictures. Though I am not inclined to be an abstract photographer, the tips in this book were very helpful and got my wheels turning.
  
  Peterson comes from his thirty-plus years of experience to address Expanding Your Vision, Elements of Design, Composition, The Magic of Light, and Photoshop. His style is very rounded out, from traditional landscapes to modern abstract photographs. The books is full of beautiful images and informative text. Though I have read through the book once, I know that I will refer back to it several times to study different images and his camera settings.
  
  Negatives:
  Being a secular photography book, there were a few images that I decided to cover up before my brothers would see the book (I actually was surprised that there were only 6-10). There were also some words that my family views as "bad words."
  
  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
• 
  Ahmad

  بدک نیس، ولی می‌تونست بهتر توضیح بده. آدم یه جورایی سردرگم می‌شه وسطای خوندن کتاب.
• 
  Susan

  This is an older book and most of what I read I had learned many times over from other sources. That said, I did learn one important aspect of composition that I do not remember encountering before so it was well worth the read.
• 
  Amy

  This is really a 3.5 star book. I didn't agree with everything the author said, but I did learn some things that were helpful. He's a big believer in photoshop and in posed/designed pictures, and those are the points on which we disagree. He also assumes everyone reading the book has $100,000 worth of photo equipment to work with, which is a little annoying.
  
  However, this book is not intended for beginners, nor for the phone camera crowd (I read the 3rd edition, 2015, but the discussion is entirely about cameras -- and cameras with interchangeable lenses)
  
  The focus on the elements of art composition and how those elements contribute to an image is interesting and helpful. Recommended for serious photographers with limited art background.
• 
  Bjorn Spiteri

  Too basic for me, and for a 2015 book (read in 2020) it seems too outdated for a printed book. There are some insights but few to justify this as a solid book to seriously improve your photography. The focal length chapters are better explained on a You Tube channel and colour or composition are too superficial delved upon.
  
  
  What I didn't really like is the quality of the front page, fonts, images used, and the content as I said is very basic nowadays.
• 
  Janet Barclay

  I'm halfway through a photography course that costs over $600, and I've learned more from this book than I've learned in my course so far. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to "make" photos instead of just "taking" them.
• 
  Hapzydeco

  Helpful tips. Bryan Peterson’s approach to photography will open your eyes to the possibilities that your camera can create.
• 
  Lis

  Uno dei libri migliori della collana. Peterson mostra e spiega delle immagini spettacolari dando consigli chrle possono anche sembrare banali ma che risultano preziosissimi.
• 
  Keren Xu

  very helpful book, but a bit outdated
  Elements of design:
  Line shape form texture pattern color
  Form: Form is seen in three dimensions, while shape has only two. Form assures us that an object has depth. Since communicating form depends on light and the resulting shadows, It's best to photograph a subject under sunny skies and sidelight to reveal it's form. The contrast between the light and dark area of a sidelit shape given it form.
  Contrast - which is the element I rarely think about. A great example in the book that bright yellow flower can be placed aginst the dark background and can also be used to draw attention to the background.
  
  mental checklist:
  - relative to depth of field, what kind of picture am I taking? which aperture should I use
  - are there any motion-filled opportunities here?
  - should I be using higher or lower ISOs for this shot?
  - what are the wide-angle lens possibilities? Is there any foreground subject matter to exaggerate? Are there any strong lins to create a "vanishing" perspective? is today's wether an opportunity to emphasize the vastness of the sky in relation to the landscape below? Is this the time to call upon the fish-eye so that I can exaggerate the foreground perspective?
  - what are the telephoto lens possibilities? is the subject before me best isolated with the narrower angle of view? Do I have a busy or colorful background to emphasize?
  - should I shoot from my eye level or knee level or while laying on my belly or back? is there any nearby tree or some stairs that will give me some elevation so that I can shoot this scene from a high vantage point? is there another picture within the picture I just composed?
  - is this subject best shot now or later? is it best photographed in frontlight, sidelight, or backlight? should I use a refecltor to add some fill light, or is this the time to call upon my flash? does the sky overhead offer up a chance to shoot an expansive composition? Is this the kind of scene that can be shot in all four seasons?
  - does it feel as if the landscape, cityscape, or seascape is missing sth? Perhaps the scene before me is best used as part of a ps composite
  
  
• 
  Mark

  (NOTE: I read, the 3rd edition, 2015). Very good, and very detailed book explaining all of the core elements of planning and capturing a good image. Line, form, design, texture and color are all given their due. There are many photos in the book, and each is captioned with the relevant camera settings and lens choices. You might get jet lag, as the camera zooms from the NJ shore to Washington, to Chicago (where Petersen is based) to Paris, and the Netherlands. A Photoshop chapter is included, but sadly, portraits are not given their own section (there are portraits among the selected photos.) Petersen, who teaches photography classes is a firm believer in getting it right in camera. Some small criticisms: the book meanders a bit and is a little too introspective at times. I hope future editions give Portraits their own section. (4.1-4.4/5.0)
• 
  Larraine

  This is an excellent book for even the beginning photographer. It was a good refresher for me and gave me some new ideas. I'm pretty much an enthusiastic amateur. I wish I could afford some of the lenses he talks about in this book. Nor am I in the position of being able to afford to rent equipment that I can stand on to bring me higher. Still, it's an interesting and thoughtful book. You can learn a lot.
• 
  Trudy Pomerantz

  This book, though it predates the digital revolution, is still very relevant today. While there have been huge changes in the instruments we use to take photos, the way we need to see light and composition has not changed. This book provided a great overview on the more creative side of taking photos.
• 
  Rebecca

  If you know the most basic knowledge of shutter, capture and depth of field. But when you are starting to shoot. The photos looks missing a sparkling spot. Read this book and practice as the book said. I saw a big improvement on my photos
• 
  Chris Meads

  I am a beginning camera buff and wanted to see what Peterson had to say. I am glad I read the book and he gives quite a few good tips and suggestions on how to create a great picture. And each of his pictures has a little blurb on how he created his photo used in the book. It was a good read.
• 
  Cecilia

  "There is a certain importance in not always relying on rules, otherwise you might not develop confidence in your vision when it differs from that of others". Useful for beginners.
• 
  Nick

  Learned a lot from this book. It changed the way how I see things. I need a lot of eye practice and learn more about color psychology.
• 
  James Clarke

  Good coverage of the basics
  
  This is a solid book that I come back to again and again to require the mindset of the basics of composition and reawaken my creativity.
• 
  Zizeek

  This had some great ideas, but it's the third book of his that I've read and there wasn't anything easy shattering here for me.
• 
  Joe

  Good.