Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Baffling September 1, 2008
I have never understood why this, of any book purporting to instruct on composition/design, has remained in print for so long when several other books of actual merit have been out of print for so long. Other than the most elementary presentations on composing, the books with any meat in them have until 2007 been available only on the used market.
Thankfully, though, there are some top notch books available currently in print. Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye," Harald Mante's "The Photograph," and Torsten A. Hoffmann's book.
This book is incomplete, rather misleading, out of date, boring to look at and to read. Take a pass.
 Great for beginners, but that's about all November 16, 2007
It's OK, but nothing really special. While I would have found something like this very useful six years ago when I was forced into professional photography working as a reporter at a small newspaper (grab a notebook and a camera was the mantra for anyone leaving the office), the concepts are a little too basic for me now. There is some interesting information about dynamic shapes and the emotions they evoke, and the emotions of color, so it's not a total loss. But unless you're new to photography, don't expect anything earth-shaking here.
First half excellent, second half vague July 26, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first half of the book is a systematic approach to the composition of photographs. It describes `Photographic' and `Graphic' elements: for example, depth of field is a photographic element of the composition, while the placement of a silhouette within the image frame is a graphic element of the composition. I enjoyed reading this material, which really helped me think about what makes a photograph `work' and what makes other photographs `not work'. As some other reviewers have said, this is a really useful aide-memoire about the possibilities for control over the final photograph.
Then the book turns to the aesthetics of composition. What makes one picture communicate a calm and restful feeling, while another hits you right between the eyes? Good question. Unfortunately the book offers some rather vapid generalisations that reminded me of art school lingo. The book says: "a circle or smooth line conveys a feeling of calm, gentle rest." Oh really? I immediately think of a hangman's noose, or a coiled serpent ready to strike. Sorry, but generalisations about the emotional response of humans to an image are just nonsense. Different individuals will react differently to a photograph. Of course, in an art school, everyone has been tutored to believe that curved lines are always calm, etc, and to recognise these conventions when viewing a work of art. So if you are making photographs for assessment in an art school, by all means, follow the precepts of Grill and Scanlon. However in the outside world, not all viewers of all photographs will interpret curved lines as calm and restful. The aesthetics in this book seem rather too dogmatic, over-generalised and perhaps a little pretentious.
The book is worth reading, and certainly thought-provoking, but I think it's a little overrated.
 A boring book July 12, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Got this book by the recommendation of Ken Rockwell on his website.
Though the book provides somewhat useful information, I'm disappointed about it because:
1. It's very boring. It's more like a text book. In my opinion, a book about an inspirational subject like photography should be inspiring to read. (compared to Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, for instance)
2. Most of the illustrations are ugly. I don't know if the author just threw the pictures in it to make the points or I just can't understand the greatness of those pictures. But in my opinion, they are ugly. Therefore, I can hardly picture myself following the points the author's making because I don't want my photos to look like the ones illustrated in the book.
 One of the most useful books I've ever read May 25, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Generally, I'm not much of a review writer. I'm not that eloquent, easily bored, and lazy in the extreme. This particular book, however, merits an exception.
To put it succinctly, it's one of the best photography books I've ever come across and I've come across quite a few of 'em.
Despite this, I'm not too surprised at the lukewarm ratings and reviews that it's been getting here. Furthermore, I'm sure that the majority of the current wave of photo hobbyists will find it irritating in the extreme. Here's why.
We're an instant gratification society. We've been conditioned to look for easy solutions to complex problems and to want them here and now. Most photography books that get printed right now cater to that trend. They're full of do-this-get-that examples, pre-canned ideas, standard lighting setups, etc., etc.
You will find none of that in "Photographic Composition". It is a book that deals with concepts, not instructions. If you slow down, think things through, and meditate on the material that's presented, then maybe, just maybe, it will help you create something... interesting.
If you're not willing to do that or just not interested, then you should probably look elsewhere.
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