Understanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters with Or Without a Macro Lens

Once in a while we find a publication that thoroughly talks to a subject, and really shows you how to do the tasks that are associated with the subject. This book does just that. By a carefully laid out sequence of photographs the author builds on experiences and shows just what to do to accomplish amazing photographs. The 'how to' is expertly and carefully shown with each photo so a student can easily follow up and accomplish a similar task. This author not only supports each photo example with a details 'how-to' but also adds the extra bits of information that make the task both interesting and successful. The audience for this book can be a novice all the way up to an expert, for it covers the entire scope of taking close-up photos. Although this used book it was in excellent condition, a previous 'student' also enjoyed it. So will you if you find another one.

I think the comment on the front of the book pretty much covers it, (Creative close encounters with or without a MACRO lens). I started watching Bryan Peterson's YouTube videos about a year ago, which got me to take a look at this book. I would highly recommend taking a look at some of his YouTube videos also. If you want to be inspired and if you are looking for ideas that lead to other creative ideas, Bryan's books and videos are excellent! He also has many useful tips on using macro lenses, extension tubes and even wide angle lenses in close-up work. His focus is not on trying to document every single detail of how he created each image in the book. I think he is more interested in giving useful guidelines and creative ideas that can be applied to a variety of photography equipment. I will definitely take a look at Bryan's other books and I'm sure I will be referring to this book as needed. I have been dabbling in photography for many years, but I have gotten into it more seriously in the last two years. My current focus is on macro or close-up photography and this book and Bryan's videos have helped me to start getting the kind of photos I was looking for.

Peterson's books on Shutterspeed and Aperature are among the best I've ever encountered so when I saw this book in the soon to be released section I ordered it immediately. After waiting three months, it finally arrived and although I would not put it into the same category as the Aperture and Shutterspeed books, it is certainly a worthy addition. First, I'm not a pro but enjoy close-up and macro probably more than any other type of photography. This book strikes a solid balance between buying advice and explanations sufficient for newbies wanted to get started in close-up or macro and a few creative ideas or style for others with more experience. The emphasis is certainly on close-up above macro but with sufficient appeal to keep both happy. Ample explanations, nice use of comparative photo's and Petersons exceptional style of casual communication that provides insight into the shot itself. Also, he includes wide angle, fish-eye and other less common lens types outside of just the macro itself...for that he gets an extra star as it is a topic rarely included in most close-up discussions. Not every photo is of stellar quality - although there are some beautiful examples. Briefly, topics include equipment, depth of field and aperature, general tips, home studio, framing, magnification ratios, depth of field preview, and other essential information. To sum it up...a worthy addition but not of the same quality or caliber as exposure and shutterspeed. Newbies will benefit the most while more experienced users may pick up a few worthy ideas.

...and I mean a lot. He's quick to give helpful hints and tips with clear vivid analogies...but don't go and buy the book just yet. Those of you who are professionals or experienced amateurs will find this book lacking in very advanced techniques. It explains middle range basics (It won't tell you how to turn on the camera) on Close up photography. Don't be surprised if at times you find the author almost appear to be bragging about his life and supposed success. However, it is still a good book for people that have little to no experience in taking their camera out of auto mode and getting better exposures. It's not the best but definitely really good. I think instead of writing separate books the author could have composed the whole series into one book because reading all his books you will often find yourself re-reading information from book to book. Instead of buying this buy his Understanding Exposure and pick this up from the library.

I like Bryan's straight forward approach and the 'can do' spirit with which this book was written. His book is not filled demands for you to buy the most expensive equipment in order to capture photos like his examples. He informs the reader of all the equipment options from expensive to not so expensive and how to make the best use of the basic lenses that often come with a camera. With illustrations of ways to completely change a photograph with point of view, he talks us through why a photo works or doesn't. He encourages the reader to ask themselves what they want to convey about a subject. He also trains us to look for and capture simple beauty and form. I appreciate the many photographs throughout the book; each one has notes on how it was created. It is clear that he loves his craft and wants others to join him in finding the same enjoyment in photography that he has. We all look to accomplished masters to learn about things that interest us. Bryan is a masterful joyful photographer, and a sincere teacher. This is an inspirational book that I will keep and refer to for a long time.

Peterson is in fine form here with his trademark style of plain-spoken, practical teaching. He has a way of putting abstract concepts into easily understood, everyday language that leads the reader to truly OWN the idea. And at the same time he nudges along the more experienced photographer to reach beyond the familiar techniques and styles it's so easy to rely on in the myriad artistic selections one makes with every shot. The photos Peterson selected to illustrate his points communicate perfectly everything from the arcane to the simple, and they are consistently beautiful as a bonus! Understanding Close-up is better edited than his prior books but retains the charming, "note to a friend" voice that typifies Bryan Peterson. As someone who has taken his on-line classes, heard him speak at conferences, and read most of his books, I am clearly a fan, but I'm also a reader and I appreciate the fact that his latest book is fun to read, beautifully made and still causes the little light bulbs to go off above my head!

Like many people buying books on macro photography, I'm a somewhat experienced amateur who recently bought a dedicated macro lens and feeling underwhelmed with the initial results. After looking for decent free content on the Web, and not finding much, I started looking at books and settled on this one after reading all the good reviews. I'm sure the author is a fine photographer. That's easy to see from looking at the photographs but I have to say this is arguably a better coffee table book than it is an instructional on how to take better macro photos. Like so many photography books, there just isn't enough information on how the photos were taken to allow the reader to go out and try to do the same...One mistake (and I don't know why editors let this go) is listing incomplete information the body, lens, and settings used for each of the photos. In some, he gives you the focal length used but since he doesn't specify whether he's using a full-frame vs. cropped sensor body you don't know specifics, and they can in some cases be important. There are two chapters about the "Canon 500D" but they're so hard to follow I ended up looking online to see what he was talking about. He starts by calling it a "lens" and later a "filter"...Starting out explaining what it is and then showing a picture of it in use would be a much better way to start off. I'm still not sure whether he's recommending using it on a macro lens or just other lenses. There is a lot of great information in the book, I just would have edited it completely differently. Show some great "classic" macro pictures, show the set up you used (ie a photo of the camera, tripod, lighting, etc.), give the exact settings, explain options, and move on to the next one. Flowers, feathers, surfaces, all kinds of interesting stuff is mentioned and his pro results shown, but having finished the book I haven't really added much at all to my knowledge of how to make my photos pop.

I almost never leave reviews but am making an exception for this book. I've got a decent collection of photography books but this is one I could hardly put down. Bryan Peterson takes the reader through close up photography step by step in clear, easy to read language with loads of pictures to illustrate the written text. He shows the differences between settings and discusses how he achieved the best result. The book was so clear, so inspiring, I found myself itching to go out and try shooting using his techniques immediately! If you like close up and macro photography, this is a great book to add to your collection! Highly Recommended! Amazon's shipping, as always, was prompt and well packaged.

So easy to understand the author's style.

I used this book for taking photos of many different things.

Ich kann die schlechte Rezension von Bwana Simba "africalink.de" kein bisschen nachvollziehen. 1. die Größe: das Buch ist fast genau so groß wie ein DinA4-Blatt (ca. einen cm kleiner in der Höhe und 0,5 cm breiter). Es hat nur 160 Seiten. Diese Größe kann man hervorragend in jede normale Tasche stecken und auch ohne Tisch gemütlich lesen. 2. der Inhalt: dieses Buch ist kein Anfängerbuch, es wird nicht auf die Basics der Fotografie eingegangen. Und das finde ich genau richtig. Ich möchte in einem Buch über Close-up Fotografie nicht alle Basics durchgekaut haben, dafür gibts andere Bücher (ich empfehle "Understanding Exposure" von Bryan Peterson - super Buch und genau darauf baut dieses Buch hier auf). Peterson erklärt, was Makro und Close-up bedeutet, geht sehr detailiert auf das benötigte bzw. erhältliche Equipment ein (sehr sinnvoll, wie ich finde, denn man lernt, was gut fürs Foto ist und was nur Geldmacherei der Hersteller ist),auf die Aufnahmetechnik und kreative Tipps. Und er gibt sehr viele Beispiel-Fotos mit Exif und Erklärung. Die Art, wie Peterson sein Buch aufgebaut hat, ist mal wieder sehr intuitiv und sehr inspirierend. Für Leute, die kein vertechnisiertes Buch wollen, sondern einfach mit der "Seele" fotografieren und fotografieren lernen, genau das richtige. Und wie gesagt, man muss die Kamera in ihren Grundzügen schon bedienen können.

Ótimo livro, muito didático, como todos os livros de Bryan Peterson

This was a gift for my husband and he really loved it. Thank you!