by Alain Briot
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Thirteen essays on landscape photography by master photographer Alain Briot. Topics include practical, technical, and aesthetic aspects of photography to help photographers build and refine their skills. Also covered is how to be an artist in business.
Alain Briot is one of the leading contemporary landscape photographers. He received his education in France and currently works mostly in the southwestern part of the United States.
This book starts with the technical aspects of photography; how to see, compose, find the right light, and select the best lens for a specific shot. It continues by focusing on the artistic aspects of photography with chapters on how to select your best work, how to create a portfolio, and finally concludes with two chapters on how to be an artist in business.
About the Author
Alain Briot is one of the leading contemporary landscape photographers. Originally from Paris, France, he attended the Academie Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris where he studied drawing and oil painting. Briot started photography in 1980. Currently living in Arizona, his favorite photographic locations are in the southwestern United States.
Product Details
* Paperback: 280 pages
* Publisher: Rocky Nook; illustrated edition edition (December 5, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1933952067
* ISBN-13: 978-1933952062
* Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
Customer Reviews
1.0 / 5 stars Very Wordy - Doesn't Say Much!, July 13, 2007
By Iain Williams "Iain Williams" (Hobart, Tasmania Australia)
I was initially offered this book sometime back when it was much more expensive. After seeing it on Amazon considerably cheaper I decided to purchase the book.
I was under the impression by the title that it would cover off on technical and artistic recommendations for landscape photography.
I found the book to be relatively well written, however, very wordy! The author is not succinct and to the point, but rather very long winded. Much of the text is repeated throughout the book as the writer becomes sidetracked - yet again. Therefore, approximately 30% - 50% of the book is extra words and duplicated information. Furthermore, the images in the book do not teach you anything. Many of the images are duplicated in each chapter.
The book is divided into roughly two sections - technical aspects and artistic aspects relating to landscape photography.
I found the technical aspects to be a little lacking. If you are already versed in the basic technically knowledge of photography, you do not require this book. Everything written can very easily be gleaned form other "free" sources. If you are searching for technical aspects - purchase another book.
Art by it's very nature is highly subjective, and it's very difficult to put into words as this author has demonstrated. There are literally pages and pages in which nothing is actually stated - just "mumbo jumbo". Briot goes on endlessly about his success and the reasons for his success. Although interesting in its own right, the book is a photographic book on the technical and artistic approach to landscape photography - not an autobiography! When reading his book I kept thinking to myself, when will it end, what is this guy trying to say, when will he cease to `blow his own horn".
Many reviewers have mentioned that the book was inspiring, and I must agree with them. Briot makes you want to "get out there and give it a go". But this is what autobiographies do - inspire. I bought the book for information which is sourly lacks.
I have a PhD in earth science which focuses my thoughts to the technical side of photography (science is basically technical). I often feel I lack the artistic side required to make images which is why I bought this book. Unfortunately, the book did not convey the information advertised. After reading the book a month ago, all I can remember is the author's personal history. I should be remembering photographic points - not whether he lived in France, Arizona or Colorado, or whether he hired a removal van for 3 days or 6 days, or whether he moved into a house with 3 or four rooms!
I'd suggest borrowing the book from a library rather than purchasing it.
I rate this book as follows:
Readability 2/10
Information 3/10
Biography 9/10
Imagery 3/10I
I suggest you read the follow up comments as well.....
5.0 / 5 stars Creating beautiful images, December 25, 2006
By David C. White (Grass Valley, CA)
Mastering Landscape Photography is a masterful work by Alain Briot. In this volume Alain presents the result of years of experience and deep thinking about how to visualize, create, present and even market fine-art landscape photographs.
If you are looking for a book to tell you how to use your digital camera or how to use Photoshop to create images, this is not the book for you. However, if want to learn the art of creating beautiful landscape images and expressing how you feel about and perceive a landscape location, this book is a must have. Alain will take you through all the steps of image creation from visualizing, composing, exposure, lens selection, and creation of a portfolio, to marketing your images.
Alain has a very straightforward way of explaining things. You will find that Alain has no secrets and is very open about the creation of his work. He has obviously given a large amount of thought to the process of image creation over the years. His initial training as an artist in Paris has given him a unique perspective into creating beautiful landscape photographs which he shares in this book.
In addition to the writings on each topic, the book is beautifully illustrated with many of his photographs which are used to illustrate the points that he makes.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to achieve better results from their photographic endeavors.
5.0 / 5 stars Five stars for the information, another five for the photos!, December 26, 2006
By Matthew M. Miller "dasmegabyte" (Wynantskill, NY)
Besides his eye for breathtaking composition, Alain has a real talent for instruction. He writes passionately about landscape photography, without the pretense that anything other than hard work and readily attainable knowledge led to his creations. This book has a real easy read and a solid "you can do it" feel to it. It makes you want to get up and start taking more photos!
Keep in mind: this is not a book on how to create photos from a technical standpoint, not a book offering a series of technical rules to follow to compose a scene well. There's advice on how one MIGHT approach a shot, some possible techniques to improve the interest of a scene, and some examples on how Alain himself has done this. But the crux of this book is its assertion that artists must find their own style, their own way of composing that matches their personality and philosophy, and that any photographer, no matter how "amateur," can become an artist. And that's precisely what endears it. I consider this an essential companion to the more technical primers on photography, such as Tom Ang's great books on Digital Photography. The technical works will teach you how to shoot a scene. This book helps you learn for yourself what the scene is, when to shoot it for the best effect, and why you shoot it in the first place.
source : amazon.com
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Mastering Landscape Photography: The Luminous Landscape Essays - Alain Briot
Thirteen essays on landscape photography by master photographer Alain Briot. Topics include practical, technical, and aesthetic aspects of photography to help photographers build and refine their skills. Also covered is how to be an artist in business.
Alain Briot is one of the leading contemporary landscape photographers. He received his education in France and currently works mostly in the southwestern part of the United States.
This book starts with the technical aspects of photography; how to see, compose, find the right light, and select the best lens for a specific shot. It continues by focusing on the artistic aspects of photography with chapters on how to select your best work, how to create a portfolio, and finally concludes with two chapters on how to be an artist in business.
source : http://www.better-photographs.com
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It focuses on three main topics: artistic skills, technical knowledge and business sense. According to the author, to master landscape photography you must match your artistic abilities with your technical knowledge. To earn a living doing this, you must acquire business acumen.
Briot’s goal is to shorten the stretch it takes for a photographer to go from a beginner or a novice to a seasoned professional. It still will take time and practice, but according to the author, when he was learning, many in the field kept their techniques to themselves and thus he had to learn the hard way. His goal is to share his knowledge and reduce your learning curve.
Mastering Landscape Photography does exactly what Briot intends it to do. Not only is it well written, but it is functionally usable - not in a step-by-step format, rather in an artistic philosophic manner. There are suggestions on how one might approach the shot. The author gives things to look for and options to take.
For example, in chapter four – “How to find the best light for a specific photograph,” Briot describes “Drawing with Light” and the three rules of light; the quality of light, reflected light and intensity of light. He describes how to find the best light and the various uses for each. He then uses several of his wonderful photographs showing real world examples of his technique.
This is where most authors would end the chapter; not Briot. He concludes with four photographic skills enhancement exercises. He challenges you to do some hands-on techniques that he explained in the chapter. He asks you to also construct a nigrometer; a tool that allows you to see the actual color of objects in front of us.
This is the same format for each of the 13 essays. There are detailed explanations of each topic, and then real-world exercises of the techniques.
The essays include: “How to see photographically”, “How to compose a photograph”, “How to determine the best exposure for a specific scene” and “How to decide which photographs are keepers and which are not”. From the business side, he has “How to be an artist”, “How to be an artist in business” parts one and two and “How you can do it too”
This is not a book on how to use your camera, Photoshop, or even a step-by-step guide. This is a book that will help you learn to see the image that you want to create, the image that you want to design. You will learn what you need to take that next step to becoming a master landscape photographer
T. Michael Testi
PhotographyToday.net
