How to Photograph Your Life

Wow. I have bought a lot of photography books in an effort to improve my pictures - composition, lighting, you name it - but this book blew me away with the simplicity and specificity of it's advice. The entire book is divided into chapters about common situations that you are trying to photograph and gives some simple advice and suggestions about how to better capture it. Obviously not every situation can be covered but what he does cover will inspire you and give you new ideas about how to capture what you see and feel. Sample chapters (How to photograph...): People around a table The first day of school Christmas A hike in the woods A landscape A sunset Your vacation A monument Your dog A couple A baby's face If you are the photographer in your family, do yourself, your family and friends a favor and read this book!

I love this book. This book is great for those who want to make otherwise average snap shots into something fresh and memorable. His suggestions are straight forward and unpretentious. The author does not overwhelm novices with technical details, but rather concentrates on helping photographers (novices and advanced amateurs) improve daily snapshots into something memorable. He illustrates his points by showing actual photos with mistakes and all taken by other family members and friends and show how each situation could be improved using the same amateur equipment. Fun to read.

This is the most practical book on photography I have read. And I have read many, many books over the years.I would get lost in f/stops and shutter-speeds and light-meters and fiddle endlessly with my SLR camera. I bought this book after I had just sold my SLR and got my first digital camera, a Canon S50. My eyesight is not so good anymore and I wanted an easy to use point and shoot with some manual features.After reading this book, I have been getting some pretty amazing pictures with my new digital camera. I shoot many, many pictures and come up close to the subject and a lot of the time, just turn off the flash. And the pictures that have resulted are the best I have ever taken (I love taking people-pictures).Some 30 pictures I took recently of a little girl in a matter of about 45 minutes came out so good, her dad couldnt stop thanking me for the great pictures. To me only two of them were outstanding. Is this my new skill, am I now a terrific photographer? Pshaw ! I simply followed Nick Kelsh's advice and just came in close and shot many pictures. And some of them came out just great. Really !I now have this book plus Kelsh's "Family" and "Baby" books. Enjoyed reading them and re-inforcing the advice so it becomes second-nature when I am using my camera. By the way, if you like shooting portraits, using window-light is absolutely the best way to go.

The focus of this book is creativity in photography for people who haven't done a lot of picture-taking. In addition to showcasing some simple concepts, this book gives creative ideas and suggestions for all kinds of challenging photography situations (birthday parties, family meetings, the list goes on). Kelsh's emphasis is on simplicity and ingenuity, and is guaranteed to transform your ho-hum snapshots into enlargement-worthy favorites.This book has a few simple concepts that will revolutionize the way you take pictures (as well as the way you look at people). What could be simpler than the tips found in this book? We can all get closer, turn off the flash, take a lot of pictures (a few rolls at a time), and look at situations from unexpected perspectives. And yet, with just these basic tips, Nick Kelsh assures us that we will begin to take photos that will be treasured as instant classics.Kelsh's tone is encouraging, conversational, and assuring. He is part-professional, part-everyphotographer. He is equally comfortable with portrait photography and snapshots. He avoids technical jargon and sticks with phrases we all like to imagine in connection with our own photos: "the envy of all your friends," "compliments on your photos," "people will ask you to photograph their children," and so on. You'll love your first reading of it, and I bet it will become a favorite over time. I'm tempted to buy several copies to give to friends. So don't wait -- get it, read it, and start taking pictures of your loved ones! And check out ALL of Nick Kelsh's titles!

In reading Nick Kelsh's book, I felt as if he were standing beside me, tilting my camera this way and that, and saying "See how much nicer your photo is when you do this and that?" With his great sense of humor, his down-to-earth writing, and his photographic examples, he shows the reader how to apply professional techniques to everyday photography. Reactions to your photo album will go from "How nice" to "Wow!"