Photography & the Art of Seeing

Please don't buy this book. It will change your photography. I bought it, and now I have an advantage, and I want to keep it! Seriously, this is probably the most disturbing photography book I have found. It will challenge everything you do in photography, and that is unsettling. If you follow the exercises properly, you will develop a whole new way of seeing and taking photos. Sure, if you want to, you can read it from cover to cover and go "Ho, hum, very nice." and take it no further. But if you want to improve your photography, take your time, and do the exercises carefully. You will be surprised at the results. I especially like the one where you lock yourself in a small room (bathroom) and have to take 20 images. "If you don't feel desperation before you finish this exercise, then you have to take another 20 photos." Don't buy this book! Run away and hide. Keep taking boring photos.

I bought "Photography and the Art of Seeing" knowing nothing about it. I had not even heard of the author, Freeman Patterson. I had a certain expectation based on current photography books of the same genre, but what I found is a book beyond compare. I would recommend this book to any level of photographer with a desire to truly express themselves through their photography. You won't come away with a list of rules and instructions about when to apply them. Nor will you end up with a cheat sheet of camera settings that achieve particular effects. If you are open to it, however, you will learn new ways to look at, think about, understand, and portray the world you see through the lens of your camera; you will become more empowered to express yourself in your photography. I was happily surprised that this book is more about photography than it is about the author. Certainly he includes many personal experiences to explain himself and his work, but he does so without the self-aggrandizing rhetoric of similar books. You really begin to feel as if you are part of his process, rather than someone he is trying to impress, as he describes his approach to his work. And the photos! While they are exceptional, this is not a book to flip through, pause for the pictures, and then put on a shelf. Instead, it lives up to an important word in the subtitle, "workshop." You may never attend an expensive workshop with an accomplished photographer. But Patterson generously provides a workshop that includes intriguing, mind-expanding exercises all for the cost of this book. Yes, I love this book! So much so that I've ordered two more of Patterson's books, and I can hardly wait to get started on them.

Freeman Patterson is an artist with camera in his hand. All of this books are not limited to the "talking-of-equipment" nor "exposure setting". Instead, Freeman gives you the visual design; then, you address what you see + what you design on film. In this book, Freeman applied the "visual design" through the framing and composing technique -the art of seeing. Unlike other photo books, this book shows you more on composition of shape and color, not much on equipment. Thus, the gear-luster may found this book is inferior to others. I, however, found this book is a requirement after you master the exposure and gear. Several workshops are given in this book as well as the evaluation techniques that I found very useful. Like other Freeman's books, many nice photo are provided for your joy and learn.

An excellent book - clearly written for novices and professionals alike. For technical photography-book addicts like me, this is a welcome change to the other books which focus so much on 'getting it right'. This book encourages you to experiment and to extend yourself. I for one, will try to photograph the seemingly-mundane objects in my house to see beyond what's there. The only thing I miss is the technical details of his outstanding photos. Still an excellent book. I am now a true Freeman Patterson fan.

Several years ago, I took a class with my new camera for a national known photographer. I ask for a book or text to help learn to get the shot I knew was there. His first and only suggestion was this book. I went to the library, got the book every time I could for the next year and almost worn it out. The next year, I entered a statewide juried show with 4 photos in 4 of 12 categories and took home a 1st,2nd,and 2 honorable mentions. The photos are now in musuem forever. This I credit to the book and the photographer who would not suggest another book. Good luck and happy seeing to all :)