Spirit of Place: The Art of the Traveling Photographer

Spirit of Place provides an excellent overview of travel photography. It is well organized, written clearly and concisely, and is filled with beautiful photos to help illustrate the points made in the text. The author discusses techniques to help you deal with various difficulties from how to find the best vantage point when shooting tall buildings to dealing with people that you may want to photograph. One thing that I really appreciated was that he also gave advice on which equipment to use in various settings and situations. For travel photographers, the topics covered are pretty comprehensive. The author walks through some basics of composition. There is a full chapter devoted to working with various light sources and using filters to enhance that light. There are sections on skylines, architecture, shooting in the tropics, wildlife, and more. Each section is fairly brief. This book is more about giving general direction and ideas then trying to offer a detailed approach to all possible shooting possibilities. I found the level of coverage just about right. No one can provide detailed direction for every possible consideration for travel photographers so the author wisely offers some general advice to start you thinking and leaves it at that. If the book has a weakness it is that it was written back in 2000 by a photographer who obviously didn't so much as scan his slides for further editing. This is strictly centered around film photography and that definitely limits the usefulness of the material focusing on film selection if you use a digital camera. Forturnately, most of his advice is sound regardless of whether you use film or digital so I would still highly recommend the book.

I love travel and I love cameras. Unfortunately, as many of us often discover, my photos don't always capture the essence of my travel experience. I know I've been frustrated many times that some quixotic quality of my travels is missing from my photo album.Bob Krist's book has helped me to see that what I am missing is the spirit of place, which of course is different for every location and every traveler. While the book covers the basics of equipment management, shooting decisions and the like, it is less a technical guide and more of a philosophy of travel. His approach to travel informs his approach to travel photography. He seeks to be a "traveler," not a "sightseer," wanting to engage with the culture in which he finds himself. I find this concept to be especially helpful in pinpointing my own disappointment with my photos. While I follow his approach of being a traveler, I have hesitated to capture the people I meet along the way. It's that element I always feel I am missing in my work.He gives some tips and insight into how to begin to approach people to get those great people shots, how to get past the initial fear of offending, and how to handle a situation where you might be refused.Above all, the examples and photoessays speak volumes about how to approach such work. It is clear that Bob Krist is a master in his approach to capturing the essence of a place, whether it be the Jazz Quarter in New Orleans or a blinding snowstorm in Hokkaido. If you are looking for ideas and inspiration to improve the photos you bring back from your next adventure, I'd highly recommend Spirit of Place.(Gwyn is an enthusiastic photographer who, among other things, travels overseas each summer with teenagers as a People to People delegation leader. Yes, teenagers!)

If you want to learn how to capture meaningful images when you travel, this is the book to read. The book explains in clear simple language how to go about making great travel pictures. The process involves a lot more than the technical details. You must be at the right place at the right time to make a great picture. This book will help you undertand how to that and help with the technical part as well. The photographs in the book are absolutely stunning and a great source of inspiration. This is absolutely my favorite travel photography book.

Spirit of Place, The Art of the Traveling Photographer, is outstanding, full of superb photos accompanied by captions that not only say where the image was taken but also include pertinent details regarding the moment and/or circumstances involved. The text is clear and easily understood, with lots of tips, plus glimpses into Krist's personal philosophy on photography. Travelers, writers, and novice-to-experienced photographers seeking to improve their photo skills will find the book to be a tremendous tool. Krist's distinguished photo career, including publication of his worldwide travel photos in books, major newspapers and the top travel magazines, gives unquestionable credibility to his expertise.

As one who has written numerous Book Reviews for photo magazines, I have read all the books on travel photography. This one stands head-and-shoulders above the others.It is the definitive work on this topic by a top pro who makes travel images that are intimate, sensitive to the culture, informed and well-executed: capturing the spirit of the location instead of replicating the postcard views.Highly recommended for photographers of all levels - particularly those who want to make images as a traveler and not merely as a tourist.