Book Review – Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris
Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris
If you are looking for a book that covers almost all facets of landscape photography, you should take a close look at Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris is published by the National Audubon Society. The book has awe inspiring images on almost every page which is a good reason alone to by the book, but the information offered is some of the best I have read to this point.
Mr. Fitzharris takes the reader from the proper equipment and how to transport it to the site through shooting fundimentals and how to create good images to what to look for and how to shoot different types of landscapes. He finishes with the only weak section of the book, digital processing.
The first part is about equipment. In the first chapter Fitzharris discusses large, medium, and digital formats and gives advantages and disadvantages for all. He also discusses tripod selection and how to best outfit your tripod for landscape imagery. The second chapter is devoted to lenses which, according to the author, should range from 18-200mm. He gives reasons and examples of images taken with each range. The third chapter concerns the logistics of landscape photography including photo-vests, non-photographic “Essential Gizmos” that you might need, and how to dress for each of the seasons that you might be shooting in. His suggestion of dressing with zippers, not layers is good.
The second part of the book, chapters 5 & 6, deal with correct exposure, how to read a histogram, and the affect of shutter speed and aperture have on images. He also discusses the use of different metering methods in the field.
Part three deals with creating the images. Chapter six talks about light and what to look for as well as how different skies affect the image. Different types of filters and their affect on the images are also explained. The next chapter discusses the basics of composition and offers nothing really new for the experienced photographer, but he does give some great examples of composition rules that are worth examining.
The next few chapters discuss finding the art, perspective, and opportunities of landscape photography. My favorite part of these chapters is the discussion of a landscape/nature photographer’s day from early morning landscapes, to wildlife, scouting locations, and finally sunsets.
The last section is VERY weak and discusses the digital processing of images. Devoting a few pages to what requires a book or two is a waste of the readers time.
That being said, the real strength of the book is the fourth part where Mr. Fitzharris’ writing shines. He covers most all of the usual situations where landscape images are captured and describes what to look for and how to capture beautiful images. Some of the situations Fitzharris discusses are autumn color, waterfalls, dunes, floral vistas, and clouds. He describes timing, filters, methods, and composition when visiting each type of landscape. His ideas and suggestions are all very good.
The best reason to buy this book is the images that Fitzharris includes to demonstrate his vision, ideas, and suggestions. Looking at the images will improve your photography. The thing I really like is that not all of his images are from exotic locations. There are many from places that any photographer in the country can visit with very little effort if they are serious about getting nice images.
Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris is a book that should be on a photographer’s bookshelf if they are interested in landscape photography and even nature photography in general.
