Got the book and I can use some of the techniques, but I knd of already knew them. The pictures are great in this book, but they all seem to be from the eraly 80s or from Russia. I wouldn't get this book again unless I checked it out at the library.

i am only twelve years old, and i love photography! i have shared this book with my dad, and we have learned so much from this book. We wish to have you read this book too! it is a great way to learn all the tricks of the trade about photography (that is, if you are interested)!

I bought this book a month back. From the day I bought this book till now, I have seen a marked improvement in the photographs I take. I did not know much about photography and now I am able to look for details in a photograph and am able to judge on how it could have been improved. I cannot claim to have mastered the art of photography but I am certainly thinking now before I go about taking a picture. Another thing that was cool about this book is that it was well laid out and joe had explained the techniques in a very crisp fashion(unlike in otherbooks where you find a lot of text that really puts off even a determined learner).

This book provides many useful tips for using that camcorder. The novice camcorder user with even the most sophisticated new camcorder could benefit from some of the tips given by the author. My copy was found in the discounted section of my bookstore.

This text has over 700 illustrations and more than 300 in full color. It provides total information for anyone interested in photography's how to's and why's of most every aspect of the art. Also included is well documented darkroom techniques for black and white photography. This book will not be outdated anytime soon. It is for the begginer and advanced photographer alike.

This book covers everything from black and white photography to digitally altering photos. It covers many topics but none in great detail. I liked the numerous photos but disliked that no information was given about the filters used to achieve certain effects. It is probably best for people with little prior experience with a camera or those who have just upgraded from a point-and-shoot to a more sophisticated camera (like me).

This is one of John Hedgecoe's first books of photography published in 1978. He explores the rich and powerful man's world of luxury and his subsequent possessions which include many beautiful kept and unkept women. Most photographs nude. They are beautiful photos and thought provoking. This book is a pictorial tribute to these men and their precious keepsakes and the life around them. Black and white and color photographs fill the entire book. There is a short forward, but otherwise no written matter throughout the book. Information about the author is on both dustcover flaps. A interesting and lovely book of the human form and luxurious lifestyle.

What a disappointment. This book contains very little that specifically relates to nude photography and nothing about glamor. It's a mediocre photo book. Most of the pics aren't even very good. This book doesn't come close to matching the quality of the author's other books I've seen.

this book is not a book of art to look at, rather it is more of an instructional book, how to photograph nudes. though i don't think that these principles apply just to nudes, you could use them on any portriature. hedgecoe really has the basics down. the problem with the book, why i only gave it a three, is that the examples he uses are not very good pictures. i've never seen any of his other work, so i don't know what kind of photographer he is, but my understanding is that he can create better images that was shown in this book (in fact, many of the pictures look like leftovers from his work done in the late 70s early 80s). also, many of the techniques he describes are ones any photographer should know about, or at least any photographer who isn't just starting out. and a beginning photographer shouldn't try to take on nudes until they have a little experience under their belt. the final problem with the book is hedgecoe's apparent surprise at using computer imaging. it almost feels like he has just discovered the digital camera and photoshop.

it's not a horrible book, but i wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a beginner.

I have noticed that the people that have reviewed this book did not give it very good reviews. But I think I know why. Well for one, one of the guys thought it was an art book, when it is obviously an instrutional book.

Before I go any further, I would like to emphasize that this is a BEGINNERS book. If you are looking for advanced techniques on photographing the nude, you may not like this book. As for me, I found it very helpful. As I am a beginner in nude photography.
The author does not go into much detail about each subject, but gives enough information to help out well. Plus, i find that part of the fun of photography is exploring, and we dont want all the fun spelled out for us.

The author goes step by step through the different kinds of nude photography. I have to say that the models are not very attractive, but that is a part of the beauty of photography. We are not looking to make playboy models here. For me, I am into black and white, so I was able to skip through much of the book to the parts where I was interested in. I also prefer real sunlight rather than artifitial light. This was an area of the book that helped me a lot. You are shown different views of models and how the light effects them. Also, the diffence in sunlight and lamp light. And trust me, there is a very big difference.

All and all, this book was a good buy for me. I am glad that I purchased it. I dont plan to read it and follow it as a photography bible, but there are some helpful tips that are nice.
Again, I will say that this book may not be for experienced photographers and is not an art book. But to help all of us amatuers out and to show us what we need to know.

I'm afraid this book is simply horrid. The text is brief and vague, with a very limited amount of technical information. While each general topic of landscape photography (with a heavy emphasis on compositional elements, like the rule of thirds, lines, etc.) is covered, they are covered in less detail than a basic "how to" pamphlet handed out at camera stores. Most appalling of all, an enormous number of the example photographs are seriously flawed. So many horizons are grossly off, and more than a few look like they were taken by a twelve year old shooting with a disposable. At one point, a 50mm lens is described as "wide angle." These kinds of things make me seriously question whether the author is really qualified to be writing a serious book on technique.

This book would be valuable only to someone entirely unfamiliar with the basic tenets of composition, but there are many better general photography books that explain these things far more effectively than this. I give it 2 stars rather than 1 only because some of the black and white photos are very nice (although the attempt to cover black and white photography, like everything else in the book, is vaporous).

Once again, John Hedgecoe has called up his vast portfolio to illustrate a book on landscape photography that is both inspiring and educational. Hedgecoe covers a lot of ground in this book and always has an image to illustrate a particular point. The book is well organized and easy to understand. His pictures come from around the world and are very diverse. There are both black and white and color. I think this book by a master photography educator is good for someone looking for a good introduction that covers all aspects of landscape photography, or for more experienced photographers looking for new approaches to the subject. Many of the images could benefit from being larger, but that would necessitate an increase in price for a book that is now well worth the money.

More a portfolio of self-aggrandizement than a "introductory course" on photography, this book is a waste of money and time.

Unless you are a fan of Hedgecoe's photography and simply want a portfolio masking as a guide to photography, there are other books that are much more useful for the beginning photographer.

The instructional section of the book is limited to a few sparsely and vaguely written paragraphs in the first section. This is followed by the "projects" which would imply some sort of instruction on taking photographs in a step-wise fashion that increases the readers skill. Instead, each project is nothing more than a series of photographs aimed at demonstrating Hedgecoe's skill along with a brief and vague paragraph on the topic at hand. Hedgecoe does not even make the effort of explaining how he arrived at the photographs or the techniques used.

Hedgecoe has numerous other books on the market. Apparently, the reader is supposed to purchase all the books to get a grasp of photography from Hedgecoe's perspective. I would recommend avoiding any book from this author.

Those interested in increasing their photographic skills, are better served by two books I purchased after picking up Hedgecoe's book. I found them much more useful and wish I had not wasted my money on Hedgecoe's book.

The New 35mm Photographer's Handbook by Julian Calder and John Garrett (ISBN 0609804227)

The Basic Book of Photography by Tom and Michele Grimm (ISBN 0452278252)

I recently got into 35 MM SLR photography as a hobby and was looking for a good book to start with. I was looking for a book that would take me through the basics like, exposure, aperture and shutter speed etc., and then on to the advanced topics. I bought this book going by the reputation of the author, but I was honestly, disappointed.

The first few chapters in the book does a good job of explaining the basics in aperture setting, shutter speed etc. But from then on, its merely a collection of good photographs with some accompanying text, which do not delve much into the details. While I should accept that this is the first ever photography book I purchased and read, I did manage to glance through a few more and found out that this book is severely lacking in content and details.

If you are looking for a good introductory book to photography which could also be used as a worthy reference, go for Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", definitely not this one!

I have recently picked up photography, and I have bought a few books along the way. One of them is a 35mm photography book by Kodak (the name slips my mind). It's not a bad first book, and should be considered is you are a novice.

Then I bought this book. It was recommended to me by my photography college. While the book has a sprinkling of nice photos, the text that goes along with it has nothing much going for it. For most areas, it tends to glance over the topic without any really useful tips. I suggest that all potential buyers have a flick through it first before purchasing, as it may not be all it's cracked up to be.

The book that all novice/amateur photographers should be reading is "National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures". This book by far is most useful for all photographers. That's definitely a five star book.

this book is not too good of a book. it has mostly black and white images and it does not have much of the basics. i highly recommend (if you like this author) john hedgecoe's new book of photography, and john hedgecoe's photography basics. if you want to try and read something different from him then you should read john hedgecoe's camcorder basics.

This is a very well illustrated and logically organized book about the art of portraiture and good snapshots by a master photographer-educator. I have read several books lately on photographing people, and this is the best. Others start out with an introduction and then take one to far-off places for a portfolio composed primarily of peasants and rustics of foreign lands. Many of these portraits are quite interesting and, if you travel a lot, very exciting. Hedgecoe doesn't do this. He sticks close to home for pictures of people whom we can relate to, albeit they're English. Can't have everything, I suppose. What's really missing and would be very worthwhile is how he goes about gaining access to his subjects, which are really quite varied - from English peasants to Queen Elizabeth II. Past immediate family members and a few friends, I find it difficult to find subjects, not having the credentials to gain access to celebrities and the rich and famous.I would like to read more on the human aspects of this.