The Thinking Photographer

DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
edited May 18, 2005 in Technique
Anyone familiar with Ian Bradshaw or his books "The Thinking Photographer" and "Pro Techniques for Creative Photography"?

A friend of mine who is a full-time pro recommended the book "The Thinking Photographer", from what I gather it's about planning out shots, about intentionality, having an idea of what you're going for.

The books are not easy to find, amazon doesn't carry them, found them used at abebooks.com, and ordered one of each. I'll post reviews after I've read them.

If anyone else knows anymore about him or his books, I'd love to hear about it.
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  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited May 12, 2005
    Never heard of him. I sure recognize the streaker shot, of course.

    Sounds like the perfect subject matter - visualizing and planning your shot. I'm eager to hear your opinions.

    Speaking of opinions, remember that one or two of Marc Muench's photos didn't have a level horizon? What do you think of this church spire being at an angle? Apparently, Ian Bradshaw agrees with Muench that the horizon needn't always be level. But I'm puzzled why this one isn't. headscratch.gif
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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited May 12, 2005
    wxwax wrote:
    Never heard of him. I sure recognize the streaker shot, of course.

    Sounds like the perfect subject matter - visualizing and planning your shot. I'm eager to hear your opinions.

    Speaking of opinions, remember that one or two of Marc Muench's photos didn't have a level horizon? What do you think of this church spire being at an angle? Apparently, Ian Bradshaw agrees with Muench that the horizon needn't always be level. But I'm puzzled why this one isn't. headscratch.gif


    I'm not sure. I stared at that image for a while. All I can tell you is that I find it compelling the way it is.
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  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 12, 2005
    I guess ...
    wxwax wrote:
    Never heard of him. I sure recognize the streaker shot, of course.

    Sounds like the perfect subject matter - visualizing and planning your shot. I'm eager to hear your opinions.

    Speaking of opinions, remember that one or two of Marc Muench's photos didn't have a level horizon? What do you think of this church spire being at an angle? Apparently, Ian Bradshaw agrees with Muench that the horizon needn't always be level. But I'm puzzled why this one isn't. headscratch.gif
    It's like with all art: for a rookie it might be a technical mistake, for a master it could be the key to the whole picture. It's like with deadcenter, or rule of thirds. You may use it or discard it if it helps to get the mood..

    Just my $.00002
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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2005
    So I ordered two of Ian Bradshaw's books used.

    The first one came a couple of days ago, and I'm about halfway through it. It's calle "Pro Techniques of Creative Photography: Methods of the Thinking Photographer."

    It was written in 1986, the year I graduated college, and boy, is it dated. Makes me feel old.

    Mostly what it does is it steps through shooting situations, probing the possibilities. At first I was thinking it was kind of obvious stuff, but then it did what it promised...it got me thinking.

    I started to see shots that I've taken--of friends, family, etc.--where I made the very mistakes that he points out. Namely, I wasn't thinking like a photographer. He starts, for example, in a living room with a mother and daughter, shooting wide. Stop, think, he insists. He reconfigures, reshoots, and keeps going back, rethinking the shot, and unthinking corners he's gotten himself into.

    He goes into all types of photography. He also has a section where he sets up a model in an empty loft, with a camera, stepladder and some flashes. 6 photographers each have one hour to shoot. He brings in a portrait photographer, landscape, advertising, etc. Interesting to see what they come up with, and what about them works.

    Is it a great book? No, but it will definitely get you thinking about photography, thinking about your photography, and how you shoot now, how you could shoot better. There's very little technical information, and really it's not "to shoot a portrait, do x, y and z", but a way to open up your mind to thinking about how you shoot.

    If anyone's interested, I'd happily pay it forward when I'm done.
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  • bkrietebkriete Registered Users Posts: 168 Major grins
    edited May 18, 2005
    Hi David, I 'd love the opportunity to check it out. PM me when you're done and I will give you my address. Whoever else's interested, PM me and I will send it to you when I'm done.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited May 18, 2005
    bkriete wrote:
    Hi David, I 'd love the opportunity to check it out. PM me when you're done and I will give you my address. Whoever else's interested, PM me and I will send it to you when I'm done.

    Sure thing!
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