The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and Appreciating Great Photography

by Michael Freeman

In The Photographer's Eye, Michael Freeman showed what a photographer needs to do in the instant before the shutter is released. In the sequel, The Photographer's Mind, he explained the way that professional photographers think a picture through before taking it. Both of these international best-sellers featured Michael's own stunning landscapes, revealing portraits, and fascinating street photography. Now, in The Photographer's Vision, he examines the work of photography's greats, explaining how to look at a photo - and how to learn from looking at it.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Freeman is a professional photographer and author. He wrote more than 100 book titles. He was born in England in 1945, took a Masters in geography at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then worked in advertising in London for six years. He made the break from there in 1971 to travel up the Amazon with two secondhand cameras, and when Time-Life used many of the pictures extensively in the Amazon volume of their World's Wild Places series, including the cover, they encouraged him to begin a full-time photographic career.

Since then, working for editorial clients that include all the world's major magazines, and notably the Smithsonian Magazine (with which he has had a 30-year association, shooting more than 40 stories), Freeman's reputation has resulted in more than 100 books published. Of these, he is author as well as photographer, and they include more than 40 books on the practice of photography - for this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc by the French Ministry of Culture. He is also responsible for the distance-learning courses on photography at the UK's Open College of the Arts.

Reviews

[Stamatios Mantzouranis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Freeman's series of photography books is one of the best out there and I recommend them very highly. Freeman almost is as good a writer as he is a photographer. He picks his words very carefully, he is objective in his analysis and he is great at explaining concepts. Unfortunately, he comes out as an academic, which worked perfectly in his previous books on technical subjects, such as composition and exposure, but is a let-down in a book about photography as an art. Fortunately, on the other hand, there's plenty of inspiration to be had in The Photographer's Vision by the amazing photographs by legendary photographers that are brought together for this book. Add to them the many quotes by photographers and art critics and you have a valuable book for every photographer's bookcase. Credit should also go to Ilex Press for the consistent quality of their hardbacks. Get that edition if you can.

[Bill Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a nature photographer who uses my camera to engage Nature and to portray my perceptions. This review applies to all of Michael Freeman's books.

These are NOT books about cameras. They are books about perceiving an image or scene and conveying and composing your perception so that it is communicated to the viewer.

I carry these books with me in my camper during my summer forays into Nature. The are an invaluable reference source that adds great depth to my practice and to my body of work.

[Jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and appreciating Great Photography, covers, as the title says, the elements to be noticed and understood in photography as a form of art.

The book primarily explores two key aspects: purpose and skills. Each topic is further divided into subchapters, providing detailed explanations and numerous photographs for illustration.

M. Freeman's writing is clear and mostly concise, with some exceptions here and there where I think he's kind of vague, resulting in some chapters being unnecessarily long. On the other hand and as the adage goes, 'a picture is worth a thousand words,' the book effectively illustrates each chapter with high-quality photographs.

If you're interested in photography as a form of art, I recommend this book to you. Needless to say, even though a digital version is available, the printed version is a must because of the photographs being included.

[Ginger Cain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK

This is more of an overview of the different photographic styles and the fine art arrogance type of stuff that unfortunately pervades in this genre.

While I did manage to finish the book - it became monotonous as he just basically picks out his favorite photographers with the same boring pictures over and over and says you should be like this, but I’m not going to show you how.

[Victor Sonkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this and the other two books as birthday presents from a photographer friend who said (I think; I could be wrong) that the first one, The Photographer's Eye, was the best. I disagree: I like this one, which touches on the history and different styles of the art of photography, more. It's a largely unknown art to me, and it's a pleasure to delve into its intricacies.

[William Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for budding photographers

This is hands down the best book I have ever read on taking photos.
No cameras, lenses, exposure data, or shutter speed. Just how to think, and how to see.

[Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of the art and issues over the years. Recommend to all photographers or those that have an interest in appreciation of p[hotography

[Ryan Trauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction into the aesthetics of photography. Just what I needed. Great discussions of composition, framing, timing, preparation, ethics, fields, and styles. Definitely a book I'll keep and reference for a long time.

[Huw Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the history of photo composition. I borrowed this from the library as an ebook, so the photos were not easy to examine in detail!

[Osner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it