Book Review: Learning to See Creatively

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for writing this review. All thoughts are my own and are not swayed by receiving a free copy of this book. This post may contain affiliate links.

Recently I received the book "Learning to See Creatively - Design, Color, and Composition in Photography" by Bryan Peterson. In this book Bryan Peterson shares over 40 years of photography experience. Bryan challenges you, the reader, to change your perspective so that you can see differently, which in turn broadens your scope of photography. Throughout the book he provides examples of pictures to illustrate the points he is trying to make.

I'll be honest, when I first received this book, I was a bit hesitant and at first glance I didn't really like the book. That was because it was a challenge to move me out of my photography comfort zone. I like taking pictures of things that I see that initially appeal to my eyes. This book is all about taking the time to stop, look at the details that might be missed in a wider view, focus on what catches your eye, and take that picture that isn't what you expected at first. As I continued to read through the book and look at his examples I understood how applying his technique and viewpoint of photography could enrich my photographs.

One thing Bryan Peterson mentions is this: "As the years have gone by, I have been pushing myself further and further away from the "obvious" photographic opportunities and more toward the "unseen"...." (Introduction page XII)

How does he do this? The book has 5 sections that are broken up into smaller parts where he specifically talks about how you can see creatively. Expanding Your Vision, Elements of Design, Composition, The Magic of Light, and Photoshop. Many of the photographic examples he has in the book are multiple pictures of one setting so you can see the difference it makes with a wide view, regular view, and a zoomed in view of just one portion of your subject.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in photography. If you are willing to take the time to make the changes in the way you view things (with your eyes and your camera lens), I think that this book would benefit you.

If you would like to learn more about Bryan Peterson and his photography, visit his website by clicking here.

To purchase the book for yourself (paperback or Kindle) you can click the following link.

If you would like to learn more about photography, you can visit these two posts I have written.