Michael Freeman on Light and Shadow
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The author takes his usual approach of providing a taxonomy of the different kinds of shadows and highlights. He recognizes that these can be used to tell a story or create an aesthetic experience at the time of taking the photograph, but also that the image can be enhanced in post production. Freeman even offers the suggestion that, at least some of the time, we should shoot to process. The book is richly illustrated not just with the author’s photographs but with simplifying diagrams to help explain the concepts.
The writing is clear. Freeman occasionally draws a comparison with other forms of art. (Caravaggio and Vermeer are of course in the spotlight; double entendre intended.) He spends a little more time than necessary promoting his other books in this series, although I will confess I have found those already published very useful. The book doesn’t deal with any particular kind of camera or software, or buttons and dials. It assumes you know this. Instead it focuses (again!) on general ideas.
What amazed me was that almost immediately after reading this book, I began to see shadows that I had never noticed and began to use them more in my own photography and videos.
I would not recommend this book for the tyro, but for those who have absorbed the mechanical part of capturing images, it can prove useful and perhaps even style-changing.