Today I am going to talk to you about El encuadre perfecto , a more than interesting publication, which is now in its second edition and has a few translations into various languages. It is no coincidence, this book goes far beyond a photographic technique manual or a travel book to use.
The perfect framing book tells us about the passion for photographing and how to put art and photographic technique at the service of our own vision of the world. This book is a little gem for those who want to find their vision, the essence of photography.
THE PERFECT FRAME IS IDEAL FOR…
Rarely in such a brief introduction is the purpose of a book reflected so well, so to begin with, I would like to quote the author himself in the introduction to his book The Perfect Framing :
"This book is about passionate photography of people, places, and cultures. It is a book about pursuing your vision and telling your own stories, as clearly and passionately as possible through compelling photography. It is a book for all those who have wanted to take pictures of the places and people they love, whether they travel the world to do so or not»
David duChemin, introduction to his book "The Perfect Framing"
That is to say, it is not a travel book nor is it a technical manual. There are already many books of this type and this one aims to provide a different point of view. It is a book about vision, the most important thing a photographer can have and that evolves with him from the moment he is born.
But this book is not only about vision. What he really intends is to combine photographic vision with technique and art to offer you a perfect balance in which to move within photography.
If browsing looking for your own vision while learning the techniques to achieve it (narratives, exposition, opening, composition, etc.) seems like a good claim to you, you will love this book.
STRUCTURE OF THE PERFECT FRAMING
The 280 pages of this book have a chapter structure, specifically 7 plus the introduction and a final section of final reflections. Each chapter is divided into several sections with images of the author himself, personal experiences and advice.
CHAPTER 1: THE IMPORTANT THING IS THE VISION
In this first chapter, the author tells us about what for him is the most important thing we have as photographers: our own vision. Without it, technique or art would have no meaning. Vision is everything, and our photographic journey is about discovering it.
CHAPTER 2: INSIDE THE FRAME
Our job as photographers is to paint with light within the frame of our image and make our image say something in a unique way. When an image pleases our eyes and our hearts, we already have it ? .
For this, he recommends us to photograph what moves us, these are the images that fill us and those that reach others. The trick is to photograph something that moves us and make it move the observer.
For this we have the content of the frame, where the arrangement of the elements is key, just like choosing a vertical or horizontal frame, or choosing which elements we want (speed, exoticism, non-decisive moments, etc.) to include and which not.
CHAPTER 3: THE ARTIST AND THE GADGET FANATIC
How to combine trade, vision, art and technique in a balanced way to achieve that, together, our photographs express what we want. In this chapter you will find how to get decent exposures, tricks like exposing for lights and why, learning to see light, controlling the exposure triangle, choosing the right lens, and much more.
CHAPTER 4: TELLING STORIES
The more universal the theme that our story deals with, the more powerful the message and the larger the audience it will reach. But not only do you have to choose a good topic, you also have to explain a story within it. Is it about love, jealousy, loneliness, joy...?
In this chapter you will learn to see and work with the conflict within an image, to face a photographic essay, to see how the elements within a frame are related, what are the elements that stand out above others in an image and why.
CHAPTER 5: PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE
In this chapter you will learn how to approach people with humility and respect, how to overcome language barriers, what are the keys to getting a good portrait, how to capture emotion, tricks for photographing the elderly and children, or to get a good focus among others.
CHAPTER 6: PHOTOGRAPHING PLACES
This chapter will deal with topics such as how we can plan the places we are going to visit in order to improvise on a knowledge base; you will learn the author's tricks to explore the places, how he tries to go beyond the postcard, he meets people, he goes slowly, he is present in the right place, at the right time and with the right mood;).
CHAPTER 7: PHOTOGRAPHING CULTURES
We cannot arrive at a new place, whatever it is, and ignore the culture. We must investigate and ask, go slowly, be humble and sincere, not be afraid of making mistakes, nor of asking questions, nor of relating, learning that we are all different but essentially the same, to relate with respect.
DETAILS
- Title: The perfect frame (Second edition)
- Original title: Within the Frame (Second Edition)
- Author: David duChemin
- Soft cover
- Publisher: Anaya Multimedia (Photoclub)
- Language: Spanish
- Number of pages: 280
- Price: €29.40
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David duChemin is a prolific Vancouver-based photographer known largely for his travel and humanitarian photography.
He has photographed the 7 continents, has carried out many photography workshops at an international level and has written a lot about the photographic craft and art.
David is passionate about people, places and cultures and that is the axis of his life and his work.
I recommend that you take a look at their website.to visit his portfolio and his complete work.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY DAVID DUCHEMIN
David duChemin is a very prolific author, here I share some of his best known books.
- The soul of the camera: The role of the photographer in the creation of images (Photoclub)
- 60 photography lessons (Photoclub)
- The art of digital photography: a personal approach to artistic expression (Photoclub)
- Vision and voice. Communicating with the photographic image (Photoclub)
- Image merchants. Photography as a passion and profession Anaya (New Readers)
- The photographic language (Photoclub)
THE BEST
The Perfect Framing is a different book. And, if you knew me personally, you would know that when I say different, it is usually for the better ;). There are few photography books that manage to unite in a single book all the meaning of photography.
I have loved the generosity with which it is written, the balance that the author has found between the most inspirational and motivational part with the technical part, and with the advice and example images.
As he himself says, photography is projecting our vision of the world in a frame. And for this you have to find the balance between art, technique, craft and vision. This book is like what he looks for in an image, pure balance between all the parts.
WORST
It will give you a huge desire to travel and also you will not be able to avoid underlining it ;).
CONCLUSIONS
This is a book that goes way beyond photographic technique, but still has everything you need on general photographic technique. The perfect frame talks about vision , how to achieve your own and how to put technique and art to work to achieve it.
Undoubtedly a different, complete, very human work. I have loved it, it has made me travel with him through his texts and his images and this, in times of confinement like the one I am in right now, excites me even more if possible.
You will not regret this book.
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