Portrait Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots 1st Edition

5/5 RatingI've been in the photography world for a few years now. I read this book in a couple of days. It has a lot of great tips for beginners. I wish I would have bought this book when I first started shooting it would have definitely saved me a lot of time.If you're an intermediate photographer or enthusiast much of what's listed here you may already know. There will be a few nuggets to learn as far as posing and directing, but much of it will not be new.ProsNice imagesGood illustrationsGood pointers / tipsConsMostly for beginners

As an amateur photographer, looking to learn how to take much better portrait photographs, this book was EXACTLY what I hoped it would be. The book walks through the entire process, including, tips, getting correct exposure, camera settings, composition, gear, lighting, and more. The number of examples, each with before and after photos, and camera settings, exceeded my expectations. All of the topics were clearly explained in layman terms, and made me eager for more. The in-depth chapters on lighting and how to use the lighting to get the best results was excellent. It was an easy read (knocked it out in a day). I can't believe Inlet this sit on my "wishlist" for so long! Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in taking better portrait photographs.

Great teaching material. Huge formatting annoyance with the picture captions not always being with the pictures in the e-book. Do not let that deter you from buying it.

I'm primarily a landscape photographer. There's little I love more than a stunning vista and a nice waterfall. But, my boss asked me to photograph our company's upcoming Annual Meeting and my Aunt has asked me to be the unofficial official photographer at our first family reunion in July. I CANNOT let either of these people down. And thanks to this book...I'm confident that I won't! This book has great advice, primarily for those who are breaking into portrait photography, but I think most hobbyists could walk away having learned something. I love the diagrams showing camera and light placements and the later reminders of earlier, important, tips. I'm so glad I bought this book! It really will save my life this year and I strongly recommend it.

The book is very well written. The Author wrote this book in a very easy way to understand each topic of the book. What you will learn from the book is the camera setting, equipment to control the light and the way to have a better light condition on the model... What you won't learn is the composition that is missing from this book.By finished reading this book, I feel confident to take the portrait photo for my family or friend. What I just need is the equipment beside camera. The Author is really done a good job to sharing his knowledge and experience to the read...

It's a good book, easy read, and full of helpful suggestions. I really like Scott Kelby books on Photography, and I find that this book has a lot of similar information in it, which is fine, but I was hoping for a few more new suggestions in this book. It has nice pictures.

I really enjoyed this book. I have bought many photography books in the past but I have to say that this is by far my favorite one. Erik makes it simple to understand and gives great examples in the book. If you're a beginner like I am and feel like you just need some helpful tips/explanations, then this is the book for you. I feel like I really learned a lot from this book. I will always use it for my "go to" book when I need some tips/clues. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn how to take some great shots!

Very useful. To me it is just the right mixture of tips, tools, and gadgets to get yo started. If you are an amateur photographer who wants to improve his portraits, but not invest $1000+ in equipment, this book is for you. It will yield better pictures instantly.