Hi, > I think I have enough lenses (from 24mm to 200mm), what I *really* need to > do is learn more about composition. Most of those 15 years (well more > including my first two cameras) are just snapshots.
by and large, technical photo books don't do a particularly good job of teaching composition. There are some exceptions, such as Harald Mante's long-out-of-print 'Photo Design'. Michael Freeman's 'The Image' is also pretty good. I think it's well worthwhile to look at books teaching basic visual literacy, such as 'A Primer of Visual Literacy' by the wonderfully-named Donis A. Dondis. This sort of thing can give you an understanding of why certain techniques are more likely to work than others. Some of my friends disagree with me about this, thinking it will make you rule-bound, or take away your natural creativity. Perhaps it will, only you can tell. But composition in photography is no different from composition in writing - some things work, some things don't. Meanwhile, people continue to buy Strunk & White, and similar guidebooks. Reading great writing won't necessarily make you a great writer, but it will probably make you a better one. The same things applies to the visual arts. So I recommend spending time in art galleries, looking at paintings, drawings and so on, particularly by the greats. If you take with you a book which helps you to read some of the paintings, so much the better. You might want to take some photos too. And don't forget what Capa said about being close enough. -- Cheers, Bob
