When I first started photographing back in 1975, even the best equipment was still quite basic. My Minolta SRT 101 had a built in light meter that averaged the light in both the top and the bottom half of the image. Adjusting either the shutter speed or the aperture opening moved a circle on the viewing screen to match up with the line of the light meter. I knew nothing about the real dynamics behind the aperture or shutter related to the light in the scene, and was essentially shooting the manual camera in ‘Program Mode‘.
It wasn’t long before I came across Kodak’s ‘Pocket Guide to 35 mm Photography’ in a local camera store, and I started learning the basic exposure principles and creative effect options of the aperture and shutter. As I learned more about photography I began adding my own notes to the booklet so I could easily refer back to specific tips I found helpful in different situations.
In recent years, as my handouts evolved for the photography and Photoshop workshops I was teaching, I got the idea to create and write a landscape photography field guide that was designed for use in the field. It needed to be small enough to be carried, but large enough to be useful, and would contain easy to reference tips, charts, and techniques for shooting any kind of outdoor photography situation. The text needed to be quite concise, but easy enough to uinderstand, so readers could start from scratch on each technique if needed, and still be able to experiment and get the shot they envisioned.
A couple of years ago, I wrote my first photo techniques book, ‘Contemporary Landscape Photography’, which is published in the US by Amphoto, and internationally by the Ilex Press in the UK. I enjoyed being able to write about the techniques and principles I had learned over more than 30 years of working with a camera, and be able to share that information with others. After I had finished that project, my eidtor at Ilex asked whether I was intersted in working on the field guide idea I had previously mentioned to him. So, I spent much of 2010 writing, researching, experimenting, and refining the text, charts, outlines, photos, and photo tips I thought were most important to include for reference in ‘The Landscape Photography Field Guide’.
The finished book just arrived this past Monday. 192 pages of outdoor photography techniques, with hundreds of photos for examples, plus many tips, charts, and guidelines for all facets of outdoor photography. My first thought, ‘It’s so small…’, was quickly followed by, ‘That was the plan!’ – to have a complete guide to all kinds of outdoor shooting situations at my fingertips in a package that was small enough to easily fit in a camera pack.I’ve already put a copy in each of my camera packs – and I hope everyone else finds it helpful as well!
Happy Shooting!
