What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos: 83 Composition Tools from the Masters
Number-One Amazon New Release
How to Compose Photos that Don't Suck
Easy to understand guide; get right down to what you need to instantly compose better photos.
Learn the secrets to There's a common misconception that composition is mysterious and that only certain people have that natural gift for the techniques involved. The truth is that composition involves a set of skills that you can master. Just as you can use cookbook recipes to make your favorite meal - you don't have to be a famous French chef - you also can take amazing photos by just following a recipe!
Easy-to-follow photography composition Marc Silber has spent years studying the works of masters and interviewing some of the biggest names in photography. Now he can provide you with simple and easy-to-follow recipes for creating photographs that you and others will love! The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos puts at your fingertips ideas for improving your skills by giving you easy-to-follow "recipes" that will improve your photography right now! Take your photography to the next Composition is one of the biggest keys to creating photos that others will love. No matter what kind of camera or smartphone you're using, you can take your photography to the next level and beyond by learning composition tools and secrets known to the masters of the art.
Carry The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos with you on your Use it when you're out photographing to get new ideas and inspiration. You'll be able to rapidly upgrade your photography game by learning the skills in Picture Perfect Processes.
Key benefits of owning The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos
Taking better photographs today by learning the keys to composition Having quick and easy to follow "recipes" for composition at your fingertips Learning the secrets of composition from the masters of classical art and photography
How to Compose Photos that Don't Suck
Easy to understand guide; get right down to what you need to instantly compose better photos.
Learn the secrets to There's a common misconception that composition is mysterious and that only certain people have that natural gift for the techniques involved. The truth is that composition involves a set of skills that you can master. Just as you can use cookbook recipes to make your favorite meal - you don't have to be a famous French chef - you also can take amazing photos by just following a recipe!
Easy-to-follow photography composition Marc Silber has spent years studying the works of masters and interviewing some of the biggest names in photography. Now he can provide you with simple and easy-to-follow recipes for creating photographs that you and others will love! The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos puts at your fingertips ideas for improving your skills by giving you easy-to-follow "recipes" that will improve your photography right now! Take your photography to the next Composition is one of the biggest keys to creating photos that others will love. No matter what kind of camera or smartphone you're using, you can take your photography to the next level and beyond by learning composition tools and secrets known to the masters of the art.
Carry The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos with you on your Use it when you're out photographing to get new ideas and inspiration. You'll be able to rapidly upgrade your photography game by learning the skills in Picture Perfect Processes.
Key benefits of owning The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos
Taking better photographs today by learning the keys to composition Having quick and easy to follow "recipes" for composition at your fingertips Learning the secrets of composition from the masters of classical art and photography
- GenresPhotographyNonfictionArt
Audible Audio
Published October 22, 2019
176 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Marc Silber
5 books86 followersMarc Silber is an award-winning professional video producer, photographer, and photography educator who has been successfully working in the field for decades. Marc combines his passion for the visual art of photography with his love of life.
He started out learning darkroom skills and the basics of photography at the legendary Peninsula School in Menlo Park, CA, in the ‘60s, and moved on to hone his skills to professional standards at the famed San Francisco Art Institute, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of higher education in art and photography in the United States.
Marc has been an educator since then as well; he began his teaching career at the age of 19 at the National Outdoor Leadership School, teaching mountaineering.
When teaching a life-or-death subject such as mountaineering, one learns how to make sure the students understand the material; when Marc moved into teaching photography in workshops all over the country, he became renowned as an engaging and helpful speaker and coach, as his greatest joy comes from helping others.
More recently, Marc has embraced the digital age with a highly popular YouTube show called “Advancing Your Photography,” which has won several Telly Awards and other recognition for his work there.
This book is a distillation of all the pro tips and wisdom in the YouTube series, in a format you can take with you and refer to constantly when you are out taking your photographs.
He started out learning darkroom skills and the basics of photography at the legendary Peninsula School in Menlo Park, CA, in the ‘60s, and moved on to hone his skills to professional standards at the famed San Francisco Art Institute, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of higher education in art and photography in the United States.
Marc has been an educator since then as well; he began his teaching career at the age of 19 at the National Outdoor Leadership School, teaching mountaineering.
When teaching a life-or-death subject such as mountaineering, one learns how to make sure the students understand the material; when Marc moved into teaching photography in workshops all over the country, he became renowned as an engaging and helpful speaker and coach, as his greatest joy comes from helping others.
More recently, Marc has embraced the digital age with a highly popular YouTube show called “Advancing Your Photography,” which has won several Telly Awards and other recognition for his work there.
This book is a distillation of all the pro tips and wisdom in the YouTube series, in a format you can take with you and refer to constantly when you are out taking your photographs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 13, 2021
Sometimes I masquerade as a photographer: I gather; I compose; I shoot. The story that I am trying to convey is often less than it could be
Silber says early on that the purpose of this book is to help develop as sense of composition. Each of the composition tools is explained simply and graphically. For example: "Shoot from a low angle to exaggerate the subject’s size and speed and possibly simplify your composition. Shoot high looking down to reverse these or to improve their appearance as noted above. Shooting from a side angle adds depth and can increase speed."
You who are better at photography than I am will likely say this is obvious. I say that it is good to be reminded of certain principles and it is good to have more “arrows in your quiver.” This book is fairly basic but it can inspire and I think I will be coming back to it to help me “tell a story” better.
Silber says early on that the purpose of this book is to help develop as sense of composition. Each of the composition tools is explained simply and graphically. For example: "Shoot from a low angle to exaggerate the subject’s size and speed and possibly simplify your composition. Shoot high looking down to reverse these or to improve their appearance as noted above. Shooting from a side angle adds depth and can increase speed."
You who are better at photography than I am will likely say this is obvious. I say that it is good to be reminded of certain principles and it is good to have more “arrows in your quiver.” This book is fairly basic but it can inspire and I think I will be coming back to it to help me “tell a story” better.
October 27, 2019
Part 1 is a great reminder of all classic and basic composition techniques. I missed mention about fibonacci share. Part 2 about the lines just seems to be a fillout and a little bit repetitive. It doesn't have my buy in. Part 3 is very American style summary, with no additional information.
May 3, 2020
Definitely made me think of how my subconscious takes pictures - in terms of framing the shot and using the “rule of thirds,” among everything else. Puts all of the “secrets” into perspective.
August 6, 2022
First part has some decent composition techniques. The second part is ham-fisted, over generalized photo analysis where completely arbitrary lines are selected from photos and assigned a particular emotion. Really not useful practically nor analytically
February 16, 2023
“The urge to make pictures and share them with others runs deep within mankind.” - marc silber
I just finished reading this extremely helpful little guide. There are so many techniques to incorporate into everyday photography (or any visual art for that matter).
The author has collected his photography as well as classic museum art to showcase each of the 83 techniques. The tips are clearly explained using art, diagram and words.
This book is small enough to pack in a purse or camera bag in order to keep it handy for reference.
I highly recommend it for broadening your views of composition.
I just finished reading this extremely helpful little guide. There are so many techniques to incorporate into everyday photography (or any visual art for that matter).
The author has collected his photography as well as classic museum art to showcase each of the 83 techniques. The tips are clearly explained using art, diagram and words.
This book is small enough to pack in a purse or camera bag in order to keep it handy for reference.
I highly recommend it for broadening your views of composition.
November 28, 2023
Recommended by Ken Rockwell
He thinks it's the best $16 you'll ever spend on photography
"I've reads tons of books, both classic painter's textbooks and modern art books about composition, and none goes into the detail Marc does. Marc says it clearly and to-the-point. Most of the other books I've read on composition have little to say, and spread what little they have over too many pages. Marc says more in fewer pages than anyone ever has."
I actually like most all of Rockwell's list of his 30 or so books on his website....
It's not the 1970 Life Series of Photography's book recommendations, but it's more accessible.
He thinks it's the best $16 you'll ever spend on photography
"I've reads tons of books, both classic painter's textbooks and modern art books about composition, and none goes into the detail Marc does. Marc says it clearly and to-the-point. Most of the other books I've read on composition have little to say, and spread what little they have over too many pages. Marc says more in fewer pages than anyone ever has."
I actually like most all of Rockwell's list of his 30 or so books on his website....
It's not the 1970 Life Series of Photography's book recommendations, but it's more accessible.
September 6, 2018
Perfect reference for composition. Easy to follow and understand, with 83 tools you can instantly use. I just take photos on my phone, and after reading this book, my picture quality has vastly improved, and I get many more compliments on my pictures. These tools are solid, proven rules of composition with plenty of history behind them, distilled into the most directly usable format possible, so you don't have to be a photography major to improve your photos. The concepts are also useful for paintings and drawings.
December 1, 2023
Some interesting ideas about lines
The author discusses directing attention or creating a mood in photographs through the use of various types of lines. He gives examples for each line or form he identifies. In many cases, the connection between his discussion and examples are clear and convincing. However in several instances, I could not see such a connection. This book is useful, but also is short and concentrates on one aspect of composition of a photograph.
The author discusses directing attention or creating a mood in photographs through the use of various types of lines. He gives examples for each line or form he identifies. In many cases, the connection between his discussion and examples are clear and convincing. However in several instances, I could not see such a connection. This book is useful, but also is short and concentrates on one aspect of composition of a photograph.
July 27, 2022
Thorough, with bits of amazing facts.
This book covers composition thoroughly, and expresses how to speak the language of developing composition. This book will help you grow, even if you already know the language. It is carefully, constructively, and most importantly with inspired mindfulness meant for all levels of photography.
This book covers composition thoroughly, and expresses how to speak the language of developing composition. This book will help you grow, even if you already know the language. It is carefully, constructively, and most importantly with inspired mindfulness meant for all levels of photography.
September 12, 2022
It was a very simplified and condensed composition tools, which was nice because the photo examples made it very clear how each composition tool was being used. It also expanded upon the simple compositions, such as "framing", and showed how to use it in different ways to achieve different feels for each photo.
May 5, 2023
Short
Would have liked more, but what was there was good. I can see how the paperback might be better than the kindle as something to keep with your photography kit by way of inspiration.
Would have liked more, but what was there was good. I can see how the paperback might be better than the kindle as something to keep with your photography kit by way of inspiration.
July 27, 2018
Pretty good. There is a lot of fluff in the words, but he _does_ cover lots of classic composition ideas. Buy the book to support the author, but check it out from the library it you must.
Read
September 5, 2019An excellent book, very informative in a simple way
March 24, 2020
Meh.
83 things to keep in your head while photographing? No thanks.
The second half, about the mood lines, seemed especially gratuitous.
83 things to keep in your head while photographing? No thanks.
The second half, about the mood lines, seemed especially gratuitous.
August 17, 2021
A good book which can be used as a manual explaining several types of composition rules with examples.
December 31, 2022
First half great, second half I'm not sure I agree with
September 20, 2024
Good content
Good tips to be followed, I will try to include them in my future photography where I can but too many rules to follow specifically
Good tips to be followed, I will try to include them in my future photography where I can but too many rules to follow specifically
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews