Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs (Paperback)

Foreword by Skip Cohen

Translating the chaos of the real world into a breathtakingly simple, beautiful photograph can often seem like an impossible task. With busy, cluttered backgrounds and subjects who don’t know how to pose, how can you take control and get a great shot no matter the situation? In Picture Perfect Practice, photographer Roberto Valenzuela breaks down the craft of photography into three key elements–locations, poses, and execution–that you can use to unlock the photographic opportunities lying beneath every challenging situation.

Valenzuela stresses the need for photographers to actively practice their craft every day–just like you would practice a musical instrument–in order to master the art of making great images. With chapters that offer practice exercises to strengthen your photographic abilities, you’ll learn how to approach a scene, break it down, and see your way to a great photograph. The Location section features chapters that cover symmetry, balance, framing, color elements, textures, and much more. The Posing section includes the Five Key Posing Techniques that Valenzuela uses every time he’s shooting people, as well as a complete list of poses and how to achieve, customize, and perfect them. The Execution portion, with sections like “Lighting through Direction” and “Simplicity through Subtraction,” reveals Valenzuela’s overall approach to getting the shot. The book also includes an inspiring and helpful chapter on deliberate practice techniques, where Valenzuela describes his system for practicing and analyzing his work, which leads to constant improvement as a photographer.

If you’ve been frustrated and overwhelmed by the challenges of real-world locations, posing your subjects, or executing a great image–or if you simply want to become a better shooter but don’t know where to start–Picture Perfect Practice gives you the tools and information you need to finally become the kind of photographer you’ve always wanted to be: the kind who can confidently walk into any location, under any lighting condition, with any subject, and know that you can create astonishing photographs that have a timeless impact.

由Skip Cohen撰寫的前言

將現實世界的混亂轉化為令人驚嘆的簡單、美麗照片，往往似乎是一個不可能的任務。在繁忙、雜亂的背景和不知道如何擺姿勢的主題下，無論處於何種情況，你如何掌控並拍攝出一張出色的照片呢？在《完美實踐的照片》中，攝影師Roberto Valenzuela將攝影藝術分解為三個關鍵要素-場景、姿勢和執行，這些要素可以幫助你發掘每個具有挑戰性情境下的攝影機會。

Valenzuela強調攝影師需要每天積極練習他們的藝術，就像練習樂器一樣，以掌握製作出優秀影像的藝術。書中的章節提供了練習運動，以增強你的攝影能力，你將學習如何處理場景，分解它，並找到拍攝出優秀照片的方法。場景部分包括對稱、平衡、構圖、色彩元素、紋理等章節。姿勢部分包括Valenzuela每次拍攝人物時使用的五個關鍵姿勢技巧，以及一個完整的姿勢列表，以及如何實現、自定義和完善它們。執行部分包括“通過方向照明”和“通過減法簡化”等章節，揭示了Valenzuela拍攝照片的整體方法。該書還包括一個鼓舞人心且實用的章節，介紹了有意識的練習技巧，Valenzuela在其中描述了他的練習和分析作品的系統，這導致攝影師不斷提高。

如果你對現實世界的場景挑戰、擺姿勢或拍攝出優秀影像感到沮喪和不知所措，或者如果你只是想成為一個更好的攝影師，但不知道從何處開始，《完美實踐的照片》為你提供了所需的工具和信息，最終成為你一直想成為的攝影師：一個能夠自信地走進任何場景，任何照明條件下，與任何主題拍攝，並知道你可以創造出具有永恆影響力的驚人照片的攝影師。