I have every macro photography book marketed in the last three years, and this is by far the best, in my opinion. Harold Davis has pushed the boundaries of macro photography with new techniques such as HDR, Focus Stacking, photographing transparency, an entire section of photographing water drops, still-life photography, and oh so much more. If you combine this masterful book with more detailed instruction from the companion book, The Photoshop Darkroom, Creative Digital Post Processing, you will learn amazing techniques for using LAB color to create fabulous effects, hand HDR processing techniques, and many more.
As a macro photographer, I could bury myself in the techniques and ideas presented in this book and it's companion, The Photoshop Darkroom, and not run out of new techniques to try for years! This book has stunning photographs and is very well organized. I especially appreciate references to exact page numbers to refresh my memory on techniques used earlier. Creative Close-Ups: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques
When asked if I would like to read and review a copy of Creative Close-Ups I jumped at the chance. A couple of weeks later the book arrived and I dove right in.
Creative Close-Ups is not a highly technical book, it is a well-written and thought provoking exploration of close-up photography. It covers many types of close-up photography including flowers, water drops, still life and glass.
Filled with wonderful photos that highlight the type of photography being discussed along with commentary on the choices made while preparing and taking the photographs. Details on lens choice, f-stop, shutter speeds, and more are given for every photo.
This is the first close-up photography book I have seen that covers High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography for photographs of flowers and other subjects. It also includes information on how to create High Focal Range (HFR) photographs to expand the depth of field in close-up photographs.
I appreciate the descriptions of lighting challenges and solutions offered in the book that do not require a lot of expensive equipment that the enthusiast photography may not own or wish to buy.
If you are a photographer looking to improve your close-up skills I highly recommend Creative Close-Ups, Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
Full Disclosure: I have been a macro (closeup) photographer for several years and I was sure I had read all the important books on the subject.
Full Disclosure #2: I was wrong .... since until this weekend I had not read this book, and thus my macro library was incomplete.
The author, Harold Davis, has put out a veritable instruction manual for the closeup photographer that is as good as anything I've ever read on the subject. His chapters on Focus Stacking and the use of the HDR (high dynamic range) multiple exposure approach are incredibly helpful with step by step guides (and screenshots) that make using these techniques really easy. Although I had read about "focus stacking", I had never felt comfortable at using this approach because I thought it would be laborious and too time consuming. After reading the chapter on how to do it, I was able to go out in my garden and immediately get good results. Heck, that advice alone is worth the cover price.
I also found the chapters on Selective Focus and Reflections and Refractions to be very helpful. I had long wanted to get that classic shot of a reflection inside a dew drop on the surface of a leaf, but I could never pull it off very well. With the text and accompanying photos in this book, I found myself able to correct my previous errors and nail the shot I've always wanted.
Mr. Davis writes in an easy to understand style that is both informative and casual. You don't have to be a pro to understand what he is writing about and his advice resonates like that of a trusted friend who has taken you under his wing to show you all his favorite tips and techniques.
If you're the least bit interested in improving your closeup photo work, or if you'd like to venture out into this fascinating field of the world in miniature as seen through a photo lens then I would HIGHLY recommend this book.
The emphasis in Harold Davis's book is definitely on "creative". If you suffer from a dearth of ideas of macro subjects, this book will start your juices going. Your pots and pans and glassware will all become possible subjects of inspiration. The sections on HDR and HFR are well illustrated with step-by-step instructions. I have two minor caveats about the book. I would have preferred that less space be given to reflections and droplets and it would be difficult not to immediately buy "The Photoshop Darkroom" after seeing the kind of results Harold Davis achieves in Photoshop. I just ordered mine. A highly recommended book. - Digital Photography - Photography Book - Macro - Harold Davis'
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