Gregory Heisler

A fabulous collection of some of Heisler's portraits. Many of the portraits are stunning; I keep returning to his image of Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda or Luís Sarría (the cover photo) and wishing I could handle negative space that way or create a photo so spare that all you can do is look at the subject.

However, as amazing as some of these images are, they are actually not the most memorable portion of the book. Each picture is accompanied by a story and some thoughts on the techniques employed. Rather than being limited to "use f8" or "low key light over here", these discussions explore why a picture is structured the way it is, or how a particular type of lighting can affect a viewer's mood. He'll talk about body language, non-portrait portraits, about his mantra of "first, do no harm." This is not to say that there are no technical tips, only that they are wrapped in a thoughtful discourse on the art of making a picture.

In reading this, you get a real sense of a craftsman at work and that, despite how simple the final image might look, there is an enormous amount of work, mostly cerebral, that goes into it.

Regardless of why you approach this book—enjoyment of the photographs, philosophy of photography or simply 'I used a Rololight here'—there's something here for the photography lover.… (mer)