Visual Stories
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Review
"Visual Stories blends art, meaningful technical know-how and thoughtful discussion on the role and power of photography to make an impact on society. It’s one of the best photography books I’ve seen."
-Christopher Robinson, Editor, Digital Photo Pro Magazine
"Once in a while a Creative comes along who’s body of work causes anyone who sees it to stop in their tracks. That’s the gift that Vincent Laforet has given us here. Life Through the Lens with Vincent Laforet is an inspiring gift that demands to be on your bookshelf (virtual or otherwise)."
- Dane Sanders, Photographer & Writer, DaneSanders.com
"99% of the process happens before you even get the opportunity to press the button. As much as anything else, Visual Stories is about that process. It is about previsualizing, planning, cajoling, persevering — and whatever else it takes to transport an image from your mind’s eye into print."
- Scott Bourne, Photographer & Writer, Photofocus.com
"Visual Stories will be an instant classic. It is well written and is an easy read for photographers of every level. It contains over 100 of the author’s photos with information on the shot as well as the technical camera settings used. Also included with Visual Stories is a DVD that contains 60 videos that provide a personal view of the author and his work. Here he explains in more detail about his work and how he captured his images. If you want to see into the mind of an award winning photographer and learn from his experiences then I very highly recommend Visual Stories."
-T. Michael Testi, Seattle Post Intelligencer / Blog Critics
-Christopher Robinson, Editor, Digital Photo Pro Magazine
"Once in a while a Creative comes along who’s body of work causes anyone who sees it to stop in their tracks. That’s the gift that Vincent Laforet has given us here. Life Through the Lens with Vincent Laforet is an inspiring gift that demands to be on your bookshelf (virtual or otherwise)."
- Dane Sanders, Photographer & Writer, DaneSanders.com
"99% of the process happens before you even get the opportunity to press the button. As much as anything else, Visual Stories is about that process. It is about previsualizing, planning, cajoling, persevering — and whatever else it takes to transport an image from your mind’s eye into print."
- Scott Bourne, Photographer & Writer, Photofocus.com
"Visual Stories will be an instant classic. It is well written and is an easy read for photographers of every level. It contains over 100 of the author’s photos with information on the shot as well as the technical camera settings used. Also included with Visual Stories is a DVD that contains 60 videos that provide a personal view of the author and his work. Here he explains in more detail about his work and how he captured his images. If you want to see into the mind of an award winning photographer and learn from his experiences then I very highly recommend Visual Stories."
-T. Michael Testi, Seattle Post Intelligencer / Blog Critics
Product Description
There is an art to capturing a photo that tells a story. You need to know what belongs in the frame and what to leave out, what to emphasize in the photo that adds to the story, and how to use light, shape, and color all to express meaning while lending aesthetic value to the image itself. Vincent Laforet–Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and voted one of the "100 Most Influential People in Photography" by American Photo–gives a rare look into the art of photography through his lens as a master editorial and commercial photographer.
This beautiful book contains full-color spreads, with scene details and technical information to help tell the visual stories of larger-than-life life events such as Hurricane Katrina, the Olympic Games, and the war zone of Pakistan. With over 100 photos included, you will gain important insights into how you can achieve similar looks—blending what the camera does with the stories you want to tell.
This beautiful book contains full-color spreads, with scene details and technical information to help tell the visual stories of larger-than-life life events such as Hurricane Katrina, the Olympic Games, and the war zone of Pakistan. With over 100 photos included, you will gain important insights into how you can achieve similar looks—blending what the camera does with the stories you want to tell.
- Learn how the principles of photojournalism can be applied to telling stories with a single image.
- Use light, shape, and color to create rich photos that tell the story as well as add sensitivity to beauty and emotion.
- Learn how the relationship between foreground and background can be used to creatively produce images with strong impact, and choose lenses based on this discovery.
- Understand the value of an image and convey a more in-depth story of the subject in any genre of photography, including landscapes, close-ups, portraits, action shots, aerials, and more.
- Receive an up-close and personal view of the author and his work by watching over 60 videos on the accompanying DVD.
Inside This Book
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8 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A Little Disapointing...
18 Jan 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book since I admire the work that Vincent Laforet produces (photography and film/video). I especially like his perspectives of New York life.
However, I found the book disapointing. There are several repetitions of photographs used throughout the book as though he just wanted to use up the space. Most, if not all the photos, can be seen on his web site. I was looking for more to be included in the book.
It would have been nice to have included more of the story that it took to get the shot. Perhaps even some insight of working from heights, the mental and physical preparation, would have been nice?
However, I found the book disapointing. There are several repetitions of photographs used throughout the book as though he just wanted to use up the space. Most, if not all the photos, can be seen on his web site. I was looking for more to be included in the book.
It would have been nice to have included more of the story that it took to get the shot. Perhaps even some insight of working from heights, the mental and physical preparation, would have been nice?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Photojournalism from an Expert
11 Dec 2011
Format:Paperback
Vincent Laforet is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist who was employed by the New York Times for many years and still continues to do contract work for that paper and other publications, as well as commercial work and direction. He is as qualified as anyone to explain the ins-and-outs of photojournalism.
The book doesn't attempt to organize the skills of the photojournalist in a linear fashion. Instead each chapter deals with some aspect of the work, like marrying the story to the aesthetic or the art of lens choice. Each chapter is illustrated with the author's world-class images and his discussion of how he captured them, as well as some reminisces about his career. The photographer discusses his signature work, like aerial shots and the use of tilt-shift lenses. (I never considered that the tilt-shift lens could be used to limit depth of field as well as to increase it!) The book also includes a DVD of Laforet's images, with Quick Time movies of Laforet discussing the images and the technical aspects of capturing them.
I always considered photojournalism to be one end of a continuum with fine arts photography at the other end. The photojournalist's job was to get a photo of the event, without any other consideration, right? Wrong, at least if you are talking about Laforet. Throughout the book he emphasizes the importance of not just capturing the event and trying to tell a story with the image, but also of making it art. Even in Afghanistan Laforet was thinking of the most artful way to capture a photograph, despite fast moving situations. I expect that this kind of photography involves a razor sharp-mind that not everyone will possess. On the other hand, even though he doesn't say so, many of his tips will prove useful to other genres. Certainly the wild-bird photographer is in many ways similar to the photojournalist, positioning him or herself where the action is expected to be, and capturing the image of a fleeting subject. Even his tips for lighting can prove useful to most photographers, although they would never constitute a complete lesson on lighting.
In fact that's one of the difficulties of the book. Little that's said here constitutes a complete lesson in some aspect of photography. Instead we get tips on how to refine our work. That probably means that the book will prove most helpful to photographers who already understand the basis of their craft, although reading about Laforet's experiences can certainly be enjoyable to anyone.
I have to make a comment on the DVD. The instructions on its use are minimal. Apparently you will have to install the Quick Time Player on your computer if you don't already have it, open it, and then select each file to play. That's not much of a problem for more experienced computer users, but specific instructions ought to be provided. Then there are the individual videos. Although it's interesting to see Laforet talking, they simply repeat what's already in the book rather than supplementing it or even providing new information. Moreover the files are in alphabetical order by picture name rather than in any order that develops the ideas of the videos. As a result, the DVD adds little value.
Vincent Laforet is on everybody's list of the great photographers. His photographs are worth looking at just for themselves. He has good information to put out. Just don't expect it to be presented in a highly organized fashion.
The book doesn't attempt to organize the skills of the photojournalist in a linear fashion. Instead each chapter deals with some aspect of the work, like marrying the story to the aesthetic or the art of lens choice. Each chapter is illustrated with the author's world-class images and his discussion of how he captured them, as well as some reminisces about his career. The photographer discusses his signature work, like aerial shots and the use of tilt-shift lenses. (I never considered that the tilt-shift lens could be used to limit depth of field as well as to increase it!) The book also includes a DVD of Laforet's images, with Quick Time movies of Laforet discussing the images and the technical aspects of capturing them.
I always considered photojournalism to be one end of a continuum with fine arts photography at the other end. The photojournalist's job was to get a photo of the event, without any other consideration, right? Wrong, at least if you are talking about Laforet. Throughout the book he emphasizes the importance of not just capturing the event and trying to tell a story with the image, but also of making it art. Even in Afghanistan Laforet was thinking of the most artful way to capture a photograph, despite fast moving situations. I expect that this kind of photography involves a razor sharp-mind that not everyone will possess. On the other hand, even though he doesn't say so, many of his tips will prove useful to other genres. Certainly the wild-bird photographer is in many ways similar to the photojournalist, positioning him or herself where the action is expected to be, and capturing the image of a fleeting subject. Even his tips for lighting can prove useful to most photographers, although they would never constitute a complete lesson on lighting.
In fact that's one of the difficulties of the book. Little that's said here constitutes a complete lesson in some aspect of photography. Instead we get tips on how to refine our work. That probably means that the book will prove most helpful to photographers who already understand the basis of their craft, although reading about Laforet's experiences can certainly be enjoyable to anyone.
I have to make a comment on the DVD. The instructions on its use are minimal. Apparently you will have to install the Quick Time Player on your computer if you don't already have it, open it, and then select each file to play. That's not much of a problem for more experienced computer users, but specific instructions ought to be provided. Then there are the individual videos. Although it's interesting to see Laforet talking, they simply repeat what's already in the book rather than supplementing it or even providing new information. Moreover the files are in alphabetical order by picture name rather than in any order that develops the ideas of the videos. As a result, the DVD adds little value.
Vincent Laforet is on everybody's list of the great photographers. His photographs are worth looking at just for themselves. He has good information to put out. Just don't expect it to be presented in a highly organized fashion.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
An Untraditional Look At Photography
10 May 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Make sure you buy the actual physical copy of this book and NOT the Kindle edition! One of the best parts of this book is the high quality pictures and the e-ink display of the Kindle does not do them justice.
If you're looking for a photography book that tells you exactly what settings to use to take exact photos like Vincent Laforet, then this is not the book for you. However, this book offers something much more valuable than just how to take pictures - it actually gets into Vincent's head and explains why he took the photographs that he did. I found this to be infinitely more valuable than just a book with technical details. For example, Vincent explains his exact thought process and mental state when taking pictures. The mental state for photography, the how and why an image is taken is extremely valuable and not many people are teaching it. Anyone can learn settings for a camera and how to use the technology, what really matters is knowing when to take the photo.
Read this book, it will help you be a better photographer.
If you're looking for a photography book that tells you exactly what settings to use to take exact photos like Vincent Laforet, then this is not the book for you. However, this book offers something much more valuable than just how to take pictures - it actually gets into Vincent's head and explains why he took the photographs that he did. I found this to be infinitely more valuable than just a book with technical details. For example, Vincent explains his exact thought process and mental state when taking pictures. The mental state for photography, the how and why an image is taken is extremely valuable and not many people are teaching it. Anyone can learn settings for a camera and how to use the technology, what really matters is knowing when to take the photo.
Read this book, it will help you be a better photographer.
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