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

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It teaches you plenty of stuff; but, more importantly, it teaches you methods for engaging in photography and for practicing photography so that you can keep on improving and learning on your own. As such, it's invaluable. It starts off a bit slow. I have to admit, it took me a couple of months to get through the first part. It begins with a discussion of the elements of photography, such as geometry, balance, symmetry, patterns, etc. I've read a lot about those before, so it was a bit tough to get through. Even so, it was laying the foundation for what was to come. But, if you haven't read a lot about such topics, then you may not have the problem I had. Part 2 starts getting better. It discusses posing in great detail, and does so extremely well. It covers both broad concepts (such as natural posing) and specific details (such as what to do with hands). And it covers a slew of posing archetypes that can be adapted to different situations. Parts 3 and 4 are a bit short, but they use everything you've learned so far to teach you how to improve generally. Part 3 is about execution, or how to put it all together in the field. And Part 4 is about deliberate practice: he recommends some personal R&D on situations you're likely to encounter so that you'll be able to adapt when you do. What makes this part so great is that he not only gives you a method, but also offers some concrete examples of how practice paid off in a specific way. These two parts are what make the book so incredible for me. They're short, but they don't stand alone: they build on everything you've learned in the first two parts. The author is clearly a master photographer. But he's also an excellent teacher. His book is very accessible, but also incredibly deep. I'm ashamed that it took me so long to realize how great the book really is! Although the book is technically about wedding photography, and plenty of the "detailed stuff" is suited to that type of photography, the broader concepts and methods he teaches can be of great benefit to any type of photographer. I would say that I don't think this book is for beginners. It assumes you have basic technical skills, and doesn't teach them. It's about creativity and execution. You don't have to be a professional to get a lot out of the book -- I'm not! -- but you should be fairly advanced. If you're not yet there, put this book on your wish list for the future and don't forget to come back for it.

I have read a lot of books on Photography and Picture Perfect Practice is exceptional in content, style, and approach. Check out the author's story sometime and you realize this is a truly great book if you didn't already. This book takes a unique approach to photography in general and portrait photography in particular. The fact that it has a lot of wedding photography examples throughout matters NOT A WHIT! All the concepts are valid across all aspects of photography and art. Roberto Valenzuela uses the artistic approach to seeing the best possible photograph in the most difficult situations. The fact that he chooses images from his Wedding Photography to illustrate his concepts and his ability to get great images under challenging situations is just because that is a big chunk of his business. Don't believe (as some reviewers stated) that the concepts he espouses don't apply to all photography because they certainly do. Valenzuela believes that we can train ourselves to take better pictures by practicing out art regularly and in challenging situations we can learn to break a scene down analyze it and still get timeless images. In a unique way at least to me, he breaks portrait photography into three key elements and charts each: location, posing, and execution. Each element has subelements of things to look for and use to create the strongest image possible. He thoroughly describes and illustrates each subelement such as balance, symmetry, lines, depth, textures, patterns, shadows, frames, etc. throughout the book. I found his book easy to understand and most importantly easy to implement in helping me strengthen my portrait images and my images in general photography as well as art. Any photographer will get a lot from this book and I recommend it highly.

This guy is a fantastic wedding photographer, however, his tips will help all kinds of photography too- not just weddign photographers- I've used soem of his tips with pretty good results, and hisd tips have helped me know what to look for when settign up a shot, and what to watch out for etc- soem pretty practical tips- Writing style is pretty good, easy enough to understand without loads of technobabble- and you'll learn how to pose folks for more natural and artistic shots- how to place hteirh ands and arms and legs so they don't look stiff, cotnrived, forced- This guy REALLY pays attention to important details that are very easy to overlook and coudl ruin the shots if not taken care of before pushign he shutter button- I really appreciate htat he really practices his intended shtos before even callign hte peopel in for hte shoot- He practices with things like teddy bears to get thel ight right, natural light right, angles right etc- thsi fella is really dedicated to his craft and peopel will learn much from his book IF they want to be as deedicated to thewir craft as well- Ask yourself if you really want to learn the craft, or if you just want a few basic tips to help you along- if you want ot put in the work it takes to becoem a great photographer, then this book I think will really help you beging to really learn how to see- how to compose, how to add that special soemthing to hte photos- the book will also help those thaqt just want some good tips too-

Roughly 50% of the book deals with composition, above and beyond the rule of thirds, color families, leading lines, and the other same old methods we see in every other photography book. Roberto writes about things we will eventually learn on our own some years in the future-we will never read about them in a book. Well, here they are, in a book, written in a very specific and clear way. Three of these instructions changed my photography from one second to the next - not even from one day to the next. This book is the antidote to what we usually say when we finish a photography book, which is in the lines of: "great book, very inspirational, I'm sure it will help me to..." And then we forget about it, and move on to the next book. Not this one. The three instructions that spoke to me especially, involved balance, harmonious composition and looking at the light in a whole new way, and with their help I am already where I want to be as a photographer. The other 50% of the book deals with portraits and posing, and I haven't implemented them, but it makes perfect sense that they would work, since the advice contained in them is solid. I especially appreciated the exercises at the end of each section. Most could be done right at home, so no reason to postpone learning by doing (which is more powerful than learning by reading/watching). And they were not the typical "shoot x pictures at sunset", as an example; instead, most of them involved shooting x pictures from position A, and x pictures from position B and comparing the results, because where we stand makes all the difference.

The rating I came up with is based on my recent reading of a collection of other photography books. I also factored in my personal guidelines: below three stars I regret the purchase; at three I am more or less satisfied, at four this is a good value for the money. The hardest side of photography for me is not camera handling. So when I found this book with such raving reviews I jumped on it. It focuses on composition, poses and some lighting. It does not address the technical aspects of camera handling, file management etc. What it does is propose a method to approach photography, supposedly all photography although it is pretty much centered on wedding photography. As an engineer I tend to like systems and theories to apply to the problem at hand. Lighting, posing, composition etc. are complex issues requiring lots of attention to detail and to some extent I did benefit from the organized approach. Unfortunately one of the major points the author ends up demonstrating is how artistic matters cannot be shoehorned in theories. They mostly belong to the right brain, not the left one. Although there are some very good suggestions and Roberto seems to be a talented professional wedding photographer, applying mere recipes just does not cut it. In too many cases an average photo is presented as the result of an elaborated thought process with remarks making sure you understand this is how great professionals do it (see pictures17.38, 18.2...). All too often it looks like at best a happy accident presented as the desired result thought through from the start. Some cases are interesting yet they seem to violate the same "principles" presented by the author - It looks like the really good pictures are the product of the author's talent, not his rules. In other cases the resulting picture is really interesting, however I am not sure I would try and sell them to a couple as they seem to show indifference or even coolness between them (17.46, 17.49, 17.52, 17.63, even 17.74) So why this rating? I initially gave it three stars, probably as a reaction to the five stars average that had raised my expectations. However the book proposes lists of items to pay attention to when shooting, which although naturally not complete present quite a good starting point. The remarks about posing the arms and hands are pretty good as well as the chapters about silhouettes. It unfortunately presents as rules what are admittedly good recipes, probably applicable to similar situations but certainly not cast-in-stone rules. It also suggests a collection of composition exercises that I started to do seriously as a way to try and get the best from the book. Then pretty soon (two hours in three sessions) I stopped and wondered what they were bringing to me. I can now recognize a square when I see one. Cool. Theory ** Photos *** Explanations of why some pictures work and not others *** What makes this book still interesting is a solid collection of points to check when selecting a location for a shoot and when posing people. Past the first chapters, almost all examples are in a wedding context but many posing techniques can be used in the studio or in other contexts as well. If you are looking for a good overview including all other aspects of wedding photography, you will be better off with Glen Johnson's Digital Wedding Photography that covers all the business and technical aspects as well. If what you look for is mostly wedding pictures and don't care too much for the text, check out The Best of Wedding Photography . For those of you who are looking for books about composition and lighting, there are a wealth of great books such as Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers , Direction & Quality of Light , See It: Photographic Composition Using Visual Intensity or Extraordinary Everyday Photography which focus more on giving you ideas without trying to teach you "my posing system" (p172 in this one). I hope this helps. Don't hesitate to ask me questions in comments.

I really enjoyed reading this book. For me, it put a meaning and a clear definition to what characteristics make a great photo. I began to really understand what makes a great photograph from the concepts he teaches and describes in the book. I've read 20 or so photography books and they've all served their purpose well and I wouldn't be the photographer I am today without them. Picture Perfect Practice is kind of like the finishing touch. I already understand the technical aspects of photography, but i was missing something in the creative department. As an amateur photographer I sometimes found myself in situations where I knew that it could be a great photograph, but really wasn't quiet for sure how to go about it. This book really goes into great detail WHAT to look for and HOW to achieve the look. There are a lot of "practice" sessions in the book to help you notice what you haven't been noticing before. This guy leaves nothing untold and you really do feel like he's giving you all his little secrets to making great photographs (props to you Robert). As others have mentioned this book uses wedding photography as an example, but the concepts can be applied in any situation. I'd have to say this is one of my top 3 photography books just because I got that "Ah Ha" moment after reading it...Maybe that was a little over the top, but it's true nonetheless. Highly recommended and if you are just getting into photography scott kelby books are easy and informative reads too.

I almost didn't create a review for this product because I wanted to keep it as my own little best kept secret but it's just too good not to share. (If nothing else let this be my feeble way of thanking the author for creating it!) My husband and I have this longstanding theory that no artist is every really going to share all of his/her secrets with you in a book, a workshop or otherwise, and based on every book and workshop I've ever taken I've found this theory to be alive and well. They give you just enough information to *think* you're going to learn a ton but you're left feeling like there was something missing--SOMETHING they just didn't share that would make all the puzzle pieces fit. Then in comes Roberto Valenzuela and Picture Perfect Practice. He covers so many aspects of good photography it will literally take me years to master all that he has provided for devouring. That's not to say the concepts he shares are difficult per se, it's simply that there are so many things he covers, that to practice them to a point of mastery is no easy task. The book is organized well, by topic, and he provides key tips for practicing. He's really opened my eyes to the notion that photographers see the world differently. Not just during a session but every day. Every object is transformed by the photographers eye and this is percicely what he helps you to develop: your eye. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I have paid thousands of dollars for workshops that have contained a third of what I've found in this book for under $30. With this workbook and dedicated practice to the craft, I defy you not to become the photographer you are destined to be. Keep on clickin!

You NEED to read this book if you photograph people and are serious about perfecting your technique and developing your personal artistic style. I've read at least a dozen photo technique books and this ranks in the top 2. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. This book is much more than the simple how-to that many books are; it's a training course. The author has the rare ability to be both very good at his craft and a tremendous teacher. This book will teach you how to train yourself to see and use your surroundings to compose the best picture possible. You will truly learn to master your craft through deliberate, focused practice. I'd recommend reading the book cover to cover as the author suggests and taking advantage of the practice sessions. Fair warning: the quality of info in this book is so impressive that you'll find it really tough not to want to jump ahead to see what you can learn next. I especially enjoyed the chapter on posing people. This book is worth it alone for that section. Again, if you're serious about making people look good and want to develop your own artistic style, this book will teach you how to master and develop your photographic 6th sense. Bravo to Roberto for writing this gem. Bravo.

An awesome book to de-compose our caotic eye's view into sensitive photos. Roberto uses a direct, easy language to guide you into his world without compromises and a good bunch of smart exercises. A must-read for every photographer, specially wedding/social/documentary one's. Good job, pal!!

This is a great book for learning about photography. Although the Roberto Valenzuela (author) is a wedding photographer, the ideas put forward will be relevant to almost any style of photography. One of the best things about this book is that it is really well structured, starting with some basics of composition, working through lighting and on to posing. It does not feel "thrown together", like a lot of photography books I've come across. Although the approach to learning is very structured, the ultimate goal is to make the knowledge automatic, so that it becomes second nature, enabling you to get good shots more quickly and concentrate more on creativity. This approach may not suit some people, as it involves practice and repetition (and time), but it made perfect sense to me. More experienced photographers may find the information lacking in depth since it seems to be aimed at the less experienced. However, it can be useful to get an overview of how another photographer works, especially when they're able to state it in such clear terms. Overall, I would recommend this book to any beginner/mid-level photographer who wants to cover some of the stuff they missed by not studying photography formally, without being bogged down by detail or wasting their time with filler.

I liked the variety of topics covered and the sharing of his train of thought as he builds a great image. There are many tips here that are easy to remember and should be in every photographers repertoire. The emphasis that practice is what builds talent is spot on. Echoed by The Talent Code, another great book. And this for is the strength of the book, it really teaches you how to practice as a photographer. There isn't a huge focus on technical parameters and camera settings, which encourages you to discover them on your own, through practice. There's not much to criticize here. It isn't perfect but as close as it gets.

Indispensable si quieres tomar fotos de gran calidad.

I am so fortunate to bought this amazing book I hope everyone should read this book once in his photographic career