Capture the Magic: Train Your Eye, Improve Your Photographic Composition

This is one of the first photography books about making well composed, dramatic images that avoids all technical discussion in favor of how a highly successful professional photographer works. Seriously... too many authors feel they have to tell all they know about f/stops, depth of field, shutter speeds etc (info abundantly available on-line) and often miss the details of how subjects were selected, presented and composed. This book provides an excellent set of images and Dykinga's comments on whet made it successful, and in several cases, why not successful. My favorite observation of his was that sometimes he gets so excited about a new location or subject he sometimes fails to take the time to approach the subject in a systematic way. Often his initial visit to a new location simple does not work, but knows he has to return when weather, time of year, or time of day is more suitable.Advanced musicians do not need to be taught how to read music, but seek instruction from those who have mastered musical expression. This book provides the expressive guidance to photographer who can already manage their instrument.

The only poor review, as of this writing, indicates that there is insufficient detail how the photograph was done and why. I cannot disagree more. If you want to learn about f-stops, depth of field (DOF), and other concrete info about how a camera works and what results one gets from various settings then there are numerous other books out there.This book, for me at least, is directed to sparking your own creativity and training yourself to take more than snapshots. I started thinking about improving my photography starting in high school classes circa 1977. I'v taken classes and read books about composition and feel pretty happy with my general skill level. Looking at Mr. Dykingas photographs and reading about his thought processes is the "Magic" in this book. Looking at the scene and thinking about how I would compose an image vs seeing what Jack did has really allowed me to think about how the subject CAN be emphasized in various ways and how to better introduce feeling and stories into a photo. I found Mr. Dykingas writing style to be very engaging and enjoyable. This is a book that I expect to read again in it's entirety and to utilize often to spark my own creativity. I have better learned how to "see" opportunities for great photographs all around me and how to be patient and more thoughtful in attaining that image.I would also say that I read this book on a 7 inch kindle HD and it is well formatted and easy to read. It now looks even better on an 8.9 inch HDX!

The photographs are nice, and Jack Dykinga is an awesome photographer. The book deserves a 5 star for being different, with a nice discussion on what the photographer wanted to bring out in the photos, and why he captured these images. Plus, did I say already, beautiful images!! The quality of the pages is nice. Nothing special for a photography book. But then, Rocky Nook publishers always seem to do a good job with the books they publish. But the book also deserves a 2 or 3 star for a lack of sufficient thematic structure. Reads more like a few thoughts cobbled together.Put together, a solid 4 star.

As with most helpful advice from a talented artist, it's kind of intangible. He points out the very interesting way he shoots, but I'm not clear how he finds and extracts the extraordinary scenes from nature. Still, by looking at the shots Jack takes, and his descriptions of what makes the shot good, you learn a lot. To get the most out of the book, I have to go out and try to find the Magic for myself. I can't learn it all just from reading.A the back, he provides technical data for every picture in the book. In the book you can find a picture you want to know more about, and look it up in the technical index in the back.Not very easily on a Kindle, unless you put in bookmarks. Additionally, on the Kindle, the pictures are very small and frequently on a different page than the text that describes how and why the photographs were shot. It's a little annoying.

Besides the fact that I really, really like Dykinga's pictures, this is the best ever how-to photo book. Finally, we have one that doesn't tell us over and over about the rule of thirds or depth of field, or what "aperture" means. Instead, this one is about composition for us intermediate or advanced non-professional photographers, and actually presents some of Dykinga's thought processes. There's a few examples of photos that were improved on later, so you can see what was wrong with them. The only thing wrong with the book is that it isn't twice as big as it is, and when the 2nd edition comes out twice the size of this one the comment will still be true.

I like this book. It was different than I expected -- I expected something more genial and perhaps even scientific, but what I found was a call to search yourself as the photographer -- what are you trying to say through your picture? What do you want to share?And it forced m to realize that I have been merely taking "snaps of stuff" instead of carefully thinking about why a particular scene attracts me and then how I might best show that to another person through photography.Very good book, indeed!

I loved this book. I usually take wildlife photographs as records, but this book has given me many tips for being more creative when I am out in the field. This is about using scenery to make stunning images. It gives rationales and many good examples of how to make stunning images, showing how they work. It also shows how some things do not work. I also loved the way experimenting and rule-breaking was encouraged, with the warning that there might be failures. This book will be useful to anyone who wants to create beautiful images. The writing style is easy to follow too.

My professional background is in design. I love how this photographer demonstrates design in photography and how the principles and elements of design are all around us waiting to be noticed and used effectively in our photography. The photographs are truly awesome.Thank you for a beautiful book.

Lots of information and how too's worth the read.

A fan of Jack Dykinga's work, I ordered this so as to get it hot off the press. I wanted a book full of advice and was keen to see some of his latest work following his move to digital. Having read it through I have been faintly disappointed by both text and images. Of the latter many well known favourites are here but most of the images are from his Nikons. I prefer the earlier work- it seems better thought out. ~The quality is just as excellent but the images seem less inspired although still at a high level. For instruction and guidance his earlier book on Large Format Landscape photography I find much superior (I have never and never expect to use a 5x4) and can be thoroughly recommended. As a book comparing landscape images shot by one photographer over a period of time and from different viewpoints the book First Light by Joe Cornish is a far better example. Not a bad book but I felt it to be a bit of a pot boiler.

Simply amazing!Easy to read, great to follow. Helps you understand key factors about creating amazing images.I strongly recommend to those willing to challenge all rules to make a great picture real!

Excellent ouvrage pédagogique, où on entre dans l'univers du maître, avec un choix de ses meilleures photos et des remarques très intéressantes sur les choix de composition privilégiés.