There Is No Un-Suck Filter

If you’re like me, you probably have less time for books than you’d like.  And since the sheer number of photography books available can be a little overwhelming, I try to limit myself to books already given high marks from reviewers.  Such is the case with this next book.

I first heard of this book about a year ago.  It’s been mentioned by a number of respected photographers, and each one had nothing but high praise for it (for example, see Joe McNally’s forward from the book here).  So I placed the book in my stack of books worth reading, and it finally made it to the top.  It did not disappoint.

Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision, by David duChemin (his website), is not your typical photography book.  Unlike the more common “how-to” books available in abundance, this one is about photographically expressing your vision of people, places, and culture.  There are some “how-to” tips and techniques included in the book, but David’s emphasis is on vision and craft, but especially vision.

The title of this post is a quote from the book, which is representative of not only the book’s focus but of David’s writing style.  David’s writing conveys a lot with just a little, as does his photography.  The book is replete with similar quotable sayings, which appear regularly in large print in the border.  These highlighted texts serve to emphasize a main point of the current section, helping the reader to focus in on the concept.  Here are a few more:

• “Vision is the beginning and end of photography.”
• “There is only the frame. That is our craft. Painting with light, in slivers of time, within the frame of our image.”
• “Gear Is Good, Vision Is Better.”
• “Anxiety makes for poor creative motivation.”
• “Lazy vision can’t be recovered in Photoshop. There is no Un-Suck filter.”
• “Great photography happens where craft and vision meet.”
• “There is no substitute for a good exposure.”
• “Photographing people is one of the joys and terrors of what I do.”
• “My desire to create images is stronger than my desire to look like a sane human being.”
• “My clients don’t pay me to travel light—they pay me to come home with the shots.”
• “The cliché comes not in what you shoot but in how you shoot it.”
• “I no longer take a photograph. I wait for it, seek it, create it.”

BOOK SAMPLES

Portions of the book are available online by accessing the links highlighted below.

• Sample sections from Safari Books Online here.  The book’s front matter and Chapter Four are completely available for viewing free.
• Sample pages provided by Google Books here.  This site loads fast, but no complete chapter exists, only sample pages.
• Chapter Four is available at Peachpit.com here.  This site provides Chapter Four, but its layout is not representative of the book’s, and the photographs have been shrunk.

BOOK LAYOUT

Introduction (4 pages)

David summarizes the purpose of his book nicely with this quote:

“This book is about the passionate photography of people, places, and cultures; without vision and a desire—even a burning need—to express it photographically, there’s just no point. If you come away with anything from this book, I hope it is a renewed resolution to seek and serve your vision through this elegant craft. And I hope this book gives you a few more tools that make your craft equal to the task.” (p. xvi)

Chapter One – It’s About Vision (6 pages)

This brief chapter lays the foundation for the rest of the book by defining what David duChemin means by photographic vision and why it’s important.

“If you don’t love photography for the sheer act of trying to express yourself, and will only find joy in it when you finally get there, yours will be a disappointing journey. Not only will you likely never ‘get there,’ but you’ll have missed how beautiful and exhilarating the journey itself is.” (p. 6)

Chapter Two – Within the Frame (28 pages)

This chapter should be required reading for any beginner.  It’s an excellent chapter that presents a simple but often overlooked compositional concept, one that escaped me when I first started shooting: You have control and must control what appears within the frame of the picture.  Simple? Yes. Obvious to beginners? Not usually.

“There is only the frame.  That is our craft. Painting with light, in slivers of time, within the frame of our image. It becomes art when that combination says something in a unique way.” (p. 8)

Chapter Three – The Artist and the Geek (38 pages)

“The Artist and the Geek” will no doubt speak to many of us who fall under the geek category.

“Photographers, like few other kinds of artists I can imagine, have an insanely personal relationship with their gear. There is a geek factor with photography that I can’t imagine applying to painters or writers. We can’t help it if our craft is so dependent on gear, but it’s scary how quickly our gear becomes not the means but the end.” (p. 38)

Chapter Four – Storytelling (22 pages)

This chapter is available free online here and covers the following topics:

• Universal Themes
• Conflict Within the From
• The Photo Essay
• Relationships
• Attention Management
• Leaving Clues and Provoking Questions

I particularly liked David’s bulleted list of ten elements that draw our eye within the frame, under the Attention Management topic on page 92.  Here are five from his list:

• Large elements before small elements
• Light elements before dark elements
• Warm colors before cool colors
• Focused elements before blurred elements
• Elements in perspective before flat elements

Chapter Five – Photographing People (54 pages)

This chapter, along with chapters six and seven, cover the major emphasis of this book.  This is where David plays his strengths as a photographer.  All three chapters cover a lot of ground, so I’ll just point out a few of the chapter topics in each to whet your appetite.

• Approaching People
• Capturing Emotion
• Indecent Exposures
• Candids vs. Portraits
• Why Photograph Candid Street Scenes
• Lighting Challenges on Location

Chapter Six – Photographing Places (58 pages)

• Beyond the Postcard: The Value of Wandering
• The Feel of Place: Sensual Exploration
• Be Present: Physical and Emotional Receptivity (Be in the Right Place, at the Right Time, In the Right Frame of Mind)
• Making the Shot (Wait for It, Seek It, Mine It)
• Landscapes

Chapter Seven – Photographing Culture (30 pages)

• Shooting History and Heroes
• Shooting Food
• Shooting Festivals and Celebrations
• Shooting Art

Chapter Eight – Final Thoughts (4 pages)

David duChemin wraps up his work with a few final thoughts.

BOOK PROS

• well written and very easy to read
• replete with beautiful photos
• a lot of great material covered besides the main topic of vision
• covers vision, a topic not normally covered, definitely not to this extent
• not a single typo in the entire book that I could find, which is rare for me
• free online access to an electronic version of the book for 45 days (details in book)

BOOK CONS

• None.  That’s right, none.

CONCLUSION

If you’re a beginner, then I would highly recommend this book.  If you’re semi-pro to pro, then I guess it depends upon your photography emphasis and real-life experiences.  This book may not speak to you as much if you’re a wedding or landscape photographer, though I believe it contains many points apropos to all photography.  If, however, you fall under the category of a travel or street photographer, then this book is a perfect fit.  Either way, it’s an excellent read and a great addition to any photographer’s library.  As I wrote at the beginning, for me, it did not disappoint.

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