Title: Outdoor Photography: Portraits

Author: Cathy Joseph

ISBN: 2884790616

Publisher: Ava Publishing

Edition: Paperback

Review: This richly illustrated guide to using light in digital portrait photography is split into seven chapters covering the key aspects of: Mood, Setting, Character, Image, Themes & Styles, Pairs & Groups, and Props & Frames. Rather than actually telling you how to take a particular type of portrait, each self-contained spread contains background detail from the author about the concept behind a photograph, along with information about composition, location and lighting and the camera settings. Each spread also features a diagram illustrating the location of the sun in relation to the camera.

The photographs used throughout the book are incredibly diverse, particular favourites include Jim Allen’s picture of a female boxer in a field, Michael Hall’s shot of Samurai warriors and Frederic Pascual’s portrait of a young girl with plaits. It is also interesting to gain an insight into what the photographer was thinking when they composed the scene. Anyone with a strong interest in portrait photography will benefit from reading this book