Our book review of The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow in hardback by Torsten Andreas Hoffmann rnrn

Title: The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow

Author: Torsten Andreas Hoffmann

ISBN: 193395227X

Publisher: Rocky Nook

Edition: Hardback

RRP: £27.99

Dimensions: 272 pages, 25.7 x 21.1 x 2 cm

Black and white photography could be viewed as the very essence of the phrase ‘it takes a moment to learn and a lifetime to master’. In the digital age, all we need do is switch the camera to the b&w setting and voila, instant mono images! However, to truly master the technique a deep understanding of contrast, light, filters, abstracts and so on is needed. This more advanced knowledge is exactly what Hoffman sets out to assist you with. His guide to the art of b&w photography covers all bases, from which camera to use through to utilisation of contrast, ‘the poetry of melancholic moods’ to ‘mystical photography’. As you can probably tell from the latter two topics, The Art of Digital Photography sometimes borders on the ‘arty’ side of instructional, and often reads more like a philosophy paper than a photography book. It’s also hampered by the fact that Hoffman’s first language isn’t English, and as such occasionally reads like a broken translation. However, the sentiment of the book is true and, without doubt, if you were to read this book cover to cover, your black and white photography would benefit.

 What Digital Camera Rating: 88%