Build a Better Photograph

Build a Better Photograph is an excursion into the creative process of an experienced professional photographer. While many books address the equipment, techniques, and compositional approaches to image creation, few describe the steps involved in the development of the picture idea. Michael Stern demystifies the creative process he has successfully employed for over two decades in the fields of environmental portraiture, product photography, 3D scanning, and compositing techniques.

How do artists conceptualize? Where do they get their ideas? How do they incorporate those ideas into their work? These questions and others are explored during actual assignments, along with discussions about the technical and business skills needed to succeed in commercial photography.

Build a Better Photograph emphasizes working out how to achieve the end result before starting to shoot. Learn how to determine which photographic approach to use, and which aspects of the composition should be achieved at capture and which can be best accomplished during postproduction. Illustrated with examples of works in progress and finished images, each with a detailed examination of the creative process for that particular photograph. Foreword by Mark Galer.

The accompanying DVD contains additional images, 360° panoramas and short videos of photographic sessions, reference tutorials, and much more.