Book Review: The Photographer's Mind

I read many photography books, but I don’t think any one book has influenced me in quite the way that The Photographer’s Mind by Michael Freeman has. While many books on photography talk about improving your technique and skill, The Photographer’s Mind focuses on teaching you how to improve your process and vision. Think carefully about the difference in what I just wrote. The average photography book will teach you how to become a more proficient photographer, but this book will teach you how to become an exceptional photographer.

Yes, I know it sound redonkulous. And to be honest, my first reaction when I started reading this book was one of distaste. I thought the tone and content of the book smacked of elitism. “Who can say” I thought to myself, “what makes one photograph better than another?” If you put two photos side-by-side, both technically competent and of an interesting subject, is there an objective way to determine if one is “better” than another? I didn’t think so. So I tossed the book aside and started reading a few of the other books I bought that day.

I didn’t touch it for a few days, but the incredible images in the book kept drawing me back. As I began to read it, I realized that Freeman wasn’t an elitist, he was simply explaining how the things which make a photograph appealing such as saturated color, physical beauty, or flattering light do not necessarily make a photograph good. Freeman suggests that while some photographers are content with producing images that appeal (and more importantly, sell), others strive to push the envelope of creativity and innovation, learning to see old subjects in new ways.

This book truly does not appeal to everyone. If you are a learner who just wants to master the technicals of color, depth of field, and composition, there are hundreds of books that will teach you that aspect of photography and many of them are admittedly more interesting to read. This book is “high-brow” photography; how does one move from being a competent photographer to being an artist? You may not want to be an artist, or at least you may not think you do. Cutting edge images don’t appeal to the masses and if you count on sales to earn a living, maybe you don’t want to live on the cutting edge.

But put another way, sooner or later, the best technically shot images become cliche when done too many times. Fads like cross processing, HDR, and tilt-shift may seem popular now, but 10 years from now, who’s to say they won’t seem dated and ridiculous? And worst of all, if everyone else is producing work using the same techniques you are, what makes your work special?

So I definitely understand Freeman’s argument that we need to produce images that have real meaning in them, not just the technique of the day or the beautiful fluff like long exposure running water or side-lit portraits next to the window.

What I like the most about this book is that instead of showing you HOW to shoot using a specific technique, Freeman shows you how the technique is perceived by a viewer. Once you begin to understand how people perceive an image, you can start applying those techniques to create a certain mood.

This was the real breakthrough for me. Until now, I would create images that would elicit a certain response out of people (joy, nostalgia, loneliness, etc.) but I could not determine what exactly it was with the image that created that response. My only intent was “create a good photo”. I was like the artist who threw paint on a canvas and hoped they mixed together to become something beautiful.

After reading the book, I realized that I do have control over how I want a viewer to respond to an image, but I need to start thinking about that during the creation process, long before the shutter clicks. Freeman uses a variety of diagrams and examples on the web that you can research that further add to the value of the book.

Again, I would not recommend this book to the amateur or even someone who is still trying to improve their techniques. This book is really for those who have a good grasp of techniques and now wants to apply them in a specific way to create images that impact people.

You can purchase this book for less than $20 at Amazon and if you use my link, I’ll probably get a few cents out of it.