The Mindful Photographer

2 reviews for The Mindful Photographer

1. 

   Gloria December 7, 2021

   I am comforted at the beginning of this interesting book when the author says that most of his students are not looking to be professional photographers. Neither am I, so I’m happy to know that this book will suit me. Ulrich also explains that each essay stands on its own, so that you can read the book’s chapters in any order. Given the way I read, diving in and out of books, that is brilliant.

   I’m happy to read that the author believes that mindfulness practice and photography are so interrelated. I do meditate, but I’ve never actually connected it to my photography. So much to learn! The book is worth it just for his seven principles of camera practice! He repeats them here, though he first introduced them in a prior book. Excellent tips, tips I would like to carry with me :-).

   Who could not want to read a chapter called “pictures are not about pictures“? The author posits that photographs, for example, reflect our inner selves and can evoke feelings, thoughts, in the viewer. Raises photography to a higher meaning. And maybe for me, most salient, the best photographs are not about the equipment you use but about your state of mind when you make the photograph. It’s an excellent book on photography that has a chapter titled “when to put the camera down”, and it’s telling that he begins by criticizing the lack of privacy. He especially pointed to cell phone cameras which just about everyone has and use just about everywhere.

   “A sequence of images is only as strong as its weakest link.“ A great beginning to the author’s chapter on editing our photos. Ulrich suggests looking at your photos globally, as thumbnails, before you begin editing, so that you can spot themes, recurring colors and forms, etc. That’s not something I have done but I am certainly going to give it a try. Of course, he suggests we be mindful when we reveal photos, not necessarily rational :-).

   And how could I not love a book with a chapter called “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept“! Turns out it’s actually a quotation from Henri Cartier-Bresson, And the chapter is fascinating to read and think about. He especially warns about over-sharpening and I agree with him.

   Not only does this book contain fascinating subjects I have not seen elsewhere covered, the writing is well done and carries you through the book without effort. You will want to read the next c

2. 

   jefforns April 21, 2022

   This is a very different, but informative book for me. My extensive photography library is filled with books about cameras, lenses, composition, processing and light. This book is about thinking and seeing what is in front of you as well as what you should really be thinking. Mr. Ulrich, in his writing, asks you to think and visualize before you press the shutter button. It is a rich feeling if you follow his thinking and process.

   I would highly recommend this book to any photographer who already knows how to take and process images and wants to add the ‘why’ to the process. It is easy reading by chapters and you can skip around the book and still find the entire thought process