The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography

Book covers many aspects of landscape photography. It integrates use of lightroom photoshop with use of HDR well. Also explains light exceptionally well. Other sections offer useful suggestions to improve composition and images with settings very useful.

One of the best landscape books I have read. Offers excellent insights on how to prepare for, plan, and take landscape, followed by some helpful tips for post in Lightroom and Photoshop (these are more general but enough is provided and point the reader to further explore in those applications]. The style of writing is just the right level for an intermediate-level photographer, particularly in the areas lighting and composition, and exposure strategies. Photos used as examples are demonstrative of the points Randall is making and are helpful. Also, the book served to motivate me to explore and refine areas I have not considered in my experience. I really recommend this book to anyone looking to improve as a landscape photographer.

Bought this as a gift then one for myself. Beautiful pictures, tips are educational info is organized and well presented for easy understandings on improving the craft of photography. Suitable for all levels of experience.

I have bought, read, and sold many photography books over the years. This one is a keeper! It goes way beyond the technical aspects and really nails how to create memorable landscape photos. Worth the price alone for the scouting tips and recommendations for map software (like TPE) that show how to anticipate the best times to visit a site for photos.

Very good book. If, like me, you're now very skilled yet, you will find a lot of useful information in this book.

I especially like his references to “old school” film view camera techniques. I did lots of view camera work in college and now that I am retired, I am updating myself to digital photography. VERY WELL DONE!!!

This is one of the more intriguing and useful photography books I have read. I already have noted chapters I intend to re-read right away so that I can absorb the information there. A great book for anyone’s photography library. Scanning the table of contents, I first noticed that he has a chapter on the landscape at night and even the psychology of a compelling landscape. I love an author that piques my interest and carries through with new ways of looking at photography.Randall does an excellent job of explaining exposure modes, autofocus modes, and drive modes. I haven’t seen many photography books that cover these critical topics in such a helpful way. Interesting point for me here is that the author recommends back button focus for landscape photography when I had believed it was most useful only in wild life photography. Always something new to learn :-).I appreciated Randles section on shooting so that you have less clutter. Although I pay attention to this issue when I’m shooting portraits of a bird, I had not really thought of it in connection with landscape photography.I also like his admonition to scout for density of flowers rather than breadth.In one of the earlier sections of the book Randall mentions that he uses detailed topographic maps to help him visualize what he wants to shoot when he gets there. I don’t think I would ever have thought of that on my own.The author devotes quite a bit of time to shooting rainbows which I think is brilliant. He suggest using a polarizer which I have not heard before. That’s something I mean to try. His information on the histogram and various strategies for exposing using the histogram is not only very useful but uniquely set out. For example, he has a Rembrandt strategy for high contrast scenes!I enjoyed his chapter entitled “Take a walk on the wild side“ :-). I always appreciate creative writing. In that chapter the author talks about single role and multiple row panoramas; the information there I will be re-reading as soon as I get the opportunity.His final chapter was fascinating to me because it discussed how professional photographers must anticipate the psychology of potential viewers of their artwork if they want to make a living! The author even ran focus groups on his own work to see which images people seemed to prefer. He goes on to discuss, quite interestingly, unconscious preferences, evolutionary reasons for preferences, etc. He reports that research shows that there is a greater degree than we would think of uniformity around the world regarding the kinds of images people like.Randall writes in an absorbing fashion, and covers all the topics you’d want plus some. A worthwhile read for sure.

I’m not one to dig into the psychology of taking photographs and I could have done without all of that in this book. As a result, I found myself quickly scrolling through this book in search of specific technical content and illustrations. Rather disappointed in this purchase.