I am always on the look out for ways to improve my skills as a photographer, and therefore I regularly read books that I think will give me new ideas and techniques. I regularly read the recipe and how to books, but more often than not I find that over half of those books tend to cover common topics that I already know. It is not bad that they have the topics, I just have read them time and again.
George Barr offers something unique in refreshing in a photography book with his focus on his theory and process of capturing amazing photos. As he introduces in the very outset of his introduction, the book is an expanded version of a series of posts he made online over time. He has taken the best topics and refined them into a well organized education in doing what his title indicates, taking your photography to a level higher than it is now.
What may be frustrating for those looking for the single "magic" answer should instead be motivating for most. Through the book you are given ideas and concepts to consider when approaching an opportunity to photograph rather than a recipe for success. Photography is an expression of onces on view and choices to interpret a scene; there is no one magic answer.
After reading through this title I am now reading it again, a chapter at a time. With each chapter I am putting the book down and attempting to apply the principles being taught. I plan to have this book be a part of my growth in photographic skills for a long time.
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