Review: Practical insights and tips
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 8, 2013
I have downloaded several of Dan Eitreim's "On Target Photo Training" books while on free promotion, and all of them are full of practical information. He clearly explains both basics and some details which are not so obvious, but can dramatically improve the final product. This book, as is clear from the title, emphasizes how shadows bring out the three dimensional nature of the subject. Dan gives several exercises which help the amateur photographer practice the principles described, since head knowledge is not as helpful as actually training our eye. I have not yet had an opportunity to go through the exercises (which is also why this is my first review of one of his books - I haven't tested them practically yet).This series has some pros and cons worth mentioning. Each book is focused fairly narrowly and relatively short, yet is complete for its own particular topic. This means there is some necessary repetition between books, as he does not assume the reader has purchased the entire series. But without the entire series, there may be some gaps, since only what is needed for the topic at hand is duplicated. And at the list price, the entire series of 21 books is a noticeable expense. It may be a bargain compared with an entire photography course, and some of the books may be picked up on free promotion, but it does give me pause. His description of each book includes a list of the topics covered, and this is helpful for deciding whether to purchase some particular part of the series.