Alain Briot states that, "The personality of the photographer must be present in the image for an artistic photograph to have value." And in this book he sets out to teach the things that are essential in achieving this goal.

Following his successful first book, Mastering Landscape Photography, Briot goes beyond the conventional rules of composition and takes on a fresh, new approach to teaching the art of photography. Based upon his personal experiences as an artist, teacher, and photographer, he opens new doors to the reader-doors leading to new ways of seeing and composing images.

Briot approaches fine art photography as being a combination of art and technique. In this new book he addresses both of these by presenting artistic and technical information. On the artistic side, Briot introduces artistic concepts that have been rarely, if ever, associated with photography. On the technical side, he presents numerous tools that can help you learn how to create better photographs and provides technical solutions to common photographic problems.

The author practices photography as a fine art. What matters most to him is how photography can be used to express feelings and emotions. For Briot, a good photograph must be both artistically inspired and technically excellent. To have just one of these two elements is not enough for a fine art photograph to be successful.

Topics include:- How to compose with color, with black and white, and with light- Why you need to consider your audience while composing a photograph- Recreate the emotions you felt when you captured your photographs- How the elements of color-hue, contrast, and saturation-work in your images- How to control the elements that have a visual effect in your photographs- How to draw upon your personal way of seeing and then share your vision- How to diagnose image maladies and apply the proper remedies- How to define a color palette for a specific photograph- How to use compositional elements to develop a personal style

Forweword by Tony Sweet

1. Chapter 1 About Composition

   1. Art, Facts, and Landscape Photography

   2. The Differences Between Composing Factual and Artistic Photographs

   3. Photography is Not Dead

2. The Differences Between What We See and What the Camera Sees

   1. Chapter 2 Learning to See Like a Camera

      1. Of Cameras and Art
      2. Good Cameras Equal Good Photographs
      3. A Matter of Filters
      4. Modifying What the Camera Captures
      5. Differences in Print Quality
      6. It’s the Print, Silly
      7. I Should Have Known
      8. The Artist and His Tools
      9. It’s Only a Matter of Time

   2. Chapter 3 The Eye and the Camera

      1. The Difference Between Photography and Reality
      2. Two Categories of Differences
      3. What the Camera Captures that the Eye Never Sees
      4. The Soul of Photography
      5. Conclusion

3. New Rules of Composition

   1. Chapter 4 Composing with Light

      1. Essential Elements
      2. Light and Composition
      3. Finding the Best Light
      4. Finding Sunrise and Sunset Times
      5. Using Natural Light
      6. Changing Light Quality
      7. Skill Enhancement Exercises
      8. Conclusion

   2. Chapter 5 Composing with Color

      1. Color Vision
      2. The Three Variables of Color
      3. The Munsell Color System
      4. Controlling Color in Photoshop
      5. Color Balance
      6. Color Palette
      7. Saturation
      8. Color Seeing Aides
      9. Taking Notes in the Field
      10. Composing with Color: Examples
      11. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      12. Conclusion

   3. Chapter 6 Composing in Black and White

      1. Introduction
      2. Black and White Is Color with One Variable
      3. Seeing the World without Color
      4. Black and White and Art
      5. Black and White and Manipulation
      6. Color vs. Black and White
      7. Seeing in Black and White
      8. Examples of Composing in Black and White
      9. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      10. Conclusion

   4. Chapter 7 Important Elements of a Strong Composition

      1. Introduction
      2. Part 1 – The Checklist
      3. Part 2 – Seven Examples

4. The Creative Process

   1. Chapter 8 Finding Inspiration

      1. Introduction
      2. Inspiration, Creativity, Vision, and Personal Style
      3. Example 1: Location as a Source of Inspiration
      4. The Muses
      5. A Lifestyle
      6. Example 2: Remoteness as Source of Inspiration
      7. New Equipment, Supplies, and Software: New Possibilities
      8. Example 3: Mood as a Source of Inspiration
      9. Become an Expert
      10. External and Internal Inspiration
      11. Inspiration Is Asking Why not How
      12. Example 4: Repeat Visits to Favorite Places for Inspiration
      13. Memories of What I Have Seen and Experienced
      14. Skills Enhancement Exercises: How to Invite the Muses and Bring Out Your Creativity
      15. Conclusion

   2. Chapter 9 Exercising Creativity

      1. Introduction
      2. The Difference Between Inspiration and Creativity
      3. Do Not Delay Creativity
      4. We All Have the Potential to Be Creative
      5. Liberating Our Creativity
      6. Fear of Failure
      7. Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone
      8. Overcoming Creative Fear
      9. Fear of Critique
      10. Everything Has Already Been Done
      11. Nobody Cares About Your Work
      12. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      13. Conclusion

   3. Chapter 10 Developing Your Vision

      1. Introduction
      2. What Is Vision?
      3. Making Your Vision Reality
      4. Critical Thinking
      5. Going Back
      6. Your Personality
      7. Making Your Vision Reality
      8. Doing the Work
      9. Do Not Lose Your Vision
      10. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      11. Conclusion

   4. Chapter 11 Achieving Your Personal Style

      1. Introduction
      2. What is a Personal Style?
      3. Finding Your Own Way of Seeing
      4. Style Develops through Work
      5. Your Personal Style Filter
      6. Show Your Personal Style throughout Your Work
      7. The Coherence of a Style
      8. Projects, Goals, and Deadlines
      9. Expect Ebb and Flow
      10. Unlearning the Rules
      11. Changing the Rules
      12. Be Bold and Audacious
      13. Don’t Sell Your Soul
      14. Don’t Worry about Creating Masterpieces
      15. Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone
      16. Don’t Try to Please Everyone
      17. Expect Detractors
      18. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      19. Conclusion

5. You and Your Audience

   1. Chapter 12 Just Say Yes

      1. Introduction
      2. A Little Bit of History
      3. The Art of Saying Yes
      4. Drama
      5. Technique Is Meant to Be Seen
      6. Audience
      7. In Closing

   2. Chapter 13 Of Audiences and Bestsellers

      1. Introduction
      2. Who Is Your Audience?
      3. The Concept of Audience
      4. Selling Out
      5. Artists Seek a Response from and a Dialogue with the Audience
      6. Of Bestsellers and Art
      7. How to Create a Bestseller
      8. Start a Discussion with Your Audience
      9. How to Find an Audience
      10. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      11. Conclusion

   3. Chapter 14 The Numbering Affair

      1. Introduction
      2. Manipulation and Art
      3. A Short History of Numbering in Photography
      4. Of Quality and Quantity
      5. The Problem
      6. The Conflict
      7. The Art Show Conundrum
      8. To Limit or Not to Limit?
      9. Conclusion

6. The Relationship Between the Technical and Artistic Aspects of Photography

   1. Chapter 15 Technical and Creative Field Checklist for Fine Art Photography

      1. Introduction
      2. A Few Notes about this Checklist
      3. Field Checklist

   2. Chapter 16 Image Maladies

      1. Introduction
      2. Heavily Cropping Images
      3. Images Affected by Edge Maladies
      4. Globally Oversaturated Images
      5. Locally Oversaturated Images
      6. Images with a Global Color Cast
      7. Images with a Local Color Cast
      8. Images without Black and White Points
      9. Images without a Gray Point
      10. Images with Clipped Black and White Points
      11. Images with Too Much Global Contrast
      12. Images without Enough Global Contrast
      13. Images with Too Much Local Contrast
      14. Images Converted (or Saved) to a Small Color Space
      15. Image Density
      16. Land and Sky
      17. A Challenging Endeavor
      18. Skills Enhancement Exercises
      19. Conclusion

   3. Chapter 17 Memories of What I Have Seen

      1. Introduction
      2. Reality?
      3. Five Senses
      4. Conclusion

   4. Chapter 18 Conclusion

      1. Art and Technique
      2. The Creative and Critical Modes
      3. Vision and Composition
      4. Your Journey
      5. Briot Workshops
      6. A New Beginning

1. Prologue