Gordon Laing, most notable to most photographers as the genius camera-reviewer behind cameralabs.com, has put together a diminutive coffee table book that is both a collection of outstanding images as well as an inspiring look at just what a knowledgeable photographer can do sans software. Appropriately titled In Camera, Laing explores time-saving techniques of shooting high quality jpgs rather than relying on hours of post production to achieve desired results.
First, the coffee-table aspect of the book. Laing is a world traveler and presents in this collection images from around the world. Most of the one hundred shots come with an introduction to the place of origin and a bit of history. If this book were nothing more than that, Laing's travels and musings would be well worth the purchase- but we have yet to enjoy the elements designed for his main audience- photographers.
Following his brief introductions to the subject, Laing goes into tremendous detail about how each image was shot. Unlike many texts that suggest that the artist approached the shoot with complete premeditation and control, Laing steps into his environment and begins evaluating the variables that will create different images. He clearly spends hours at many of his shoots, changing angles, settings and every imaginable variable, often choosing the best image well after the shoot. Laing writes all about the process of photography, only addressing the product when the process in completed. This is the genius of his book- it's about methodology, premeditated trial-and-error- no, not error, trial-and thoughtful reflection of results. You don't follow a step-by-step algorithm for a great shot; rather, you work the image with your hardware, the camera's software options, and your own creativity.
Laing will likely affect you with his style and techniques. Two that most impressed me were his use of monochromatic images and his long-exposure shooting.His use of grayscale was fascinating not solely because of his final images, but for the reasons that he chooses to use grayscale in the first place. A better understanding of what sort of subjects and shooting situations suggest grayscale shooting was a great takeaway of this book. And though it is obvious that long exposure times are required for night shots and smoothing moving water of waterfalls, Laing's use of this technique extends far beyond these obvious applications and produces images that are stunningly beautiful and unique.
If there is a criticism to offer of this book, it's about the layout. There is no logical sequence in its presentation, which lends the coffee-table analogy to its format- this is a book that you can pick up and browse in parts. But while not a textbook, this is a book from which to learn, and there is plenty of material from which to glean information. The random nature of the presentation thus necessitates a lot of reiteration- an obvious example are the many descriptions of the ND filters. While grouping of common topics could have cut down on repetition and also created a concentrated section from which he could build in complexity, it would also have felt more "textbookish", and perhaps Laing was looking to avoid that feel.
In Camera is a book that will inspire as well as train, and for non-photographers, it will present beautiful images and brief stories that can be enjoyed by all. Superb and beautiful book- and I'm looking forward to his next one!
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There is a newer edition of this item:
In Camera: How to Get Perfect Pictures Straight Out of the Camera
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Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
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Reviews with images
Gross
The book looks fine but as I thumbed through it upon arrival I found this empty wrapper in between the pages. I paid for a “NEW” book and this is what I received. GROSS!
Top reviews from other countries
J. Christoffel
Kurz und gut, ... ach was, exzellent!
Reviewed in Germany on December 15, 2022G. Avvinti
Utile e scorrevole, anche se non scatto mai in JPEG
Reviewed in Italy on February 11, 2020Stephen Verhaeghe
Focus on your composition on the spot
Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2018