:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch

UPDATE: The giveaway contest is now closed. The winner of the free, autographed copy of Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent will be announced later today.

I'm always looking for books that offer instruction AND inspiration and when it comes to photographing children, Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent by Ginny Felch is certainly a winner in that category.

"I hope that in this book you find inspiration and encouragement to follow any urges you have had to make photographs that capture the spirit of a child."
Ginny Felch

It was clear early on that while Ginny was certainly going to offer some great insights as far as instruction goes, but she was also keenly aware that there are many reasons people wish to photograph children. She tailored her approach to be appropriate for everything from the adoring parent wishing to capture the life of their child (I fall into this category...) to the professional photographer wishing to make a living photographing children.

The book is divided into 10 chapters:

Chapter 1 - The Art of Photographing Children
I especially appreciated Felch took some time to mention that whatever one's reason for photographing children, they must have a passion for it to capture the light of a child. She offers ways to gain inspiration and finding the style of photography that best suits your vision.

Chapter 2 - The Look of a Photograph
In this chapter, Felch covers the basics of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field in very understandable terms. To her credit, and again appealing to her parent audience, she doesn't leave out the program modes available on most point-and-shoot cameras. She recognizes that program modes also have value in the appropriate situations.

Chapter 3 - Seeing the Light
Light is to any successful photo - whether it be the presence or lack thereof. Felch discusses how to see light in new ways and how to discover and use natural light to one's advantage.

Chapter 4 - Manipulating the Light
As every professional photographer will tell you, one rarely happens upon 'perfect' lighting situations, so in this chapter Felch offers instruction on how to manipulate available light to enhance one's photos.

Chapter 5 - Composing Photographs
The difference between a snapshot and a portrait is often an issue of composition. This chapter focuses on principles such as keeping it simple, framing, the rule of thirds, leading lines, using parents as props and, of course, breaking the 'rules'.

Chapter 6 - What's Your Style?
Classic and romantic, contemporary, or photojournalistic? Which do you prefer? Do you know? Read this chapter to find out. While Felch recognizes that it is not necessary to box yourself into one single style, it is helpful to know what style you gravitate towards and why.

Chapter 7 - Evoking Expression & Emotion
What expression are you looking for? Joy? Thoughtful repose? Frustration? Felch offers tips and tricks on how to evoke the expression you're looking for - or capture the unexpected ones that can give you the wondrous result you didn't even know you wanted.

Chapter 8 - Ages, Stages & Groups
This chapter covers tips for working with subjects everywhere from newborn to the teen years, including how to deal with boys versus girls as they age. Felch also offers tips for photographing friend and family groupings.

Chapter 9 - Equipment for the Child Photographer
Throughout this book, Felch emphasizes that equipment really is secondary. However, she offers questions to consider concerning your current gear to determine if it suits your needs or if upgrades may be in order to satisfy your creative pursuits. These choices will depend on individual needs, experience and, of course, budget.

Chapter 10 - Post-Production & Presentation
The final chapter covers everything from developing a workflow, uploading and editing, and ways to share your photos such as storyboards, web galleries, canvas prints and more.

Felch also has a blog at which you can view more of her stunning work and get even more tips and tricks. She welcomes you to visit!

WANT TO READ MORE OR PURCHASE?
Visit the Photographing Children Photo Workshop page at Amazon.com. You can also read more of my reviews for other recommendations.

GIVEAWAY:
Ginny has been gracious enough to offer an AUTOGRAPHED copy to one lucky reader!!

To enter, submit your vote in the poll below and then be sure to leave the following in a comment to this post so that I am able to contact you if you win!!

FIRST & LAST NAME:
EMAIL:
CITY, STATE:

Leave your comment by Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, 11:59 PM (CST) in order to be considered to win. I will announce and contact the random winner via email on Thursday.

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