review by Craig Coston
As an avid reader of many fine fly fishing magazines, I often find myself wondering who the photographer was on the amazing shots that grace the covers and pages inside. More often than not when I'm checking the credits for a photo that has really captured my attention I find the names Barry and Cathy Beck. Curious, I decided to start looking through back issues of the magazines, and their names popped up everywhere. Now I was really curious. "How do they get such amazing shots so consistantly?", I wondered to myself.
Being a new owner of a Canon SLR camera, I was intrigued. I wanted to understand more about the process of using my camera to it's capacity, and not just clicking the dial to the "auto" setting and hoping for the best. I summoned the courage to contact Barry and Cathy and inquire of this. I'm really glad that I did. Not only were they very approachable, they offered to send me an autographed copy of their book entitled "Outdoor Photographer's Handbook". Cathy's hand written note to me when I received the book was encouraging and prompted me to dive into the book.
The book starts with an introduction, which does a great job creating an overview of who the Becks are and why they have chosen to tackle the subjects in the book. It also reflects their passion for what they do, which is a necessity in the career path they have chosen.
After the introduction, the book moves into an area that I personally don't have much experience with, which is film cameras. Although I didn't expect to get much out of this chapter, I really found it interesting to learn about the process that film photographers have had to go through. Though most of the fundamentals of techniques for taking a great shot remain the same for both film and digital cameras, the extra preparation required for treating film left me with a newfound appreciation for our current digital era of equipment. Also, make sure you don't skip over this chapter because it does a great job describing the fundamental elements of shot composition that make great digital photographs too.
Chapters two through five cover digital cameras and the accessories necessary for success in the field. You will gain an understanding of the different types of equipment and a basic understanding of how and when to utilize each component. My favorite of the chapters is chapter 3, entitled "Lighting and Composition". Most photographers overlook how important lighting is to take a great looking photograph. The Becks do a great job of explaining situational lighting and conditions to look for. The chapter also touches on composition, explaining techniques such as the rule of thirds and depth of field in easy to understand terminology.
Chapter 6, "Having Fun With Your Camera", touches on choosing exciting subjects that catch your attention. The Becks give many examples of different subjects such as people, flowers, pets, and wildlife. With each they give suggestions on how to shoot each subject in fun and exciting ways.
Chapter 7 covers taking better fishing photos. To be honest, this was the chapter I really wanted to turn to first. We all want to be able to take better photos of fish, and this chapter is amazing at explaining techniques that will help you achieve better results. I know that the information in this chapter will definitely resonate in my mind as I prepare to take photos the next time out, and I'm confident that the results will be much better than anything I've photographed in the past. Building upon the knowledge imparted in previous chapters, this chapter comes alive with techniques for positioning your subjects, your camera, and your lighting to really enhance your shot.
The book wraps up with a nice list of quick and useful tips. I think I'll bring this book with me everywhere I go from now on. Reviewing the tips section in the back of the book will be a refreshing reminder of the techniques that make Barry and Cathy Beck the all stars of outdoor photography that they are.
