Book Review: The Story of Painting by Sister Wendy Beckett

Another gem found at my local library - "The Essential Guide To The History of "Western Art". But what has this got to do with becoming a better photographer? Well, artists days, weeks and even months to work out their composition, style, light, technique and story, and aren't they the things we want to build into our photography too?

This isn't a light read. Well, it is if you ignore the text and just look at the pictures, but it's well worth taking the time to appreciate the analysis Sister Wendy Beckett does on many of the famous paintings in this volume.

I think looking at painting, the composition, and especially the different styles, helps us to think about our own art, and build on the successes of those who have gone before. I really got into the portraits, imagining how next time I photograph some people I might try and imitate some of the classics from Rembrandt and Da Vinci...

I'm not saying buy this book new, but if you can get it on loan from the library, or pick it up cheap second hand or from the car boot, it will open your eyes to the possibilities of applying the myriad of different painting styles to your photography.

Thanks, Rob.