Tag Archives: Anne McKinnell

My 3 Favorite Photography eBooks of 2012

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Looking back at all my eBook reviews of 2012, I narrowed down my three of my favorites. Rather than just list the three titles, though, I’ve decided to describe the ideal photographer who I feel can benefit from each book. If your new year’s resolution is to ramp up your creative or technical skills and make serious headway with your photography, these might be a good place to start.

1. Visual Flow: Mastering The Art of Composition, by Ian Plant



Ian Plant is a modern day master of the landscape photography genre. His work is absolutely gorgeous. His colors jump out at you with vivid punch, his compositions flow with subtle movement that adds to the dynamic nature of the scene, everything in his frame is placed perfectly, and his use of subject relationships is second to none. Visual Flow: Mastering the Art of Composition is a manual of how he creates his imagery.

Ian uses a combination of outstanding image examples from his own file, as well as long established methods that he’s perfected during his career. He also uses classic visual and design techniques that were perfected by the traditional art masters. Explaining the fundamentals of composition in incredible depth, he analyzes some very classic paintings to see how brush and canvas artists have dealt with how to translate things like depth, color and perspective in two dimensional mediums.

At 287 pages, this ambitious book is without a doubt one of the biggest and best photography eBooks available today, if not the very best. Being his only book of 2012, Visual Flow is a solid example of Ian’s is dedication to teaching and pass along information to other photographers.

Who this book is for: Although I feel that anyone can benefit from this awesome book, Visual Flow is ideal if you’re an intermediate to advanced outdoor, nature and landscape photographer who is looking to take your creativity and compositional skills to the next level.

2. Dodge and Burn, by Piet van Den Eynde, (Craft and Vision)

Post processing is a daunting task for many photographers. Even with the simplicity of virtual sliders and immediate results, the craft of effectively dodging and burning requires that we not only have an understanding of how to refine an image, but also why.

The why aspect matters in photography because it’s not the technique that carries the image, it’s the personal vision of the image maker. Photography is all about communicating your own interpretation about the subject, and through careful tonal management, you can help translate this message to your viewer in the most effective way.

Solid post processing skills allow you to take control of your photographs. We know that the human eye responds differently to light and dark, to areas of relative brightness and to differing levels of sharpness, contrast and color. If you can take control of these things and master the techniques, your image will have the most impact. Dodge and Burn: Leading the Eye With Photoshop and Lightroom is a full course that teaches you the how so that you can accentuate the why.

The book shows you how to create a smooth and efficient workflow, and then choose the right technique that best lends itself to processing your particular image. With Lightroom and Photoshop, there are a number of options that allow you to manipulate your image: the sliders in Adobe Camera RAW, adjustment brushes, gradient filters, levels, curves, etc. Some people even se third party plug-ins, which offer even more options.

In Dodge and Burn, Piet walks you through an entire workflow from the ground up and shows you how to be efficient and effective with the tools at your disposal. He offers specific case studies where he explores each tool and technique in depth with thorough and straightforward approach.

Who this book is for: Dodge and Burn is ideal if you’re a photographer who has a has a good handle on your compositional and technical skills but is looking to improve your image processing skills. This book will help you fine tune your final images and push the dramatic quality of your photographs so that they have the most impact and more closely match your personal vision.

3. 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography, by Anne McKinnell



It takes a great deal of time, effort, trial and error and personal investment in order to become a great photographer. However, not everyone has the time to make all the mistakes that eventually get you on the right path. 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography explores 8 fundamental areas of knowledge that are essential for today’s photographer and shows you the quickest and most effective techniques that will help you speed up your learning curve.

By sharing what she learned from spending an entire year on the road, practicing her technique and establishing herself and her emerging photography career, Anne McKinnell saves you valuable time by showing you all the necessary skills that you need to master, including how to understand your camera and its settings, how to expose properly, how to get your photography on the web and how to make money with your imagery.

Anne is a great success story, and in my mind, she’s doing everything right in this difficult field. Only 4 years after buying her first DSLR, she went from working a regular job to becoming a full time photographer and writer. Total beginner to having her photos published in books and on magazine covers, writing several eBooks and building a successful blog in just a relatively short time. Believe me when I say that Anne has valuable lessons to teach other aspiring photographers.

Who this book is for: 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography is written for the beginning or emerging photographer who is just starting out, or who is struggling with specific areas of cameras or image making. Anne’s honest, easy-to-read style will help you, whether you’re looking to eventually go pro, or if you just want to get a jump start on your creative and technical skills.

Shameless plug: In 2012, I also released my 4th eBook, Creative Photography Techniques – 20 Tips for Stronger Images. It’s a collection of easy to use creative tips and techniques with image examples that you can apply to your own photography subjects. It’s only $4.99. Check it out!

Maybe you’ll write your own photography eBook this year. Even if you don’t intend to publish anything at this point, you’d be surprised at how much you actually teach yourself through the process of writing. At any rate, give these books a look and get your photography on track for 2013.

8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography eBook, by Anne McKinnell

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Emerging professional outdoor/travel photographer and writer Anne McKinnell has just released a brand new 88-page double spread eBook called 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography. It’s a guide to helping you jump start your own road to photography success.

This book explores 8 fundamental areas of knowledge that are essential for today’s photographer and shows you the quickest and most effective techniques that will help you speed up your learning curve.

It takes a great deal of time and personal investment in order to become a great photographer. However, not everyone has the time to learn everything and make all the mistakes that eventually lead you towards the right path.

By sharing what she learned from spending an entire year photographing on the road, practicing her technique and marketing herself, Anne saves you valuable time by walking you through those necessary skills that you need to master:

  • How to understand the most useful camera settings
  • How to use different light to your advantage
  • How to achieve proper exposure
  • How to create more effective compositions
  • How to maximize the quality of you imagery with post processing
  • How to find your niche with photography
  • How to create a killer portfolio
  • How to get your photography on the web
  • How to make money

She also does it in a very clear and easy to understand writing style. 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography works so well as a learning manual for beginning photographers because Anne herself is a relative newcomer to the field who has achieved great success in a relatively short time. 

I’ve known Anne via the internet for a couple of years. She’s written guest posts here on my blog, and from what I’ve seen, she’s doing everything right. Only 4 years after buying her first DSLR, she’s gone from working a regular job to becoming a full time photographer and writer. She’s gone from total beginner to having her photos published in books and on magazine covers, writing several eBooks and building a successful blog.

Anne’s writing style is so easily approachable and effective, because it’s friendly, honest and informative. She writes as someone who didn’t just read this stuff from a book, but as someone who has stood with her camera beneath the light, at the water’s edge, in the open desert, and at the laptop in her van processing images, learning firsthand the techniques that work best. She’s done the trial and error part, and she shares what she’s learned with such open enthusiasm in a way that everyone can relate to. She also clearly illustrates each concept with page after page of great photographs.

It’s been a joy to follow Anne’s nomadic journey, watch her career unfold and see the quality of her imagery improve over the past two years. I’m excited about her latest eBook because I think it does a great job explaining the stuff that beginning photographers need to know, but often struggle to understand it quickly.

In today’s world, photographers also need to be lab techs, marketing agents, web designers, and business managers. That’s a lot of stuff to absorb, especially if you’re not trying to do photography full time.

After reading through the entire book, I highly recommend it, whether you’re looking to eventually go pro, or if you just want to get a jump start on your creative and technical skills.

If you’re just starting out in photography, or if you feel that you are struggling in any of the areas I outlined above, do yourself a favor and pick up 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography. I promise you, you’ll benefit from Anne McKinnell’s fast track and honest experience as an emerging pro photographer and writer.

Make the investment in your photography and get 8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography at the special introductory price of $7.99.

Anne McKinnell’s Free ebook: “Before The Shutter”

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Photographer, writer, traveler, nomad Anne McKinnell released her brand new eBook today, Before The Shutter: How to prepare for your award-winning photograph.

The book features a collection of great travel photos, plus 28 pages and 7600 words of great tips and insight that she’s gained during her year long road trip around the USA.

Anne wrote Before The Shutter to help other outdoor, travel and landscape photographers get the most out their next photo excursion by walking through the planning stages and all the necessary steps that happen before you take the shot.

Highlights include researching locations, identifying your own creative vision, trip planning, creating a shot list and more. She expands with solid detail in each chapter and she clearly illustrates each tip and idea with wonderful photos. The book is well laid out, clearly written and a real joy to look through. And having been on the road for many months now, Anne has a wealth of great information to share!

I’ve known Anne via the internet for a couple of years now, and it’s been really enjoyable to watch her progress as both a photographer and a writer. In my mind, she’s a great example of someone who’s taking life by the reins and writing the story as she wants it to read. We could all learn a little bit from her just on that account. (Read her insightful guest posts that she’s written here on my blog.)

I’m excited to keep watching Anne in the coming years and see where she goes with her photography and writing. Download your free copy of Before The Shutter, because great photographs should never be left to chance.

Also, read Anne’s excellent and insightful guest posts that she’s written here on my blog.