Vincent R Black

Vincent R. Black’s iPhone 15 Pro Max – The Complete Photography Guide helps beginning photographers and iPhone users take a deeper dive into the many tools and features of the iPhone 15 camera. For years, I mostly relied on luck and auto settings of my iPhone camera to get the perfect selfie or landscape shot. Black’s detailed photography guide helps eliminate the guess work and encourages beginner photographers to explore the iPhone’s many camera features that may not be readily show more apparent with everyday use. The book is divided into two parts – Part 1 explores beginner’s photography and provides a basic overview of commonly used photography terms, iPhone camera settings, storage tips, and more. While the guide focuses on the iPhone 15, I found that most of the features were applicable and available on my iPhone 14 Pro. With helpful tips on when to different modes, aspect ratios and special features such as “Live” photo and “Burst” mode, and recommended settings in the camera app, beginner photographers are sure to elevate photo quality. One of the most valuable tips is making use of the “grid” feature to help with photo composition and implementing photography principals such as the “Rule of Thirds” and the “Golden Ratio”. Part II of the guide focuses on advanced photography and goes into greater depth on advanced camera tools. Readers get a brief overview of the principles of the exposure triangle, (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) and clear guidance on how to access features such as “focus lock” and exposure settings and filters to improve composition. A brief overview on how to use the little know feature ProRes Raw for enhanced color depth is also provided along with a brief tutorial on macro photography that provides great tips and is worth exploring. Beginning photographers seeking to elevate their iPhone photography skills will find plenty to explore in this helpful guide. show less

Far from being a complete guide to iPhone photography, this book offers only the most superficial information about the hardware and software of the iPhone Pro and Pro Max.

The chapter about Cinematic Mode is a telling example of this issue. Cinematic Mode is a new video mode for the camera introduced in the iPhone 13 family and showcased in Apple's special announcement event for the new phones. Its key distinguishing feature is the use of sophisticated software techniques to allow refocusing show more of a video automatically, during recording or even afterwards, based on face detection, movement, and other factors. Whether this is a desirable feature or not, whether it works well or not, how one can use it most effectively, etc., are complicated issues that could easily fill a minimum of several pages of dense text, if not a lengthy chapter. But here, Cinematic Mode in its entirety is covered in a mere 273 words.

The book suffers from poor formatting in its ebook form, and the text is badly in need of a good proofreader and editor. There is also a dearth of screenshots to illustrate the camera user interface, controls, and menus; this leads to confusion or ambiguity in certain sections, particularly in the early discussion of the various camera settings and preferences.

There is actually more content in the book devoted to general principles of photography than there is about iPhone-specific implementations of those principles. Some of it might be helpful for beginners. ButI can't recommend this book as a guide to *iPhone* photography. show less

I'm sorry to say I did not find this a very useful or informative guide. I should preface this review by stating that I have been a photographer for over half a century and have been using Apple products for more than a decade. I have taken many photography courses, seminars and worked alongside professionals before embarking on my own professional career. None of this makes me a great photographer, but it helps to have an understanding of the basic principles of photography, light and show more composition, which this book does a decent job of attempting. It is also critical to master the tools you use to capture your subject on film, whether that be a homemade pin-hole camera or a $5,000 DSLR with all the latest bells and whistles. This book proclaims to be the the complete photography guide for the iPhone 13 pro, but fell short in helping me master my new iPhone 13 pro. Nowhere in the book is there a clear reference table showing an illustration of either the “Settings- Camera” panel, explaining each setting and the various options, or a single reference photo of what one sees on the camera display. This is generally covered in any good technical camera guide and available for easy reference, sometimes on a detachable card. To be fair there is a description of many of the camera settings in chapter one, but it is not always clear where they are located or how they can be changed. Throughout the book the author also defaults to his favorite settings rather than simply state all the options and let the reader decide. I did pick up a couple of tips on special features of the iPhone 13, but the author spent way too much time trying to share his ideas of how to take a photograph than explaining the technical features of the iPhone 13’s excellent Camera Features. While this may be useful for someone who has never attempted to take a photo before, I would have to argue that this is NOT the Complete Photography guide for the iPhone 13 Pro. show less

I've been looking forward to receiving this from the Early Reviewers program. I keep hemming and hawing about investing in a good DSLR but keep deciding I'd rather just maximize my iPhone camera's possibilities instead. So this guide is going to be a trove of information for me. I've read through it once, and look forward to going back and using the tips while actively shooting.

There's lots of good info, and for someone who wants to be a better iPhone photographer, I'd recommend this guide. show more If I had one small complaint it's that I wish there were more screenshots of the UI, just to illustrate the exact thing the author is talking about/suggesting you use. There are some, don't get me wrong, but more, step by step, would be even more helpful. show less