Square by Andrew S. Gibon

Andrew S. Gibson has been busy of late. Coming in the wake of his latest Craft and Vision eBook Beyond Thirds is this solo effort titled Square. This publication looks at the use of square formats in photography, tracing its history and describing its most modern interpretations through the use of smart phone apps.

There are composition-related reasons for choosing a square format over the standard rectangular aspect of a modern DSLR. Whether you intentionally shoot images planning to crop them to 1:1, or you revisit your older work and make some after-the-fact creative decisions, you can create powerful images by making use of this format. People who view your photographers will naturally react differently to the more uncommon format of the square photograph, and that will alter the way they view your images.

No discussion of photography techniques is complete with a look at how things work in black and white as well as color. A hallmark of the square format is simplicity and this can be emphasized when such an image is in black and white. By reducing the elements in the photograph that require attention, you’ll allow the subtleties to surface. This is discussed in detail through both examples of the author’s own work and case studies of other photographers. You get a clearer understanding of the powerful simplicity that exists in this style of photography.

Square continues with talk about ways to create more impact with your imagery. Through the use of vertoramas – the stitching of two rectangular photographs to make a single square image, using various borders and frames, and different layout methods such as diptychs and triptychs, a better idea of how to best utilize the square format emerges. Finally, there’s discussion on tools such as Holga lenses and smart phone apps that are other common methods of working in a square format.

Square is the natural follow-up to Beyond Thirds. In Square, delve deep into the mysteries of the square format. Back before digital, the only way you could use the square format (cropping excluded) was to buy a 6×6 medium format camera. Now, digital cameras have opened up the square format to anybody who doesn’t mind taking the trouble to crop their images in Photoshop. But using the square format isn’t simply a matter of cropping – there’s a lot more to it than that. The square format demands a new approach to composition. The rule-of-thirds (which readers of Beyond Thirds will know the author not too fond of in the first place anyway) no longer applies.

Square explores the square format from the digital photographer’s perspective. It shows you how to use the square format on your camera, and how to make the most out of what is thought of as the fine art photographer’s format. It’s illustrated throughout with photos, and also interviews with the two film photographers, Matt Toynbee and Flavia Schaller, to explore their perspective on the square format.

Special offer

For the first seven days only, Square is available for $US4 when you use the code square20 at checkout. Click here to view more details

This code expires on Wednesday 30th November, 2011 23:59 GMT.