Book tip: Peter Hofstetter “The world through a frame” Book tip: Peter Hofstetter “The world through a frame” Peter Hofstetter has self-published an interactive photography course in the form of a new book. It is aimed at beginners and is a suitable christmas present for those who want to be competently guided through the basics so that their pictures turn out more effectively. When taking photographs, we see “the world through a frame” – through the viewfinder. And in photography, this viewfinder field needs to be designed in such a way that it becomes an effective image. And that brings us to the main purpose of this book. It is a photography course that guides you through the basics of photography with good picture examples, an easy-to-understand writing style and useful practical exercises. It is therefore well suited for those who take photography seriously, want to progress in it and no longer want to take pictures with their camera but want to create effective images. Peter Hofstetter, who actually comes from the film world of Hollywood and then exchanged the moving image for the still image, skillfully structures his book and introduces photography in the first three chapters by using carefully selected image material to show how diverse the medium of photography is and how skillfully established photographers use the visual language. The actual practical section begins with the chapter “Basics of composition”, which builds on the introduction to image composition. It deals with the 1/3-2/3 rule, selective light, lines in the picture, selective focusing and mistakes that should be avoided as far as possible in order to take a good picture. This is followed by a chapter on camera settings in the service of composition, in which the author provides many valuable practical tips. All of this is presented in the pleasant conversational tone of a photography course, which should also be followed and completed by readers who are otherwise less likely to struggle through specialist books. This is also the core of the book, which provides the reader with a good, practice-oriented foundation. This is supported by a total of 25 practical tasks that are clearly formulated and encourage the reader to work through the book interactively with the camera in practical use. A clever concept with a lot of logic and a good selection of tasks. In keeping with this, the book has 25 pages in the appendix where personal experiences can be noted for each practical task. This gives the book a very useful, personal character. At the end of the book, the author touches on the possibilities of image editing, not as a guide, but more to show readers how digital image editing can be used to change the image on the computer and recreate it more effectively. An epilogue, glossary and index conclude the book. All in all, a very useful basic book whose value lies above all in its readable style, the good image examples and the 25 practical exercises. However, it must be overlooked that the author, who is used to English, is not too precise with the German terminology and that some definitions could have been formulated more precisely here and there. However, the target group addressed by the book will hardly find fault with this. Urs Tillmanns Book description by the publisher A new, practical textbook by internationally renowned top photographer Peter Hofstetter opens the door to the exciting world of photography. It explains in a vivid way how to become a better photographer. The textbook is ideal for both beginners and advanced photographers. Readers can benefit from the author’s wealth of professional experience in this exciting photography textbook. Step by step, Peter Hofstetter demonstrates the correct use of the camera – from the technical basics to the finer points. The book is written in an easy and understandable way. So you will really understand the camera and photography at the end! The photography textbook contains a wealth of examples, professional tips and exercises that train the eye, explain technical details and give you the confidence you need to take better photos. Readers of the book will thus be able to take better photos and realize their ideas and projects with the camera.