A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself

I received my copy of A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book earlier today and have not put it down! It is not only beautiful in terms of the way the book is presented (all the pics are gorgeous!) - but the information is informative without being too long winded, just what I need.Care has been taken to stay close to what Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman believe in, and they have accomplished their mission with this book. If you follow their Blog and see what their brand is all about, then you will understand why this book is a winner.I love it and will highly recommend it to all out there - I think the price is excellent.

This book is so delightful and offers plenty of easy-to-do ideas for photos. I found especially inspiring and helpful for creating photos to use in blogging. The lovely way each idea is presented by these gals is really refreshing - they are clearly having fun both in front of and behind the camera. Great book for those getting into photography and creating unique and fun content - totally friendly layout and writing style so there's no chance getting intimidated or overwhelmed by by taking "serious" photos. Just have fun!

A fun gift idea for a photography enthusiast. I purchased this for a gift for a friend, and when it arrived, I took a look through it myself. It seemed to have some cute ideas, but it is very very centered on trendy imagery. Not a lot of words about technique or learning how to use your camera, but I suppose it never promised any instruction. This book can just as easily be geared to someone using their iPhone to capture images as to someone who uses a DSLR.Cute ideas, fun short projects, but maybe not for someone who is looking for more instruction to help develop their photography skills. Definitely targeted towards older teens/early adults. Still, a great, fun way to spark your creativity

This book is bright, happy, and so, so inspiring! I blog and love photography and it is providing me with wonderful ideas and new approaches to photography. This book isn't about technical things like aperture or shutter speed, but it's an excellent inspiration for different ways and angles to take photos, things to photograph, simple tips and tricks and ways to use your photos. It is beautifully illustrated with vibrant and bright photos- you just need to check out the photos on the authors' blog- A Beautiful Mess- to know what you're in for! Highly recommend.

I received the A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book in the mail yesterday and immediately got sucked in for the next hour and a half or so. There were so many inspiring ideas that I can't wait to try out as a new camera owner. The photos included in the book by the authors are stunning to look at, even if you don't intend to try capturing your own images.The last portion of the book gives you ideas for how to display all of the beautiful pictures you've taken, which I loved - so many great ideas for Christmas presents and my own home.Cheers to Elsie and Emma for another success!

No question that the ladies put a lot of work into this book, and it is very cute & pretty! Alas, so much of the information is basic -- and yet also not basic enough. An interesting contrast. I knew that the book would not be all that technical, but I ordered it in the hope of wanting to order more to give as gifts to some of my friends who want to be creative but are not naturally inclined to think that way. I was hoping for JUST A FEW basics when it comes to camera settings. The book, however, is definitely NOT for someone who is not already comfortable with a dSLR camera. Sure, there are a few references to photos with phones, but in general, you need to know what you are doing already when it comes to photography in order to achieve a lot of the styles in the book. But therein lies the contrast: For folks like me who do know what they are doing, a lot of the book's ideas seem really basic. And for people who do not know what they are doing with their cameras, the ideas are out of reach.I also think that the book could have been much more interesting with better editing. Some of the concepts are simply too basic to be a full spread (eg, two pages devoted to turning a photo upside down after you take it, literally -- don't get me wrong, a cute concept, but worth just a mention in a list of ideas, not a spread). The book is 240 pages, and it has a lot of lovely & delightful ideas, but it could have been 175 pages and been a MUCH stronger, tighter book.Finally, and this point might be more controversial for the intense Elsie & Emma fans out there, but a vast majority of the photos with people in them feature the ladies themselves. They are very pretty ladies, and they love taking photos of themselves and do a great job of it, but with their success, I am disappointed that they did not feature a broader range of people and perhaps even show a bit of diversity (and I say that as the palest person I know). The book could be much more informative, not to mention more interesting to read, with a greater range of subjects. Examples: I understand that the ladies do not have children at this point (I don't, either), but, really? Not even one spread on ideas for photographing children? Or maybe I missed it? Or what about working with larger groups of people? Or on a busy city street? Or even just featuring different models to highlight the points of the book, perhaps even some people of color? And, most oddly to me, they dedicate the book to their grandparents and yet I am not sure a single person over the age of 30 is featured in the book. I understand that you cannot cover everything, but the book definitely became repetitive by being so focused on them. (And, yes, I also understand that using other people can involve an expense if you do not have willing friends/family, but the ladies have been very successful and should know to build it into their contracts if they do not want to cover the expense themselves.)I say great effort for a first book, and it is very attractive, but if they want to reach a broader audience and achieve long-term book success, they will need to expand beyond their limited personal space. This book really is just an extension of their website. I understand wanting to write what you know, but they have a thriving business doing that already (ie, ABM). They should certainly be proud of the book, and I know that you cannot please everyone -- but, really, I am hoping that these talented ladies think bigger in their book future!

I'm a huge fan of the A Beautiful Mess blog so I had high hopes for this book. It's even better than I anticipated! There are so many helpful tips and inspiring ideas I can't wait to try. I love all the DIY filter methods and fun ways to use photos. If you're looking for ways to improve your techniques and get a fresh look in your photography I highly suggest this book. It's a lot of content for an affordable price. Love it!

It's a well written book, capturing the style and aesthetic of both its writers.It's not the average photo idea book, it doesn't have technical tips and tricks but it's more of a creative boost, to go a step further and change the way you look at everyday photography and capture your life. Plus, it's a great book filled with amazing pictures, so even if you don't put it in a good use, it's always inspiring to go through it.

Very good book, but yet to study.

Très beau livre

O livro é realmente lindo e cheio de ideias inspiradoras. Para quem curte ter a experiência sensorial do livro físico, é ótimo! Mas as ideias também são facilmente encontradas no Pinterest. Eu amei!

As a long time fan of ABM, I had pre ordered this book, and was not disappointed! Beautiful, simple, layout with inspiring ideas, written in the same tone we've grown to love on the ABM blog. My favourite section is all the ideas for using photos, particularly in an age where our photos mostly stay on our hard drives! I would recommend this book if you're looking for inspiration to take more pictures of daily life, add some new elements to your pictures, and learn different ways to display and use your pictures.

Ich fotografiere seit meiner Kindheit und beschäftigte mich daher immer wieder mit der "technisch-theoretischen" Seite der Fotografie. Dieser Aspekt wird in sehr vielen Fotobüchern behandelt, weshalb ich oft in der entsprechenden Abteilung in der Buchhandlung stehe und mich gegen Bücher entscheide, da ich persönlich diesen Teil nicht mehr in der Ausführlichkeit benötige (spezielle themenspezifische Aufnahmetechniken ausgenommen) und er mir in vielen Büchern einen zu großen Teil einnimmt.Daher war ich gleich interessiert, als ich dieses Buch sah. Die Aufmachung und die Bilder sind ansprechend gestaltet und die Texte kurzweilig geschrieben und nicht zu lang.Das Themengebiet mag nicht jeden interessieren, wer jedoch auf der Suche nach Anregungen und Inspiration ist, um zB sein 'Fotofieber' wieder neu zu entfachen oder einen Blog hat, dem kann ich dieses Buch wirklich empfehlen!Wer fit in Englisch ist, dem lege ich die Originalausgabe ans Herz. Mir gefallen die Texte noch ein wenig besser und für den aktuellen Preis (knapp 13€) kann man hier zugreifen!Die deutsche Ausgabe ist -soweit ich mich erinnere- von der Aufmachung her identisch, nur dass die Texte eben übersetzt wurden.FAZIT: Ich mag das Buch sehr gerne und kann es empfehlen. Wer auf der Suche nach Inspiration ist, und/oder in einem Fototief steckt, dem lege ich dieses Buch ans Herz.