Book Review – A Practical Guide to HDR Vertorama Photography

As a blogger, it’s fairly common to be asked to review books. In 3 and a half years in the blogesphere, I’ve reviewed only one. The truth is, I’ll only give my time to authors/photographers who I respect and whose book I think I’ll enjoy. But Jimmy, you should review bad books too so we know what to avoid! While this is true, our time on this small world is too precious to spend on books that we don’t like – that’s my theory, anyway.

When Klaus Herrmann asked me to write a review of his book A Practical Guide to HDR Vertorama Photography, I was interested. I’ve admired his work for a couple of years now and some of my own vertoramas were, in part, inspired by his technique.

Basilica St. Martin (HDR Vertorama) by  Klaus Herrmann

I should start by saying that I have not received, nor will I receive, payment at all for this review or any sales made because of it.

Creating a good vertorama can be difficult. However, creating a great vertorama is where the challenge really lies. Klaus is one of the few photographers in the world who can consistently create HDR vertoramas that make you think ‘Wow!’

I opened up his 196 page ebook with good expectations and he certainly didn’t disappoint. In 7 highly detailed chapters, Klaus takes us from a basic introduction to HDR and vertoramas, right into the meat of the entire workflow. But this book isn’t for beginners. Despite the intricate detail he goes into on each point, the depth of this book may leave newbies to photography scratching their heads in confusion.

To get an idea of the contents of the book click here on the link to the product page and under the Samples tab, you will see a link to a 62-page free download sample.

New Mosque by Klaus Herrmann

For me, one of the biggest advantages of this book is how Klaus seems to have put equal importance on every step of the process. With general HDR books, processing often takes precedence ahead of composition and knowledge of necessary equipment. However, in A Practical Guide to HDR Vertorama Photography, every single step along the way is emphasised with equal importance. This is an incredibly methodical approach.

Since many of the best scenes for vertoramas are municipal or religious buildings, we may find ourselves without the use of our trusty tripods. Klaus devotes an entire chapter to hand-held shooting that will give you far more confidence in a wider range of settings, not just when shooting vertoramas.

Let There Be Light by Klaus Herrmann

An added bonus is that throughout the book you’ll find occasional links that take you to further reading outside of the blog. Since this is an ebook, all links and chapters within the introduction are hyper-linked – One click and will be on your desired page. It also looks great on the ipad…

When I initially visited the product page for A Practical Guide to HDR Vertorama Photography, I was surprised to see that one commenter had claimed he would pay no more than $9.99, instead of the $19.95 asking price. The first question I asked myself was ‘You wouldn’t pay $19.95 to learn how to create images to a similar standard as that of Klaus?’

As far as I can see, Klaus hasn’t held anything back here. He has laid down a method which will improve the quality of your images, be they vertoramas or not. For those of us serious about photography, we know that we have to invest a good amount of both our time and money to make large improvements quickly. This book, without question, will prove to be an outstanding investment, if you give it the time it needs.

Wait, Jimmy, that’s it? No negative comments or pros and cons?

What can I say? This book does exactly what it says on the tin. While there was a lot of information that wasn’t new to me, or that could probably be found on the internet for free if you have the time to look, I still found some gems that would be worth the money had I paid for the book. And to have this reference guide at the ready when you’re about to go out shooting can only be a great thing. Don’t take my word for it – go to the product page, get the free sample, check out Klaus’ awesome work and methodic writing style, and then you may be better prepared to make a decision on purchasing the book.

Product page – A Practical Guide to HDR Vertorama Photography