Visually Speaking: Mastering Photography as a Visual Language

Inspiring, Insightful, and Practical: A Must-Read for Every Photographer Ted Forbes’ Visually Speaking: Mastering The Art of Photography is more than just a photography book—it’s an invitation to see the world differently. From the moment I opened it, I felt like I was having a one-on-one conversation with a mentor who truly understands the craft and the artistry of storytelling through a lens. A Book About More Than Photography What sets Visually Speaking apart is its focus on the “why” behind photography. Forbes dives deep into the idea that photography is a language—a way to communicate stories and emotions that go beyond the surface. He encourages photographers to create with intention, whether shooting in vivid color or dramatic black and white. This message resonated deeply with me and reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. Gear Isn’t Everything, and That’s a Relief One of the most refreshing aspects of this book is Forbes’ perspective on gear. While many photography books fixate on equipment, Visually Speaking shifts the focus to vision and creativity. Some of the book’s most powerful images, like his cloudscapes of Texan skies, were taken on a mobile phone. These photos demonstrate that simplicity can be profound and that the best camera is the one you have with you. Practical Advice Backed by Stunning Visuals Forbes balances theory with practical advice, offering insights on composition, focal lengths, and the use of negative space. His writing is approachable, and the book is filled with inspiring visuals that demonstrate his points. One standout spread features two seemingly unrelated images—a man smoking in solitude and a bustling Tokyo restaurant. Together, they create a narrative that lingers long after you turn the page. Perfect for Photographers of All Levels Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this book offers something valuable. Forbes’ conversational tone makes complex concepts accessible, while his emphasis on experimentation and intent challenges readers to push their boundaries. It’s both a learning tool and a source of inspiration. Final Thoughts If you’re looking for a book that will challenge, inspire, and change the way you approach photography, Visually Speaking is it. Ted Forbes has created a guide that speaks to the heart of why we create: to tell stories, evoke emotions, and see the world through a unique perspective. This book has already transformed how I think about my work, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking to grow as a photographer and storyteller.

Probably the best instructional photography book out there. Treats photography as an art form wile giving concrete examples of universal and in some cases ancient compositional techniques. And DOES mention equipment, lens choice etc but only in the context of helping to convey your message. Highly recommended.

This book is a fantastic resource on the art of photography, offering comprehensive coverage of every aspect of the craft. Packed with stunning images that beautifully illustrate each topic, it’s both informative and inspiring. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing photography as a hobby or a career.

Amazing quality and deep knowledge. Extraordinary choice. Practical, rational and emotional perspective, very useful.

I have been following Ted's excellent Youtube channel for several years and was excited to learn about his book. This is a good book IMO with plenty to like but also some aspects that could have been better. I very much appreciate the concept and framing of the book: visual language, rather than yet another book explaining basic technique or over indexing on gear. The print quality is great, graphic design is good, layout is very thoughtful. This book covers a lot of ground (while retaining a manageable size and cost) and that's perhaps what lead to some of the compromises exposed. In particular, the book felt to me very uneven on its quality and depth across sections. I alternated between being completely absorbed by the book discussion and pictures to, at other times, feeling completely let down. Some chapters are very well written with wonderful images complementing the text and illustrating the concepts being discussed. Others, felt rough and ready or overly compressed. The most extreme example of the later is probably chapter 7, which discusses the concept of 'negative space' to which the author devotes one page of discussion and one example image. Yes, that is literally a two page chapter. One could argue that more could have been said and shown about negative space. Chapter 8 is three pages long. This leaves the book on a tricky middle ground in terms of its target audience I'd argue. If you are a beginner, understanding some of these concepts with such a succinct treatment might be difficult. I you have more experience, they might not have enough substance to help you on your path. Perhaps dividing this effort into multiple volumes could have been a better choice. Despite these considerations, I do believe this book is worth reading. Ted's love for the craft and knowledge of its history comes through. Ralph's Gibson forward to the book is appropriate IMO: this book is very good a framing interesting questions about what visual language is or could be; just don't expect to find all the answers in here. -- Minor nit, there is broken cross-reference: on page 256 the allusion to Ori Gersht's reproduction reads "see page 89" and it should say page 91.

I’ve been a very amateur photographer for 35-40 years. A lot of what’s in here I’ve “discovered “ myself over the years . This book would have brought me ahead by decades if I had it at the start ! 😂 However there are loads of hidden gems on composition and framing Ive learnt from this book . And the way Ted references other art forms when referring to the art of photography is something I had never considered. I love this book . It’s a must for all photographers

Excellent book for beginner to Pro in my opinion. All perspectives are relavant and this tome goes into quite a bit of depth on all the necessary aspects of photography.

It’s OK. Pretty book with a lot of pictures but a lot of info is pretty basic if you’re an experienced photographer. Nothing new and not much to really grab onto. If you’re new to photography then you may find more value in this.

most books go about technical aspects of photography: tools and techniques This book goes about the art and communication aspects of Photography. What makes a picture a good picture. What think process can help. It is in understandable book

“Photography is a visual language –a universal and very powerful language.” I have many Photography books on my shelves, as my camera was for a very long time my only way to express myself, but Visually Speaking is not like any of these. If you are looking for a “technical manual” this is clearly not the right book. This one is more about finding your voice, and if it talks about the ways you can do it, it’s always related to how to communicate an idea, and not in scientific or setting point of views. I truly enjoyed that decision, and I wish more “how-to-books” were built this way –no matter the Art into consideration. The focus here is the emotion, the idea the photograph wants to express, the sense of the image. It’s not about technique, it’s about meaning. I also loved the pictures (from the author, but also from other photographs) the author chose as examples. They were a guide to think about, but also gorgeous –the quality of the paper being a great help too. That book came to me when I needed it the most as it mentions the “writer block for photographers”. That’s the first time I’ve heard about it, but that’s also something I’m experiencing very much for a couple of years. Reading it, reading the whole book, gave me a new motivation to take my camera. For that, I’m grateful.

Superb book. Beautiful printed

If you've seen Ted's YouTube videos you'll know his style and this is true for his book. Unlike some art photography books his is quite readable. There's plenty of excellent images and sound advice mixed with his own autobiographical thoughts. Well worth picking this one up.

Well written, clear concepts, well illustrated to reinforce the ideas discussed. If you wish to improve your photography, this is a great place to start.