Whether for an aspiring or accomplished, amateur or professional photographer, Antony Zacharias's striking The Minimalist Photographer: 50 Techniques for Capturing Beauty in Simplicity is a superb guide to creating emotionally compelling images. Informative instructions provide an aesthetic approach to the "use of simplicity to distill the visual narrative." At its core, minimalism is based on the Zen philosophy of essentialism. Above all else, that means "mindfulness." For Zacharias, that means utilizing four key elements: composition; light, color, and contrast; creative techniques; and storytelling. These precepts are displayed in more than 40 glossy examples in black and white or vivid color. Many are by Zacharias; other photos include Murray Fredericks's evocative dancing flames engulfing a tree; Philippe Halsman's soaring diver; and Edward Steichen and Dorothea Lange classics. Every page is a valuable lesson in perception: removing distractions, embracing negative space, generating dynamic tension, absorbing patterns, engaging narrative possibilities. All of which leads to a seductive "hypnotic reduction in clarity" and creativity. The Minimalist Photographer is an ideal gift to encourage seeing the world anew and capturing its grace. --Robert Allen Papinchak, freelance book critic