Photography, like many art forms, is a broad field filled with specific disciplines and focuses. Mature photographers may dabble between a few different disciplines, but there is usually one or two specific disciplines in which they have chosen to focus their body of work. So as you develop as a photographer and you have learned and mastered the basics, you will find yourself looking to focus on a specific aspect of photography. You will find yourself looking for resources to help you learn. If you don’t have a mentor, the next best thing is a book on that specific discipline. For me, one aspect that appeals to me is close-up photography. So in my quest, I stumbled upon Bryan Peterson’s new book, Understanding Close-Up Photography. I was fortunate to acquire a copy of this fine instructional book from Watson-Guptill, the publisher, for review.

On May 2, 2011 a ten-year manhunt drew to a deadly end as the men of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (a.k.a. SEAL Team Six) closed in on their prey, Osama Bin Laden, the fanatical mastermind of the terrible attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Flown from Afghanistan by Army Special Operations Command’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and evading detection by the Pakistani military, two US helicopters flew towards the compound where they believed Bin Laden to be. Forty minutes later one helicopter had crashed and five men were dead, including the al-Qaeda leader, whose body was taken away and quietly buried at sea. In this book the story of the raid is told, from start to finish, using specially commissioned full-colour artwork, photographs and maps. The operation, codenamed Neptune Spear, is expertly analysed and the events are told in a concise and clear account of its build-up, execution and aftermath, demonstrating the skill and courage of the men who carried it out.