5 comments about Inspirations.

1. The photos are beautiful, but I didn't purchase it for the photos.
   I purchased it to discover the use of mechanics to construct the beautiful florals. There is some text about materials used, but very little. Disappointing.



2. Garish and over the top almost to the point of vulgarity. Not my taste I prefer cleaner lines and less ostentatiousness.



3. Although I think this book is well done, I much preferred his other books.



4. I bought this book so I can find ideas for my wedding decoration, it has great and beautiful pictures, but obviously it's impossible to try to imitate Preston Bailey's ideas. I do recommend this book. You can use it afterwards for a coffee table book.



5. I'm an Interior Designer and this is a practical guide for clients visually. I'm not for copying works but inspiration to what we can do of endless possibilities.

5 comments about Seizing the Light: A History of Photography.

1. I'll make it clean cut here; the buyer gave me what I wanted and the item is in great shape. What else could I ask for? Very happy and the delivery was of average speed.



2. Robert Hirsch's survey of the origins and evolution of photography, "Seizing the Light," is a welcome addition to the expanding study of the medium. In clear, insightful, and engaging prose, Hirsch unfolds photography's hit-or-miss birth which was rapidly followed by coherent technological developments almost at the speed of light. Hirsch makes us believe that photography was inevitable; the darling and necessary child of destiny wed to information theory. And Hirsch's treatment of early 20th century Modernist photography and the philosophy behind Pictorialism is excellent.
   
   As a primer for the invention of photography and its chemical underpinnings, "Seizing the Light" is as good as it can be. It falls a little short, however, in its treatment of contemporary photography. The book would have been better served by including a few in-depth surveys of important contemporary photographic projects in order to emphasize the centrality of this discipline in contemporary art history and postmodern theory which is heavily dependent on the nature of images and processes of image-making.



3. Overall a great book on the history of photography. VERY comprehensive overview of the evolution of photography. It ties movements in art and social events into photography trends and developments. It also provides insight into how photographers and artists used the medium to express themselves and how experimentation lead to improvements over the years. My only negative comment would be that some of the earlly forms of cameras were not pictured. There were diagrams of early cameras, but after the first hundred years, there is little to no documentation on how they evolved cosmetically/ functionally. It'd be nice to see an example of the various "groundbreaking" cameras as they were discussed. Otherwise, a great book.



4. For everyone with an interest in photography, either as an artist of the medium, a beginner looking for direction, or a collector who wants informed background to enhance appreciation of fine photographs both from the past and from the present obsession, SEIZING THE LIGHT: A History of Photography is essential reading.
   
   Robert Hirsch knows his subject and in one hefty book manages to share the beginnings of photography some 200 years ago with the evolution of the camera and the discipline of photographing. Well illustrated with both photographs and drawings, Hirsch chronicles the famous and not so famous practitioners of the art in succinct but richly colorful biographical abstracts to accompany examples of each artist. The phases through which this art form has passed makes for fascinating reading even beyond the scope of the title: the use of the camera in documenting the history of our globe at celebration, at war, at discovery, and at the side of the people of the day is a journey well lead by a writer well skilled.
   
   Though this book is now six years old it remains one of the more important textbooks for the art school classroom. But more important it is so richly written that it remains a fascinating survey of life since the camera. From the beginnings of the pinhole box to the present day digital images on the cell phone etc, the invention of the camera has inextricably changed our perception of the world. Learn the how and why of it! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05



5. Seizing the Light: A History of Photography. is a wonderfully broad, contemporary, eclectic and entertaining book. Robert Hirsch has produced the most useful, readable, and practical successor to Beaumont Newhall's classic, The History of Photography, first published in 1937. Seizing the Light is written in a friendly, accessible way -- dense with information, but more hip and lively than other offerings, especially those aimed at college students. Hirsch includes the "canon" of standard western photographic history (represented by Stieglitz, Weston, Adams, White, et. al.) first set forth by Newhall and other researchers, but updates the information with special emphasis on the last five decades of photographic practice, including digital imaging.
   
   Many teachers and interested readers will greatly appreciate Hirsch's conscious effort throughout the book, to include numerous women and photographers from other cultures. (Chapter Two opens with an image of an American Indian, and includes a portrait of an African-American, affording students the realization that marginalized groups actually did appear as subjects before the camera in addition to working behind them.)
   
   Students will also appreciate Hirsch's habit of opening new chapters with a description of cultural and political events occurring during the period under discussion: Chapter Twelve starts with a harrowing description of life for immigrants in New York City in the late Nineteenth Century during the time of Jacob Riis, and Chapter Seventeen has a helpful summary of the ending of the Vietnam War, connecting it smoothly to such diverse influences as Richard Nixon and the BeeGees! There are also wonderful endnotes following each chapter that are absolutely addictive, giving curious readers further information and surprising tidbits of information.
   
   Hirsch's knowledge gained as a Director of CEPA Gallery in Buffalo (a contemporary non-profit Artist's space) provides him with exceptional insight into contemporary photography. This is especially evident in his last Chapter, Eighteen, "Thinking About Photography," which abounds with infrequently seen and challenging images by Arnulf Rainer, Nam June Paik, John Baldessari, Anselm Keifer, Gilbert and George, William Wegman and the Bechers. There is a clear and helpful section on Postmodernism, including the usual suspects: Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, Sherrie Levine, and Victor Burgin. There are sections on "Gender Issues" with Judith Golden, as well as one on "Fabrications" with Sandy Skoglund, Olivia Parker, Joel Peter Witkin and others. "Altering Time and Space" includes David Hockney, the Starn Twins, and the delicious hand-colored work of Holly Roberts. Other sections include "Investigating the Body" (Andres Serrrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann) and "Multiculturalism" (Clarissa Sligh, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, and the Guerilla Girls). Hirsch closes this bulging chapter with a discussion of digital imaging, including images by Pedro Meyer, Nancy Burson and several rising young artists in new media. He concludes with an extensive bibliography of related books and resources, a helpful list of monographs by the major artists presented throughout the text, and a section on sources for artists' books.
   
   Robert Hirsch has produced a most impressive and useful book that readers will find engaging and relevant. The currency and eclectic nature of Hirsch's thought is fascinating and his book serves as a much-needed supplement to existing texts in the history of photography.
   
   (Submitted by Brian Taylor, Professor of Art and Design at San Jose State University, where he has taught the History of Photography for 25 years. Prior to that, he studied with Beaumont Newhall for three years during graduate school at the University of New Mexico.)

5 comments about How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3: The art of creating photorealistic montages (How to Cheat in).

1. This book reminds me of having cliff notes during high school. It takes you to the point without confusion. It covers a vast number of things that interest me in my photography business.



2. I knew from the title that this book had a lot of cool special effects, and it does. What I wasn't expecting was the very pragmatic tutorial on artistic communication: how to tell a story by the relative placement of objects/people in a picture, or the slant of the eyes, etc. And, yes, you can actually turn a people's eyes (or their entire heads!) with some neat, easy, amazing tricks. I just didn't know some of this stuff was even possible. Definitely not a book full of stuff you've seen already.



3. We checked MANY photoshop books out of the library and only bought two and this is one. Love it. It comes with a cd with all the pictures that they walk you through so you can practice the steps yourself. Awesome



4. They explanations are sometimes not easy to follow. Or it's me? You can try it yourself.



5. There are a lot of good ideas and concepts provided in this book for some very cool effects. However, please know that many of the effects/settings are very specific to the images they use in the examples. For example, the section on "chroming" any image they use an image of a computer monitor and use the levels adjustments to make it look chrome. If/when you apply the same sort of settings to any of your own photos you will not get any results even remotely close to what they got. Your results will vary greatly with your own photos so it will take quite a bit of tweaking and trial/error to replicate.

2 comments about Take Your Best Shot: Tim Grey Tackles Your Digital Darkroom Questions.

1. I can't really add anything to Gordon Schultz's review except to say that I agree with it 100%. Tim Grey has written an excellent book in a very user-friendly format which is chock full of information on every aspect of digital photography. If you're into RAW conversions, Photoshop editing, and home printing then unless you're an experienced pro, you need this book. I simply can't recommend it highly enough.



2. I generally like the Q & A format in books and this volume uses this style to the fullest extent. It is absolutely chock-full of great ideas, tips and tidbits that are essential knowledge for the beginner digital photographer as well as those who are more experienced. Tim Grey expertly answers questions that I had and many questions that I hadn't even thought of beforehand. I was especially pleased with his inside info and candid responses to queries about brand name cameras, types of printers and the best lenses. I especially appreciated his honest answer as to which photographers would most benefit from owning Adobe Lightroom and other expensive software. This book has already paid for itself many times over by preventing me from making some ill-advised purchases.

5 comments about Portrait and Candid Photography: Photo Workshop.

1. This is not a bad book for an amateur who's only getting interested in candid portrait photography and wants some tips and ideas in one place. While I consider myself an amateur as well, I've been interested in candid photography for a good 2 years now, so I've been reading tips and advice on a ton of different photography sites, and I feel like this book did not offer me much of what I haven't already read elsewhere or figured out on my own, by trial-and-error.
   Plus, I already had a book on candid photography and was looking for something that would teach me a little more structure and posing, and I feel like this book failed at that. It did cover some posing tips, but "tips" are helpful for fine-tuning, not for learning something you're completely unfamiliar with. And I felt like these tips were not always well illustrated.
   I've since looked through Mark Cleghorn's book Portrait Photography: Secrets of Posing & Lighting (A Lark Photography Book) and it seemed a lot more along the lines of what I was hoping for, although I did not *read* the book thoroughly to really recommend it. I do, however, wish I'd gotten this book instead of Erin Manning's.
   My final but big complaint about this book is the quality of photos. The cover picture aside, they are AWFUL! I find that inexcusable in a photography book. They look like snapshots from a cheap compact camera, not like photos from a dSLR done by a pro. Some of them are so soft - they look out of focus. While it does not always hurt in the learning process, I do feel like part of the pleasure of learning about photography is viewing shots that take your breath away and make you want to accomplish something similar in the future. This book made me feel like I was already there (when I'm certainly not!). :-)



2. Strengths: Nice layout. Reads like a well instruction oriented lessons. Good glossary and index. Good photos and screenshots. Good bold highlighting of the number of the chapters and the titles on the top left pages makes for easy access and shuffling through the pages you want to find or browse. Good basic information about software and editors.
   Weaknesses: If your require more information about photographic software and editors Chapter 10 is a good start but you might want to use other books to sharpen those skills.
   
   Novice/Intermediate/Advanced
   
   Rating: 5/5
   
   Shooting portraits and candid photography is an art in itself. It is not just luck and takes much preparation. But how do you learn how to make better photos for portraits and candid shots whether for commercial, your business or just of family? This book is a good place to start.
   
   The author is Erin Manning, DIY Network host of The Whole Picture, who encourages photographers to take outstanding photos of people. This book represents the author's efforts to provide instruction in this area. She helps readers gain the skills and confidence to successfully use the digital camera as a tool to create and capture life's moments
   
   The 10 chapters include in-depth instructions and information about cameras, accessories, working with light, composing your pictures. I particularly like how the author details the information by focusing more concerning the using of your camera and using to its best advantage. Of course the technology and the basics are introduced. But what is even nicer, the reader can better learn to develop their artistic eye, using techniques that will help prepare for actual photography. Action shots are also covered. The last chapter 10, also includes some information about enhancing and sharing your photos (even includes information about using Picasa (Google) and iPhoto (Apple), Windows software , Adobe's Photoshop Elements and more.
   
   Working with lighting, location, angle, composition, physical characteristics, environment, and more , including the unique challenges of photographing babies, group activities, and action, are covered with insightful instructions. Every one of the ten chapter ends with an assignment that readers are encouraged to complete. Users can even upload their best image to [...] to
   
   
   Conclusions
   
   It is rare for a book to clearly show the photographer camera user how to study your subjects in their natural habitat. There are great ideas within this book which related to observing, reacting and interacting with your subjects and how make the photos come "alive". The techniques for improving photos of babies and children are very interesting and well done. Learning to capture facial expressions and learning how to tell a story with a series of candid photos is also included. There is a nice section concerning how to add interest to large-group shots.
   
   If you are looking for a great instructional manual that focuses on techniques for portraits and candid shots, this is a great book. The fact that the instruction is teaching tips and information are performed in several ways other then reading the tests give you a better idea of how to take better photographs. I recommend this book highly.



3. I found this book (And the entire Photo workshop series) to be very helpful especially to beginning and intermediate level photography hobbyists.
   
   It assumes no previous knowledge of photography, and explains such things as f-stop and how things interact to affect exposure without being overly technical.
   
   Each chapter ends with a "Lesson" or exercise to emphasize the subject of that chapter. And being able to combine the book with the website (Free membership) to upload your lessons for group critique (Sometimes including from the author) is a good way to improve you photo skills.
   
   Note that though this is part of a series of books, there is no sequence in reading them. For that reason, there is a degree of overlap in each book.
   
   That said, you really need to be using a SLR type camera to be able to have the control of the camera that many of the exercises require. A point-and-shoot may not allow it.
   
   But for the serious hobbyist, I would say this book (and series) is worth the money and time.



4. This book is AMAZING. It's both easy and fun to read. The assignments at the end of each chapter are brilliant!



5. This is my favorite photography book by far. While I feel I have an eye for design and color, photography has always seemed intimidating to me. The author of this book, Erin Manning, writes as though she is a friend and mentor guiding you through the realm of digital photography. While digital photography may be old hat to many - especially the techno savvy - not everybody is adept (and from what I have experienced, most are not in every capacity). Erin leads us through the basics, then goes on to explain things even the most "camera competent", will find utterly engaging. Erin pulls you in and brings out the innate artist in all of us, no matter what level.....and for those of you that actually do understand the art of photography, Erin will only enlighten you more. This is an "easy read" as it is written as though a friend is speaking to you, acknowledging your expertise while giving you a boost where you need it. A great book that I will definitely pass along (and that I will constantly refer to in the future). Good job, Erin. Best of luck.

1 comments about Magic Lantern Guides: SONY DSLR A300/A350 (Magic Lantern Guides).

1. I have purchased recently a Sony A300 dSLR and wanted to learn some tips & tricks, in addition to the materials in th excellent users guide.
   
   As the book hinted that it may fit the bill, I have purchased it.
   
   The book looks very nice from the outside - but the inside is very disappointing.
   
   1. The structure is not very logical, and key parts are missing (for example it discusses the menu and fn button functions, but never gives an overview of what happens when you press the button first).
   2. There are no tips / tricks in the book - it is very simply cut / reshuffle / paste of (some) parts of the users guide.
   
   The original users guide (came with the camera) has lots of recommendations about how to use the camera and also how to take good pictures, in an easy to understand manner. This book is not good for either - and it actually may confuse the reader more than help. (It did confuse me for sure!)
   
   Of course, if you like puzzle games: you may like this book as you will have to flip back and forth to find something (but in some cases you will never find it). If you want a solid document, helping you to make most of your camera: this book is not it.
   
   I would be curious to find out how a publishing company can pay money to someone for such poor work.

5 comments about Food Styling for Photographers: A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art.

1. From the original review on [...]: This recently published book is a fine how-to primer on preparing food for the camera. Bellingham is an Oregon-based stylist. Bybee is a Dallas-based commercial photographer. The detailed content runs the gamut: cold beverages, salads, pasta and sauces, burgers and sandwiches, grilled and roasted meat, vegetables, ice cream, desserts, breakfast and garnishing. My only complaint is not about the information on styling - which is comprehensive and easy to follow. Rather, as a food photographer, I am naturally interested in the sets and photo techniques used to create the hero shots. While there are a number of set shots and brief descriptions of how the shots were created, their small size and limited number suggests that they were an afterthought. Again and again, I wished that Bybee's comments on her vision and process had been greatly expanded into the ample amounts of adjacent white space. Clearly, the book was written primarily for food stylists. A more appropriate title would have been Food Styling For Photography. Nevertheless, Food Styling For Photographers is an important read for both students of food photography and styling.



2. Finally, there is a Food Styling book for Photographers. I took 2 food styling classes in LA before - the purpose was to understand how food was prepared for the camera and also to see how food photographers setup their lights. I love food photography and read many popular food blogs with their work. So when I know this Food Styling for Photographers came out, I can't wait to order a copy and I was very happy after flipping through the book.
   
   This book gives you many tricks of the trade and notes from photographers with lots of setup photos, both food setup and camera/lighting setup. The printing quality and the page layout are very good - the font size is easy to read, the color pictures are clear, clean and colorful. They gives you details on how to buy the food, how to prepare the food, how to assemble the food, how to plate the food, how to decorate the food, etc. They gives you before, during and final photos.
   
   I also own Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna and Working with Plate by Christopher Styler and David Lazarus. In my opinion, if you are interested in food photography, buy Food Styling for Photographyers and Digital Food Photography and you are good to go. Highly recommend these two books.



3. This is the best book of FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY I ever seen! I'm a still life and food semi pro photographer and this is my perfect book.
   
   I suggest this book to all the photographers .. not only for food photographers. Everybody in the sector must have this book.
   
   It's really easy and helpful!
   Thanks to the authors to share with everybody the secrets of food photography.



4. This book is an excellent way to get started in food photography. It has chapters dedicated to meats, drinks, ice cream, garnishings, and more.
   
   Each with a shopping list of what was used for the featured photo (or photos) for that particular chapter and tips for shopping for food photography in general which I found very interesting.
   
   It does leave out something which would be nice to have, such as how to prepare beer for photograpy but, they mention this would require a full book dedicated to it which I think is fair, I wouldn't expect someone to write a book on every item of food out there.
   
   Bottom line: A very buy. Well worth the price.



5. My status as a photographer is almost professional, since for the moment i work part-time however I LOVE food photography wich is why I decided to buy this book. I just got it 2 days ago and for what I've read its a must have book. (Also very much recomended: Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna) Just to give u an idea. These r the chapter titles: 1)Intro to Food Styling. This includes simple game rules, shopping tips, planing ahead, list of supplies often used and a how to versions on how to assemble your own food styling kit. 2)Sets and Settings. This includes tips for choosing sets and surfaces for food photography, table setting tips, working fabriks on set, and tips on how to make your image POP. 3)Chilling fact on cold beverages. This includes beverage choises, frosted glass techniques, making a frozen margarita, making and placing bubbles, and more. 4)Making a Salad for the camera. This includes salad ingredient selection shopping and handling tecniques, supporting techniques, fruit salads, how to dress a salad for photography, and more.5) Pasta and Sauces. This includes perfect pasta for camera, sauces and vegetables for camera, building your pasta food additions to pasta...6) Burgers, Sandwiches, and BEYOOOOOOND. This includes prepping tips for burgers sandwiches and patties, shopping tips building tips, on the set tips, bulding a half or cut sandwich for photography.7) Meeting meat..8)veggie perfect 9) ice cream for hot light (very interesting) 10) Desserts. 11) Breakfast for the camera 12) Garnishing basics. Like i said this is to give u an idea of what u will be purchasing. Happy buying and break leg!!

5 comments about Portrait Photographer's Handbook.

1. This book had a few good tips in it for portrait work. I feel though it is over-priced for what you get. It is not really a book that I would read more than once, so to me, this should just be borrowed or checked-out at the library instead.



2. I saw the high ratings for this book and thought it would be great to add to my collection. While the pictures are vivid, the book is a disappointment. The focus seems to be primarily on digital photography. If you're using digital then this book might be good for you. I was hoping to have a book that offered insight into both. My focus is film. It always has been and always will be, as I love working in the darkroom. I enjoy to learn primarily from film based books because I have a chance to see what can be done without relying on viewing the image in the digital viewing area. I also get to see what work is done in the darkroom as opposed to PhotoShop. This book deals too much with both digital and PS editing techniques. As such, it's not a book that will go great on my shelf and I'll probably end up selling it in a garage sale someday. A waste of money as I am sure I won't get as much as I paid for it.
   
   If digital is your medium then this book might work for you. If you're looking for great film techniques you may want to look into another book. Or at least look at an older edition of this book.



3. Well, I bought this book based on glowing reviews. I should have checked it in the local bookstore first.
   
   Cons: The book is loaded with so many soft focused images and pretentious poses as if there are no other technique. There is no life in those images. Some of images clearly overprocessed in Photoshop with oversharpened eyes and blurred faces. So, if you are into soap opera looks and poses this is certainly a book for you.
   
   Pros: On the other side the author (and his contributors) does know his trade . Lighting, composition,color etc look very professional. It is just so boring



4. "Portrait Photographer's Handbook" by Bill Hurter is a valuable resource for anyone interested in portraiture. It starts off with a pretty useless discussion of camera format/size. It then launches into lenses, film and so on. All of this is fairly elementary but useful as a review. However, when Hurter gets into metering, lights and light modifiers, things get more interesting. Chapter 3 is devoted to posing (there could be more on this). Chapter 5 discusses portrait lighting. While this might be a review for some, I found tips and tricks that I really appreciated. The lighting diagrams were well drawn and the illustrative photos were very good. (It sure does help to have beautiful people to photograph!). Chapter 7 on outdoor lighting was useful to me (I don't do that much outdoors). Chapter 9 on corrective lighting and posing techniques was well done. Chapter 10 was on PhotoShop retouching techniques - very good basic stuff. See also "Skin" by Varis. In short an excellent book, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated by some of the top portraitists (is there such a word?) of our day. I would have liked a few Karsh portraits included, but that's just me. Recommended.



5. I waited a few months for the 3rd edition to come out, and now wish I hadn't, due to how it tries to put three books - an introduction to digital photography, a portrait handbook, and a book on Photoshop techniques - into 120 pages. Each of those subjects is far too in-depth to cover well in one book and, even as it is, it's poorly done.
   
   Chap. 1 - Equipment and Basic Techniques
   A good intro to lenses, depth of field, meters, umbrellas, etc.
   
   Chap 2 - Good Digital Working Techniques
   Here's where it starts to go off track, basically giving you a beginner's manual on digital photography, including info on formatting your cards and backing up your images.
   
   On top of that, the Shadows/Highlight tip on page 25 is flat-out wrong. First it has you create two copies of the layer, apply Shadows/Highlight, and then apply a layer mask, when in fact the Shadow/Highlight tool is designed so you don't have to use a copy or layer mask. And when it says to paint white on the faces "to conceal the underlying data," painting with white actually reveals it.
   
   The Camera Raw examples are also useless, as when it shows the resolution bumped from 2000x3000 to 4000x6000. Any beginner reading this is going to think that's the way to go and end up with a huge file that will only bog down their computer with useless resolution. It even says, "by converting the file from Adobe RGB 1998 to a wider-gamut color space (ProPhoto RGB), the file can be easily enlarged to 4000x6000 pixels." Color space and resolution have nothing to do with each other, and 99% of the people reading this book wouldn't want to do either of these adjustments.
   
   Chap 3 - Posing
   At last we get to portraits, and here there's good general guidelines covering the shoulder, eyes, mouth, and hands. But the stock photos illustrating the chapter don't help at all. For instance, it says to have a man fold his arms across his chest with the edge of his hand turned to the camera, but you're not given a clue how it looks. Instead, we get a half page photo of a pregnant woman lying upside down, wrapped in gauze. We're even told the title of the portrait: "Anticipating." But we don't learn a single thing from it.
   
   Chap 4 - Composition
   Briefly covers the rule of thirds and the golden mean, and tells you how "the S-shape composition is perhaps the most pleasing of all compositions," and the inverted L-shape is "ideal for seated subjects." Sounds great, but heck if I know what they look like `cause there's not a single example of either of them.
   
   Chapter 5 - Basic Portrait Lighting
   The text is fine, covering all the basics, including metering. Hurter also tells us how split lighting can be used to narrow a wide face, but there's not a single example in the whole book. In the same way, another section says "a round face may appear more flattering from a different angle." But again, it offers nothing in terms of what the angle might be or what it looks like.
   
   To top it off, only three photos in the whole book show the lighting equipment and set-up for how a photo was made, so you have to guess what is where and what it might look like. Monte Zucker's own "Portrait Handbook" has dozens of such examples.
   
   Chaps 6 - Lighting Variations, and Chap 7 - Outdoors Lighting
   These chapters are about window light and portable flash and are quite good on both subjects, covering scrims, fill-flash, etc. In fact, these two chapters are actually better than Douglas Allen Box's entire book on the subject, "Professional Secrets of Natural Light Portrait Photography."
   
   Chap 8 - Spontaneous Portraits
   This section is short, but good on interacting with your subjects.
   
   Chap 9 - Corrective Techniques
   This section covers how to correct twenty-one problems, from overweight subjects to large ears, but it crams it all in on just four pages, with no examples.
   
   Chap 10 - Retouching Techniques
   This waste of eight pages starts off with a full page of text about retouching in the old days. As for the rest of it, it's nuts to talk about linking layers and layer sets, which most people will never use and there isn't room here to cover well.
   
   Chap 11 - Fine Prints
   When buying a book on portraiture, you don't want to be reading what the unsharp mask tool does for the twentieth time. And you sure don't want to be reading about monitor calibration, color management, printer profiles, and color correction. Katrin Eismann's "Restoration and Retouching" and her new "Creative Digital Darkroom" cover all these much more clearly and comprehensively, so just get one of those and skip everything Photoshop in this book, just like the author should've.
   
   Review Summary
   If you're new to portrait photography, you'd be better off with Erin Manning's "Portrait and Candid Photography" in that it's much better illustrated in making each point, shows the actual equipment you'll be using, and covers the usual situations you'll encounter. If you're a bit further on and want to learn great technique, Monte Zucker's own "Portrait Handbook" is excellent in focusing on each area, with photos to match the text, and has dozens of photos showing the positioning of the lights, scrims, reflectors, and windows. And when he brings up digital issues, it's all useful in portrait work, as in how to actually read the histogram to ensure an accurate exposure.
   
   In the end, this book tries to cover too much and so ends up giving too little. If it'd focused on what it's supposed to be - an introduction to portraiture - instead of using up a full quarter of the book on digital issues, you'd actually have something.

1 comments about Italian Hideaways: Discovering Enchanting Rooms and Private Villas.

1. The title of this book says it all. It IS enchanting. A very rare look at Italian style. Loved every page.

5 comments about The Polaroid Book: Selections from the Polaroid Collections of Photography (Taschen's 25th Anniversary Special Editions).

1. I recently purchased this book and must say that this is a beautifully created masterpiece. Give it up to Taschen for yet another exquisite piece of documentation; this time showing the love and art of the polaroid instant medium. This book provides a visual history of art created through the polaroid lens by some of the great photographers. If you love polaroid you will love this book. Simply a must-have for any enthusiast.



2. This is a classic which sold out its first printing. BUY THIS NOW! You will have, preserved on your bookshelf the essence of what Edwin Land envisioned over 65 years ago distilled in one BEAUTIFUL volume. How can the Petters Group (who now owns Polaroid) dare to banish such a beautiful art form from humanity? That's right, Polaroid has stopped making instant film and the supply may barely run through the end of this year, and all expire by the end of next year. THIS IS A CRIME AGAINST ART AND HUMANITY!! Buy the book, then go to savepolaroid.com and join us all to save this incredible art form. JUST LOOK AT THE PAGES OF THIS INCREDIBLE VOLUME!!! You will be amazed!



3. WOW... words can't even begin to describe how much I love this book! It's about time they released a book like this! And the wrapper of this book is genius! It looks like a gigantic box of Polaroid film... I didn't even want to remove the cover at first... I fondled it for awhile and then I slowly peeled it off and curled up on the couch for an hour or two and looked at all the pretty pictures.
   This book is highly recommended for any Polaroid enthusiast! And if you want to see some great 'roids on the net- check out Polanoid.net!



4. My dad bought a Polaroid Land Camera (of the peel-apart type) before I was born... to take pictures of his chubby firstborn (that would be me, BTW).
   
   Ever since, the sharp, colorful and amazingly stable little prints became part of our family's memory. My love for pictures was definitely boosted by the instant gratification offered by an SX-70 camera, which I still own and use after 25+ years, as well as a brand new Jobpro 600.
   
   "The Polaroid Book" is a must for any hardcore Polaroid fan. Lotsa pictures, beautifully printed, with absolute respect for the authors' vision (Ansel Adams, Joyce Tenneson and Bill Allard, to mention only three of them). Nevertheless, the book's greatest virtue is to prove, without any doubt, that beautiful and creative work can be achieved with the simplest tools and the sheer power of imagination.
   
   Polaroid is still alive and well, and this book is the best supporting evidence. Now, I'll just lay back and wait for that new new-old stock Polaroid Nightcam that I bought on the company's website. Let's see what that 600 film-munching baby can do.



5. I recently bought this book. It shows great polaroid pictures and their simplicity attraction and much more! It's worth to have one!