2 comments about NURSE: A World of Care.

1. This book tells in both words and pictures the life of a nurse. It shows the profession across the world.....it shows the best qualities of humanity and inspires the reader to find the best of himself or herself within.......whether or not you are in the nursing profession.



2. As a nurse, it was a wonderful and inspiring read. I will pass it on to my 2 daughters and a grand daughter that are nurses. It told about the compassion that we as nurses have regardless of status, color or ethnic and religous background. It made me feel that we, as nurses, could wipe out a lot of pain and suffering throughout the world if only funds were available.

2 comments about Photojournalism, Sixth Edition: The Professionals' Approach.

1. I have been studying photojournalism for about two years now and I have never seen a book near the quality and content of this book. If you are just looking to get into the field or have been in the field for years, get this book. It opens your mind as to what photojournalism, the content, what to look for, where to look, and so much more.



2. This is a must have book. Great for law enforcement photographers as well. Check out the sections dealing with picture editing, ethics, and the law.
   
   Jim Hoerricks
   Forensic Photoshop

5 comments about Nikon Creative Lighting System Digital Field Guide.

1. I was looking to trade my sb800 for a metz, but after reading the book, which provided my super tips on the creative side i decided to buy a couple of SB800 as my portable flash system.
   (excuse my english but is not my native language)



2. Good help for a very complex unit, It will help you get the most out of ypur flash. Explains how the controls work how the TTL system works. all good stuff to know.



3. I bought this book hoping it could help me with controlling nikon SB speedlights SB800 and SB600 which I own with my new SU800 remote. This book deals mainly with using SB800 as the master to control other flashguns. It would have been better if it included the usefullness of the CLS with the use of SU800 as well because this is what it is all about! It is not as comprehensive as I thought it would!



4. I found the book too verbose. The marrow of if could have been condensed in a book half its size. As a practical amateur photographer, I ws looking for detailed advice on using one or several flashes, since I own a Nikon D200 and a Speedlight SB 600. When not extolling the system "the Nikon creative Lightning system is a very complex tool but alll of the complexities are taken care of whitin the camera itself", and similar phrases ocupying a good amount of text, the author talks mostly on generalities. I felt I did not get advise specific enough to actually put it to work in obtaining better flash photography.



5. I love this book. J. Thomas covers all the bases in this guide to your Nikon CLS. With lots of illustrations, FAQs, questions you'd never think to ask, I can't put this down. I purchased also David D. Busch's "Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide" which is excellent, but this Creative Lighting Sytem Guide is your direct link to photographic heaven. Don't buy into the naysayers neagative, neurotic reviews of "not enough bells and missiles". This guide will guide you through the minefield and morass of proper lighting. You'll be glad you got this. I certainly am!
   
   
   "Good photography speaks through silence"

5 comments about Mastering HDR Photography: Combining Technology and Artistry to Create High Dynamic Range Images.

1. More like a textbook for grad students than a lesson in mastering this technique. If you are looking for an understandable explanation of this technique, this is not the book for you. I tried several times to get through this book and I just kept putting it down. I am HIGHLY interested in this subject, but this book does nothing to help me understand it, it only serves to make me less interested. I also bought The HDRI Handbook and it is much easier to understand and more user-friendly. Most of what I know about photography is self taught and I have more books on photography than all the libraries in my tri county area, combined. But this book, I should have passed over. If I had looked through it inside a bookstore, I would have put it back on the shelf so fast the words would blur on the pages as I slammed the book closed.



2. Detailed instructions. Covers multiple software packages. List of settings for each piece of software. Tells how to set-up and get proper composition for good HDR images. This is important. You're going to like this book.



3. I liked this book for the most part. It covers HDR software fairly well, especially Photomatix, which is an industry leader. The author includes a substantive discussion of dynamic range in terms of seeing, capture and printing, and you do get a good introduction to the vocabulary.
   
   I only gave 3 stars however. There are a number of issues. 1) Some of the images are mis-captioned; usually you can figure out which is which, but better proofing would have helped. 2) Many of the images are simply too small to see the effects he says they represent. 3) The subjects of many images are so abstract, you cannot tell what the subject is or what it should look like. I would strongly recommend that the author provide links to downloadable copies of the images so a reader could follow along. (This seems to be a problem with other books on this topic.) 4) There are a few errors regarding dynamic range and LAB colors, although these do not affect the usefulness of the book. There is no errata available on the author's site or the publishers site. 5) The screen captures are for an earlier version and some confusion, though small, results. This is really due to the fact that the software is evolving rapidly and not the author's fault.
   
   The book convinced me the value of the Photmatix software. I have been struggling with the HDR feature of Photoshop CS3. The trial version of Photomatix adds a watermark to saved images but is not so intrusive that it prevents learning or evaluation the software. (Bravo! Photomatix!) I shoot landscapes, and moving water is simply beyond the capabilities of Photoshop, but handled very well by Photomatix. (I would very happy if Adobe acquired Photomatix much like they did Pixmantec.)
   
   If you are interested in starting with HDR imaging, this book and a trial version ot Photmatix will give you the tools you need to decide if it will work for you. Well worth the Amazon discountprice!



4. Having already Christian Bloch's and Ferrell McCollough's texts on HDR imaging, I was intrigued by the accolades given to Michael Freeman as a writer by some of the readers here, and I got this book as well.
   
   In fact, this book does not stack up to the both other works on the subject. Author often meanders into philosophical issues of composition, like the "Gestalt theory", instead of analyzing the issues of high dynamic range.
   
   Bad are the example images, in many cases almost in the size of a post stamp. I could not make up any details in many of them, they are often that small. This problem was amplified by the print technology used by the publisher. Do you remember the early color print, in which you could see strange hexagonal patterns of color dots? Well, you can see them here too, and when such artifacts appear on these tiny images, their practical value is close to zero.
   
   Some other critiques here called this book too technical. I am sorry to disagree. On this aspect I am on the very opposite side of the scale: This book is virtually devoid any technical details. It is the "blah blah" type of text, to use the vernacular.
   
   Take rather Ferrell McCollough (not too technical, fantastic photography) or Bloch (technical and very comprehensive, rich in detail). You can skip this book.



5. It's sad that Michael Freeman's Mastering HDR Photography wasn't handed over to a publisher that cared more about the reader. Freeman manages to pack a lot of information into the text, but the type--it's an ultra light sans serif type that my middle aged eyes had trouble reading in all lights--kept me from reading all the material. There are reasons why there are so many fonts available; the publisher should give them some thought. I wrote to the publisher, but received no answer. That tells me they don't value their readers' input.
   
   I gave up on the Freeman text and went back to Amazon for McCollough's Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography and am completely satisfied. McCollough offers a different approach to HDR than I had used, and it makes complete sense. Even nicer, I can read his text.

5 comments about Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills (Photography Essential Skills).

1. I wanted a book that would take me from coarse manipulating images in Photoshop to lifting out the richness of detail. This book does it! Unlike many similar books on Photoshop, there is no padding, no overuse of large images to extend without adding value, this book is to the point. I learned many tricks and valuable techniques.
   
   That said, it can be demanding and sometimes it is too tight. It would have helped if the key steps were relegated each to a single line or a single dot point to reduce risk of missing a step buried many words.
   
   Sometimes too the steps are many such as project 1 beginning page 250 and the background or reason for doing it is not spelled out (what is "Apply Image" and why? page 253). It would help if the introduction to the recipe covered key steps and what will happen with cross references.
   
   It is also not empathetic to the reader. For example page 252 it takes steps to duplicate a blue layer and after a levels adjustment it is called "this mask". What "mask" I ask? Then in step 3 (page 253) it refers to a "layer mask". Is this the copied blue layer or the black and white mask? An explanation of the blue layer copied would have helped and if somehow a mask, please say so.
   
   It is however one of the best reference books and goes highly recommended with a decent index and support CD. Well done Galer and Andrews but again, care with the steps more prominent and a little explanation of what some steps actually do (eg what does "Apply Image" actually do as there is nothing in your book about it and oft used).



2. There were several times where I had to seek alternative sources to have my questions answered about Photoshop. So, I do feel this book could have addressed topics in more detail. If you are a beginner in Photoshop, I don't recommend this book.



3. I have both the photoshop Essential Skills CS2 and CS3 editions and I used both...although there is some repeat from edition to edition there is always some really good and needed info in each of them. I also like the tutorials on the cd. Mark Galer and Philip Andrews write easy to understand, step by step informative books.



4. Good but this book came a little later than the the other even though I ordered them to be posted together. Otherwise very happy.. Thank You.



5. I bought this book because the DVD material sounded promising. However, the book introduces complex concepts but fails to provide explanations that make any sense. Probably my biggest complaint is that the book is absolutely geared towards Mac users - the author comments that "the UI is the same irrespective of the computer platform you are working with." However I was unable to locate several of the menu items that he references and many were in a different location.
   
   I do realize that most digital photographers use the Mac platform, but if you're going to offer yourself up as supporting both platforms, then you need to live up to that, because not ALL photographers use Mac.
   
   I am going to try another book - trying to follow this one is a HUGE waste of time.

5 comments about Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form.

1. I admire and respect Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown for their great career and contribution to architecture, which has yet to be fully assessed. The depth of their thinking, the vigilant efforts to achieve their aesthetic vision, their desire to overcome modernist dogma, which had mutated into marginalized elite uncivic abstraction, falsely denying vibrant areas of life...how can one argue with the importance and value of such work?
   
   Let me try.
   
   To me, this book represents one of the most interesting turning points of an architectural career, very similar to Rem Koolhaas' essay on Bigness in S,M,L,XL.
   
   Both texts are attempting to give themselves an elite artist's alibi for co-opting the corporate machinery's unself-conscious production. Here, both artists (VRSB and OMA)attempt to escape into pop art, just like their friend Andy Warhol, thumbing his nose at the self important abstract expressionists.
   
   There's just one problem with this; they are architects, not just artists.
   And this places them in significantly different political territory. Architects build in the public sphere, and therefore have a powerful civic impact. They enable some political forces, and, by physical default, suppress others. If they were artists, their voice is a singular one, an unsponsored comment, to be entertained or dismissed. Architecture cannot be waved away.
   
   So, being architects, is 'Learning from Las Vegas' and 'Bigness' an elite artist's manifesto, or a cynical architect's effort to solicit clients from the bloated and most lucrative areas of commerce? The ambiguity is disturbing, because ultimately it has proven out not to matter what their intention. Both Venturi and Rem Koolhaas have been most useful tools for the most egregious excesses of our runaway imperial corporate world.
   
   And this is a sad legacy for two brilliant architectural careers. No matter what their aesthetic accomplishments in the way of rarified architectural thought, the more brutal reality is that architects seeking fame cannot also speak truth to power. This gravely undermines their civic responsibilities.
   I am reminded of William Morris' quote, a sad retrospective look at his career, saying that ultimately, his work "only served the swinish luxuries of the rich." A bitter realization for a socialist, one who chose to retreat into archaic craft, instead of trendy pop.
   
   Pop architecture is not a game. It is an insidious symptom of the polarization of wealth, a symptom that Venturi and Koolhaas cheerfully enable, both with their particular form of dissociating irony. They can play with it as a theory, but it has wrought disastrous consequences in the physical and political landscape. Same thing happened to Frank Gehry, another symptomatic starchitectural monster, who apparently doesn't need to theorize. Hard to say when the deal went down exactly. I just don't know.



2. this book is extremely condensed into a multitude of thumbnails or panoramas and text that never fails to reiterate its point. i mean, these two architects really understand the idea of symbols, suggestions, and sheds but after a dozen pages on one idea, you already get the point.
   
   the images are really helpful in exemplifying the amount of criticism for or against the city ("idea") of las vegas.



3. This is a quite unusual and offbeat treatise on architectural theory, as applied to the world's greatest architectural monstrosity - Las Vegas. This analysis from the early 1970s is obviously outdated because Las Vegas hadn't yet become the monument to megalomania and excess that it is today, but it was already well on its way. The authors analyze Vegas' unique usages of space, lighting, placement, transportation, and building design for the purposes of communication and promotion. Strange chapter titles give a clue to the left-field analysis in store, and the authors have a clear sense of irony, underhandedly implying that Vegas presents the worst in architecture while they appear to be praising its uniqueness. Unfortunately the narrative gets bogged down in dense professor-speak terminology like "Brazilianoid" and "neo-Constructivist megastructures," along with a general overload of obtuse theory. Add to that the poor-quality and under-elaborated illustrations and you have a book that sacrifices insight and readability in favor of pedantic attempts to impress the authors' colleagues. [~doomsdayer520~]



4. Read this book to learn what you shouldn't do as an architect!

   This book follows Venturi's "Complexity and Contradiction", where you can learn how cynically to use casement windows in housing for the elderly where the elderly will happily put their plastic flowers in the windows, but *you* secretly know these are not really hormal casement windows, since they are out of scale (like fascist architecture's lack of scale?).

   This book will tell you about ducks and decorated sheds, but it will tell you nothing about building spaces which nourish creative human community. Try Louis Kahn (e.g., John Lobell's lovely little book "Between Silence and Light"). My postmodernist teachers at Harvard said Kahn's writings were incomprehensible, which says more about them than about him.

   Read Lobell's book and learn why, e.g., a city might deserve to exist. Remember: Only *you* can get beyond postmodernism!




5. Robert Venturi's study of the Las Vegas signage phenomena and it's impact on "architecture" is brilliant in it's scope. While written almost twenty five years ago, this book gains more and more pertinence as we as a society progress further into a "reality" of symbols, reproductions and representations. These words and thoughts are basically essential to the understanding of any city anymore, not just Las Vegas. Where this book misses the mark though is in the execution, as shown in Venturi's work, of these ideas. The projects put forth seem to pale in comparison to the implications the text actually has. These notions of architecture are by far some of the most relevant and important in modern theory today, it is unfortunate that their full potential could not be realized in these projects.... but maybe that is for you and I to do.

5 comments about Portrait Photographer's Handbook.

1. This is an excellent book including both technical and creative information. What most impresses me about this book is that it is not "dumbed down". I also think it is geared toward the more intermediate level audience. Itt is not a beginner or primer book. You should already be doing some portraiture work to get the most out of this book. Lots of beautiful sample photos and their camera settings included.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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



5. "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 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 Composition Photo Workshop.

1. Today's digital cameras are programmed so "anyone" can take well exposed pictures of most anything. But "exceptional" photos require good composition - and composition, contrary to what many books seem obsessed with, isn't just the "rule-of-thirds" and avoiding distracting backgrounds. This book covers much more - with clear explanations and illustrations, and a photo assignment exercise at the end of each chapter to actually train that brain - with a website to post the results. Ever wondered why you like some photos so much more than others? Just the insights into how light and different colors affect balance and mood explains a lot.
   Topics beyond the usuals of subject placement and leading lines and framing include: perspective and how our eyes see; depth of field and how to control it with focal length, F-stop and ISO and why; shutter speed - to stop motion or blur and when; light - quality vs. time of day and direction and intensity; color - its science and control and balance; black and white; portraits - framing and posing; and improving travel, still-life and macro photography.
   All topics are so clearly explained and illustrated that the brain behind the camera, if willing, can be trained to make a difference.



2. A very good book for the serious novice and realy fun to read. Books on Photography are essential for the beginer.I found most of them have at least one or two new things to teach. They can't replace the classroom but for the money they are a great deal. Don't expect to become a great photog just because of a book. You will always find something that you can try to put to practice. Highly recomended. Practice practice practice and Have Fun.



3. I was quite impressed with this book. I've been very actively taking digital photos for 4 years now and am reaching for the intermediate level of proficiency. The first reason I would recommend this book is that it went far beyond the "Rule of Thirds" and leading lines on into color, framing, lighting, placement, etc., etc. There's a wealth of good information and ideas supported by beautifully composed photo examples. Secondly,staying in keeping with the "Workshop" portion of the book's title, at the end of every chapter is an assignment the reader can embark on to REALLY learn what he/she has just read. The assignments are highly creative and fun. And finally, taking this learning experience yet one step further, the reader is directed to send the results of the assignments to a website where other readers are sharing as well. A great deal can be learned from looking at their submissions and reading reviews. I also discovered other links in this website that take you into a very exciting world of sharing and learning more about digital photography. This book is a keeper!



4. How a photo is composed can determine what it communicates, and while Photoshop and after-shot programs can help render images with greater precision, they are no substitute for decent composition. That's why any college-level class on photography and any library strong in photography references needs COMPOSITION PHOTO WORKSHOP: it shares all the elements which make up a masterful design, from color and lighting to design and symbolism. There are different techniques for portraits, landscapes and still lifes alike: COMPOSITION PHOTO WORKSHOP covers them all in great detail.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. Unstoppable woman running at full gallop into focus and into the future.
   A page-turner. Articulate, pleasant reading. Not too much jargon
   A buffet of eye candy and brain candy and camera candy
   Opened my eyes and enhanced my views in many ways
   So many avenues and so many approaches expressed
   Provides skills to make me and my camera more versatile and powerful
   A ton of info in one book. A treasure chest of tips, tricks, and fundamentals.
   Sort a personal guide, cicerone, to a world of photography that is becoming more complex and more simple at the same time
   A nice addition to my art library.

5 comments about A Time it Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties.

1. Bought this for my dad for father's day. Great pictures of a memorable time in history with a visonary who lost his light too soon!



2. This book and its images were all the more gripping having been an observer at the time. The photos and the words provide an image of a nation trying to be the sum of its promise, only to be plunged into a tragic self assessment after the assassination.
   It is paramount, 40 years later, that we take the opportunity to remember how far we have come. This book reminds us that we can do better, that we must do better, that we are better.



3. it's photgraphs of the campain are stunning the brief narrative gives a true sense of sumer 1968



4. This book of pictures was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me. At 16 I was to join the Kennedy campaign as a volunteer after the California primary. On the morning I was to depart, my parents woke me with the news of his shooting. This book, however, reminded me of the promise unfulfilled Robert Kennedy represented--how much better we would have been as a people, as a country, as a government had he been president in 1969 instead of Richard Nixon.



5. I got plenty of information about this order. When it was slightly delayed, I was informed, as well as when it shipped. I was very impressed with the service.