5 comments about Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs.

1. It is always great to have the chance to glimpse the work process of the masters in photography. This book provides enough information for anyone wanting to better their work in black & white and to learn from the best.



2. Inspiring, fascinating, revealing. Ansel Adams writes "the story
   behind the pictures", the why, the how. Not necessarily or always the
   "technical" details, but certainly the "artistic" inspiration.
   The reproductions of his photos are good, although having just had
   the pleasure of seeing the actual photos in Washington DC, they
   simply cannot convey the complete splendor and impact of the originals.
   Well worth reading!



3. I bought this book to give to my kids. My mother gave me one 20 years ago. Ansel Adams took portraits of my Great Grand Parents and put it in this book. I want my kids to have copies. If you are a photographer, there is a lot of info about how he took the pictures.



4. Nice to be able to go back to basics in these times of megapixels and gigabytes.



5. There are many great books about photography, of which this is just one, but there are relatively few books about how to be a great photographer. On the latter topic this book is exceptional.
   
   Ansel Adams was clearly both a gentleman and a gentle man, who lived to create great images for the pleasure and education of others. We are exceptionally lucky that he left us both his wonderful pictures, but also a few books which explain not only how, but also why some of them were created.
   
   This book covers a photography career of over 60 years, taking 40 of his greatest pictures, and describing how they were made. Although much of the technical advice is still valid today, a lot of it requires on the fly translation from the language of large format cameras and glass plates to the world of digital SLRs, with tiny sensors and vast memory cards. That exercise might put some people off, but it makes you think harder about his advice, and that's a good thing.
   
   However, where this book really scores is with the human stories of how and why Adams made certain pictures. Two examples stick in my mind.
   Firstly, how one of his iconic views of Yosemite was made after a day's hard hiking with a full size view camera, large wooden tripod, and just twelve glass plates. He suspected that he had wasted the first eleven, and had just one left for a favourite view of Half Dome. He took extra care with that one, and the results are still thrilling 80 years on.
   
   Then there's his tale of photographing 50s Californian farming families. This is a charming insight into how a great photographer of people develops both trust and ideas, lubricating both with an appropriate supply of beer. You suspect these days were not so hard for Adams as the great Yosemite hikes.
   
   "Examples" also contains some remarkable philosophical insights into the process and role of photography. The one which now sticks foremost in my mind is that enthusiasm for a subject will not create great photographs - you have to visualise the image and its impact mentally, then make it. This is perhaps the single most powerful piece of advice in the book.
   
   In 1935 Adams was concerned that the advent of 35mm would result in a vast number of bad photographs. Yet he was keen on the new medium, because he could also see its benefits. The same page could be written ten times over about digital photography, but you know that had Adams lived a little longer he would have been a keen PhotoShop-er.
   
   This is a good book on photographic technique, but there are others. But there are few books which give such an insight into the soul of a great photographer.

5 comments about Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People.

1. After reading Peterson's books (understanding exposure, beyond portraiture, understanding shutter speed, and more) this book feels not technical enough. It misses technical information that would be very useful to people who'd like to learn, such as f-number, shutter speed, distance from object, metering mode and method etc. Though this information did appear in a few pages, it was not available throughout the book.
   
   Still, the pictures are very appealing and the author does explain how he took them. A lot of emphasis was put on the social side of potrait photography. How to approach, how to get friendly, how to share your pictures. Also, the artistic sides are covered, how to "direct" your model, how to give attention to details (background, framing, light, shadows, etc.). Some technical aspects are indeed mentioned and a few tricks on exposure and light metering and white balance. Also the last few lessons in the book are some photoshop "how-to"s.
   
   I liked the book. I enjoyed the pictures, I did my best to learn the messages from the lessons and liked a lot the authors attitude and explanation way.
   
   
   To get a good understanding of what lessons are expected in the book take a look at the table of contents. Lessons are titled by the main tip that they deliver.



2. Rick Sammon is known for his travel and adventure photo guides, but FACE TO FACE offers something different: a focus on the art of making people pictures using a range of methods to capture subjects. These take the form of lessons contrasting different approaches to images and people, using Sammon's own subjects and methods as examples. It's an excellent guide for any photography library, particularly those specializing in portrait photography.



3. Face to Face by Rick Sammon is one of my favorites books on portrait photography.
   
   It's full with stunning pictures of people from many places around the world. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book.
   
   But in addition to the great pictures, the text is also very informative and entertaining.
   
   Part 2 is my favorite part of the book and full of useful stuff. For example, Rick explains why you should not place the subject in the center for most shots, or why shooting both horizontal and vertical is a good idea for most subjects.
   
   I like the authors writing style. The book is easy to read and the text is a perfect fit for the beautiful images. It never gets boring or too technical. It's clear that the author knows and lovers what he is doing and this is reflecting in his images and his writing.
   
   If you want to improve your photography, I highly recommend this book.



4. I really enjoyed reading this book. I've hear that if you've read other books by Rick Sammon, it's more of the same. I never have and I felt like this book has improved my photography knowlede. So if you've never read a Rick Sammon book, definetly buy this one.



5. Thank you, Rick Sammon! The photographs are incredible The descriptions of how thy are done makes me feel as though I could run right over and make those pictures, too. He makes it sound so easy to be a world class photographer. Thank you for the information
   Gayle Gahn

2 comments about Africa.

1. The book comprises 250 photos in black and white, with very good qualit of printed . Most unusual , and full page.
   If you want to know about Sebastião Salgado , this is a excellent book. Highly recommended. One of the best books of the photographer .Africa
   
   



2. Un excelente libro de un fotógrafo excepcional. El continente captado en todo su esplendor y miseria por un ojo privilegiado. Una compra obligada.

5 comments about Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide.

1. This guide is little more than camera manual, too brief and skimpy on detail. Much of the contense are devoted to telling me about how to be a photographer rather than helping me be better aquainted with my new camera. The author frequently describes non Nikon equipment as he wanders through topics like poritature, landscapes and sporting shots.



2. The rest of the book is generic photography 101 material. I was disappointed. The book lacks depth on the D300 features and capabilities. I recently received and read David Busch's D300 book and it is much more in-depth and has very little generic photography 101 in it.
   
   This "field guide" will be discarded in favor of David Busch's D300 guide.



3. Buying a D300 without firmly knowing the basics of photography is like buying a plane without having had flying lessons; it's nice to look at but you can't do much with it. Two thirds of this book is regrettably filled (padded?)with basic photography lessons that are too entry level for the kind of photographers who would or should purchase the very sophisticated D300 in the first place. To make things worse it even mis-labels the metering control for the D300, and, as noted in another review, is replete with other errors. Starting from page 94 through to the end at page 250 the book covers basics like ISO and shutter speed, lenses, flash, architectural, child, etc. photography in basic terms unrelated to the D300. That means most of the book is devoted to general photography, not the D300. The Magic Lantern Guide series on the D300 is a much better resource, with far more detailed information (and a quick reference wallet card)that goes way beyond Nikon's detailed manual. If you are anything more than a beginning photographer don't waste your money- buy the Magic Lantern Guide instead.



4. About half this book is devoted to the D300, and is done relatively well. Two criticisms: the other half is generic photography information and the D300 data is not as in depth as I would have liked.



5. This book seemes to give you a easy reference. Not as in depth as I would like as I learn more. A good place to start with your camera.

2 comments about New Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing (A Lark Photography Book).

1. This is a beautiful book, very nicely done. But, having already read quite a bit about color management and inkjet printing, I was hoping for more specific technical details. The author makes many statements which I'm sure are true (I do believe he knows what he's talking about), but aren't illustrated with examples. For example, he says 200 to 360 ppi is the ideal range when sizing an image for printing, and that going over 360 can actually be detrimental. Ok -- how about an example to show exactly what the effect would be? Yes, I can spend the time (and cost) to run my own tests to see, but the book should have done that for me.



2. If you are looking for the intricacies of the different Epson Printers and their output, like I was, this is not the book. For Beginners in Ink jet printers it is good.

2 comments about The Art and Science of Digital Compositing, Second Edition: Techniques for Visual Effects, Animation and Motion Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in ... Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. The Art and Science of Digital Compositing, Second Edition: Techniques for Visual Effects, Animation and Motion Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics)
   
   I've been doing video and 3D work for the last couple of years without really knowing how or why I do many things. This book gives me the source knowledge of the nuts and bolts of composisting that don't come in the directions for compositing software. I would consider this required reading for anyone in the video or 3D world. Serves as a great reference book as well.
   
   The book is full of excellent photos and examples, too. The writer does a great job of building the reader's knowledge from review of basic photography to hard core compositing techniques. This book will live close at hand for a long time.



2. I started my career in visual effects around the same time the first edition was published and have referenced it constantly through out the 9+ years. I bought the 2nd edition for two reasons, my copy of the first edition was falling apart and nostalgia. I was not expecting much new information and was mostly just looking for an intact copy of the first edition with a few new tidbits here and there. I could not have been more wrong.
   
   The second edition has so much NEW information in it was like reading a time capsule of the technological advances of the last ten years. There is not a topic or subject used in compositing that is not covered here. Only two books have sat on my desk my entire career, the first edition and the cinematographers manual. I have read many books available on visual effects, but none compare, honestly. The main reason for that is complete software independence, not partial, complete.
   
   There is no other book that teaches you the raw knowledge you need to be an artist. Anyone can teach you how to push certain buttons of a specific app, this is the only book that clearly teaches you when to push them and why. Artists in today's marketplace need a deep core knowledge of what the software packages are doing so that they can easily switch to other packages. This is especially true in feature film compositing where the industry is at a point of impasse and there is no clear winner of the package wars, fingers crossed for NUKE ;). There is no standard tool anymore so the best way to stay employable is to know what this book teaches, the math, the science, the art.
   
   This book is chock full of examples, color photos and production examples. Whether you've been at this for a while or are new to the art, own this book. Own it for years and years and years. Yes, it's more expensive then any other book on the subject but it is worth so much more then the others that it will pay for itself very quickly. If you already have the other books, sell them, get this.

5 comments about Beneath The Roses.

1. This book is amazing. Our curriculum requires to discuss the work of Gregory Crewdson and I ordered this collection without really knowing what to expect. The photos transport a nightmarish and cheerless/gloomy atmosphere- an impressive work of art. Bonus: At the end of the book the reader gets an insight of how the work is done (sketches, details about the technique, etc.). I warmly recommend this piece of art to all people who are interested in photography, art, the movies or/and interesting personalities.



2. shows a spectacular level of creativity, not only from crewsdon himself but to all the other faces behind the scenes, that it surely takes, in order to pull off this type of procuction. like living stage sets, with nature and light used to such surreal advantage.



3. Beneath The Roses
   
   I saw a couple of pictures in Beneath the Roses and had to own it. I have never spent longer on a picture book, savoring four or five pictures for several days before moving on to the next batch. Readers (readers?) in the northeast will find themselves going "I know that street!". I have no idea why I found the pictures so fascinating but I surely did. I kept staring at them wondering "What is going on here?" and never figuring it out. Find this book. Look at two pictures. If you like them - buy the book! By the way, the production is great. Heavy paper and no centerfold breaks in the pictures.



4. In his opening essay of this volume of photographs, Russell Banks describes the cinematic qualities of Crewdson's work; in particular, how "the pictures are assembled and staged." Though not necessarily immediately obvious in all of the individual pictures, after looking for awhile the viewer does begin to recognize the artificiality of the moments. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. In many cases, particularly when the setting is an exterior, it works very well. The eye searches out the odd detail in the landscape. In the interiors, however, it seems to work less well. In these, the overall effect seems to be oddity and garishness.
   
   More interesting is the theme of isolation that runs through these photos. Even in the shots where more than one person is present, each seems trapped inside their own space. Raised to an even higher degree in some of the wide exteriors, you end up searching out the individual who is nearly swallowed up by the rest of the picture. Perhaps it is that very searching quality required by some of the photographs that makes them the most moving of the group.
   
   When I first received this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. I was first put off by the unwieldiness of its size--bigger than a normal volume and wider than it is high. As I looked through the photographs and grew to like many of them, I realized the importance of the book's size and shape--to take advantage of the movie aspect ratio Crewdson uses as well as the need for as much space as possible in his wide, detailed exterior shots.
   
   In fact, I went to see a gallery presentation of some of the photographs in this volume. The prints hanging on the wall were large, perhaps six feet or more wide, which I thought did much better justice to Crewdson's work. I found this experience to be of great benefit. When I came home and looked through the book again, I was moved to look even more closely at some of the pictures, seeking out that isolation and detail.
   
   Still, as I said, I think Crewdson's work is uneven. The exteriors, for the most part, greatly outdo the interiors and there is a tendency towards a garishness I don't like in some of his work. However, when he hits the right notes, his landscapes are as beautiful and interesting as anything I've seen.



5. The book is fantastic! However to my horror it was packed very badly and the book arrived scratched and a big chunk taken out of the cover. Amazon expects me to pay for all shipping costs to get a refund. Since I live in Australia the return shipping would surpass the value of the books sent. I emailed Amazon with this issue 2 weeks ago and NO REPLY!
   
   
   DO NOT BUY FINE ART BOOKS FROM AMAZON!!

5 comments about China: People Place Culture History.

1. I had been going to China on business for nearly 15 years now and this bewilderingly vast nation has always fascinated me, but I had never really taken the time to really dig into the nation's history and culture - until now. I'm starting out with this handsome book and 'China Road' by Rob Gifford and I'm already getting a good feel for what the country is like in ways that I was never able to during my various visits on business trips. I reckon I had spent over 30 weeks in China on business over the years, but all those trips were for what they were: business - visiting factories, meeting with factory owners and managers, going to nice restaurants, and doing a little sightseeing on the few days I'd have off. I never felt like I ever got to know the people of China. I was always in a hurry to get in, in a hurry to get the work done and then hurry to get out. Now with this book, I can contemplate about what daily life is really like for the people from all walks of life and also get some grasp of the mind-boggling size of China.
   
   The book is neatly divided by subjects covering China's stunningly varied geography, just as diverse groups of people and ethnicity, its fascinatingly rich culture and its long and amazingly tumultuous history. It's a great starting point to understand and absorb the next world superpower that is becoming more and more important in our daily lives in the West and all around the world. It's hard to comprehend or make sense of a nation that has a population much larger than the US and all of Europe combined. I travel around China and I'm just dumbfounded by the sheer size of the land and, of course, the mind-boggling population. It's like, "How do you govern or manage a nation of this size?" But somehow, despite all the myriad problems that are hard to fathom, China goes on and now it's growing at a breakneck pace - on pace to become the world's largest economy in 20 years or so and be twice as large as that of the US by the middle of the century. On the surface of things, it seems this century is for China to make theirs.
   
   This book gives you a good general overview with excellent photos throughout and superb layout with good informative content that gives the reader an insight into the mind of the Chinese people. As an Asian-American of Korean descent, China is not as foreign to me as it'd be to most Westerners, but it still holds what Westerners and even other non-Chinese Asians may consider to be many mysteries and odd or strange cultural practices and traditions. And the diversity of the Chinese people and its geography may be something many people in the West haven't thought about. China can be viewed as a continent in itself - like Europe with many different languages and cultural heritage. But it is united and the nation has gone through many wars to tear itself apart and to re-unite again over the course of its long history. China is indeed much more complex and misunderstood than most Westerners would care to admit. This book goes a long way in helping you understand that complexity of this most fascinating nation and growing world power. If you need only one book about China, this is the one to get.



2. An absolutely beautiful book. The binding is gorgeous and the photography outstanding. Very interesting to read. Obviously a country and people with 1000s of years of history can only be perceived in a glimpse in just one book, but what a beautiful glimpse this book gives the reader! And more than just beautiful photos it contains very interesting history. A great overview of such a vast and interesting country.



3. This book has beautiful pictures and good writing. I got one for my 5th grader, and another as a gift for a friend. Unfortunately, both copies were somewhat damaged (one copy had a crease in the front, and the other copy has a slit in the middle). I think the production/ manufacture of this book is not perfect. What a shame as it is truly a beautiful book to be treasured.



4. I visited China earlier this year on business, so I was intrigued when I came across this book. When I opened it, I was not disappointed. This book celebrates China and its variety of culture, art, landscapes and rich history with beautiful photography and educational text.
   
   The beginning section of the book draws you in with page after page of beautiful photographs of different landscapes in China, sprinkled with verses from Chinese poetry (translated to English, of course). It makes the reader aware of the varied landscapes (snow to desert, mountains to plans, forest to fields) that make up the vast country of China. Truly a treasury of photos!
   
   The next section explains Chinese history, complete with a timeline. The information is provided in titled short paragraphs and articles so it is easy for the reader to get a glimpse of the history and read quick pieces for more detail. Small articles include items such as "The Grand Canal" and "The Boxer Uprising". All are sprinkled with old photographs and pictures of paintings and artifacts.
   
   The most delightful section of the book is "A Day in the Life" which is a collection of stories about daily life of particular people in different areas of China. There's the life of a student in Shaanxi, a Chinese herbalist, a Buddist Monk, a Cricket Seller, and a farmer, just to name a few. The photos and text provide a window into the lives of the people of China to let the reader see life from their eyes.
   
   There is also a section on Chinese Culture, which includes articles on philosphy and religion, painting, literature and Chinese opera.
   
   The last segment of the book is entitled "Architecture" and contains pieces on various types of building styles, both old and new. From modern buildings such as the 88-story Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai to an old Buddist Monastery in Hebei, this chapter contains a wealth of information and beautiful photography. The Jin Mao Tower is truly stunning inside (I wish I had gone to see it while I was there!). The Couple's Garden is typical of the gardens in Suzhou that I visited while there. One of the most beautiful places shown in called the "Temple of Heaven" with colorful painted decor and detailed stonework.
   
   I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about China and its culture. It is not only informative, but makes a beautiful "coffee table book"!



5. Stunningly beautiful photos ... well-organized chapters ... plenty of information on many aspects of Chinese culture. I gave this book to my 11-year-old nephew for Christmas, so he will begin to appreciate that China is very much more than a supplier for Wal-Mart!

1 comments about Professional Wedding Photography: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers (Pro Photo Workshop).

1. A compilation of interviews of ten industry leading professionals and what makes them a success. It is interesting to go behind the scenes of others to find out about their points of view. Adjustments in their philosophy can then be applied to tweak your own practice. I drew some valuable insights that I know others can also benefit from.

No comments about The Printed Picture.