1 comments about Rediscovering Jacob Riis: The Reformer, His Journalism, and His Photographs.

1. While I'm no expert on the subject, I'd guess this will become one of the definitive bios on Jacob Riis, and also contains many of his important photos as a bonus. The reproduction quality is good enough -- probably better than the original print publications -- but not exceptional.

No comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D700 (Magic Lantern Guides).

2 comments about Hands-On Digital Photography: A Step-by-Step Course in Camera Controls, Software Techniques, and Successful Imaging.

1. There are plenty of how-to guides on digital photography on the market, but libraries seeing a solid general reference should take a look at this: it provides a step-by-step course in common digital camera controls and photography and presents learn-as-you-go projects to help readers learn to work with a camera. Novices receive a guide which encourages them to experiment with pictures in a survey which even includes RAW converter step-by-step processes: if only one digital photography guide were to be purchased for a discriminating library with general-interest lending requirements, it should be this one.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. Many years ago I had the pleasure of taking a course with George Schaub in 35mm photography & lighting. He is a role model and photographic hero of mine. I love his work. The easy-going style found in his mannerisms and his lectures is clearly present in this book.
   
   In that class I would always be struck by the quality of his photographs - this book is no different than that experience. You are first stunned by the artistic beauty of his work and then he breaks down the steps required to create a similar result.
   
   The format questions are addressed in clear terms. If you ever wondered about RAW images versus TIFF versus JPEG, your questions will be answered. This book describes file size when saved in different formats and thsn the quality of the photo with the best enlargement outcomes.
   
   The step-by-step guide that he offers is easy to understand and laid out in a way that you can literally walk through his process. He first describes how the process works. What are the mechanics of this effect? He then moves into 'try it,' so that you are walked through how to get there. Advanced options is where he offers some creative license to those who may be daring to try something else. This is his approach throughout the book. You get to see photographs that reflect many shooting situations that the serious photographer is always on the look out for capturing.
   
   If you are seriously looking into or have a DLSR - you will LOVE this book. If you are catching up to the digital age from the 35mm age, you too will enjoy this book. If you want to learn how to love your camera and photography, you will catch what George Schaub embodies in his work and his life and that is his love of photography. That's what I caught from him years ago and it's still growing. Happy reading.

5 comments about Aftermath: Unseen 9/11 Photos by a New York City Cop.

1. I think it was a well done book - I could have done without the close ups of Bush and Cheney!



2. IF you have been collecting books, videos and material about 9/11 [I'm a history teacher]
   this is a nice addition. The copy is more interesting than the pictures that we've all seen,
   sadly.



3. This book meets the criteria of the film noir movies of the 40's and 50's: oneiric, strange, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel. Well, not erotic. And unlike the films of those days, the pictures here, and the stories that they tell are true.
   
   This is a book composed of pictures made in the days after 9/11. They were taken in black and white, and are somewhat grainy. The photographer, John Botte, a police detective and world-class photographer, was assigned by the police commissioner to document the aftermath at the World Trade Center. He was there, day after day, breathing the dust from the concrete, the insulation, and everything else - getting a lung condition that almost cost him his life.
   
   Out of the thousands of photographs he too, he has selected this couple of hundred and created captions that sometimes explain, sometimes just comment on what is being pictured.
   
   It is indeed a fitting AFTERMATH to 9/11.



4. Former officer John Botte has done a wonderful job putting together images of the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The black-and-white photos show both the tragedy and hope of the people involved in the rescue -- and later, simply the clean-up -- of this horrific event.
   
   The only thing I would have enjoyed more would have been captions for all of the photographs. As it stands, only about one in ten of the pictures has any type of explanation.



5. This book contain hard and touching images about the aftermath in New York city.

5 comments about Architectural Photography: The Digital Way.

1. This book is for the architect or engineer who doesn't want to hire a professional photographer, so it's a little dry and covers ground that most photographer's already know, such as how a camera works. However, it gives a lot of good information for the novice architectural photographer such as using shift lens and "painting with light." My favorite part was how to cut and paste in Photoshop when windows are blown out by exposure



2. This is the first book I have found dedicated to shooting architecture digitally. Thankfully it is also quite a fine little book on the subject. While I would have liked a tad more depth, what is there is extremely good. It is aimed at the beginner but is also helpful to an experienced photographer who needs to make the switch from 4X5 film to DSLR.



3. Unfortunately, this book is a waste of time and money for anyone who is serious about learning anything significant about using digital technology for architectural photography. Here's why:
   
   1. The book has 135 pages. 77 pages are dedicated to information about
   equipment, digital work flow and post shooting. The information in these 77 pages is widely available in other, more complete, sources and only serves as padding in this book.
   
   2. Significant portions of each page are blank. But many of the photo illustrations are so small that they can not convey the kind of information that someone needs to evaluate them. On page 58, there are several photos sized at .375 square inch (a postage stamp is .8 square inch). Although other pictures are larger, they are so small that they do not illustrate enough information. Why is not the wasted, blank space on each page used for larger, easier to read photos?
   
   3. The use of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, the digital technique of combining the useful segments of more than one exposure, is of important consideration to someone contemplating the extreme brightness range of many architectural interiors and some exteriors. The author devotes only 1/2 page of text (if you consider the blank area), and 1 photo slightly larger than a postage stamp and 3 others .06 square inches in size to this important topic.
   
   In the middle ages, alchemists would write books about their experiments but withhold essential information that would have allowed the reader to duplicate the process. The author of this book, who apparently is an experienced architectural photographer, has succeeded in upholding the archaic tradition of these alchemists.



4. Basically replaced his previous book, but with the digital tips, like shooting tethered. I picked up a lot and I've been in business 24 years, but more architecturally the last 2.



5. I was a practicing architect for 30 years before becoming an architectural photographer. As the negative reviewers have stated (with such passion) experienced photographers will find this book elementary. Regardless, I highly recommend it for those starting out in architectural photography (digital or otherwise) and for designers who want to photograph their own work. The chapter on the author's post processing workflow is worth the price of the book alone.

5 comments about Organizing and Editing Your Photos with Picasa: Visual QuickProject Guide.

1. I returned this book. Picasa is so easy to use that few people will need a Visual Quick Start Guide. The Quick Start series is good but this program just doesn't warrant a guide at all.



2. While the book covers all of the features of Picasa, I did not feel it was well organized, following a natural flow of introduction and use of Picasa. Additionally, while some material was duplicated, the author would sometimes ask you to return to visit earlier sections to understand his instructions. I have found the "Dummies" books to be better.



3. 
   I am presently sorting out and editing a large lifetimes collection of family photos and decided to use Picasa to do this. It worked well but there were a number of questions and the Picasa Help was not particularly helpful, including not allowing me to be quite sure I had the right approach to the all-important issues of back-up.
   
   I found the book to be very helpful and it has enabled me to resolve all of my queries. It is well produced and fairly simple - this is good as one can ignore the obvious pafrts and get good help where it is needed. It's now a bit out of date but not too much. All in all a very uaeful and strategic buy for anyone who is using Picasa for a managing a major collection of photos.



4. Organizing and Editing Your Photos with Picasa: Visual QuickProject Guide
   I had downloaded Picasa a few years ago, right after Google bought it. I used it a little, but took a course in a more sophisticated program which I later started teaching to seniors. Picasa took a back burner on my computer. I was recently asked to teach Picasa to seniors, and figured I'd better refresh my limited knowledge of it. WOW, was I impressed with Steve Schwartz's book and the Picasa program as it now stands! The book is just what it promises: a VISUAL guide. Screen shots are well done, as is the text, and the program is really quite powerful, especially for a free download. Leave it to Google, which does things right, and Mr. Schwartz's know-how to present this freebie in a clear, concise way. For the casual photographer, Picasa's editing capabilities are more than sufficient, easy to use and to understand. Likewise with the organizer. One of these days, I may just say the heck with the more sophisticated (and FAR FROM FREE) program I have been teaching--it is far too complicated and time-consuming for most people. Picasa, now promoted to an icon in my Quick Launch Bar, will be the only photo/editor/organizer I will use.



5. "Organizing and Editing Your Photos with Picasa" by Steve Schwartz was a blessing to find. Picasa2 came with the new workstation I purchased. I had no idea how Picasa functioned and kept seeing new folders and duplicate pictures. Some photos were among my written files, most not. I knew it had to be me doing something I didn't yet understand. Thanks to "Organizing and Editing Your Photos with Picasa" my digital albums are now orderly and manageable. Great book! Fast shipping too.
   
   River Bones: A Mystery Novel

5 comments about The Best of Teen and Senior Portrait Photography: Techniques and Images from the Pros (Masters Series).

1. Start by looking at the cover. This book as so many digital ideas (not what we were looking for) but they chose such a poor image for the cover. Instead of such gimicky digital ideas, maybe Mr. Hunter and the others should have retouched the cover image. Blood shot eyes, yellow teeth, a floating eye and stray hairs will put most professional photographers out of business in less than a year. We have been in business for over 15 years and are now thinking just about anyone can write a book. Maybe we will.



2. Bill Hurter has managed to assemble a collection of some of the finest senior photographers in the country to create an exceptional set of images and text. This is like the title implies, the best in senior photography.
   
   This book is a must-have for all senior portrait studios



3. I ordered this book with the hopes of expanding my photography from wedding and family/children portrait work to do senior work. And this book provides great deatils about getting into this line of work. But it does much more. It covers details for all types of portrait work to fine tune your photography with chapters on proper posing, lighting and much more. Whether you are just starting or have been in the business for a while you will benefit if you read and apply the information within. Great Job!!!



4. Good inspiration! Only thing this book lacks is really how it was done. If only it had a page after each concept telling how it was done this book would be absolutely perfect! But if your starting out this is what you should read so you can know what you dont know and where to start your education!



5. A great resource for anyone either entering the Senior Portrait market, or seeking to refresh business and photography techniques. As one who works a lot with teens, I believe that the author's sense of how to work with them througout the entire process is right on - refreshing and honoring of Teen spirit. The photos and posing suggestions are helpful, as are the ideas and results from several very accomplished Senior Portrait artists.
   
   Definitely worth adding to your library

5 comments about Stone.

1. In "Stone," as in his other books, Andy Goldsworthy takes the natural play of a child--fooling around with sticks, leaves, water, stones, mud, and more--and elevates it to something above and beyond its natural status. He uses his adult design skills to create great manmade beauty from existing natural beauty. He never falls over the line into obvious, coy, or precious art--he simply lets nature be what it is with a tiny little bit of rearranging on his part.

   The results are never short of astonishing. Witness the sharp-edged rocks against which Goldsworthy has "glued" (with plain water) the leaves of brilliantly red Japanese maples, thereby making the edges look almost bloodied (p. 76). Witness the delicate, calligraphic tracery Goldsworthy stitched up by pinning together rush after rush after rush with thorns and then hanging these on a gallery wall so that it appears that either Calder or Matisse have wandered in and scribbled elegantly on the walls (p. 83). Witness the balanced oval boulders Goldsworthy lays in a curvaceous line from beach to the sea, and see how they roll and disappear from view as the tide comes crashing in (p. 101). These are but three of the many visual astonishments Goldsworthy shares in this book. The book is a never-ending source of delight and admiration for the feverish workings of one of 20th-century art's most creative minds.




2. A truly beautiful book, with rich photographs and nice summaries. Inspiring to the last page - and particularly useful for igniting one's creative juices. A small note to the Amazon reviewer: Andy Goldsworthy was born in England in 1956. He lives in Penpont, Scotland, but is English - not Scottish.



3. This was a gift for my boss but I just couldn't stop looking through it. What a beautiful book. Very inspiring! I got rave comments... and a raise! Definitely a amazing present.



4. Stone, like many of Andy Goldsworthy books, sends the observer to a land that exists only for a brief time. Using the medium of photography, Mr. Goldsworthy captures these moments, in the world he creates, that appear to me as more of a heaven than an earth. If you as a child or if you have watched your child play endlessly with nature, creating masterpieces that may end up being washed away, blown away, or covered in snow, you will appreciate this book for capturing them for all eternity.



5. This was my first book encounter with Andy Goldsworthy and wow- his art ideas are great. I love how he uses nature in his art- and even more so, how the changes in nature are art themselves.

3 comments about The Book of Caddyshack: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Greatest Movie Ever Made.

1. The Book of Caddyshack is awesome - perhaps even worthy of the Dalai Lama himself!
   
   Caddyshack is one of my all time favorite movies and this book makes me love and appreciate it even more.
   
   The book has all types of tidbits and facts about every minute of the movie and humorous interviews with the actors and production crew members. Thanks to the author's research, after reading this book and watching the movie again, you will notice all sorts of stuff that you didn't see before...guaranteed.
   
   Not only do you learn about the four big stars - Knight, Dangerfield, Murray, and Chase - but there are great stories about all the hilarious supporting characters: Noonan, Spaulding, Lacey Underall, D'Annunzio, Porterhouse, Maggie, Dr. Beeper, Lou Loomis, the Havercamps, and others....which is nice.
   
   The Book of Caddyshack really is a peach, hon!



2. Awesome!!! Just awesome!!! I didn't think that anything could possibly increase my appreciation of this movie, but this book certainly has done that. It's like pop-up video for the whole movie. A must for any Caddyshack fan!!!



3. If you like the movie, this is the most comprehensive guide to everything you could ever know about the funniest film ever! It has detailed descriptions of all the scenes, with interviews and opinions from all the key players. I would recommend this book even if you haven't seen the movie, as it can only inspire you to buy the dvd. The comedy within this movie has been long copied, but never bettered. As the author states - the belief is that much of the material was "improvised" but that this could not be further from the truth, as it was created with exacting direction and srcipting. But the originality, and strength of the comedy team make it a brilliant one of! This book is a worthy disection, of the nature and depth to this originality. It's a peach hon!

3 comments about American Surfaces.

1. It's hard to tell how vital this visual diary is in the grand scheme of photography. It's a very personal travelogue. Shore is obsessed with himself and where he goes and what he sees. As a summary of early seventies pop culture it is fantastic. You can find out what people looked like and more importantly, what everything else looked like. I appreciate this aspect of the book, it's a reference guide to 1972. I think some of the photography is top notch but think that the book would be stronger edited down a bit. It's more interesting than the original but packs less of a punch. Could you live without it? Of course. Do you want to? No.



2. I loved this book, partly because I love this photographer's eye. Are the pictures documentary? Sure. Are they wry? Often, though not always. They are beautiful in the most strange, farfetched, formal aesthetic sense (shapes, colors, imaginary visual lines). That about sums it up. Stephan Shore's pictures exist on many levels simultaneously---one reason they are worth owning in book form, able to be revisited many times over a long time. Shore has a genuine gift, and he shares it with whomever takes the time to really look. This older work is relevant to contemporary production worldwide (i.e., Thomas Struth). Hopefully you will enjoy this book as much as I do.



3. This book looks great and has an incredible collection of photographs printed at actual size. Really nice addition to my library.