5 comments about Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation.

1. like shoes? photos of shoes? buy this book!



2. I am a photographer and also a high heels collector. There is a project in my mind since one year ago, I want to creat a book to present the art of high heel design, just like this book. I have many ideals. However when I saw this book, I think I need new ideals, or my friend will think that my work is just a copy.
   I will rate 4 to 4.5 stars to this book.



3. The genius design combined with amazing photography and styling make for a journey of beauty.A must have for the collector of fashion and photgraphy books.



4. I just happened to be in Selfridges/London last year, coinciding with Eric Boman and Manolo Blahnik's book launch. There were queues and queues of eager fans lining up to get their newly purchased books autographed by the fashionable duo. It was all very civilised, even though security guards were holding back the frenzied mob, while Boman and Blahnik relentlessly signed with tireless good humour and charm.
   
   Blahnik has been the ultimate cobbler to the stars since the Seventies, and Boman is a veteran, top photographer who's been photographing beautiful women for years (his most recent book, "Dames" show-cases his portrait-photogaphy). It's fortunate for Manolo that Eric came up with the novel idea of photographing his old friend's shoes. It was also conducive for the book that he supplied the witty 'photographic conversation,' for although Manolo's shoes are the most exquisite in the world, a book would have been pretty one dimensional with pedestrian sole snap-shots of his pumps without Eric's creative input.
   
   Boman has not only managed to produce imaginative photographs of the beautiful shoes, but has elevated Manolo's footwear to museum status. Thanks to his original and highly imaginative photographic compositions, the elegant pumps have been transformed into classical portraits.
   
   Boman and Blahnik's old friend Paloma Picasso has supplied the foreword, helping make this beautifully produced book a must have gift, especially for people with tasteful shoe fetishes and aficionados of superior glossy art books, the kind which are too exquisite to grace coffee tables.



5. My wife absolutely loved this!!!!! This has earned me so many points!! LOL Thank you.

4 comments about Photo-Imaging: A Complete Visual Guide to Alternative Techniques and Processes (Photography for All Levels: Advanced).

1. I've seen Jill Enfield's work frequently in magazines and books, and was thrilled when I found out she was writing her own text. I teach experimental photography at a university, so any book of this nature that comes on the market, I buy. When this came in the mail from Amazon.com (promptly, I might add) I was impressed. Watson Guptill knows how to lay out a textbook so that it appeals to the reader, and is well supported by images, not only with examples of the processes but with "how to" pictures, also. It is user friendly, especially for those who are somewhat newer to the photographic medium and experimental in nature. That said, I learned new things (e.g. the chapter on tintypes) that I will use in my experimental photography class!
   These topics are included: black and white infrared, liquid emulsion, enlarging negatives for alternative processes, ink jet transfers, polaroid processes, cyanotypes, kallitypes, platinum printing, palladium printing, tintypes, hand coloring, and other stuff. It is a good combination of what are traditionally termed "alt process" (platinum, cyanotypes, etc.) and what are more experimental things to try.
   For this type of book the price at Amazon.com is excellent--most books of this caliber range from [$$$].



2. Photo-Imaging by Jill Enfield has received the 2002 Golden Light Book Awards Best Technical Book Award. The award is sponsored by The Maine Photographic Workshops, The International Film Workshops
   and Rockport College. A panel of distinguished jurors reviews books and selects those that make a significant contribution to the art and literature of the medium. Submissions are judged on qualities such as writing, editing, photo reproduction, design and printing, and the contents' overall importance to their perspective mediums. The Jury, which reviews all entries, is comprised of several renowned photographers, filmmakers, publishers, writers and editors.



3. Photo-Imaging is beautifully written and illustrated--an essential volume for anyone interested in alternative photographic processes. The writing is clear and simple. Jill Enfield makes it easy to experiment with new photographic techniques. There are lots of helpful tips and hints based on Enfield's extensive experience with alternative processes. I particulary like the detailed supplier information she lists.

   While I sometimes wished she had included additional historical and chemical details, it's a minor quibble because this book has carefully distilled the essential information needed to get up and running with each process. This book is a great value considering the low cost and the extensive information included. No fluff or filler--just concise information.




4. Enfield's book has a very impressive sounding title but compared to The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Christopher James), or Coming Into Focus (John Barnier), it falls far short of being "A Complete Guide." This book is a nice introduction to some of the techniques a beginning student, interested in the subject, might investigate.

5 comments about Colorado, 1870-2000.

1. John Fielder is one of America's greatest living photographers, and he brings his love of the Colorado wilderness to this book. His re-shoots of Jacksons 19th century photographs are both beautiful and thought-provoking.... the photographs make it worthwhile.

   On the other hand, the text is a different story. Reading a text-only version of this book, one might conclude that the title is a misprint, and that the book should really be called "Colorado 1970 - 2000." Fielder roamed across Colorado capturing the changes in places like Kremmling, Denver, and Ouray, but the text never tells us anything about these places, or why they changed, or why we should care. Instead we get chapters about oil shale and the Forest Service.

   Ahem. If I wanted to read about the relationship between Forest Service bureaucrats and small Western towns, I would have bought a book called "The Relationship Between the Forest Service and Small Western Towns." My book is called "Colorado 1870 - 2000." That is what I want to read about.

   It's true that oil shale schemes, government agencies, and others have played a role in shaping Colorado in the past 30 years. But before that there were events like the Silver Crash of 1893, the City Beautiful movement, the Depression, World War II, and Urban Renewal. You won't read about those in this book.

   The pictures are beautiful, and the text is well-written (if misplaced and unwanted). Just don't expect to learn much about the places you are looking at- except that they are very pretty.




2. There appears to be some confusion as all of the reviews of the original "Colorado 1870-2000" big book are credited to this, the paperback "Colorado 1870-2000 Revisited: The History Behind the Images". This book is a companion book to the original. It takes each photo set from the big book and goes into detail about the location, changes, and how Fielder acquired each photo. These are the things that, being left out of the original, made several people give the big book negative reviews. While it would have been nice (and certainly less expensive) to have everything in one volume, we now have the information for which those disappointed with the big book were looking. While the big book is a piece of coffee table art, the Revisited book fits neatly on your bookshelf, ready to be taken down to answer those questions posed by your friends perusing the big book. I take a bit of offense at having to have paid for two different books, but they belong together and I feel were money well spent; the big book for the beautiful photos and the revisited book for its entertaining and educational material.



3. This book is excellent in look, feel, and quality. It is intriguing to see how much landscape has changed in 130 years. Many times for the better and many times for the worse. In every case it is very interesting to see two pictures side by side and compare 1870 with 2000. The photographer was very meticulous to capture every shot as closely as possible to the original perspective and frame, which really enhances the "then and now" feel of the book.



4. I noticed the review that said this book was worthy of "permanent display on your coffee table." Well, I don't think that will be possible with my book, as the binding fell apart after 6 months. The book has gotten a fair amount of use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've since seen a similar problem with a couple of the display copies at bookstores (which is why they've been demoted to display copies). So I don't think this is an isolated problem. It seems like the book is so big that they didn't make a strong enough binding for it. So just a warning for this thinking of buying this book. The good news is that, on the advice of one of the reviews, I bought Colorado: Yesterday & Today to replace my copy of Colorado: 1870-2000. I agree that it is the better book and now it will be on permanent display on my coffe-table.



5. This book is an amazing capture of what has happened to our world. You are able to see what scenes were like 150 years ago and compare what they are like today. The photographers are so exact that people have been placed in the scene at the exact site. If you wonder if global warming in real than take a look at this picture. You can see the glaciers and rocks change between the pictures. It is amazing and wonderfully done. I bought 3 for Christmas gifts and now want to buy one for my own family.

4 comments about Reflections: Twenty-One Cinematographers At Work.

1. The ultimate book about cinematography in technical and artistical ways. Excellent and richly illustrated.



2. This is one expensive book, but what a joy!
   
   Personal work flows of some of the very best cinematographers of our time, described by them in their own language. Lighting diagrams for many common shots and explanations of exactly what made them look so good. Footage examples galore, with many what-if comparisons.
   
   Haskell Wexler on lighting interiors. Vilmos Zsigmond talking about what makes for great portraits, and why "key-to-fill lighting ratios are an important stepping-stone for students but [he rarely uses them in his shooting]. Laszlo Kovacs talking about the dangers of video assist, being specific about it and not judgmental. Allen Daviau on "why we hate multiple cameras: because we [light differently] for close-ups." And much more...
   
   This book was put together with love by ASC Press and this also shows in the great color printing and gorgeous paper.
   
   A true joy, IMHO.



3. Yes, it's one of the best book... with a lot of french cinematographers. Eric is right ;-)



4. This is a great book that I used just recently in coordination with an cinematography class at NYU. Its my favorite of all my textbooks on the subject because it deals with actual application of teachings by people actually making movies right now. But the book showcases those people first and foremost and teaches second. And it expects an experienced reader, often using industry terms and concepts without any explaination. That said, I totally reccommend it. It is the best book in actually helping you come to your own conclusions as to how to light a scene and why.

3 comments about Wedding Flowers.

1. It's a lovely book on choosing wedding flowers, but like all products from the Bridal-Industrial Complex, it's more about giving you a complex than giving you a wedding. Paula Pryke comes up with some beautiful arrangements, and she gives you lots of wonderful information about the history and meaning of flowers, what flowers are in season, and how to go about choosing flowers. That said, she is, as is unsurprising for a professional florist, utterly convinced that decorating a wedding is something for hired professionals to do. She says in the intro that you should, at the very least, hire someone to do the bridal bouquet, the implication being that if you do not, you will suffer ignominious failure. This is especially frustrating, since many of the bouquets she showcases for the bride are simple, classic, one-type-of-flower affairs, of purple calla lilies or roses making a wonderful impression, simply gathered in a ribbon. There is a lot of great information, but not much practical how-to. And much of what's good in the book (the seasonal suggestions) you could get from merely speaking to a competent florist, which is what she encourages you to do anyway. Save your money, or at the least, only buy this used. It's better as a coffee table book than as a resource.



2. Paula Pryke Wedding Flowers is a wonderful book. The bouquets are absolutely beautiful and inspiring. She provides excellent directions. Festive Flowers by Pryke is another great book.



3. Paula Pryke is very popular in the industry and has the reputation of being UK's top florist. Paula designs tasteful, classic, never go out of fashion styles so you won't find anything wild or trendy in her work. Because of this, brides who lean towards classic, tasteful styles are more likely to be satisfied with the bouquets they'll find in this book.
   
   This is definitely more of a reference book for bouquet photos and basic information and not really a "how to" book. If you're looking for "how to" books for making bridal bouquets and wedding arrangements, you'll want to check out books by Ardith Beveridge and Terri Rye. Most of their books are "how to" books filled with step-by-step instructions.
   
   A previous reviewer states that the book's author recommends brides hire a professional florist to design at least their wedding bouquets, and that reviewer ultimately rated the book lower because of that. I make that same recommendation to my budget-conscious clients on a daily basis due to a long history of past experiences so I totally understand why Paula felt that is important enough to mention. All too often florists everywhere (including myself) get last minute, frantic calls from tearful brides or their mothers. It's the evening before the wedding and the bulk flowers they ordered online to save money are wilty and brown or not the flowers they ordered and they need to know what you have available for purchase. Ultimately, they spend twice as much as they would've (buying two sets of flowers) if they had contacted a florist in the first place. The other most common frantic call is from brides and their mothers when they've attempted to design the bouquets themselves and they are gravely disappointed at the results (typically because they don't have any formal art or design training to understand proper visual placement to make the designs most appealing, they don't know proper floral prep procedures to make sure the flowers don't prematurely wilt, and/or they don't know proper mechanical techniques and the bouquets are loose or falling apart). I wholeheartedly agree with the author on this point. It's one thing for a bride to place some simple loose stems in a vase for inexpensive centerpieces, but when the bride spends a small fortune on photographs, it makes sense to let a professional design the flowers (bouquets and boutonierres) that will appear in nearly all the photographs and be forever documented in an expensive wedding album.
   
   The two key visual things that define a bride as a bride on her wedding day are her wedding gown and her bridal bouquet. Most brides don't make their own wedding gown (for fear of how it will turn out if they haven't had formal sewing training) so why would they make their own bridal bouquet if they haven't had formal training in floral design? It's not just about knowing how to hand-tie a bouquet -- it's about knowing formal visual design principles and floral properties (such as how quickly a flower blooms and wilts, how it reacts to other flowers and greenery that may excrete sap, how to condition, handle without damaging, etc). It really is more involved than people think so it's very easy for people to bite off more than they can chew and get into trouble, resulting in panick during one of the most nerve-racking, stressful times of their lives. As such, I don't interpret Paula's comments as a "hard sell" for floral services. Instead, I think she's simply trying to educate brides about the fact that it's so much less stressful and risky to hire a professional designer to handle at least the most important and photographed flowers of their wedding day.

5 comments about Playboy: The Celebrities.

1. This is a high quality book with many beautiful images. While there are a number of women here that are most famous for being Playmates, they are also women who legitimately had some celebrity outside of the magazine (movies and/or TV). But as others have said, there are many "A List" celebrities that didn't make it into this volume. We can only hope they'll be a "Volume 2" in the future.



2. I bought this for an early Christmas gift for my fiance' and we both love it. There's a sampling of all kinds in here - from young to older, earthy to, well, Pamela, and dated to modern.



3. The book promised more than it delivered. I am tempted to return for my money back.



4. If you grew up in the 70's like I did and you were trying to project an image of cool and hip you read Playboy. Besides the great photography there were well written articles on politics and mens lifestyle issues that just weren't available anywhere else. And the special treat of having a glimpse of a favorite celeb partially nude made reading the articles less important for that particular issue and almost guaranteed it would become a collectable item. Many of the photos are mild to say the least by today's standards but still demonstrate the high quality photography that I believe always set Playboy apart from the rest.
   
   This book is full of the same high quality images anyone who has followed the magazine would expect to see and some of us will even remember when some of the models first appeared. I was hoping to see a few more of my favorites, but hey there's always the next volume and as long as Mr. Hefner's name is on the masthead we'll have to trust him to pick the subjects and I'm very comfortable with that. If you ever liked Playboy and/or ever collected any of their compilation volumes this one is surely worth having.



5. There isn't a table of contents, though there is an index in the back of the book. Perhaps Playboy knew that its list of celebrities would be largely unimpressive?
   
   Maybe I'm just too young. Maybe the ubiquity of modern websites like SuicideGirls and Mr. Skin (the new go-to place for celebrity nudity) have caused my generation to take Playboy's achievements for granted.
   
   Regardless, the list itself seems unimpressive.
   
   But the photos are nice enough (though it isn't exactly difficult to make a celebrity look good), and Playboy certainly deserves credit for creating such a foolproof franchise.

3 comments about National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Digital Black & White (National Geographic Photography Field Guides).

1. This is the best book of all the photography how-to books from National Geographic. Although it is about b/w photography, there is much to be learned from the basics. The advice found on this book is very useful and I highly recommend it.



2. I bought this book thinking it was about digital black & white but was disappointed with the lack of proper content. This is a very basic book for absolute beginners that tries to cover a little of everything from the history of photography to format types to styles of photography but then adds a little digital content on the side to keep up with the times but ultimately offering no useful information, and strangely using non digital photos for illustration. It reads like someone took the World Book Encyclopedia's entry for photography, added some digital content and made it into a book.



3. National geographic does it again! They are the authority on Photography and this book shows you why. Excellent book! You will improve your photos if you follow the advice in this book!

5 comments about Picture Yourself Creating Digital Scrapbooks.

1. I am a fairly advanced digital scrapper and I found a lot of new and helpful instructions in this book. At the same time I found the instruction clear enough for a beginner - I sure wish this book was around back when I started. The kits provided would all cost more retail than the book costs and the kits are very top quality - from some of the best designers out there. This is a must have for anyone contemplating or already addicted to digi scrapping.



2. This is a wonderful book for those wanting to learn how to do digital scrapbooking, but it is not just for beginners! There are techniques and discussions that can advance your skills even if you have been digital scrapbooking awhile. One of the best things in the book that I love is the use of multiple programs (i.e., PhotoShop, PaintShopPro, PhotoShop Elements, and more!) While so many tutorials or books concentrate on one program (mostly PhotoShop), this book shows examples created in different programs. And while the book is worth the cost by itself, the DVD is a fantastic bonus! The kits included are by well-known digital scrapbook designers; the fonts are unique and fun; and the filters (shareware, trial use, or free) allow you to take your layouts to new levels!



3. I've been sitting on the sidelines for several months, trying to start digital scrapbooking but spent most of my time looking at other people's layouts and chasing down "freebies" that I haven't even used! This book helped me get on the road. I bought Paint Shop Pro (PSP), on the advice of PCWorld's digital photo editor a few years ago (he since has switched to Photoshop as it is more popular with his readers) but I like PSP for the very reasons he suggested and don't want to switch just because Adobe is better at marketing their product. I've been searching for a scrapbooking book that focused on PSP. While this book gives equal measure to PSP and Photoshop, it fit the bill for me. This book does not give step-by-step instructions, only general guidelines. I found the format to be helpful although I don't think a reader is able to replicate the complex layouts illustrated in the book just from reading it. The DVD is a great feature, making this book a very useful tool for the digital scrapper!



4. A very comprehensive introduction to the world of digital scrapbooking. The authors cover subjects much wider than just how to put a page together, including general information on scrapbooking itself and equipment like scanners, printers and tablets. Both Photoshop Elements 6 and Paint Shop Pro techniques are discussed. There is instruction for many techniques, but this is a more generalised text than a straight "how to do it" book. The book comes with a CD containing digital scrapbook supplies from leading designers and a section containing sample pages using those items (very useful for a beginner to see the different ways people can use the same supplies). I found the book easy to read but there were some areas that could have done with more detail. For example, it discusses how to use Gaussian Blur to simulate depth of field but uses a selection to choose the area to blur instead of a new layer which I feel is less flexible and more prone to risk. Sharpening is discussed and High Pass Sharpening mentioned - but we are never told what it is. It is also a shame that the authors demonstrated the Magic extractor tool instead of the excellent and easy to use Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop Elements to demonstrate extracting a background. However, these are pretty minor quibbles in the scheme of things. I think this book would be useful to anyone starting out with digital scrapbooking (especially if they are new to the tools). It will provide you with all the information you need to start making your own pages.



5. I've settled on Photoshop Elements 6 and this book was written for 5. Since I'm a newbie the info in this book was still very informative. I also found a newer book that is specifically for Photoshop Elements 6 which has been a great refereance tool to my webinars with Michellle @ National Association of Digital Scrapbookers. It's finally starting to make some sense to this 50 yr. old Grandma who's going to WOW! her Family @ Christmas! I would read this book to get some good backgrond and basic information and the DVD w. freebies and lessons helps a lot. It will stay in my reference library! Reccomend!Linda in Indiana

5 comments about Still: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century (The M.K. Brown Range Life).

1. I ordered this book after hearing an interview with the author/photographer on NPR. Captured in the spirit of yesteryear, these photographs of modern cowboys are just beautiful!



2. Beyond the beautiful photographs the piercing eyes in these portraits tell it all.
   These cowboys and cowgirls are serious about what they do and how they do it. Serious
   about living life to the fullest on their own terms.
   I must be honest and tell you I am not a big fan of cowboy photography or any photography
   that romanticizes a culture or group of people. Pretty pictures are a dime a dozen and mean little
   in the understanding of the people being photographed. Think current day celebrity portraiture.
   These portraits show dedication to documenting a people and way of life long forgotten
   by modern day Americans. I think you will feel the spirit of these people when you look
   at these tintypes and read the stories of the cowboys in their own words. This book belongs in any serious collection of the American West way of life.



3. I have always been fascinated with old world photographic processes. After browsing through the book several times I was struck with the portraits themselves. While these portraits were recently done you easily get the feel that these cowboys are from a time gone by.
   
   An incredible way of life incredibly captured by a talented photographer



4. Still is not simply a book of cowboy tintypes. This book has depth as it is filled with revealing portraits of cowboys created with an antiquated process that requires true craftsmanship. Because each tintype is crafted by hand (and beautifully done), they each have unique and unreplicable characteristics analogous to the portraits of the cowboys themselves. In additon to the craftsmanship, there's an impressive amount of these portraits with each subsequent one being just as interesting as the previous. Accompanying the portraits are several stories from the cowboys that add a more personal element to the book. Still is a beautifully executed book of tintype cowboy portraits that I highly recommend to anyone.



5. Its good to hear so many people are really getting the feel of what life out here is like. My name is Nate Patterson and I'm in the book. Robb came to Spanish Ranch, in Tusscarrora, Nevada while I was Jigger Boss. Its good to hear that so many people can really look deeply at what a real cowboy's eyes hold. Many photographers come to the ranches and try to capture the "cowboy life" but Robb did an excelent job.

No comments about Magic Lantern PRO Guides: Nikon AF Speedlight Flash System: Master the Creative Lighting System! (Magic Lantern Guides).