No comments about Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching.

5 comments about City of Glass: Doug Coupland's Vancouver.

1. This is my homesick book, my security blanket, my Postcards from Home.

   For Vancouverites, it's a source of boosterist pride, a good chuckle at some in-jokes, and perhaps enlightenment on why things are as they are. For people who have moved away, it's a book of memories, recollections of a city of glass and the people who make it. For people who have never been there, it's the tourist guide that talks about things the Lonely Planet won't. It's like having Mr Coupland sitting next to you as you make your way through our city. It's probably as close to an autobiography as he's ever written. The mark of Vancouver is on him as it's on me, and on everyone else who was raised there.

   Yeah, I love my hometown.




2. Sure, it's only one person's view of Vancouver. But at least it's Douglas Coupland's view. In "City of Glass," the author of "All Families Are Psychotic" and "Generation X" strays from fiction to write about his home city. The result is a subdued love ode to Vancouver, peppered with photographs.
   
   Coupland describes Vancouver with many page-long vignettes, sort of like a patchwork quilt: he describes feng shui in Vancouver, Japanese teenagers, a harbour full of sulfur piles, American couples on "love boats," monstrous houses, and the quiet detachment that Vancouver feels from the Rest of Canada. (Which has its own entry -- really!)
   
   Coupland's fiction is generally distinguishable for its contemplative, cynically witty tones. But he drops all that for "City of Glass." Okay, there is a chunk of "Life After God" in the middle, blurry text and pics. And occasionally the transcripts of Coupland's memories remind one of his fiction, seeming sadder and darker.
   
   Most of the time, he sounds fond and reminiscent, as if reliving the memories that come with salmon and fleece. Not to mention funny, such as when describing the confusing disagreements about feng shui (" this space should flowwwwww" or "flow is to be avoided at all costs"). And the photographs are quite good as well, with Coupland taking pictures of the prosaic subjects of his book -- a sleepy-looking Japanese teen, a fleece vest, a boat floating out on a light-filled harbor, a skiier in mid-twist on a sunlit hillside.
   
   "City of Glass" isn't exactly going to make you race to Vancouver, but it will make you appreciate the little hidden facets of the city -- and perhaps make you notice the ones in your own.



3. I've lived in Vancouver for two years and visited it regularly for several years previously. I bought this book when I was still new to the city, hoping for a companion to the city with at least a little bit of content. I was attracted by the title and cover art, as I like the glassy Vancouver skyline and thought maybe the author appreciates the same things about the atmosphere of Vancouver that I do.
   
   Unfortunately, this is one of those books where the amount of content fit for an article in, say, the Georgia Straight or the Seattle Weekly, is blown up to the size (and price) of a book. The pages are mostly white space, with one or two paragraphs of large text in the middle that touch very briefly and vaguely upon some random topic, as if the author jotted this all down one night and didn't put much thought into it.
   
   The book also contains photographs which, rather than being an insider's look at Vancouver, could be photographs of any city out of any tourist magazine--the typical closeups of food on a plate at a nameless restaurant, or a house that could exist anywhere in North America.
   
   Because the text of this book is the length of an article, only blown up to look like a book, you could walk into a bookstore or library and read it pretty quickly (five or ten minutes). The only reason to purchase it would be if you absolutely must own every single book by Douglas Coupland, or every single book about Vancouver.
   
   I learned nothing from this book that I didn't already know about Vancouver after visiting it a few times, and it left me wanting to read a book about Vancouver that might tell me something I don't know.



4. Vancouver is great city (at least for a few dry months) and deserve a good book for the visitors. This book meets my needs and is not the typical guide book with maps and names and addresses. But for those who try to get a sense of the pulse of the city, it's character and quirks, I would recommend.
   
   After reading others', suspect that my copy (recently bought) has the insert that others don't. "My Hotel Year" was a wonderful read, and for those who remember the 60's bohemian Haight Ashbury, there is an echo DC evoked at the human level here that still resonates. "Van" is "San Fran" was, with more flowers and no jobs, at least the kinds you can build wealth. Ob-La-Di! Ob-La-Da!



5. A humorous, personal portrait of a gorgeous and quirky city. Coupland's narration is funny and dead on. The photos are generally quite good and go a long way toward capturing the mood of the place. He also plugs a lot of little known facts -- like about Greenpeace -- that Yankies like myself were not aware of.
   
   I hope he does a follow up book.

2 comments about The Art Direction Handbook for Film.

1. Informative, visual, with many insightful interviews! Nobody has ever told our everyday work life from inside like this book.Its technical yet personal approach explains how we really communicate and create in the art department. It is also exciting and valuable to read my peers' approaches and thoughts. This book will guide you through the traditional art direction process, and prepare you for the digital filmmaking. Highly recommended to all film schools and to anyone who wants to know about the art department!



2. Understanding exactly what anyone does professionally is not easily described. Considering how many areas of knowledge are required in Art Direction, it's daunting to try. Nonetheless, Michael Rizzo gets well beyond the job description.
   
   He offers not just insight about the technical and artistic worlds of art direction, but suggests that entire other world of underlying, temporary social, economic and artistic relations that unfold as a production takes on a life of it's own. It's a more interesting read than one might expect.
   
   Rizzo paints with a broad brush, adding bits of detail, insight and includes the basics too. He rounds out a very recognizable portrayal of the competing technical, managerial and artistic demands.
   
   The realm of perspective, perseverance and judgment are often a matter of individual experience, where are no maps are provided. Helpfully, Rizzo touches on these areas through interviews and advice, pointing to a larger sense of the demands on one's personal responsibility.
   
   It becomes apparent throughout the book, that regardless of how movies may actually be created, effectively yoking the artistic and technical sensibilities are an absolute necessity. Rizzo makes it clear that the sine qua non of art direction, the artistic chops to envision and execute the visual concept, is the touchstone.

5 comments about Oceanic Wilderness.

1. This book is filled with the most beautiful and amazing photos of our underwater world. If you love the sea, get this book.



2. This iconic book features so many incredibly weird and beautiful creatures from Indonesia. Roger's ability to show incredible detail using 35mm film is truly astounding. Most of the marine animals included in this book will soon only exist on paper, sadly. Get out there and buy one!



3. great book. as a scuba diver you see lots of different and strange fish and other creatures.you dont even touch on what all this book shows.its really interesting to know that you might see one of these if you know where to look.the book is put together well and the colors are great.its a good conversation book.great for the coffee table.



4. This is an outstanding collection of underwater images, mostly macro images from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The photographic quality of the images is excellent.
   
   It is a fascinating book. Many of the images record extremely rare animals and unusual events: all kinds of mating; anemones capturing and eating starfish; lionfish hunting in packs; fish with strange jaws gaping; nudibranchs hunting each other, etc.
   
   One of the really nice features of this book is the way it lays out 12 or 24 different variants of a theme juxtaposed together on a page: 24 different colour variations of the same nudibranch, or 12 variants of the beautiful patterns on the tails of mantis shrimp. These displays are beautiful and fascinating.
   
   This is a wonderful gift for a scuba diver or for anyone with an interest in the underwater world. The experience is a lot like chatting with an experienced marine biologist and photographer in the bar after a good day's diving. I've done almost a thousand dives, but while reading Steene's book I kept gasping "I didn't even know that fish did that!"



5. Roger Steene's "Oceanic Wilderness" is a fantastic book because the photos are of such high quality. There are amazing photos of many kinds of shrimps, crabs, worms and other invertebrates. I liked it because is was NOT full of endles photos taken while the diver was lying on the bottom looking up at the surface and the passing schools of fish. There are a limited number of such photos that one can look at without becoming bored.
   If you've never bought a coral reef book for your library, then you must buy this one - forget the rest this is the best!

2 comments about Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs.

1. This books is a compilation of Pulitzer Prize Award Winning Photographs. It's a great book.



2. This book is for any photographer who wants to see what it is truly like to "Capture the Moment." This books not only contains stunning photojournalism pictures, but also the stories that go with each. Together, they provide a real sense of the stories behind the photos.
   
   No doubt everyone has seen at least one of these pictures in their lifetime. The raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima, the naked girl fleeing her napalmed village during the Vietnam War, or Babe Ruth's final bow.
   
   Whether you are a photographer who wants to be able to take pictures like these, or just an admirer of such hard hitting photography, you WILL enjoy this book.

1 comments about Baltimore Then and Now (Then & Now).

1. This is a neat idea for a book: putting "then" and "now" photographs side-by-side. Though the book is at times mildly depressing when you see how alive and grand city spots once were as compared to how they look now, this is not a fault of the author, but our upkeep of cities, of course. The author does an excellent job of capturing the exact same angle of the older photograph, so you can really compare streets and buildings and other landmarks.
   
   We purchased this book as a gift for friends who are soon moving away from Baltimore, their recent home. It was well received.
   
   I have seen other versions of this book, with other cities highlighted. The New York and Philadelphia books look equally engaging, among others.
   
   I would recommend this product for history buffs, as a coffee table general interest book, or for Baltimoreans.

5 comments about The Book of Clouds.

1. This is the second copy I purchased in 2007. Will buy more for gifts in 2008.



2. I purchased this book to reference for my painting. I found the variety and quantity of photos great, however the quality of the photos is questionable. Most of them are grainy (an artistic treatment?) and some appear to be low res images scaled up to fit the format of the book. The paper and print quality could be better, but if you read it to learn about clouds it would suffice.



3. I ordered this book for my father for Christmas and I had really hoped it would be something special. We have a sentimental love of clouds and I thought this book would be the perfect gift. I am also a photography student and, naturally, love great photographs. This book was a disappointment. It is cheaply made, and all the pictures are grainy. The cover looks beautiful from a distance, and that's about it.



4. For many years, I lived in the beautiful state of Texas, with wide open skies wherever you'd look. After moving to a large city in an eastern state, suddenly the sky became something I had to look hard to find. Skyscrappers tend to block the view. This book not only gives me my sky views back, it tells me just what I am looking at. Thank you for the beautiful photos.



5. This book has terrific color shots of many different kinds of clouds and skies. It's an amazing book for using as an art reference and pretty much covers every kind of cloud you can imagine.

3 comments about The Photographer's Guide to Canyon Country: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them.

1. I bought two books for my trip to southern Utah. I read this one first and found it lacking. The author spends too much time decrying what he calls "photocopying," which is shooting iconic scenes that have already been done to death. Now I agree in principle that one should find their own interpretation of a scene and not look for Muench's tripod holes. But in reality, most amateur photogs are looking for the "trophy shots" that are icons. I don't need a lecture, just tell me how to get there and what time of day the light is good. That's all I ask from this kind of book.



2. I am looking forward to using this guide in our trip to Arches next year. The book came as advertised and on a timely basis. Good service.



3. "The Photographer's Guide to Canyon Country by John Annerino. From the author of Hiking the Grand Canyon, 3rd edition, (Sierra Club Books), offers a similarly intense focus. The introduction leads from Indians as the "first photographers" through pioneer photographers to how present-day photographers can define their goals and match them to modern techniques and equipment. The book hews to a no-nonsense formula, with chapters devoted to Mesa Verde, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches and five other national parklands. Annerino gives an overview of each, directions and contact information, along with tips for photographing the best sights and vistas. The text design is unremarkable and even slightly clunky, but the photos are National Geographic quality in both technique and printing -- beautiful enough to either inspire or intimidate the reader."
   - San Francisco Chronicle

No comments about Sony Alpha DSLR-A300/A350 Digital Field Guide.

5 comments about Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills (Photography Essential Skills).

1. If you are new to Photoshop you might want to start off simpler than this book but it is a good book for basic skills. Flip through it at Borders or B & N and see what you think. Clearly written and spell-out tutorials. A Great read and a good buy.



2. From a designers perspective, what a great book-looks fabulous. From an instructors point of view, well it can be frustrating to use. The editor didn't catch many ambigous sentences and the editor needs to hire an instructor with strong teaching skills to review and revamp the instructions in this book. For example, if a task requires 5 steps, the book will often only mention 1,2,5. An example of a ambigous sentence: "Duplicate the layer you are working before starting the extraction process as the extraction process removes rather than hides the pixels surplus to requirements". What in the world does "..surplus to requirements" mean?



3. As an amateur that has spent countless hours slaving over graphics hobbying, I can say this book has extreme value for me. In spite of instances wherein I'll nod my head and babble "yeah, yeah, I know, I know,..." it does present items which I did not know and that have had a direct and positive impact on what I do. Thorough industry gurus may not see any use for it, but the rest of the planet should have a copy and actually read then use the thing. What I appreciate most of all is the attitude. I detest those "Whatever for dummies" books. The methodical and sequential layout utilized by Messrs. Galer & Andrews, however, is the better way to go. If you get no other volume on the subject, at least get this one.



4. the date of arrival should be make it more clearly coz last time I thought the book will arrive on 21st Aug but it actually comes on 8th Aug it make me feel nervous coz last time I need to use the book quite urgent.



5. This is such an excellent "basic and beyond" book for this Photoshop Program. Only problem is that it needs to be about twice as long. Anytime Mark Galer and/or Philip Andrews authors a book--BUY IT. Their books are always to the point and understandable