5 comments about The Best of Family Portrait Photography: Professional Techniques and Images.

1. This book has good info for beginners. The photography is just mediocre though. I woudl have preferred more inspirational and dynamic photographs in this book



2. My wife started giving me a hard time about family pictures, insisting on having some done by a pro. So, I have a camera, know where the button is to take the picture, and can read - so ordered this book. Why pay a pro if you can do it yourself, right?
   
   The book is of good quality and print. The pictures are absolutely stunning and left me drooling with desire on knowing how to take them. Bill is offering some advice next to some pictures on the settings used by the pro's that took the pics, and only that advice and the hints and tips for posing and group composition makes this book worth the money.
   
   Take note however that taking pics such as the ones in this book requires careful planning - location, dress-code, weather conditions, and good equipment (forget about your point & shoot). You also need some software tool such as photoshop, and you need to know how to use it. If you have any doubts, forget the book and order a pro...



3. This book makes it very simple (comparatively) to understand how to place subjects, how to light them and how to take the pictures! The photos included are great, too, to give ideas of what is being discussed.



4. Even if you have shot family portraits before, this book not only gives you new ideas but it also details the techniques and lighting logistics from the portraits shown. It also reminds us of what we may have forgotten or have become lazy in doing. A definate thumbs up.



5. If you are new to family portraiture or are simply frustrated with your results, this is the book for you. It's an easy read with lots of photographic examples without all the fluff. I highly recommend it!

No comments about China, Portrait of a Country.

5 comments about LaChapelle, Heaven to Hell (Photo Books).

1. Lachapelle is great. The book has an incredible edition. Pure quality. Enjoy this fine piece of contemporary art.



2. Mr La Chapelle does it again with tongue in cheek dark humor. I bought this for a friend who collects wild and bizarre photo books...For me, it's a collector's item but not for the faint of heart or a coffee table book for a young family with children. He is an amazing photographer but more, an amazing imagination along with obvious sexual undertones,skills to stir it it all up and produce a unique statement through photo collage. My friend loved this book.



3. I got the book really fast! And it was perfect. Just a small scratch in the hard box.



4. Love Lachapelle, pretty much an insane genius. His work is sexy, provocative, alluring, disturbing, insane, kinky, risqué, all while being too hot to handle... the book is so chock full of fun that a normal person can't look through the entire thing in one sitting without their head exploding. If only one day I can become him... Lachapelle if you are reading this, let me be your apprentice!



5. We've all gone to an art museum and after about an hour of seeing one masterpiece after another, we've reached the saturation point and can really not properly absorb seeing any more art no how matter how great it is. This boxed, coffee table book of color photographs had the same effect on me as becoming saturated in an unfamiliar museum. This Taschen printed volume differs from his earlier "David LaChapelle" catalogue in that it is 11 1/4 by 14 1/4 inch format and it's possible to really study the photographs. Most of these images are slick, surreal, erotic fantasy images. There are a few relatively straight portraits of major celebrities. The Portrait of a self-satisfied looking Hillary Clinton standing behind her almost empty, spotless office desk is one of those relatively straight-forward portraits. The photo is titled "Hillary Clinton, Century 21, 2001." Thanks to the large format double-page spread the reader is able to notice a lonely red apple sitting on the desk like it was just left by a admiring student. Unfortunately the apple is rotten and one can almost see the worm crawling out from the large black hole in the side of the fruit. Was this portrait some kind of future omen?
   The book has many series such as the "Scarface Series", the "Taxi Driver Series", "What Will You Wear When You're Dead? Series", "Jesus Series" and the "Drunken American Series." There are several pictures that weren't necessarily part of a particular series, but were the same locations and sets used in several different series. One fire ravaged bedroom was the set for a portrait of Pink and titled "We Used to Have Fun, 2002." The same set minus Pink, was titled "Tina Used to Be So Much Fun, 2000." In a previous book the same photo had the title "Mama Smoked A Crack Pipe and Wore Fancy Shoes, Los Angeles, 2000." There is nothing wrong with using different titles for the same pictures in a different use, but it is interesting to see. Changing the title can change the entire meaning of the photograph. Another example of the same photo with a different title is the one called "Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee Pose Naked with Sharon Gault's Family, 1999." In "David LaChapelle" that same scene is titled, "Tommy Lee and Family, Los Angeles, 1999."
   This is such a wonderful book it's really impossible to do it justice. This one is more erotic and kinky than some of the photographer's earlier work, but even the nudes are so slick and plastic looking that they don't have much sex appeal. That's hard to imagine with so many photographs of Pamela Anderson, Lil' Kim, Angelina Jolie, and some of LaChapelle's other favorite drop-deal beautiful models and celebrities. Separating the various series are outstanding and far-out fanciful portraits of other celebrities including David Bowie, Sylvester Stallone, Philip Johnson, Robert Downey Jr., Muhammad Ali, Justin Timberlake, Jeff Koons, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Toby Maguire, and Jude Law among others.
   Naturally the book contains plenty of LaChapelle's visual puns, parodies, far-side humor and satire. This is an amazing buffet of colorful visual delights. For some reason, it reminds me of looking at those wax or plastic models of meals or services that are so much a part of Japanese merchandising. That's not a criticism,
   just an observation. I very much enjoyed this collection of LaChapelle's concepts and finished pictures.

5 comments about Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (VOICES).

1. The book is useful for those who want to move up from basic use of Photoshops image enhancment tools to a more advanced level. The use of various layer masks and how to develop an efficient workflow is described. The book is laid out as a course and the reader should do the exercises using the images from the included CD. The style of the results is of course a reflection of Versaces own style, however by learning the described teqnique the reader can gain a platform to develop his own style. The example images are portraits and close-up nature. There is also a small collection of the Versaces images nicely presented which shows that the author has achieved his goals.
   This is not a general encyclopedia on Photoshop rather it is an introduction on how to use the toools in Photoshop to achieve a specific photografic result and to get inspiration from a master.



2. I call this a Method actor's how to book because invariably Versace starts with the artistic motivations and aims before getting into the techniques to satisfy them. This approach really works for me.
   
   I have spent most of my time with his B&W conversion techniques, trying out some alternatives not included in the book, but that derive from its motivations. I've found the techniques are extremely adaptable and customizable to one's own vision. This I think is rare for a book such as this, and therefore it receives my highest esteem.



3. This book is not your everyday Photoshop book and not a book for casual reading. It is a journey that provokes thought and requires the reader to often take his steps over again to fully appreciate what is being taught. As Vincent Versace has said many times, his purpose in writing this book was not to do a step by step answer book, it was to write a book which would inspire the reader to ask questions and look at things in a different way.
   
   As an example, after reading about image harvesting I created an image composited from 20+ separate photographs to achieve enough depth of field using a 180 macro lens. By working through the lesson, I finally understood how to do the compositing it would require and I was surprised how well it worked. That the warp tool was required to get the leaf the way he wanted it only serves to reinforce the concept of interpretation.
   
   For those who may be disappointed to find out Kismet is a composite, I have to wonder why. Are Jerry Uelsmann's images less photographic because he composites them in the darkroom? Are landscape images by Ansel Adams less iconic because they were manipulated in the darkroom? Photography has always been created from what the photographer saw and felt and how he wants to interpret that onto the print.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who has the patience to take the time required to understand what Vincent is sharing and I am hoping he will add more books to my library in the future.



4. this purchase was done on behalf of a friend of mine and from what i was told, he is totally satisfied with the book. recommended.



5. Stunning photography and continuing inspiration from a master of photography. I highly recommend Vincent's book.

5 comments about Practical HDRI: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers.

1. Whether you're an experienced photographer (I'm a professional commercial photographer) or a beginner, this is a great introduction to HDRI. While the book does, of necessity, have some basics for beginning photographers, there's more than enough "meat" for those already well-versed in photo technology but new to high-dynamic range imaging. I found the tutorials clear and helpful, and the examples inspiring. Howard obviously knows his subject, having been one of the few that was pushing HDRI before it was "mainstream," and being someone who experimented with all kinds of uses for HDRI.
   If you've never done HDRI, and you want a good guide to getting started and pushing the technology, this is the book for you.



2. It's hard to give this book a good rating although parts are very instructive. The book begins at a very elementary way; what exposure is, what the focal length of lenses mean. There are much better books for such basic stuff; and this one if far from comprehensive.
   
   The following information on how to use the HDR software, encompasses little more than 'move the sliders around and watch what they do.' There is a bit of instruction on what various buttons are for, and where to find more sliders on the unintuitive HDR software interfaces.
   
   The book then makes a huge jump into advanced techniques that assume a high level working knowledge of Photoshop. For someone who is really starting in HDR photography at the same level that this book starts, the section that describes deghosting one image using 14 sets of 7 bracketed exposures using Smart Object stacks in Photoshop CS3 Extended will be totally, completely beyond their capabilities!
   
   The production values of the book are excellent as are all the Rock Nook books; full color throughout, good binding lots of screen shots of good size (Something a lot of Photoshop books don't get right). There does not seem to be any way to get copies of any of the images in the book, so no chance of following along. (Several other of the Rocky Nook books do provide links for test images.)
   
   The advanced techniques provide a lot of good tips for experienced Photoshop uses and photographers. The 14x7 deghosting strategy mentioned above is excellent. I hope he does another version at a much higher level.



3. After reading (and using) Ferrell McCollough's excellent "Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography" I was more than ready to dive deeper into HDR photography. I recently returned from Japan with about 500 HRD images to process, so I purchased the book at hand looking for guidance. This book is useful mind you, but it does not generate the excitement I found the the McCollough's work. The many controls of several popular HDR programs are described, and that will help, but I felt the information was a little mundane and somewhat patronizing. The price is expensive compared to the McCollough work ($16 vs $22). Another text (by Christian Bloch) has received high ratings on Amazon. Guess I'll try that one next . . .



4. In this book Jack Howard gives you all the tips and tricks you will need
   to make stunning, true to life, HDRi images. Whether you just picked up a
   digital SLR for the first time, or you are an advanced shooter, you will
   learn some great techniques, and discover some fantastic tools that you
   can use to make amazing HDR images.
   
   Have a new DSLR? Wondering what all those settings do and how they relate
   to HDRi? Jack guides the newcomer through the basics such as the gear you
   will need, to ideas on composition and exposure. Advanced photographers,
   fear not, while you may be able to breeze through the first few chapters,
   Jack takes us all the way to the edge of HDRi giving us how to's on
   deghosting those pesky moving objects, working successfully in the 32bit
   space with global and local adjusting, how to work with and manage, halos,
   hypersaturation, and other artifacts that HDRi can produce.
   
   Jack will walk you through processing your HDR's in many different
   applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS3, Photomatix pro 3, FDR tools and dynamic photo HDR 3.x so you can see the workflow of HDRi and pick the application thats right for you!
   
   Think after you merge all those images to an amazing looking HDR you are
   done? Jack brings us full circle by instructing us on post tone mapping
   optimization, dealing with color profiles, adjusting the image in Adobe
   Camera Raw, and reducing HDRi generated noise.
   
   So, whether you are new to HDRi and don't know where to start, or you are
   a pro looking for some unique techniques, Jack Howard covers it all in
   this book!



5. I find that photography books that are the first to introduce concepts are more likely to garner good reviews than books that just repeat what I already know. This is by way of explaining why "Practical HDRI", a perfectly respectable introduction to high dynamic range (HDR) photography, has not impressed me as much as earlier HDR books. (HDR is a method of combining several pictures in a computer to extend the range of light of a photographed scene.)
   
   Howard starts by describing the equipment necessary for HDR photography, proceeds to describe basic composition rules and the nature of lenses, and then how to best capture a scene for HDR processing. Next, he turns to generating the HDR image from the captured photos and then tone mapping the images. He completes his discussions by reviewing post processing of the images, with an emphasis on using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).
   
   There are several different software tools for HDR processing and the author describes the use of Adobe Photoshop CS3, Photomatrix Pro 3, FDR Tools Advanced 2.2, and Dynamic Photo 3. In each case he explains what the various sliders do in creating an HDR image.
   
   Howard writes simply and clearly. However to make sense of his software descriptions, one will have to download the particular software (they are all available in demo versions) and create one's own range of images to process. I found that only by following along at the computer can one make sense of the directions. Howard's instruction is not a tutorial since there is no common image to process or understand. I found that his explanation of what actually happens when tone mapping an image to be the clearest in any of the HDR books that I've read.
   
   I wish that Howard had been more organized in indicating when one or another piece of software would be have been appropriate for a particular image, and had provided more detailed explanations of why he made choices amongst the various sliders and buttons each piece of software offers. Michael Freeman provided this type of information in "Mastering HDR Photography: Combining Technology and Artistry to Create High Dynamic Range Images", although Freeman certainly did not explore all the controls to the extent of Howard.
   
   I was quite surprised to see the author's recommendations for post processing in ACR, a plug-in I'd only considered appropriate for RAW images. Yet, because some of ACR's tools seem more robust (or at least more convenient) then the basic Photoshop tools, I ultimately found this idea acceptable.
   
   One of the characteristics of HDR imagery is the ability to manipulate an image to the point where it appears almost surrealistic, creating something beyond a simple reproduction of what the photographer saw at the scene. Many of Howard's illustrations demonstrate this surrealism and, while the author suggests he will explain how to achieve this effect, his explanations are minimal.
   
   HDR processing is likely to be the domain of the serious photographer rather than the snapshooter. Many of these photographers will have already experimented with the software covered by this book and will find nothing new. On the other hand, for the photographer still trying to get a handle on HDR, this book may help improve skills.

2 comments about Art and Design in Photoshop.

1. Steve Caplin displays yet another example of the endless possibilities of Photoshop.Packed with practical examples of realistic projects for those looking to sharpen their skills or just stuck on where to begin a layout. This book has it. A great companion to "How to Cheat in Photoshop".
   A work of art in and of itself.
   Mr Caplin, you've done it again!



2. This book is really good and useful.
   Then, it could be difficult to read for a beginner, because it states more of "how to work with Photoshop" than "how to use Photoshop".
   
   If you have a good feedback of Photoshop, this book is fantastic to read.
   The author show you many design tips and secret that you can re use to your own. But he does'nt swamp you with over-detailed et boring explanations 'à la kelby'
   The companion CD contain all the files and the fonts used in the book..
   
   Steve Caplin.. you are great !!!

5 comments about The Best of Wedding Photojournalism: Techniques and Images from the Pros.

1. It's a great book to read with great images too. Not as much "technique" information as I expected but nonetheless no regrets in purchasing it.



2. Excellent book. Great resource for beginning wedding photographers or experienced traditional wedding photographers.
   
   I like his style and thought process. My wife also read it and really liked his style.



3. This book can be described as "a high-level instruction on wedding photojournalism, interleaved with many master photos captioned with moderate amount of explanations". I think this book is strongest in its collection of photos. They are selected from albums shot by masters of the field and so you get to see a lot of different styles in just one book. That makes this book a source of inspiration to me. The text, as noted by some other reviewers, is very high-level and I would not recommend this as the first book on the subject. But as a second book, absolutely.



4. This is a book that's suited for the beginner wedding photographer or a photography student. It has a lot of no brainer information in it and I wouldn't recommend it for established photographers.



5. An easy reading and resourceful book for developing the skills necessary for a successful wedding photojournalistic photographer. I enjoyed reading about how this type of photography requires the photographer to be an emotion detector and storyteller of the day. Elements on how this is achieved is brought to light in areas such as preparation, anticipation, reaction, knowing when to interact and when not to. Other strong points are techniques given and wonderful images. A great book suitable for just about any photographer involved with weddings.

5 comments about The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, Second Edition.

1. Every learning photographer must have this book. More to photography than photoshop and digital and this book will open up you photographic world.



2. This book is for artists. It is worth every cent. Remember, you get what you pay for. It contains the details, the history, the examples and the intellect. Very well put together and a pleasure to read. If you are serious about learning "alternative" photographic processes, this is the book.



3. 'Tis the most complete alternative processes manual of all times. More beautiful color photograph illustrations than you could think to shake a stick at. To get the most alternative use of this book, one might stitch the pages together to wear as clothes, and alternatively processize to one's heart's content.



4. Very clear and detailed information, with excellent photo and graphics that illustrate the alternative processes.
   All the processes are historically contextualized.
   Congratulations Christopher James for this great book.



5. This book does excactly that what it pretends: it gives an excellent overview of al kinds of alternative processes so you can pick the one(s) you like. It does not go into detail, for that you have specific books or web information.
   
   Some of the process described are at this moment impossible to perform, simply because the chemicals are not available anymore; they are too dangerous. The books states that as well...

1 comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS Rebel XSi EOS 450D (Magic Lantern Guides).

1. This book is well illustrated with pictures and diagrams. The Magic Lantern Guide makes a complicated camera user friendly.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop Elements 6: A Visual Introduction to Digital Photography (book with CD).

1. As the subtitle says, this is an introduction to Adobes' `junior' image editing application.
   
   The book itself is well laid out, with sections ranging from introductions to digital photography and Elements itself to printing, file management and some simple projects.
   
   It's a good book for dipping into - the sections are easy to navigate with a clear contents page and index to help you find your way around.
   
   The graphics used throughout the book are clear and well laid out and illustrate the tools and techniques being described in the text. Screenshots are good and a reasonable size so you can see all the components of a tool or menu.
   
   At the moment, it only covers the Windows version - there's no indication of what will happen when the Macintosh version is released later this month.
   - All the keyboard shortcuts are for Windows, and the `Organizer' workspace is fairly extensively covered - the Mac version will use `Bridge' as featured in CS3, so a relatively major rewrite would be required.
   
   However, for users of the previous Windows based Elements version, mention is made where appropriate to equivalent commands in v.5 along with indicators where a particular tool or technique is new to v.6. It should be just possible to apply some of the techniques to older versions of Elements, but I wouldn't recommend buying this book unless you already own or are intending to upgrade to Elements 6.
   
   A CD is supplied with the book which has a number of video tutorials covering the new and updated features in v.6 and some of the projects featured in later sections in the book, along with resources for practising the more complex work-throughs - within the text, an indicator is used to show that content is available on the CD.
   
   The author also has a web site including video podcasts, tutorials, and loads of additional resources, some for previous Elements versions.
   
   I found this to be a very informative book with plenty of material for the new Elements user and a good all round introduction to digital imaging.



2. ***THIS REVEW IS FOR THE CD ONLY***
   
   I really like how the CD explains the PE 6. It shows the entire screen as it helps you through the tutorials. Very helpful to me, one who is new to the PE programs and requires an audio and moving visual way of learning.
   
   The bad part is that the audio on the CD I received was garbled with a distorted sound throughout the disc. Some of the subheadings were worse than others as far as the audio distortion goes.
   
   I contacted Focal Press, talked to a tech guy. He helped me try some things on my computer that did not end up helping with the audio trouble I had with this disc. Later he went over his copy, then emailed me to say that his copy was not effected. I returned my first copy, received a second and it did the same thing in the exact same places. So I returned the second copy as well.
   
   Before returning the second copy, I even tried down loading the free quick time by Apple, which a website for another book had recommended for their audio trouble in hopes it would help this one. It did not help my CD trouble with this book. (I do not have any other trouble with audios with my computer from any other discs. Just the CD that came with this book.)
   
   I then bought the book: How to Cheat in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for it's CD. I was disappointed with the only partial view of the screen. This was very limiting since it doesn't show where to click so you can try it for yourself.
   
   If anyone has a tip on how I can get this CD to work on my PC (A Dell Inspiron 6400 please let me know so I can buy another book and try it again.) I learned several things on PE 6 software from the CD that came with this book but can't remember them all. The garble distortion was so annoying! Hopefully your disc will be fine.
   
   (4 stars is for the CD only and it is missing a star due to the audio garble and distortion.)



3. In college I took a required course to learn what kind of learner I was. I thought it was stupid and didn't want to go. Everyone knows you learn by reading books. What I found out was that I had a much higher retention rate in the visual mode. Made college a lot easier. This book is a good example of a text for the visual learner. Very well laid out and paced.
   
   My one complaint was that it was a bit skimpy on the Organizer. Many of us have a mess of photos that we need to organize. This organizer eliminates the need for sub-folder after sub-folder but the book does not highlight that strength nearly enough.
   
   I highly recommend the book for the new-to-digital-photography set.



4. Very clear explanations, easy to follow, I'm enjoying learning. I have done some minor things and my confidence is growing. I recommend this book by Philip Andrews strongly.



5. I highly recommend this book with Photoshop elements 6....A great help and easy to understand