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.

4 comments about Learning to Breathe: One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival.

1. The book is a quick read, one reason for that is "you can't put it down." It's an amazing story, simply told. Worth reading.



2. "Learning to Breathe" is a memoir by San Francisco-based photojournalist Alison Wright who flat-lined while on the operating table following a horrendous bus crash in Laos. Her doctors told her she should be dead, would never walk normally again, and recommended she put away her cameras and do something else with her life. Ms. Wright responded by climbing Africa's tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and publishing several photo books.
   
   At one point, Ms Wright recalls someone asking, "What are you willing to give up to find what you are looking for?"
   
   What indeed!



3. Learning to Breathe will knock your socks off! Just as the heroine of the story, photojournalist Alison Wright, manages to survive one terrifying near-death situation she hurtles herself (and you along with her) into yet another one...and then another one!! Where in the world does she get the courage to go on, you wonder? The fact that this amazing and true story is told in an honest, straight-forward style only adds to the drama. An inspirational and transformative emotional journey that takes you from the depths of the soul to the highest mountain peaks. A terrific page-turner! Loved it.



4. This is a book everyone should read - very inspirational whether you need it or not!

5 comments about Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin.

1. I picked up this book in 1984 because it was on a reading list for an Art History class I was taking at Oberlin College. I stayed up all night in the library that night. I couldn't put it down. My mind has never been the same.
   
   I still often think of it,tell stories from it and give it as a gift. I always say "skip the first chapter-it gets much better." If I remember right, the book begins with a description of Irwin's perfectionism when cleaning the engine of his car. I figure that will bore my friends.
   
   I tell my students about Irwin's many years attempt to make the perfect line, to his wife's chagrin and his painting the back side of his paintings because it matters to him. They like the story of the riots that occured in South America due to the disorientation of his discs-concave and convex-the viewers couldn't tell where the wall started and the disc stopped. I have given the book as a graduation present.
   
   I thought about this book at the mechanic the other day. My engine is very, very dirty.
   
   I will never forget,forgetting. Great book.



2. This is simply the best book about art I have ever read. Like other reviewers, I can say that this book permanently altered the way I see the world (and art). Irwin did it and he still does it.



3. *
   
   I am fascinated by the creative process. I am fascinated by physical manifestations born from the spark of an idea. I am fascinated by the complex psychology, rigorous philosophy and simple backbone evinced by those devotees of method. And I am blown-away by Robert Irwin.
   
   My first contact with Robert Irwin's work came in graduate school when a few friends and I drove from Philadelphia to Manhattan to visit the Dia Center for the Arts. There on an upper floor I encountered a truly shocking, yet subduing, experience. Irwin had taken over the entire level and divided into rooms demarcated with translucent scrim. I walked slowly, from space to space, enclosed but not, silent in presence yet bursting with internal applause, and in awe. I marveled at the solidity of light that slid through the Dia's industrial steel windows, tracing its way across two layers of the thin white fabric and gently landing on the concrete floor. My eyes were tickled by the subtlety of color emanating from the vertical fluorescent lights wrapped in gels. There must have been thirty others there at the same time, meandering like ghosts whitened by one, two, three layers of scrim, yet the space was absolutely quiet. This was the first time that I truly understood the word ?perception.? It came in a space filled with exacted simplicity.
   
   Since then I have tried to follow Irwin's work, both past and present, only to find that it is rarely photographed, as the medium cannot do the work justice. However, Lawrence Weschler's biography on the artist is a tremendous piece of writing that will give you much more appreciation for Irwin than any catalog ever could. Weschler spent years interviewing the artist, tracking down collaborators and researching the works. He exhibits an amazing understanding of Irwin's intentions and adds much needed commentary to keep the story straight while tracing the complex and highly personal evolution of the man and his art. From descriptions of Irwin's self-imposed eight month exile in Ibiza, to his two year long rigorous exercise (and again, exile) to create what amounted to twenty lines, Weschler gives us an in depth look at the zen-like disposition of the artist in his search for the perceptual (and hence, not conceptual). Irwin's diligence and rigor will stupefy even those most devoted to their process, and discussion of his material experimentation will act to spur imaginations. Robert Irwin supplies the majority of storytelling, however, and lets the reader in on often humorous tales of the art world from the point of view of a very personable and highly influential artist.
   
   In short, I highly recommend that anyone devoted to design, be it fine art or architecture, read this book. I also recommend that you travel to San Diego to see the first major exhibition of Irwin?s work since 1993, "Robert Irwin: Primaries and Secondaries" at the MCASD through February 23rd.
   
   Note: The installation at the Dia Center was reviewed thoroughly, with an included history of the artist?s work, in an article entitled "Robert Irwin?s Doors of Perception" by Carol Diehl in Art in America magazine, December, 1999, findarticles.com



4. If you're an artist, you need this book. Even if you don't like Irwin's work (or never heard of him.) Remarkably, this biography of the most minimal of minimal artists contains no abstruse language, no mysteriously self-important pronouncements, nor even a single reference to any French esthetic theorist. Not only is this written in clean, straightforward prose; you can hardly put it down. It also raises critical, fascinating questions about the nature of art, and of the way we see. I've recommended this book to several people. It's never what they expect. They've always thanked me.



5. Robert Irwin has lived his life as both a solitary creator and unrelenting seeker to the same consummate degree that only Dante Alighieri, Agnes Martin, Meister Eckhart, Lao Tsu, and a handful of others have sought. If you haven't heard of him, you should read this anyway. Remember, it even took Bach two centuries to get his proper due. Regardless, this book changed a lot for me. I am forever grateful.
   
   Weschler's prose is Irwin's lighting. His book good as this biography junkie has ever read, and he does it in only 203 pages. As I write this, you can buy this book used for the price of a Domino's pizza - that's all i'm saying.

4 comments about The Complete Pirelli Calendars: 1964-2007.

1. The Complete Pirelli Calendars: 1964-2007
   This book is large, heavy, and full of great images illustrating the history of the Pirelli Calendar. It not only shows evolution with regards to photographic style through the years, but provides a very diverse showcase of individual (and respected) photographer's work.
   I highly recommend it.
   Greg Gerla



2. I had always been fascinated with the mystique that surrounded the Pirelli Calenders. So of course when this book became available I immediately jumped at the opportunity to buy it. If you want to see the evolution of cheesecake photography - and I do mean cheesecake at its absolute best - then this is the tome (its a BIG book) for you.
   
   I would have given it five stars but one of my favourite images was reproduced at half the size of the page. And while I understand that it was part of the artistic layout I was hoping for that one to be bigger.
   
   Aside from that minor issue I am very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it



3. i'd always heard of the mythos of the Pirelli callender.
   it was a tad overhyped/overrated



4. The Complete Pirelli Calendars encapsulates beautiful photographs taken over a period of more than 30 years by photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Bruce Weber, among others. Their style and beauty reflects why this calendar is only sent to a very few people every year and it's not for sale on a regular basis. I truly recommend it because you will find many renowned actresses and models that have appeared in this wonderful collection

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.

3 comments about A Short Course In Photography.

1. If you are talking a College level course that utilises this book as the main text, I truly pity you. You will learn more by simple self research via the internet and using your camera over the duration of the course than this book could ever teach you. By the final chapter you are left banging your head into your desk wondering why anyone would ever choose this offal as a required textbook. Don't believe me? Read Chapter 9 and notice that the vast majority of the text is simple poetic musings followed by references back to previous chapters, as the authors were too bloody lazy to expand upon their meager ideas. Pathetic.



2. I've been using SLR's & digital cameras since early high school, including use for some publication work. This book gives good, basic information, and would be good for a novice just learning to use a film-type camera. My copy is dated 1979, so it includes nothing about digital photography. The other reviewer referred to Chapter 9 as being nothing more than verse or poetry. That is somewhat puzzling as my copy only has 7 chapters. Also, unless there have been more current editions, this book is too dated to ever be used as a textbook for any current college course. However, if you are just looking for a basic reference on basic, film-type photography, or are a new hobbyist with a film camera, this book is certainly adequate, and one could do worse.



3. I didn't realize that it would take three weeks plus, so I didn't have it quick enough for my class, so order quick! Otherwise all is good.

5 comments about On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa.

1. This is a collection of beautiful photographs. The prints are warm, with good blacks. This made a great gift for our friends that had travelled in Africa.



2. Amazing BW pictures. Very nice and a good edition. Very interesting for all photo-africa lovers....



3. This is a wonderful book with some great pictures of the African wildlife. The black and white photos were striking and the book appeals to 3 years of age to 65. It captured the African wildlife that I have had the privilege of seeing first hand on two occasions.



4. As an avid photographer - and one who has spent a lot of time shooting in EA - these are precisely the sort of images that make me want to grab my camera and rush back into the Serengeti. It's a well selected collection - perhaps not the greatest photographs I have ever seen, but a beautiful selection nontheless. A wonderful departure from the stock "post-card" photograpy that's been pouring out of the continent, and some are so breathtakingly vivid (like the image used on the cover) that you can almost feel the dust swirl around you, and feel the hot African sun on your neck.
   
   It's a beautiful book. Would make an an ideal gift for the nature photographer, and for the nature lover...



5. This artist is just amazing, since I saw his exhibition, I never forgot the intensity of these original masterpiece. So why only 4 stars?? I don't know, the book is too small? The printing? it's never perfect but the photographs... The photographs ...

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 John Shaw's Closeups in Nature (Practical Photography Books).

1. "Closeups in Nature has provided a good technical approach to closeup photography, especially for the amateur photographer. I was in need of information relative to lense specifications and technical data to try and sucessfully photograph some difficult subject for publication. THis book gave some very generic insight on how to start that photo process and some guidance on how to develope a personal technique.



2. This book would be very helpful to a true beginner lots of tips and explanations. Very easy to read and follow no rocket science here. I would recommend this to anybody who is starting out in closeup and or macrophotography



3. This is a great book for all photographers. Even those just a little interested in close up photography. Recommended 4++++



4. Yeah, it's film centric but much of the information is great for digital too. If you are a wannabee, hobbiest nature photographer like myself, this is a great read.
   
   All of John Shaw's books are great. There is some overlap between them as he goes over the basics but they are all worth a read for any aspiring nature photographer.



5. This book really helped me develop some interesting concepts to adapt into my own work, and it introduced me to many things that you can do with lenses to take more interesting photographs.

1 comments about Nikon D60 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. Very useful information. If you've owned nikons before, or are a new user, the information is very helpful. It will assist you when taking photos for the 1st time or will help you to take better photos.