4 comments about Jeff Smith's Posing Techniques for Location Portrait Photography.

1. Jeff Smith does a nice job of conveying the strategy behind photography outside of the studio. Not only informative but also teaches the reader to sharpen his/her skill. Posing techniques for both individuals and groups as well as maximizing environmental surroundings to work for your photographs are discussed in detail. An invaluable book for any photographer's library.



2. Jeff Smith is certainly one of my favorite authors in the field of photography. This book, like his many other texts, is well written and illustrated. Jeff breaks down posing into the simplest of terms so that anyone can follow his step by step instruction. His examples of group portraits are especially helpful and beautifully executed.



3. I received my order yesterday and started to read this book. I couldn't put it down. It had so many points I would have never considered, and wouldn't have guessed that would matter to a woman. For example, ankles are about the only thing I never notice on a woman, but they do. I would have thought leaning a person up against a rock for example would be a great shot, well, not exactly. Mr. Smith covers nearly everything from the tilt of the head to how the toes should be positioned. Also another thing is how to creatively hide areas of a person that are going to make an otherwise great shot into a reject. Great pictures of women, guys and families. He certainly brings out the beauty of the gals in his poses. (I must say though that with most of these gals, making them look good is not too hard.) Well worth the price. Amazon delivered in about 4 days. Ric.



4. While text in this book is useful at times, but you can get pretty much same stuff from most of "Posing techniques" (including brilliant books by Gomez on glamour photography) books out there (including few very good ones). There is VERY little specifics about on location posing, which book supposed to be about. Couple of chapters on how to sell your work - dont even understand why they were added, apart from making up for volume. Most of images in book are pretty mediocre, and like 70% of them reminds you of what person who just learned how to apply gaussian blur in Photoshop to smooth skin and make Orton's effect would be keep doing out of sheer excitement (and i kid you not. Image on the cover is one of very few good ones).
   
   On the whole - very few good tips and loads of repetition of other books. And very few good shots , which actually looks professional (sorry for repeating this, but its kind of strikes me. I never saw such a horrible stuff before in a book that pretends to teach people)

5 comments about Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists.

1. if you know anyone who loves making lists(as i do!),this would be the PERFECT gift!
   
   I was so excited to receive mine in the mail and I'm slowly making my lists so it will last longer.
   
   I wish it had less pictures and a few more lists but it has almost every list you can imagine with space to make your own in the back.



2. I've been addicted to making lists for years, I came across this book on a blog and I went threw the roof. I ordered it immediately, received it today and have spent most of my day filling it out already. I'm glad to have found others who share the love for lists. Use it to learn about yourself or to just have fun.



3. I bought this book for my friend for Christmas because she is always making lists and she loved it.



4. Visually it looks great! Kooky illustrations on nice paper - you do want to write in this journal. Plenty of room for your ideas. The pages are headed up with list topics and you just jot down "answers". I think the idea of the book is to add to the lists over a period of time, having a giggle at your previous comments. This is something that I do think I will continue, not like a journal which I can't keep going for longer than a month!



5. I really liked this book because i love making lists and this book provides you with great questions. One, because it's things I wouldn't have really thought of listing on my own, and two because it's makes a list of things that you might later forget in life so it's like a mini biography

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

1. Vincent Versace's Welcome To Oz is quite possibly the most innovative and best digital photography title I've ever come across (excluding my own books, of course!).
   
   Versace is a superb photographer. So this is not one of those digital photography books that is written by a Photoshop guru without the creative gifts and guts to make images. But it is still largely a Photoshop book.
   
   Versace's subtitle tells the story of his book: "A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop". After reading this book, I felt better able to view photograph-making from the perspective of what would happen to the photo in the computer as well as in the camera. And, as I said, the images are splendid (and the step-by step accounts of how they were created very thorough).
   
   If I have one caveat here, it is that Versace provides versions of his original images, and encourages readers to duplicate his work on these samples. Personally, I prefer to try things out on my own images, and I enourage readers and students to process their own work. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes a slavish imitation of a master rather than an original creative endeavor. But that's a matter of individual taste and a quibble, this is a really, really good book.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

4 comments about The Complete Guide to Professional Wedding Photography: Creating a more profitable and fulfilling business.

1. This book is great!! Everything a photographer needs, to learn more about his/her photography business. The examples are also fantastic (they even give all the details about the picture) which I love!!



2. The book is well written, with good images, so why not 5 stars?
   
   I read the book cover to cover and that is the problem it's not an easy read. They didn't know what this book was when they did the layout. It's set up as a coffee table book with lots of good images and lots of information on how the images were taken. This causes bad breaks in the text, they break in the middle of paragraphs, and even worse sentences. One sentence cuts in the middle for multiple pages of images then picks back up with the end of the sentence.
   
   As for the information provided in the book, it's good but not really new. One issue I have is that some of the chapters feel forced. This book covers the business of wedding photography so it has a chapter on bookkeeping that can be summed up as find good software and a good accountant. I get it, he doesn't do his own bookwork, fine, skip the chapter and write about what you do.
   
   The images are great, the text is nothing new but it is motivational and gives a good blueprint to follow for the business of wedding photography. Overall this is a good book and would have been 5 stars if they had shown the attention to detail in the layout of the book that they put into the images.



3. When I heard and read that Damien Lovegrove was to release a book I smiled and thought YES.A portfolio and notes of advice all rolled into one from one of the UK's most sought after Photographer and Speaker is certainly worth a second look. Knowing Damien and his work like I do, it was no surprise that I would be ordering one as soon as the chance presented itself. Having being on one of Damien's Location Lighting Courses, I was in receipt of a set of notes at the end of the course which are kept on a safe location in my bookshelf. These aforementioned notes are still an important reference document. Shelved alogside this is my new investment (Damien' Book, The Complete Guide to Professional Wedding Photography) It is up ther with Bambi Cantrell and Julie Oswin.
   The book itself is well presented and feels good tothe touch, like a wedding album which is to be cherished. It is full of well lit and well composed images with metadata attached so that you the reader can get an insight into the creation and the story of the image. The text is carefully worded and easy to read and anyone who knows Damien's voice you could be forgiven for thinking he was reading it to you.
   I refer to it for both ideas and reference so that I am not outdone by the challenges that the present day photographer has to face.
   Get your copy, it is well worth twice what you would pay, you will be sure to get several ideas from it, if you only get one it will still be worth it.
   I hope you will enjoy the book as my as I have done,
   
   
   Tim Collins.



4. As an emerging wedding photographer, I was seeking a definitive resource that provided good compositional examples, ideas for running the scheduling of a wedding day, advice about business management and customer service, and workflow. I found all this and much more in Damien Lovegrove's superb book.
   
   Where other wedding photography books failed for me, this one stood out heads and shoulders above the rest. I found that this book (while demonstrating a distinct British flavour, given the high formality of many of the weddings photographed) still transcended international barriers, where everything became relevant for me even as an Australian photographer.
   
   Damien Lovegrove has a clear, succinct and easy-to-read narrative style of writing. He offers solid examples of his fine work, technical information and the environmental context relating to how they were achieved, together with detailed information about how to manage a wedding day, post-wedding workflow, and developing your business for profit.
   
   Mr Lovegrove doesn't bog the book down with explanations of basic photographic theory, nor does he spend too much time discussing the type of camera or flash you should be using. He jumps straight into the nitty-gritty of the issue, and assumes that the reader already has at least some experience with cameras and photography. If he ever produced a book with detailed lighting concepts and theory, photographers would have the perfect library for their career in just two books.
   
   Mr Lovegrove is genuinely inspirational and explains that he too worked from the ground up, and that only through hard work and dedication was his ambition realised.
   
   This book was absolutely fantastic and I know that I will be buying any of his future books, his DVDs and attending his seminars. Damien Lovegrove is truly a master in his field. This book, above any other non-technical resource you may be considering, is vital for any photographer serious about becoming great.

5 comments about The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers (O'Reilly Digital Studio).

1. This is a good book. It is very helpful in determining how to organize photographs. It also is a give a good review of Bridge. It would be nice for the book to be up dated to cover CS3.



2. This is a must-have book for photographers who are amassing a large collection of photos.
   
   I needed to read it 2 times before getting a feel for how to impliment it.
   
   Great strategies and it has now changed my workflow completely and for the better
   
   Money very well spent (although it cost me many thousands more since I also updated my computer, server, and softward to impliment this)
   
   Regards, Dean



3. If you're an amateur or a professional getting into digital photography you need to sit down and read a book like this. Managing your photographs (your "assets") is necessary and it will help you find, print and publish your work.
   
   This book isn't 100% up to date but the book's web site is a nice supplement with active discussions.



4. Overall, this is a good book that thoroughly covers all the essentials of putting together a system and practices to organize and preserve your photo collection.
   
   On the hardware side, he shows excessively expensive harddrive setups, when 2TB Western Digital MyBooks are dropping under $500. (Such statements are always relative to the date they're made -- 18 months from now that might be 4TB for $400.) I do agree with some comments he makes about RAID not being such a hot idea. The increasing size of individual drives is making the time it takes to reconstruct a failed drive in a RAID configuration reach absurd levels. When it took five or more drives to assemble 1TB, RAID seemed pretty clever. It's time has passed.
   
   On the software side, he pushes Bridge plus iView MediaPro. That may have been the hot setup when the book was published, but Lightroom is gaining converts at a high rate. A 2nd edition revised to center on Lightroom would be good. At the very least, he'd need to explain exactly what Bridge + iView MediaPro can do that Lightroom can't and why it matters. I believe Lightroom alone offers a much less convoluted system then that combination.
   
   Finally, for a book whose entire point is organizing and preserving photos, it has a curious hole. If your photo archive is all of your family's pictures, as opposed to a wedding photography business, how do you ensure it will outlive you? He makes a few remarks about how having things well organized will make it easier for your family, but that's it. Thinking about such things proves I'm getting to be an old fart, but it strikes me as a major omission in a book on this subject.
   
   My criticisms shouldn't detract from my original statement -- it's overall a good book. Even if I don't follow his exact hardware and software recommendations, he made me think through whether my combination was completely sound. I've changed how I was doing some things, and changed some of my ideas about what I plan to do in the future, as a result. It's the best and most thorough book on the subject available to date.



5. This book was recommended by several people before I purchased it. I thought I had a good grip on my archiving and management system...I was wrong.
   
   
   This book is a tad dated now but its principles are still standing strong.
   
   I would recommend this to anyone who is making images.
   
   
   
   
   
   Fashion Photographer David Paul Larson
   [...]

2 comments about Artworks for Elementary Teachers with Art Starts.

1. I love the thought of this book -- an art book for teachers who may not know much about art, but are planning on teaching art to their students. It's a great idea, and the book covers a great deal of information in a thin volume, from the principles of art, to the schools of artists and their works, to methods used to create art, to visiting the museum.

   The book also contains suggested projects for your elementary school art students, as well as jumping-off points for discussion and activity. I only wish the book had even more ideas, but perhaps that is another book!

   If you are a teacher who wants to teach art, but doesn't know much about it, and doesn't know where to begin, I suggest beginning with this book. It's a crash course not only in art, but in teaching art to elementary students and instilling a love of art within your students.




2. I use this book in my elementary art methods class. Artworks is appreciated by my students for having clear and
   concise information. In addition, they enjoy the prints and lesson plans included.

5 comments about Reading National Geographic.

1. In this book, Lutz and Collins deconstruct the system of misrepresentation in which National Geographic functions as purveyor of cultural/historical fact. The authors problematize NG's systematic misrepresentation of the non-West and examine how those misrepresenations resonate with its 'American' audience through reinforcing the self-other binary. NG encodes a white, middle-class, male (straight) worldview, and as such, tells us more about the standardized/naturalized/anesthetized 'American' culture than about those it 'studies.' Through analyzing photographs and their captions and interviewing NG staff, the authors reveal the racism and paternalism that are at the heart of the National Geographic gaze.



2. The title of this book grabbed me: READING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. I now wish I had not grabbed up the book. Doing what the title suggests is a fairly benign activity; the only danger you face in reading the magazine is falling asleep in an inappropriate place. Let's admit it, National Geographic articles are written in a very prosaic style. This however is not news. We have been reading the magazine long enough to know the truth behind what one of it's past editors is quoted as saying: "only what is is of a kindly nature is printed about any country or people, everything unpleasant or unduly critical being avoided". Most of us have been around long enough to know that such cultural relativism, homogenization, and plain-vanilla humanism makes for some very boring reading.

   That however is probably the only thing that you really need to know about NG. I certainly didn't need to know - and now knowing, don't believe, - as the authors believe that in depicting the naked breasts of native women: "the magazine and its readers are caught between the desire to play out the cultural fantasy of the oversexed native woman and the social controls of sexual morality..." This fixation which makes up an entire chapter "Women and Their Breasts" only highlights the real difficulty with the book's analysis. It is shallow and leans heavily towards a feministic cultural critique; it's also narrow in that it mostly looks at how NG depicts cultures. What about the other subjects the magazine looks at?

   Boring writing aside my continued enjoyment of National Geographic comes from its explorations of wild places and its emphasis on nature. I much prefer this to what READING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC would have me do - ponder whether the magazine is a pernicious contributor to the spread of Western supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, and the homogenizing influences of a white middle class world view.




3. The book is about the "making and consuming of images of the non-western world." And images, after all, "have taken over from written texts the role of primary educator." The two look at a set of 600 photographs published in the magazine from 1950 to 1986 (roughly their NG -reading lifetimes). They argue the photos are selectively chosen to present a view that does not disturb middle-class American self-identities and connected views of the 3rd world. The photos usually show a gentle, peaceful, content, colorful exotic people who, though they might not be wealthy yet, are on the road to modern progress on the Western model. The non-Western world is appropriated, its description has helped maintain social hierarchies in the First World. Even worse, the NG's practice goes so far as to abet war-making on the people it purposefully misunderstands.

   There three methodological steps are to look at the process of producing the images (a social endeavor over which no individuals have total say throughout the process), examine the structure and content of the images, and identify how readers view the photographs.

   "We chart the tendency of the magazine to idealize and render exotic third-world peoples, with an accompanying tendency to downplay or erase evidence of poverty and violence. The photographs show these people as either cut off from the flow of world events or involved in a singular story of progress from tradition to modernity [ahem, two very different things unless you're not thinking hard about "modernity"], a story that changes with decolonization."

   Their goal is make NG and other mass media "understand and historicize the differences that separate interconnected human beings," to heighten empathy without fostering stereotyping or paternalism.

   Criticism: I can't deny that the writers made such a negative impression on me with their dogma and attacking hyperbole (and dripping class resentment) that their useful ideas are weakened in my view. I wouldn't assign this to students I hope will write well.




4. I found this book to be thorough in its research of the geographic as an American institution. It presupposes that the reader is well aquainted with Gramsci's notion of mass media and the Frankfurt school borne out of this belief of hegemony perpectuated by a controlling elite. The author also takes liberty that the reader is aquainted with research methods using coding to differentiate subjects responses to pictures portrayed. Lastly, the author's use of interviewing technics and the subsequent interpretation of those responses enables the reader the opportunity to realize how the geographic and social background of the readers influence the perceptions people have when encountering this quasi-scientific journal. As an anthropological study this book illuminates the ethnocentric idealations of the Geographic's demographic readership, that is upper middle and middle class white euroamericans.



5. Quite simply, I don't buy into 90% of the authors claims, and the authors seemed to be completely blinded by their own preconcieved ideas that they can't be at all objective in their interpretation of the subject matter.

   Ultimately, this books is nothing more than rhetoric about "white male dominated racist Western culture".

   The authors clearly had this notion in mind when they wrote this book, and it taints virtually the entire book to the point where their conclusions aren't even remotely believable as being the result of objective research.

1 comments about Dog Gallery Calendar 2009 (Page a Day Gallery Calendar).

1. I just love it. Beautiful photographs of high quality. Fantastic colours and many different breeds. This calendar is must for any dog lover.

5 comments about Vegas Pro 8 Editing Workshop (DV Expert Series).

1. I've been wanting a Vegas reference book that starts where the meagre Sony documentation leaves off. So when I saw the Amazon blurbs for this book that said, "a complete handbook for new and advanced user", "exhaustive, richly detailed resource that no Vegas user should be without" and "This comprehensive guide delivers the nuts and bolts of the essential tasks" I immediately bought it.
   
   After looking through it for several days I'm returning it. Contrary to the specific praise I quoted above, this is not a comprehensive reference book, it's more like a compilation of the author's favorite Vegas applications.
   
   There are 90 pages on Vegas audio, many pages in two separate places talking about making video look more like film, a whole chapter talking about third party plug-ins and another chapter on using multiple cameras. But there are less than 20 pages talking about the dozens of video fx plug-ins that come with Vegas, something much more fundamental to my being able to really use this program than any of the above.
   
   And even when the author spends time on a subject I found it incomplete for someone without prior knowledge of the subject. A perfect example is his treatment of color correction in Vegas, something I am very interested in. He presents about a dozen examples of the videoscopes and other color monitors available in the program but never explains how to read them or how to use the information they represent.
   
   If your interests coincide with the author's you will probably find this a rewarding manual, but if you're looking for a book that explains this software in depth and in breadth you will just have to join me in hoping that somewhere someone is writing the Missing Manual for Sony Vegas.



2. This book is a treasure trove of info. It is one of those indispensible manuals that gives so much needed info, counsel, and absolutely clear examples. This is a MUST BUY for anyone learning Vegas or video/audio editing. Excellent job. A DVD with samples, examples, and software is included. The answer you are looking for is in this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



3. It must first be said that Douglas Spotted Eagle obviously understands Vegas, which is the best NLE program for its price. But this book did not live up to the editorial review hype
   I purchased this manual hoping for an in-depth Vegas Pro 8 learning experience, but I am somewhat disappointed. Editing mistakes within the book made some parts a bit confusing. And if a working veg file is on the DVD to follow what the book is teaching, use the same image as in the book.. But, the author did do a great job of explaining things that were previously murky to me. (Masking, for example.)
   The single most important thing I gleaned is what Douglas Spotted Eagle espouses throughout this manual. EXPERIMENT. Check out every fx - every transition - every filter. Add multiple fx to events - see what happens.
   The workshop is advertized as 528 pages, so I figured it would be worth the price. But a chapter touting plug-ins should not have been included. I can get that kind of info by Googling.
   By the way, there are many Vegas Pro 8 user "tutorials" posted on YouTube. All free!



4. I liked this book firstly because you can read it even without having a computer in front of you. It is full of pictures and you can read it even when you are traveling. Initially it covers all menus of Vegas one by one and gives occasionally real examples of how to use them. So it's good for the beginners. After that, covers specific methods and there is an accompanying disk containing several .veg projects. So advanced users will also be satisfied. The author appears to have deep knowledge of video and especially audio aspects. My overall feeling is that I have a book I can refer to whenever I need help in Vegas.



5. Preface: If you are a beginner and not intending to do video very much, the whole Vegas/DVDA kit may be a bit much. However, if you want a veritable Swiss army knife and are willing to learn, this application can do just about anything you may want, including Blu-Ray DVD authoring. For Hi-def editing/authoring, it's far cheaper than Final cut and most other "pro grade" apps too. Neither the app, review, nor this book is intended for a beginner IMO. It's best for someone who started out on a consumer editing app and wants to grow beyond those limitations economically, or the upgrader.
   
   While the author is acknowledged as an authority on Sony Vegas, this book has some noticeable gaps, such as virtually no information on using the sister application that ships with Vegas 8 Pro, DVD Architect. I am keeping the older Vegas 6 book for this reason. This is the main reason for three stars.
   
   In the areas of DSE's core competencies, such as effects, keyframes and especially audio, the book is an indispensable reference and well worth the price. There are additional chapters in PDF format on the included CD, some useful, such as a glossary, some dated. Despite the deficiencies, it's still the only thing out there besides trolling the web and in the areas covered it's understandable and worth every penny.

4 comments about Langford's Starting Photography, Fifth Edition: A guide to better pictures for digital and film camera users.

1. As the title implies, Langford's Starting Photography is a text for the beginning photographer. Dating back to the mid 1970's, this 5th edition has been updated to reflect the changing landscape of digital photo technology.
   
   The problem with modern digital cameras is that they make too many decisions for you. They are ready to shoot, fresh out of the box! This means that you don't need to learn the principals of photography before venturing out shooting. Unfortunately, this also means that the artistic skills of making a good photograph - things like composition, patterns, leading lines, use of light and color - are also bypassed. The result? A hard-drive collecting many snaps, but very few photos.
   
   For those who don't have the time or money for a photography class, I would recommend this book! Langford's Starting Photography is geared and organized for the complete novice, but is of great benefit for those who have been snapping digitally for years! The first two thirds of the book are dedicated to work behind the lens, while the last of the book teaches the basics of the darkroom (one chapter on film developing, and the remainder on the digital darkroom). This book even comes complete with `homework' in the form of a projects list every few chapters.
   
   I've never picked up an older copy of Langford's Starting Photography, so I can't compare to previous editions, but I found this book to be easy to use and thorough. Michael Langford is British, and it shows in his writing. I found myself reading it in an English voice. The book is heavily illustrated in full-color. A few of the how to graphics were a bit rough (i.e. - sketches of someone holding a camera, with a photo of the camera crudely pasted-in), and being a Mac user, I had an aversion to the books use of Windows screenshots. But on the whole, an excellent `photo class-in-a-book'!
   
   Rated 5



2. I was introduced to Starting Photography Fifth Edition (the edition is important) as a textbook, but it was exactly what I was looking for on my own. It offers a thorough understanding of the subject and includes some sections devoted specifically to digital photography. It would be even more valuable if it had broken some chapters into several parts because there is too much to absorb all at once in some of them. The topics warrant separate attention and they take time to absorb individually.
   
   It is not a book for beginners, nor is it one for professionals. It is for people who are trying to learn more about the various elements of photography to which they have already been exposed.



3. This book is very informative about all aspects of Photography and give a very clear understanding about Photography with Film or Digital Photo Taking. Another good book for the collection.



4. This book's redeeming quality is that it is inexpensive for a beginning photo text. And I like some of the British vocabulary, words like "oddments". Unfortunately, the book has the feeling of a technical manual. The images are mediocre at best, and the usage poor. Some of the glossary definitions are confusing and unclear.
   
   The photography in the book reminds me of cheap royalty-free stock imagery, most of which provide good examples to prove technical points, but are by and large uninspiring, predictable, and lacking in personal style. I think students need to look at good photography, this text does not have inspiring, compelling work in it.
   
   In an age where space for photography keeps diminishing, good usage is more vital than ever to the medium to provide impact. I couldn't find a single image that was used even a half page, let alone full page or doubletruck. I found it fitting that the author was credited with having photos on postage stamps. The images in the book are even more diminished by dropped-in text and distracting color borders and boxes.
   
   While it provides a good deal of necessary and accurate information, Langford has no section on history of photography or masters of photography. It doesn't include any historical or master's work in any context. The reproduction is somewhat poor, poor enough that an example showing the difference between ISO 100 and 800 doesn't read. Lastly, Langford's example of presenting photo packages is what I would use as 'what NOT to do" when laying out a photo page.