5 comments about On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide.

1. Why is JetstreamBooks selling it used for $25.00???? Buy it brand new from LensWork Publishing for $12.95 plus $4 shipping and handling. Go to www.lenswork.com. Just thought you`d like to save some money. Most of us do not like being ripped off.



2. This book is a "must have" for anyone who is serious about becoming/being a photographer. The majority of the discussion relates to the creative process, with a small amount of discussion of equipment and technique. I bought my copy (third edition) direct from LensWork for US $12.95.



3. This is written for lovers of photography. Not only does it discuss the romance of camera and film, it has good information, it is motivating and it reminds those of us who have developer, stop and fix in our veins why we fell in love with the art.
   
   Motivating, educational and a good read. Don't miss this one.



4. I was immensely disappointed by this book. It seemed to promise so much depth and insight. It is structured as a conversation/interview between two knowledgeable photographers; but we quickly discover that one is an unashamed acolyte of the other. The text quickly degenerates into a fawning, vacuous, name-dropping style to which the authors are apparently habituated. There's no information, no insight, no inspiration and no intellectual courage. I burnt it.



5. The introduction is long but sets up the credibility of the two main people and their background. Basically two professionals at the very highest level of the game discuss some useful concepts that I have not seen elsewhere.

5 comments about Photographers Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business.

1. Not Everything you need to know to start a business but a LOT of what you need to know. No book has Everything you need to know. I recommend this book to those who have not been in business before and want to open a studio. Great advice on customer service and dealing with the public.



2. Apparently, and according to this author, the only business you should open as a photographer is a studio. Everything else is pointless.
   
   That being the case, she should have made that clear in the title.
   
   The money I spent on this book was absolutely wasted, and I won't buy anything else without reading the reviews first.
   
   Totally useless.



3. As a professional photographer I found this book to be very useful in the early stages of starting my business. After spending much time doing all the things I thought I should be doing (and not getting very far!), I read this book and realized that being a professional photographer was going to mean much more than just being good at photography.
   
   Like many businesses, professional photography requires skills in marketing, selling, advertising and dealing with people. This book introduces all these concepts and more, together with a lot of interesting case-studies of people who have switched to photography from other careers, and how they met the challenges of doing that.
   
   Professional photography can be very rewarding and is an excellent business to be in - but make sure you get off on the right footing by realizing that 90% of it is knowing how to run a business. This book is an excellent way to start.



4. While the subjects covered in this book aren't exhaustive by any means, I was more bothered by the lack of proper editing. Blatant misspellings ("fiftenn-plus years in the business"), missing quotation marks, incorrect punctuation, and bad grammar make this book difficult to take seriously.
   
   Subject-wise, the author just doesn't go into enough detail to make this book worth reading. She brings up important subjects, but doesn't explain or define the terms. For example, in chapter nine, the author discusses protecting copyrights. She advises not to "give away the intellectual property farm," but doesn't explain how photographers are giving away their copyrights. Perhaps she assumed that a photographer would already know what he or she needed to know about copyrights before reading this book. She would be wrong. After reading a chapter, I have to resort to looking up information online to fill in the gaps.
   
   I don't recommend this book. Please don't use it for a class. It was a waste of my money.



5. Arrived promptly. In excellent condition! Have used it often and have learned so much about taking pictures. Thank you! A+++++

1 comments about Final Cut Pro HD for Dummies.

1. Note: For Mac users only. But then again, most of the people wanting to do things like edit movies are using a Mac already.
   
   Final Cut Pro HD, is the latest version of the Final Cut program. HD stands for High Definition, and this version is indeed capable of editing HD video. But like with a lot of other software packages, the basic tools that you will use every day form the basics of the package, and they can be learned in a short time. Then as you reach points where you want to do more you can go back to the book to catch up on each point as you need it.
   
   Final Cut is suitable for editing the movies showing you new baby, or if you really want to you can use it to get just about as sophisticated as you need for that feature length film you are making with your A-List actor friends. As with all the For Dummies books, this book isn't really for dumb people, it is for people that are just un trained on this particular package. It's a good book.

5 comments about How to Cheat in Photoshop Elements 6: Create stunning photomontages on a budget (How to Cheat in).

1. I'm a complete newby at anything photoshop related. I found some of the instructions lacking and hard to follow, but with a little work, I was able to get everything to work properly. I wouldn't want a book that led me through each step by the hand, a good tutorial should inspire you to think through the problems, and this one does. I received amazing support from the readers forum and from the author when ever I needed it. I learned so much from this book that I just ordered How to Cheat at CS3.



2. This book concentrates on techniques for creating photomontages, and it does it really well. Although it's a fairly specific use of Adobe's `baby' photo editing application, the subject is covered excellently by two authors who clearly know their stuff.
   
   The book is based around Elements 6 for Windows (all the keyboard shortcuts refer to a Windows keyboard). I'm not sure whether there'll be an update when the upcoming Mac version is released but as a user of the current beta on a MacBook I didn't find it too much of a problem to use all the techniques, and they can equally be applied to CS3 if you're lucky (or rich) enough to be running that on either platform. However, the authors make it clear that the techniques work equally well with all versions of Elements from 3 onwards.
   
   This is not necessarily a book for newcomers to Elements - it does assume some basic knowledge, although the first sections cover some more basic photomontage techniques such as selection operations, layer masks, and levels, but if you want to learn how to use the application you're better off looking elsewhere.
   
   I like the layout a lot -- each work-through is presented on a double page spread which is great for working with the book alongside your monitor.
   
   The book is split into 12 sections divided into individual work-throughs with the first 4 covering some basic techniques, leading through to the creation of some pretty complex images.
   
   It's great for dipping in and out of and includes `interludes' at the end of each section covering various topics of interest to digital artists, photographers and general Elements users, and `hot tips' alongside each work-through highlighting related Photoshop techniques.
   
   A CD is supplied which is nicely put together with high quality psd images as starting points for the work-throughs and QuickTime movies to illustrate many of the more complex techniques. Where these are provided for a work-through a symbol appears on the page. The CD is generally easy to navigate and includes some useful extras.
   
   There's a dedicated web site with readers forum to discuss the content of the book with the authors and other Elements users - it's nice that the authors seem to dedicate their time to answering queries and providing assistance to their readers.
   
   Although I've not really done a lot of photomontage work before, this book has fired my imagination and introduced me to some useful general techniques for use in both Elements and CS3.
   
   Look out for some of my photomontages on Flickr soon!



3. Great step-by-step instructions. The illustrations and presentation of material are clear. The book layout is very inviting. This book gives you instant gratification. You can create and modify digital images quickly. The results are stunning. Highly recommend this book.



4. It became apparent on Page 10 where the authors referenced the "Magic Selection Brush" instead of "Quick Selection Tool" that they didn't look at Photoshop Elements 6 when writing their book "How to Cheat...". As a new user of Elements 6 I put the book down after this frustrating experience. "How to Cheat..." is an appropriate title, for this wasted purchase. Two stars is generous.



5. I found this book like so many available for Elements. It gives examples and the explanation how to achieve that particular effect, but not a wider description of how those effects work and can be applied to other things. So I see it as very much a companion to "The Missing Manual" which does go into greater background, but doesn't give the final examples this one does. Indeed, Amazon has them both grouped as worth buying together, which is what I did and am pleased I did!

5 comments about In The American West.

1. If you like portraits this book is for you. The images are all the same: white background and a person looking in the camera. Take your time to look at it. Focus on the faces and eyes and you will understand the power behind these images. That is what Avedon was looking for. A book with no wording, but who needs words when an image can say 1000 words?



2. People like to say Avedon strips down everything, background and context and props and even shadow, but that's not really true, each of these portraits contains the pieces of a really complex narrative, and these people come to life in ways that are simultaneously erotic and sad, flamboyant and inarticulate, haughty and humiliated.



3. Avedon's post-celebrity period, arguably more poignantly presented in this publication than in any other of his works, is a real mark of his maturity as a portraitist. This is a high quality, candid, provacative and haunting record of the liminal characters of the American west, a project Avedon himself said he would have been happy spending the rest of his life completing. Essential reading for aspirant or active professional portraitists.



4. I am not normally a fan of celebrity portraits, and perhaps moreso in Avedon's case. I find his celebrity work to be somewhat gimmicky, and not typically interesting to me. However, I recently was at B&N and took a look at "Avedon At Work: In The American West" and was very impressed by the photography (although not really by the book itself, which was really about the process, not the photos, besides the book being too expensive for what it was). This made me somewhat upset that all the normal Avedon work they had there was (primarily) his celebrity work, which, while bound and presented in a very interesting way, was not impressive to me visually.
   
   Thus, when Avedon's book "In The American West" popped up on Amazon for me, I was quite thrilled, and since I needed the extra purchase for free shipping anyway, I snatched it up. When it arrived, I was thrilled. The book is large (as large as Schoeller's "Close Up") but is also covered in a plastic sleeve to protect it even further, which is a welcome addition to such a gorgeous book. The cover has a great feel to it, and the pages are all a good weight and clarity. The photos are large, but not so large that you can't take it all while holding the book at arms length. They are detailed, highly personal, and extremely complex and subtle. They are what good portraits are. In the beginning and end of the book, it has a few pages of text talking about the overall project, and some specific people, however it keeps it separate from the images, which I find to be better, since you can then simply go through the images and view them as they are, without any other context or distraction. The only accompanying text for each photo is a brief caption including name, date taken, and occupation or title (Drifter, Oil Field Worker, etc.). While often they are predictable, there are a few captions that truly add a new depth to the image they are attached to.
   
   Overall this is a great book. It is unusual to find such high quality, large printed books for a great price like this, and so if you're considering, you should not pass this up.



5. In my personal opinion Avedons book "In the American West" is pure art, as he describes his images "A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows they are being photographed. A "sitting" is an exchange of emotions. The picture emerges when this emotions meet." Now we all have seen his pictures in magazines and on the web but "In the American west" is a superb printed book where you can appreciate every detail.

5 comments about Fresh Fruits.

1. Great book, made my girlfriend quite happy. She is very into Japanese street fashion and this book just captivated her, she looked through it about 20 times the day i gave it to her. I enjoyed it too, but it was mainly for her.



2. Though it's pretty much the same as the previous Fruits book, I guess it's best if you keep it the way it is.
   It's a great quality book, completely filled with photos which are not only unique and beautiful, but also makes you question yourself about what is fashion, and what is acceptable or not on everyday life clothing.
   
   There should be more places around the world like Harajuku.



3. i saw that book when i was in Germany and wanted it ever since. Now i finally have it and i'm very happy about it. I like all the series of the Phaidon books and already have Fruits. The idea of this book is really great and i hope Phaidon will have some more books like this in the future!



4. Every time I go to Japan, I buy a copy of the magazine "Fruits". I sometimes detour through otaku-town in Osaka to see what's new on the videogame front, and to see what some of the kids are wearing. Aoki's magazine and books (which are best-of collections from the magazines) are immensely interesting and enjoyable when we divorce ourselves of our American mainstream prejudices and see these young people defining their own fashion and developing their own aesthetics, appropriating high and low and non fashion to express themselves. What happened that American youth are generally so homogeonized, everyone essentially wearing the uniform of their declared social group? It's no fun, really, not compared to these kids.
   
   Sadly, the 'Fruits' in Japan are also slowly disappearing, being choked out by conformity and a changing local landscape. A sign of the times, for sure, and not an encouraging one.
   
   Well, borderline expat digression aside, this is a wonderful book. It's a semi-hardcover, real cloth binding, so with care it should last for a long time. There is no text to speak of (aside from some of the kids' names and what they're wearing) so it's an accessible book for - well, literally for anyone. I gave a copy to my eight year old niece last Christmas and she loved it, as did her parents. I have both "Fruits" and "Fresh Fruits" (as well as about ten different copies of the magazine) and they are equally good. If you have lots of books, the bright colors on the spine stand out nicely when these books are shelved, if that matters.
   
   'Bright colors standing out nicely' just about sums up the spirit of these books.
   
   By the way, a few years ago I showed the magazine to a professional fashion-designer friend of mine in New York and he fell in love with it immediately. You'd have to be pretty stodgy not to enjoy this book, highlights of the magazine, and document of a gradually fading, colorful and inventive subculture.



5. I received 'Fresh Fruits' as a gift from my best friend, and even she is shocked by how in LOVE I am with this book and the photos in it. I am an artist and a fashion designer (among other things), and this book provides so much inspiration--not only for clothing and personal style, but for self-confidence as well.
   
   The true message from this book: For those who really want to rock this world, wear your spirit on your sleeves, and your stockings, and in your hair and on your shoes!!!!

2 comments about Andreas Gursky: Architecture.

1. Gursky's work is of course wonderful, BUT... This is not a collection of photographs--it's a collection of essays. There are about 15 full-size photos and about 60 2" x 3" photos embedded in the text. Good if you want to read about the master. Not good if you want to see the master's work.



2. wonderful printing.
   it's more enjoyable than huge original print.
   well made hard cover.

5 comments about Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston.

1. the book is beautifully designed and printed. the ziegfeld girls, many of whom are familiar, are all gorgeous.. it's a window into the roaring twenties and the spectacular beauties of the jazz age.



2. This is a spectacular book in every respect but one - it's size. The photos are fantastic, the layout is fantastic, the quality of its production is top drawer, everything about it is classy and well refined, but it's a downright unusual size for a book of this type, and that's why I only give it four stars.
   
   This needed to be in a large format to fully appreciate the photos and the beautiful layout work, but instead, it's sized about the same as most hardback novels, and when you place four photos on a page of that size, the images tend to be very small and you lose the overall impact of those photos.
   
   I highly recommend this one, get the hardback while you can before being forced into a reprint paperback, but I would've prefered the book be a sized more in keeping with most art and photography books.



3. This book is gorgeous. The photos are reproduced quite well, and the book looks and feels like quality. Included is a nice history of Ziegfeld Follies, along with brief biographies of many of the women.
   
   Julie Newmar provides a fascinating Foreword (her mother was in the Ziegfeld Follies and posed for photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston--as did a teenage Newmar). We also learn much about photographer Johnston.
   
   The highlight of the book for me, though, is the photographs (some are nudes) of actresses, including Renee Adoree, Adrienne Ames, Tallulah Bankhead, Theda Bara, Lina Basquette, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Billie Burke, Norma Shearer, Claudette Colbert, Betty Compton, Dolores Costello, Marion Davies, Claudia Dell, Billie Dove, Jeanne Eagels, Mary Eaton, and more.
   
   Like George Hurrell, Johnston was a true artist. His work makes these beautiful women immortal.



4. I also bought this book for the photos and to learn about the Ziegfeld girls. I was really impressed about the variety of subjects that Mr. Johnston photographed.
   The text was illuminating and really "fleshed out" the subjects of Mr. ACJ's photos. It left me wanting more and now I want to learn more about this underappreciated man and his work.
   Buy this book if you are into the history of Ziegfeld girls, 1920's fashion photography, or interested in an amazing photographer.
   I, too, wish the book was a bit larger so the pictures could be really appreciated.
   A must have!



5. I have seen pictures of full nude women for sale from this period on ebay but after getting this book the full nude women are very few & far between so do not buy if you are looking for vintage nude women photos from that era.

5 comments about Hotel Lachapelle.

1. Shows off some different styles of David, as well as shows off his clientele. Great photos and a cool hard cover with the same graphic as the cover to keep it prestige.



2. It's a big book with wonderful pictures.
   Very nice print.
   And I have no words to describe Chapelle's photos.



3. Simply inspirational photos. I love the quality of the prints and it's a nice touch that the book comes in a small box.
   
   The photos are truly fantastic! Lachapelle is able to take you to fantasy worlds with his colorful and over the top photography.



4. Beautiful book. Full color hard back with a neat cardboard box that the book comes in. Incredible colors and subject matter.. David Lachapelle is a fantastic photographer. Great book to add to anyone who has an art book collection. This book NEVER goes out of style!!!



5. For all those readers and photography fans that liked LaChapelle's first catalogue "David LaChapelle" by Davide Faccioli they will love this volume. For one reason it contains almost all the photographs that were included in that small format catalogue. That was the only flaw with the earlier collection of LaChapelle's distinctive work. This volume reproduces those images plus many more in a much larger format so that they can be more easily seen, studied and enjoyed.
   The Concept Creator and Photographer provide the readers with a nice overview of his approach to life and his work. There is little or no text in most of his books. "I decided to call this book `Hotel LaChapelle' because almost all the photos in it were conceived of and made while in hotel rooms...And when people come for a photo session with me, they are giving themselves over, sort of checking in."
   This surprised me a bit because from the cover on the boxed book I expected to see a variation of artist Edward Hopper's voyeuristic subway rider views into passing hotel and apartment windows. That expectation was totally wrong. Although feeling slightly mislead by the box cover picture, I wasn't disappointed in this book. It was also helpful to learn from the photographer about the large crew of regulars he uses for his complicated shoots. LaChapelle isn't a street shooter. He sets up entire fantasy worlds worthy of Hollywood Movie Set Designers.
   It was also fascinating to learn how much the photographer dislikes most of the celebrity publicists that often veto his creative ideas. "The smartest celebrities are the ones who hire...publicists who happen to understand a creative moment...because they realize the importance of a still image as a visual record of their time and place as a celebrity in the culture, and as a tangible thing you can hold in your hand."
   "A lot of the pictures in this book exist only because there was no interference...Which is a big reason to do a collection in a book...A book is a permanent record."
   As usual, LaChapelle has produced some more wonderful visual puns, satires, surreal environments and political parody. And once again, most of the subjects in his portraits and scenes are like colorful cartoon characters or kinky, shiny plastic-looking models from a weird, far-side wax museum. Even the most beautiful women in the world who are some of his subjects seem to have been photographed in such a way as they aren't the slightest bit sexy or desirable even when scantily dressed in lingerie or completely nude.
   Despite that curious fact, this is still an excellent photography book. It's much better than it's immediate predecessor "LaChapelle Land."
   After checking out LaChapelle's website I've decided he may be in the middle of "pulling a Stanley Kubrick." I can easily see him using his current visualizing and set designing skills to make motion pictures. Stanley Kubrick was also a successful teenage still photographer who worked for LOOK Magazine before he became a motion picture legend. I can easily see LaChapelle eventually making films of the caliber of Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange", "Dr. Strangelove", "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "The Shining." He is well known to many film celebrities and their agents and staffs. He already has access to many of the actors in the cinema world and that would be extremely helpful to a would-be film director.

5 comments about The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain.

1. As a homeschooling parent with a high school age daughter, I bought The Writer's Toolbox to use as part of our writing program. After years of focusing on sentence structure and grammar rules, I was afraid I had completely destroyed my daughter's desire to write. Jamie's toolbox provided the breath of fresh air that our writing life needed. With just the right amount of instruction and loads of room for creativity, the exercises offered quickly restored to my daughter the joy of writing. When we break out the Tool Box, the spinners, cards, timers and sentence starting sticks have us feeling like we're playing a game. When learning and fun are synonymous, both teacher and student are winners. Thanks, Jamie for this great writing tool!



2. Jamie has been one of my most inspiring writing mentors, and it looks like she literally "picked up" her classroom and placed it into this clever and eye-appealing keepsake! How ingenious that she put her creative teaching techniques INSIDE a box in order to motivate writers to think OUTSIDE of it. The only thing missing from this toolbox is a badge that says, "I am a writer," as the person who utilizes her time tested techniques will certainly be able to make this declaration after using it!



3. This is truly a wonderful product! Simply put, the Writer's Toolbox is a necessity for every writer. Who among us has not been faced with a blank page at one point or another during our writing careers? The writing exercises in this package are perfect for moving beyond "I want to write" to "I am writing." In fact, it was a writing exercise from Jamie Cat Callan that inspired me to write my novel, due for completion in August 2008. Kudos to Ms. Callan for a brilliant creation!



4. The Writer's Toolbox is fun and engaging-- not only for me, but for our weekly writers' group! The group of six to eight of us come to the table with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The Writer's Toolbox inspirational and fun exercises are relational and help us to jump 'write' in with our warm-ups! Thanks for sharing your fabulous ideas and instruction, Jamie!
   Tanja Moriarty, "Encouraging Words", Haddam, Connecticut.



5. I'm an English teacher and a part-time, professional non-fiction writer. I walked past "The Writer's Toolbox" in a bookstore this past weekend, sniffed at the creative packaging, and muttered, "All fluff, but no substance, I'll bet!" And yet, I found myself going back to it. Finally, I bought the damned thing, hoping to scratch the itch.
   
   At home, I opened it, expecting buyer's remorse. No way!!! This kit is amazing. I plan to use it in the classroom next year, both during school hours with my writing students and after hours with my Writers Guild. I especially like the sample story -- in the directions -- that is essentially the result of the toolbox games.
   
   My favorite device? The non sequiter sticks. I plan on using them to help keep some of my non-fiction writing dynamic. Of course, I'll have to modify the items to my own research and reality, but that strikes me as half the fun.
   
   A very clever little box full of games, ideas, and methods for creative writing. Thanks!
   
   Scott Snair