No comments about Edward Steichen: In High Fashion: The Conde Nast Years, 1923-1937.

5 comments about The Art of Pregnancy Photography (The Art of).

1. I continue to gain insight from this book. The contemplative, tranquil images inspire creativity, as one gains insight to the photographer's perspective and expertise. Her frankness in sharing technical skills both behind the camera and in her use of Photo-shop and marketing is extremely helpful to any professional or aspiring photographer. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in taking your photography to the next level or just searching for inspiration.



2. This is one of the best "How To" photography books I have read. I found it practical in every aspect of how to approach the many aspects of maternity photography. This can be a touchy subject at times for a male photographer and Jennifer has inspired and helped to convince me to continue with this type of work. So this book helps on many levels with beautiful examples of her work throughout. She has many unique original compositional ideas and use of light with great fabrics and simple props. I highly recommend this book.



3. This is a wonderful book to cover the business and Art of maternity portraits especially if you are newer to that type of photography. The posing is lovely her detail on the subject is extremly helpful. Great Job!



4. Jennifer George's ART OF PREGNANCY PHOTOGRAPHY tells how to capture the pregnancy experience at all stages, showing how to photograph the mother-to-be either alone or with her partner, or with the whole family. Techniques and insights on poses and positions accompany tips for retouching, enhancing lighting and color, and interviews with pregnancy portrait photographers.



5. This is a very good book that covers the topic of pregnancy photography. The book is richly illustrated with creative maternity images. What I especially liked the integration of the Fathers and siblings in many of the images.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative Use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC.

1. This book is better than an owners manual for cs2, taking you through step by step instructions, if you already know something just skip that section, if you don't then it works, and it's easy to understand. The pages are color coded, great index and it has lots of picture examples.



2. Great onfo, just starting out on Mac...so anything seems great to me. I am a photographer and like the way the chapters are done...informative!



3. I bought this book on Amazon a few weeks ago. Normally I have a difficult time staying interested in a how-to book. The Kelby books keep me interested with wit and charm (and they know the subjects they write about well) but Martin Evening has a way off keeping my interest with a minimum of humor and anecdotes. The book is laid out so well. Every subject seems to be in it's proper place to allow the continuity of the book to progress in a logical manner that will help a novice photoshop user to learn CS2. Don't worry about having to go ahead in the book to figure out something they assume you should already know. I surmise that Mr. Evening is an Englishman because of some of the spellings and terminology, such as colour vs color. But he avoids the use of any terminology that Americans will have difficulty deciphering. The CD presents some of the topics in the book in video plus it provides some sample files to work with. Of all of the Photoshop CS2 books I bought I would reccomend this one over any other. The author has worked hard to make this one a real winner.



4. I have owned this book for one year and have been intimidated by the many favorable reviews this author has received. However, after looking up a topic in this book and, once again, having minimal clarity shed on the subject, I've decided to tell it like it is. It reads like an encyclopedia. I have 2 advanced degrees and learned chess, photography, and photoshop from books. But this book is user unfriendly and if I do not tell that to others, then they took will waste their money. If you do not believe me, then leaf through the book at one of the local book stores and decide for yourself. At least I've warned you. Stick with Scott Kelby, Rob Sheppard, Ellen Anon and Tim Grey.



5. If anybody is serious about editing pictures in Adobe Photoshop CS2 it is the best book on the market. Following the steps in the book you can achieve astonishing effects. Besides, this book is not so borring as Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book.

1 comments about Exhibiting Photography: A Practical Guide to Choosing a Space, Displaying Your Work, and Everything in Between.

1. Here's a book aimed at serious photographers. In case you might have made a mistake and thought this book would show you how to display a photograph on your living room wall, it is instead for folks who want to display their photographs in a public venue.
   
   After a general introduction to the subject, the book discusses finding an exhibition space, including a few that might not come readily to mind; planning and research for the exhibition; publicity; preparation for installation; and the actual hanging of the work.
   
   The book is about the logistics of exhibiting and not much about the art, although Read makes suggestions relating to both the preparatory phases and the actual installation that will help in a more artful presentation. My first thought, as I opened the book, was that this was just common sense. However, I've lived long enough to have made a lot of mistakes and as I read along I kept encountering advice that I wished I had had before making some of those mistakes. For example, Read tells you that when it comes to the actual hanging, lay out the installation on the walls completely with pencil, ruler and level before you drive a nail. If I had done that on a particular occasion, I probably wouldn't have ended up taking down a bunch of pictures because my last frame was butted up against a corner. Emphasizing the importance of backwards scheduling in detail might have prevented the pile of advance brochures that arrived the day before the event. It's this kind of nitty-gritty detail that can keep one out of trouble. And of course the advice that, if you cut yourself on the glass for a frame, you should walk away from the framing area immediately to avoid bleeding on the work is a good reminder.
   
   Throughout the book there are a number of case studies written by guest authors. Although the authors might have felt they were telling a story of success, many impressed me with what could go wrong.
   
   There were a few points that I thought the author scanted. She made it seem as if it might be easy to get exhibition space. But venues are not quick to allow photographers without a demonstrated market to use their space. Nor do artists want to exhibit just for the sake of hanging stuff on a wall somewhere. There are economic aspects, aside from the costs, of the show, that govern exhibiting. Before blithely deciding "Let's put on a show!" one would do well to read a book like "Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist" by Kay Lang, where she describes in much greater detail the hard work of getting a place to exhibit.
   
   I felt that the author could have been more concise in her writing. That might have led to a book twenty to forty percent shorter. I disagreed with a few of her conclusions. For example she suggests that in pricing a work, overhead should not be included. That's might be a model for a low price, but it is also the road to bankruptcy.
   
   If you are a photographer who wants to exhibit and you have no experience exhibiting, reading this book may save you a lot of anguish.

3 comments about Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari.

1. Being a fan of Meerkat Manor, I am really appreciating the information and great photos in this book. For anyone who enjoys the TV show or likes the study of animal societies, this book is for you.



2. Gives details of the Meerkat project that are sometimes only touched briefly in the Animal Planet TV series. There is heavy emphasis on reproductive strategies such as male roving and the frequent practice of infanticide of sibling's pups by pregnant females. Definitely for the reader who wants a deeper understanding of the sociobiology of another mammalian species not for someone who expects a gushing anthropomorphic indulgence. For that, view the movie!



3. The book is full of beautiful photography and offers insight and additional detail to events that were softly touched on by the Animal Planet series of the same name - I find that the chart of all of Flower's pups in the back of the book to be particularly helpful.
   
   Overall, it is well-written and easy to read - anyone who is interested in animals, Meerkat Manor, or Meerkats in general will enjoy this book.

2 comments about Life: America the Beautiful: A Photographic Journey, Coast to Coast-and Beyond (Life (Life Books)).

1. This book was purchased for a friend who is in the early to mid stages of Alzheimers. He and his wife sit and look at the pictures and remember when they say the places photographed. It is an exercise for his brain and a delight for her to be able to share it with him.



2. This was a gift given to an uncle who loves to travel, and it was oohed and ahhed over by everyone.

1 comments about Doing Documentary Work (New York Public Library Lectures in Humanities).

1. This is an important book for "so called" documentary writers, photographers, and film makers. I say "so called" because we tend to think of documentary work as an accurate representation--literally the truth. Robert Coles pretty much shoots that idea down, showing how the background, beliefs, biases, hopes, and fears of the documentarian color the narrative. I came away believing that the word objective is not relevant here, and that it may be impossible to ever get at the truth. If I read Coles right, the documentarian may, in fact, be more akin to the literary fiction writer/photographer/film-maker, who does seem to get at the truth. This is not to say that documentary work is futile. On the contrary it can be potent, meaningful, and worthwhile. We may just have to look at it differently and face up to the fact that it reflects the person doing the documentary work as much as it does his/her subject. This is a liberating idea. And we owe a debt to Coles for proffering it. There are consequences, too. For instance, in the light of Coles' discovery, a lot of critics may owe an apology to Richard Avedon, whose photographic fiction, "In The American West," may be fine documentary work after all.

5 comments about Galen Rowell: A Retrospective.

1. If you have every looked at Galen's photos and wanted to see more, this is it. With his life cut short, at least we still have archived material that can be released in a book this nice to bring us more glimpses of his world. The color is amazing, the subjects grand, and Galens storys bring it all alive in my livingroom.



2. If you are familiar with with the work of Galen Rowell I don't need to elaborate on the beauty and quality of his work, if you aren't familiar with this man and his work it will be a valuable addition to your knowledge and enjoyment of photography. Galen Rowell had an unfortunate and untimely death
   after a very active life of globe trotting for photography that transcends
   the material plane. The book presents many of his best works in a lovely format. A coffee table book that will get noticed.



3. this book was amazing, the pictures are stunning, and the stories about him are almost unbelievable. I highly recommend this book for fans of photography or anyone who loves the outdoors.



4. This is more a short biography with too few of the beautuful photos this talented outdoor photographer made. I would have like to have seen more full page photos and more of them.



5. Spectacular Photos and what an athlete. His death was a loss, but he lives on in these images

No comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Only (For Only).

5 comments about The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs.

1. Wealth of information! This book eloquently navigates through Panama's Canal history; merging dynamic cultural and socio-political elements that contributed to this technological marvel. As a lifetime resident of the Canal Zone I taught I knew the definitive version of the Canals creation, however these photographs of the mundane to the sublime still concedes a wealth of information.



2. I lived in Panama for 17 years and have written 3 books on Panama. How how I wish I had this beautifully spectacular book years ago. What an inspiraton it would have been during those dreary hours of writer's block. Each of these magnificient pictures are indeed worth a thousand words -- and there are so many pictures in this book! The United States "helped" Panama separate from Colombia in 1903, the following year the great task, which had defeated the French, of building an interoceanic canal began. It would take a full and painful 10 years. The rare photographs in this book document those years. How wonderful that they have been saved and are now offered to another generation!



3. This book entails a lot of historical photos and librarial facts. However, there are missing text/diaries and photos of many fine Black-Latino Panamanians who were mostly hired to assist in the building of the Panama Canal. I gave it a four star because of this reason. Perhaps the author did not wish to elaborate more on the natives who helped in the succession. Perhaps a followup to this book would complete the real historical element of The Building of the Panama Canal.

   All in all it's a great tool.




4. This book a must for anyone visiting the Panama Canal. Buy it before your visit to acquaint yourself with the history of this amazing project. Then take it along on your trip. Everyone around you will be itching to have a look at this book as you view the canal.



5. The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs by Ulrich Keller is a most fascinating compilation of photographs recording man's greatest engineering achievement in construction during the 20th Century. The photographs are even more special to me because it shows scenes that my Barbadian grandfather and uncle would have seen during their laboring to construct the Panama Canal. That uncle died of malaria at the Canal and is buried, alongside the many others who sacrificed their lives, in the cemetery shown in one of the photographs. This book ranks in the top 3 that I have ever read during my over 70 years of reading.
   Herbert A. Hutchinson