Book Description

Here is an authoritative, comprehensive, practical resource for understanding the ideas, images, history, and processes of color photography. It shows readers how theory relates to practice with hands-on examples and activities and includes a diverse portfolio of work from 200 photographers along with their commentary. A tear-out 18% gray card, color checker, and sliding gray scale (items that bought separately would cost more than the book!) are also included. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Useful thorough text
If you want to get a quick grasp of color photography - theory, technique, history etc... this is the right book for you. It is simple and straight forward. The format is a bit to text bookish but after all it is a text book.
I highly recommend this book.

A great guide for beginners and advanced
This book is great for those just begining color photography or those who wish to improve thier techniques. It'll teach you everything you need to know, including using color as a fine art. I would definity recommend! ... Read more

Book Description

Drop Dead Cute showcases the work of 10 cutting-edge female Japanese artists whose art combines the pop charge of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara with a thrilling personal mixture of sweetness and power. This next wave of painters and illustrators from the red-hot Japanese art scene blend aspects of manga, anime, and traditional art with their own idiosyncratic visions to create work that is international in appeal yet uniquely Japanese. This gorgeous book features profiles of the artists based on fresh interviews, along with a generous survey of their art. Also including new work by pioneering art world superstar Yayoi Kusama that salutes these extraordinary young artists, Drop Dead Cute is a must-have for fans of Nara and Murakami, as well as anyone interested in contemporary art and pop culture. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The world of photography has been transformed by the digital realm; both professionals and amateurs alike are abandoning traditional film cameras for new technology. Now, in the fifth of the acclaimed Photography Field Guide series, National Geographic presents an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to this new media with tips on everything from picking the right camera to producing exotic infrared images.

This reference provides all the information necessary to get the most out of new digital technology, including the background and development of digital technology, the ethics of when a photographer should and should not alter images, differences in various file types (JPEG, TIFF, etc.), and tips for producing excellent panoramic images.

Featuring information from one of the field’s most revered experts, this guide is the quintessential tool for photographers of all levels of experience who wish to be on the cutting edge of photography’s exciting new frontier. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Intro
I have to wonder if some of these other guys who rated this book low are just computer geeks or what. I am new to digital photography having just bought a Digital Rebel and this book really opened my eyes to the possibilities of digital photography without having to wade through a big heavy book. Plus there are some National Geographic photographers who talk about their use of digital and that was very interesting. I have already put stickies in a lot of the book for favorite techniques that I want to work on.

Inspirational book
I found this to be a very inspirational book. It really helped me understand the possibilities of digital photography and what was really important. There are so many people who know a little about digital photography but act like they are experts even though they give misinformation. I figure if National Geographic thought enough of this book to put it together and with the author an editor of big photo magazines, this should be pretty accurate. I thought it was.

The book seems aimed at people like me, photographers who want to master digital photography but don't want a degree in computer science. Plus there is some really great photography in here from some top digital photographers.

Basic, basic, basic
If you are thinking about buying a digital camera, or if you own one and know absolutely nothing about it, then this may be the book for you. If you already own a digital camera and you're looking to improve your photography skills, then you need something more advanced than this. This book only covers the very basics of digital photography.

The only section I found helpful were some of the tips and tricks cooncerning postprocerssing of images, but that alone would not warrant purchasing this book.

Only if you know NOTHING
This book was rather disappointing to me. I thought that it would have good tips on how to take certain photos with a digital camera, like out side shots, indoor shots, back lit shots and so on but it had very little of any such advice. It seems to me that this book is more a sales pitch for digital cameras and their versatility. Unless you have no idea how to get started choosing a digital camera or how do use the 'digital darkroom' do not get this book. If you have a basic knowledge of digital cameras or own one all ready and have a basic knowledge of 'digital darkroom' software do not get this book you will all ready know everything that is mentioned.

A Good introduction....
Sheppard's book is a great introduction to digital photography, especially given his aim of treating the subject as the latest photographic technology, rather than something exclusive to the computer or digital world. The book is replete with examples of how digital cameras are expanding the possibilities for photographers and allowing them to ensure they're getting the shots the want. Central to Sheppard's treatment here is his discussion of the digital darkroom techniques. Sheppard correctly indicates that the digital darkroom should be seen as an extension of the traditonal darkroom, affording us new tools to try and achieve the results we are looking for. Instructively, Sheppard makes reference to Ansel Adam's works on prints as representing still many of the aims of digital darkroom work.

Still, the book seems only an introduction. There is very little in-depth discussion of the topics, so this won't be the only book on your shelf. But it certainly should be the first one you read before delving into more in-depth (and generally lacking in an overreaching artistic view) works on photography or digital darkroom techniques. In fact, this book would likely be best incorporated into National Geographic's Photography Field Guide -- with the digital sections hived off into where they are most appropriate in that general guide rather than simply having essentially a digital supplement to the series. ... Read more

Book Description

THE ADVANCED DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS WORKBOOK is packed full of real-world yet incredibly practical and effective solutions to move digital photographers to a new level of performance. Contributors include twelveworld-class professional digital photographers who share their tips and tricks. The authors provide details to move you beyond the basics of capture, processing and output to more sophisticated workflow functions and techniques that will help you create world-class images. They cover rigorous yet easy-to-understand approaches to: capture a great image in black-and-white and color, correct color, calibrate and set up systems properly, creatively manipulate and enhance the image, and produce an excellent print or output of the image.

Contributors: Steve Anchell, Stephen Burns, Yvonne Butler, Eric Cheng, Joe Farace, Lou Jones, Rick Sammon, George Schaub, Jeremy Sutton, Tony Sweet, Taz Tally, Eddie Tapp

* Big name recognition and collective knowledge of experts in digital photography and imaging.
* Wide breadth of special digital subjects in one text.
* Depth of coverage and practical application of each subject for amateurs to professionals across all areas of photography and graphic arts. ... Read more

Book Description

Stunning images from the world's most acclaimed wildlife photographers have been brought together for the first time in this elegant collection of photo- graphs, now available in paperback.

The World?s Top Photographers Wildlife is packed with beautiful pictures of animals. The work of Frans Lanting, Art Wolfe, Jim Bandenburg, Heather Angel, and Stephen Dalton is renowned, gracing the pages of magazines such as National Geographic and Geo, and the walls of galleries across the world.

In The World's Top Photographers Wildlife, they and other top photographers tell the stories behind some of their favorite images in their own words. With anecdotes, tips, and technical details, this book gives a fascinating insight into the creative processes behind the amazing photographs. There is also a brief biography of each photographer, which includes a bibliography of his or her published work.

The book features beautiful images of birds, mammals, fish, insects, and reptiles from all over the world. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not a Complete Meal
This is a collection of the work of 40 of the world's most famous wildlife photographers. Names like Iwago, Lanting, Mangelsen, Morris and Wolfe will be quite familiar to people interested in this genre.

Each artist gets four pages for some biographical data and several pictures. Every one of the photos is world class.

While the biographies are generally too short to provide much insight into the individual artists, one can discern a couple of trends in their lives. A good many started life in some other career and after a while decided to make the risky jump to professional wildlife photography. Others were interested in nature all of their life and the photography grew out of this love. No one started life as a commercial or fashion photographer and then made the switch to wildlife. Occasionally a photographer will offer a surprising statement about the commercial nature of wildlife photography, like the photographer who notes that the books he has published don't make financial sense, but do help to drum up other business.

As I've perused a number of wildlife photography books over the years, I've noticed that a good book is like a good piece of music. As you proceed through it, you notice both the repetition and the variation of elements so that by the end of the book you have not just looked at pictures, but also come to understand something about the photographer and the way he relates to the animals he photographs. This book is more like a CD my son owns, called "50 Great Classical Hits" (or something like that). The CD plays just the most dramatic points from a number of symphonies. While that can be interesting, it certainly doesn't provide the same experience as listening to a single full symphony.

This book has the same effect. Many of the pictures are obviously well composed and striking but when one turns the page the picture one just looked at disappears from the mind as the reader tries to come to grips with a completely different subject and style. Ultimately I found this beautiful book unsatisfying.

But, it does serve the very useful purpose of introducing you to wildlife photographers you may not have yet encountered. I, for one, will be keeping my eyes open for the work of Chris Packham and Konrad Wothe. Reading it may also lead you to look for the work of unfamiliar artists.

Grand images
The images are brilliantly printed with stunning details. I even liked the format whereby the equipment used were listed together with the image.

Excellent book for inspiration.

a brillant book!
This is my favorite book of the year. The photos are really beautiful! I gave this as a Christmas gift to several of my friends who are into photography. In addition to the fabulous photos there is useful practical information for up and coming photographers. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

You won't offend people to ask them a model
How many times you want to take people photo and you're afraid? How many times you want to take people photo and you don't have camera? This book will answer your first question and give you many good reasons to have camera with you all the time. Many Bryan's photo will inspire you to have your camera for the next best shots. The important of people photography is the communication among "camera", , "situation", "photographer", and "model". Bryan shows you the optimal way to integrate all four factors for better communication of your people photography.

very helpful mainstream portrait photography guidebook
The book is loosely organised in chapters each covering one aspect of people-photography. Chapter introductions are rather mellow. It's really a large collection of example photos. Each one is elaborately discussed, including "the story behind" and technical info. Some of the photos are very good indeed. Most are mainstream pictures, however: technically perfect, but not quite inspiring. (Though I wish I could consistently obtain that level of quality myself.) Good book if you have time to read from A to Z and have a patient nature. Very valuable information can be gathered, but it's scattered throughout the book. I made a one-page summary myself.

A comprehensive course
This may be the only book you'll ever need to read on the subject of photographing people outside of the formal portrait studio. This is a blessing, because very few books, good or bad, are available on this very important subject to amateurs and professional photojournalists. Peterson covers every aspect of taking pictures of people, including selecting subjects to photograph, approaching subjects, effects of different lighting, equipment and even some of the business aspects like model releases and stock photography. And, his images are wonderful. The only negative aspect - and this is present in most of his books - is that Bryan tends to forget that most people who read his book are not as well-travelled or equipped as he is. Many of the photographs were taken in exotic places abroad and he uses an expensive 300 meter lens for many of his shots. He has a reason for the latter, but let him explain. Take it with a grain of salt, and trust that you don't have to have such extreme equipment or go to such exotic places to get the results you want from following his instructions. ... Read more

Book Description

Surveying the spectrum of photography from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, Photography: A Critical Introduction is the first book to examine key debates in photographic theory and place them in their proper social and political contexts. While most histories of photography invariably focus on the works of the "great photographers," this book is written especially to provide a coherent introduction to the nature of photographic seeing and its personal and cultural significance through history.

Contributors lucidly examine a range of major photographic theories, histories, genres and issues, covering such topics as key debates in photographic theory and history; documentary photography and photojournalism; personal and popular photography; photography and commodity culture; photography and the human body; photography as art; and photography in the age of electronic imaging.

This completely revised and updated second edition includes detailed case studies; key references, biographies of key thinkers, and margin notes; a full glossary of terms, comprehensive end-of-chapter bibliographies, and resource information, including guides to public archives and useful web sites. The lavish illustrations include images by Bill Brandt, Lee Friedlander, Hannah Hoch, Roshini Kempadoo, Dorothea Lange, Lee Miller, Alexander Rodchenko, Jacob Riis, Sebastio Salgado, Andres Serrano and Jo Spence. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More academic than practical
"Photography: A Critical Introduction" offers decent insight into some ideas and theories surrounding the new instrument of art, the camera. It should be noted that very few photos or examples are used in the book, and this absence definitely accounts for the book's partly dry flavor. "Photography" is probably less appropriate for hobbyists and more so for academics, but none the less remains a worthwhile read for those ready to sit down and study.

Reads like a textbook.
Photography: A Critical Introduction has a lot of information. If you really want to learn about photographs go for it. But beware, this book is not for the casual amateur. It's a tough read - very much like a text book. For the novice you may want to consider "Criticizing Photographs: An Introdution to Understanding Images" first. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The SuicideGirls adult-entertainment website mixes the edginess, smarts, and attitude of the best alternative music and culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots approach to sexuality. It is "empowered erotica," in which women outside of mainstream culture showcase their unique personal styles on their own pages, where they put up sexy pinup-style photos of themselves, post a personal profile, and keep online journals in which they discuss daily experiences (both naughty and nice). In this way, they are in charge of their own image and how they are represented. The Girls are from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, England, Finland, and Sweden. In addition to journal entries selected from the site and over 200 artful X-rated color photos, the book contains an introduction by Missy Suicide about how she got involved with this revolutionary culture and started the website. ... Read more

Reviews (54)

Nude Vamps & Vixens
The SuicideGirls book is indicative of a new style of erotic photography emerging in society, changing the face of art, pin-up modeling, and modern-day softcore porn moguls such as Playboy.

Filled with pages of glamorous nude and semi-nude portraits, the models depicted are sensual, playful women, empowered by their sexuality. Atypical of most erotic photography, the SuicideGirls models are pierced, tattooed, dyed, taped, shaved, chained and otherwise exemplify an aesthetic born out of the alternative underground scene.

The book is prefaced with an introduction by Missy Suicide, the photographer for the book, and details the inspiration that made the book, the photographs, and the related website spring to life. The first 100 pages document Missy's photographic efforts, showcasing some of her more captivating shots from her work over the years. The last 50 pages feature stats written by the girls themselves, accompanied by self-portraits and journal entries showing off the diverse personalities and nationalities inherent in the book.

As an artist, I find the beauty of the SuicideGirls breathtaking, and find it difficult not to whip out a sketchpad every time I see the photographs. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates female sexuality and nude art--you're sure not to be disappointed by the revolution that is the SuicideGirls.

Even better in print!
I've been looking forward to the SuicideGirls book for months now. When I finally got my copy I was pleasantly surprised at how good the pictures look in print. The quality is first-rate, with beautiful colors, nice shiny glossy pages, and a sturdy binding that seems worth much more than the super-cheap price. The book is divided into two sections: the first is pictures that Missy Suicide shot of the SuicideGirls and the second is self-portraits and profiles done by the girls themselves. If you like the SuicideGirls website, or even if you know nothing about the site but like beautiful pin-up photography of unique women, this book is for you!

If i only had a coffee table....
This is the book version of the suicidegirl.com website. The glossy pages are covered with your nongarden variety pin ups that will no doubt rock your world. I love it. Finally someone is publishing beautiful pictures of girls with brains in there heads instead on saline in their boobs. This book is for girls and guys who think that hardheaded opinated fring of society chicks are the best thing since s.. cake.

COULD SOMEONE HELP ME
I just recently discovered Suicide Girls online, and must say I'm very impressed. Suicide Girls is so much better than Playboy, for it displays MY type of girl: tattooed and pierced. But enough of that, I've noticed that some of the most attractive ladies are no longer with the site, and since the site doesn't offer archives, it's hard to come across older photos. I've noticed "Mary" on the cover, thus it's safe to assume she's inside the book, but I'm really interested if any spreads of "Nala" are inside, particularly photosets of her in the purple wig. That girl's a knockout. I'd appreciate the help, it really help to pursuade me to purchase the book. Thanks.

SuicideGirls Book Excellent
The Internet phenomenon of SuicideGirls.com is now available in the real world -- as a book. Glossy portraits of the girls adorn each page. Half the book are personal pages for the SG's -- journal entries, more pictures, facts and so on. The book is excellent! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The keepers of light
This is a great book it help me gain notion on the history of photography and alo show me ways to do photography the old way

Worth the Wait!
Well, after asking endless questions to some of the "so called" self-acclaimed "experts" in the field of wet plate photography; Crawford's book was a breath of fresh air. I only wish that I could have come across this book early in my search. Instead I had to wade through BBS systems with adults who like to dress up and play "war" (i.e., the Civil War). With this book you will be able to bypass all of the fruitless searches you will have if you ask present day practitioners, who do not want to share the process (or are more likely unknowledgeable themselves). Save yourself the problems, efforts and misinformation. Buy this book!

The best resource for non-silver photographic printmaking
I lost my first copy and just bought another. Learn the history and the how-to's of several non-silver printmaking methods. If you're interested in these processes, this book will give you an excellent overview and get you started on making your own prints.

Still the best
This book is almost 20 years old, and it is still the best book on the subject in my opinion. I look forward to upcoming works by this author, a celebrated photographer and family man.

It's absolutly the best about the subject old photoprocesses
I have based most of my photographic life on this book it is from this I have learnd most of what I know about oldphotoprocesses like Cyantopi Vandycke oilprint and many other tecniques. The book eksplains very good how too do what ever you want to do ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Book
If you're a new photographer and you need to know when/how to add color into your photographs, this is the book for your. Tons of pictures, how the pictures were taken, and why the picture is so nice. Written in languag a beginner will undstand, but transforms your photography into something great! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Very Good, but....
What IS there, IS good- But, For the price, @ $45. to $55. I had hoped it was going to be much more in depth. More information on equipment; e.g.: Lenses, cameras, & accessories such as tripods, light meters, etc. I also would have liked much more information on films, printing paper, chemicals, processing techniques, etc. I suppose this does get away from the general title of the book somewhat, however, being new to the processing Large Format film, I needed much more information on that topic, as it is quite a bit different than working with roll film.
What I did like about it is that it did give a very good overview of the View Camera; and has especially good section on the techniques for using one. Not sorry I bought it, just wished for it to be a bit more than it turned out to be. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I LOVED this book...
I was happy to see a book that covered many styles of lighting and styles of photography. As a semi-professinal, i am asked to shoot many types of photographs, and this book has given me excellent tips to "upgrade" my photos. The portrait and fashion section was especially helpful. AA+++

Good photographer... Bad book for the non-pro...
Ok, I'm sorry, but I gotta tell you this book is way out of date and doesn't have very many low-budget ideas. I made myself read this book cover to cover because I really needed to learn some lighting techniques fast. Well, when I was finished, I was impressed with the author and her friend's work, but I didn't know much more than I did before picking up the book.

It's almost as if the author has put together a personal portfolio accompanied with some bragging and some stories. The thing that bothers me is that the title "The Lighting Cookbook" seems to suggest that it's like a reference guide for the average Joe that's easy to use, like a real cookbook. Not so. I don't know how many times I've flipped through this book looking for a "recipe" to use for my lighting needs and I always end up putting it back on the shelf.

The "recipes" are too specific and based on things that most people will never do. When's the next time you plan on shooting some pictures of beakers filled with green liquid on top of a piece of plexiglass? Never you say? Ah, too bad because it's covered in this book.

The reason I said this book is out of date is because most people (that aren't stuck in the past) are moving on to digital. We're not using these insanely expensive "view cameras" that only big companies can afford. I've got a top of the line prosumer digital camera and there's not much in this book that even applies to shooting pictures with a regular camera.

The cameras that they use are not the only rediculously expensive items. The lighting equiptment that they use in all the indoor recipes are equally out of the question for most people. It would cost thousands and thousands of dollars to buy the "ingredients" to these recipes. A photographer like the author probably doesn't have any problem affording this equiptment because she's a pro, but what about your middle class audience?

I'd like to say that I really hate to be negative about anything. I like to give everything I'm reading the benifit of the doubt. That's why I read this whole book. When I finished, I placed it on my shelf and it pisses me off every time I look at it. Today, when I typed in "lighting" and it came up as one of the three most popular, I had to say something because I know that regular people like me are buying this book because they think it has the answers to their questions. Well, my friend it doesn't and I just thought I'd warn you.

As I finish this review I find myself asking a certain question. Who is this book for? It's not for regular people or beginners, because they don't need to take glamour shots of jewelry. So, I started to think that maybe it was for people that own a photography business and own all of this expensive equiptment, but wouldn't a professional photographer who owns their own business already know how to use their own equiptment? I don't know. Maybe it's for rich people that own a hundred thousand dollars worth of equiptment, but don't know how to use any of it and have no creativity.

Since reading this book, I've gone on to learn way more by flipping through catelogs and websites.

Let me say that I do give this book two stars instead of one because it features some great inspirational photography and is probably useful to some small group of people out there.

An excellent starting point
If you are interested in doing mainly portrait photography, but need to learn more about how to properly and effectively do lighting setups, this book is an excellent place to start. The book has several diagrams of exactly how the lights were setup, along with actual photographs that were taken using each setup.

It talks briefly about how to deal with different types of people, and includes a short part on photographing pets as well. There are also sections on lighting still life photography, although this is not the main focus of the book. If people portraits are what you are interested in doing, this book will be an excellent reference. However if you are more interested in photographing still lifes or pets, I'd recommend that you either find another book, or use this in addition to another resource.

SOOOO HELPFUL
It took the mystery out of how pro's do that amazing lighting. I feel like my photographs have improved 100% .

You can't beat it for number of examples
I bought this book while searching for a book that would help me get started in portraiture. Although this book covers portraiture, it is probably not quite what I was looking for, but is good in its own right.

The book begins with the first section, "The Well-Stocked Studio," and describes cameras, lighting, and accessories. This is valuable information for a serious photographer wanting to get more advanced, but is overwhelmed at all of the equipment and what it does. Other sections are "Basic Portraiture," "Corporate and Industrial Shots," "Product Shots and Still Lifes," and "Specialized Techniques." Each section presents about a dozen different examples of techniques in that area, detailing the equipment used. Each technique example is covered in a few pages with excellent photographs, a pretty good diagram of the lighting arragement, and an "ingredients" list. The book is also sprinkled with valuable side notes.

To duplicate every example in the book, the reader will need an extraordinarily extensive studio. However, the book starts with simple techniques involving one or two lights and reflectors, and builds upon that. Even the more extensive lighting techniques are helpful in developing your skill at visualizing how a scene should look and how you would choose lighting to achieve that look. Moreover, the less advanced photographer could duplicate the techniques with a couple of battery-powered flashes, a couple of slaves, and using an umbrella, walls, or poster board as reflectors.

I tend to judge the value of a book by how quickly I read it versus its cost. Unlike "The Photographer's Guide to Using Light," which I read in a couple of hours and cost about as much, I found this book to have excellent value as far as the amount of information for the money. You could probably not sit down in a day and go through this whole book. In fact, I read a little at a time over a few months.

As for portraiture, I'm still looking for a book that specializes in portraiture technique. Even though this book does have a section on it, it lacks information on actually posing the subjects. ... Read more