Book Description

Written by one of the most experienced teachers of underwater photography this popular, `hands-on' manual demonstrates how to take stunning underwater photographs that will not only give you a personal feeling of satisfaction, but will improve your chances of achieving award winning results.



The book focuses on the practical art of taking underwater pictures through the author's popular 'think and consider' system. This system explains how, with careful thought and consideration of the subject matter, lighting and environment prior to taking the picture, beautiful effects can be captured. Practical examples take you step by step through the basic techniques; from photographing shipwrecks, divers, fish and abstract images to taking photographs at night and 'dual lighting', plus advice on the selection of equipment.

Written in a clear, non-technical style and illustrated in colour throughout this book has established itself as the introductory guide to photographing the wonders of the underwater world. It has now been fully updated and expanded to include seven new chapters containing new techniques and examples, more inspirational images and the very latest equipment.

* concentrates on the practical art of taking stunning underwater pictures
* used by underwater photographers world-wide as a practical handbook to be carried at all times
* illustrated with inspirational colour pictures throughout
* written by an experienced teacher and award winning underwater photographer

Illustrated with beautiful colour pictures to inspire you
Includes practical step-by-step examples so you can really get to grips with this genre
Benefit from an international underwater photography trainer's hints, tips and practical advice first hand ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The most useful book on u/w photography I have read!
I have always said that underwater photography is not something a rational person should consider.

It is expensive and at times very frustrating, but when you get some good results it rewards you with a great feeling of satisfaction.

As someone who has persevered with underwater photography for nearly 15 years, I have bought many books on the subject in an attempt to learn why I keep making the same mistakes. Until reading Martin Edge's book I felt that only Howard Hall's book came close to showing me the answer.

Martin has managed to produce a book that is not only interesting and easy to read but really gets the message over. He covers all the aspects you need to know about, without the commonly made mistake of getting tangled up in the technical & equipment issues.

Sure he talks about the equipment, but the clear message is that you take the photograph...the equipment is just what you use to do it with.

If you are serious about underwater photography, then you need this book!

Superb
Martin Edge's book should be considered a Bible for the underwater photographer, particularly for those diving with housed SLR's. Jim Church's books on the Nikonos system and on composition, are extremely helpful, but Martin Edge provides clear and to the point advice for the housed Nikon SLR user, as well as providing general instruction in uw photography. I'm a professional photographer on land, but a newbie to underwater photography, and I found this book appropriate for both levels of experience. If you plan to do uw photography, buy it. If you plan to use a housed SLR, buy it twice!

NOT a great book
I know I'm in the minority when it comes to reviews of this book, but I really didn't think this book was all that great. In fact, I thought it was about as close to useless as a book can get. The problem is that the book is light on technique and heavy on fluff. If you're a beginning photographer, you probably need lots of technique help, and this book doesn't deliver. It won't help new photographers increase their skills because it really doesn't offer much in the way of help on the critical areas like strobe positioning, exposure control, basic composition, etc.

It's not so hot for advanced photographers, either, because it doesn't offer much guidance in areas that might be useful to them, like special techniques, advanced composition, subject selection, exotic equipment, etc.

All in all, I'm not sure who the book was written to help...I'm just reasonably sure it won't help many people.

Pick another book.

Second to none!
I have read this book over and over again to absorb all the information! It is so good and contain a wealth of information. Comparing it wit the books by Danja and Annmarie Kohler, Mark Webster and Jim Church's book on composition, this one comes in as a clear first. Mark Webster's book is a relatively close runner up, but it is Marin's book that always join me on my trips and elsewhere. Photography in all books is good but Martin provides the most and best information. Jim's book is a waste of money compared to the rest. Overprized with very little hard info. Just a ton of mumbojumbo. The book by Koehler is ok, but way behind Webster, and in particular. Edge's books! Get it and love it!

Gret book!!!!!
I guess that I must disagree with the other reader from Austin. I have been reading this book, and I find it very helpful to a person just getting into UW photography.

Perhaps if I was a seasoned UW photo pro, then maybe the book might not be that great...however, as a newbie to UW photo stuff, it is great for me.

He explains ideas and techniques really well.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is just GETTING STARTED in UW photography.

Mark ... Read more

Book Description

Written by an admitted "shark junkie" Jonathan Bird is also a professional underwater photographer who just happens to be fascinated by sharks.In this exciting photographic journey, the author shares his adventures and discoveries photographing sharks around the world.He details the thrills, dangers and disappointments of working with wild sharks in the open ocean and beyond.

Accompanied by more than one hundred vivid color photographs, "Adventures With Sharks" is an uncommonly fun-to-read mixture of science, adventure and stunning photographs.Reading this book is better than a Discovery Channel documentary!It is a technically accurate yet light-hearted portrayal of these sinister marine creatures.In the details of his adventures the author states, "These experiences have never diminished my passion for sharks, but remind me that sharks are predators, and yes, they can eat you!" ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One very kewl book!!!
I received my copy of Jonathan Bird's Adventures With Sharks right before a planned visit to my brother and his family.I took the book along thinking that maybe my 9-year-old nephew might take an interest.I don't get to see him very often but I know that his world revolves around dinosaurs, B-B guns, and Pokemon.Being my only nephew, I've held the hope that someday he'd learn to scuba diving and be a dive buddy.Sitting down near him with the book while he was watching a cartoon,he quickly noticed the photo on the cover."That's a Great White shark, isn't it?" he asked."Sure is" I answered, "what do you know about them" I asked as he moved over and sat next to me.We began thumbing through the pictures and he was hooked.I asked him if he wanted to read a story with me and told him he could choose which one.He flipped to the back cover photo of the ragged toothed Sand Tiger shark and said he wanted to read about that one.I read to him the story about the author's adventure with the Sand Tigers of North Carolina and stopping from time to time to discuss some of the science, biology, and behavior.At the end of the story, he asked if I had ever dove with Sand Tiger sharks, and I told him no but that maybe someday he and I could make a road trip to North Carolina and dive with them together.It's hard to imagine anything making me a cooler uncle than Mr. Bird's book had at that moment.

I can't recommend it highly enough!!

"Adventues with Sharks" is amazing
"Adventures with Sharks" is both entertaining and informative, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in sharks or the undersea world in general.Sharks have simultaneously frightened and fascinated humans for years, but the author, Jonathan Bird, carefully explains how these marine predators, honed by millions of years of evolution, are largely misunderstood by people.Bird has traveled the world to dive with a variety of shark species and presents his exciting experiences in an easy-to-read style accompanied by many stunning pictures.The photographs are outstanding - well composed and clearly chosen to illustrate the beauty and behavior of these remarkable animals.

Each chapter is a story about Bird's experiences diving with a particular species of shark, from the sleek and graceful Blue Shark, to the mammoth yet harmless Whale Shark, to the infamous Great White, and many others.There are lots of great facts and details about what science knows, and has yet to learn, about these incredible creatures. I came away from the book with a new appreciation for sharks - in particular their diversity and the adaptations they have evolved to survive in a wide variety of environments and conditions.I also learned about the vulnerability of many shark species to over-fishing and other human practices that threaten their very survival.If you like sharks, want to learn more about them, or just enjoy a good adventure story, then this book is for you!

Great shark photos and stories
In "Adventures with Sharks" underwater photographer Jonathan Bird manages to combine spectactular photographs with exciting tales of his personal shark encounters. Somehow, he also slips in lots of details on shark biology, so that the reader comes away with a far greater understanding of these magnificant creatures. I'm anxiously awaiting the second edition! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Better Than Ever
It's amazing to me that the Sierra Club manages to come up with gorgeous, inspiring and often moving pictures of Mother Earth in all her splendor, and still be creative and new. But that is the case with this wonderful engagement calendar, which I just had to have, even though I already have one for next year! I just can't help it--the photographs are breathtaking. And as always, I love the clean, wide area to write down one's appointments. All too often, an engagement calendar is big on looks and art, but terrible when it comes to being functional. The Sierra Club version is both. And I love it--as always. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wildflowers of Georgia
"Up close and beautiful"- Those words describe this botanical masterpiece. Wildflowers of Georgia is a feast for the intellect and the eyes. The book contains information relating to Georgia's wildflowers and their native habitats, as well as suggestions for hiking trails and other sites where one can view them. The common and scientific names of the plants, as well as location and season pictured, are meticulously documented. However, It's the high impact vivid photography that makes this work delightful. The authors spent eight years traveling the state searching out and capturing these flowers on film. They are as lavishly showcased as if in a floral show. For many of them the display may be a rarity. Human activity and development have placed their survival in danger. The eighty-six photographs presented in the book are divided into four physiographic regions. The authors introduce each region with explanations and anecdotal experiences. Their writing style gives the reader a feeling of comfortable companionship. One can sense community within these pages as we are invited to share in the comaraderie of viewing and enjoying Georgia's most colorful and dramatic resource. ... Read more

Amazon.com

National Geographic: The Wildlife Photographs has just what we expect from the National Geographic Society: unforgettable images of animals in the wild. Page after page takes viewers into the private world of animals and reveals such sights as a dense furry nest of bats, the perfectly etched feathers on the back of a bald eagle's head, cheetah cubs dining on an impala, or a bleak forest of garden eels at the bottom of the Red Sea. The book is not without a mission: essays on habitat and endangered ecosystems underscore how precious the lives of these creatures are. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pretty poor photographs.
For the most part I agree with the previous reader. I don't think the paperstock is that bad but the photographs do come across as blured, or out of focus. I think this is, potentially, an awesome book but something needs to be done about the photo reproductions.

Great photographers,photographs - VERY POOR reproductions!
I used to enjoy everything from NG - magazine (still very good) books etc., however this book continues to show the NGS as it slides downhill. The photographic reproduction is marginal at best (as in so many of their latest offerings) where great, often heroic photos are shown soft or seemingly out of focus. The paper stock is awful. This could have been a wonderful book, and it winds up as almost an insult to past and present Geographic photographers. I'd gladly pay ten dollars more if they could work to improve it. I suppose that's what happens when a non-profit organization moves to a for-profit one! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

"Imagine an open expanse half a mile long by a hundred yards wide absolutely packed solid with pink birds raised on long bright red legs above the surface of green water..."--Leslie Brown, The Mystery of the Flamingos

On the alkaline lakes of Kenya and Tanzania live 3 million lesser flamingos and 50,000 greater flamingos. As shown in this breathtaking book, the sight of a half-million of these beautiful, strangely aristocratic birds clustering together like a bed of gigantic chrysanthemums is awesome. The author expalins that the volcanic Great Rift Valley where flamingos are found is one of the harshest places on earthits boiling, corrovsive, and foul-smelling lakes are certain death to any animal foolish enough to drink from them--yet it is home to East Africa's pink birds. In their remote setting, flamingos inhabit a world of their own that has long puzzled naturalists who have tried to unravel the mysteries surrounding these birds, which will suddenly appear in countless thousands, delight us for a while, and disappear again just as swiftly.

Carlo Mari's exquisite photographs have captured the fleeting grace and fascination of flamingos, and Nigel Collar's knowledgeable text offers insight into their curiously enchanting world. They combine to make Pink Flamingos a superb gift for bird and nature lovers and a volume that belongs in every naturalist's library. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pink Flamingos-Unique, Fascinating, and Hauntingly Beautiful
I happened across this jewel of a book in Tampa, Florida, and consider the retail price of ... money well spent. Amazon.com's ... makes it even more of a "must-have."

The quality of the photographs and indeed the book itself (typography, weight of paper, etc.) are exceptional. The ornithological information is extensive yet completely accessible to non-scientists--scientific jargon is kept to a minimum.

Several pages of photographs are devoted to dead and dying flamingos--this was quite disturbing but in no way detracts from the haunting beauty of the book, and, when coupled with the author's words on the endangerment of the native habitat of the flamingo--especially in Africa--are sobering and very sad. Let us all hope that steps will be taken to preserve these unique and special creatures for future generations.

The use of British English was a little jarring to this American (for example, I had to rack my brain to figure out what "hoovering" is and finally understood it to mean "vacuuming") but overall I would say this book was truly a delight to read and a joy to behold. I would recommend Pink Flamingos to anyone who enjoys spectacular photography and especially to those interested in knowing more about flamingos. ... Read more

Book Description

The Animals is a classic photo book by the incessant, masterful photographer Garry Winogrand, reissued in a new edition by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, which first published the book in 1968. In it, Winogrand leaves the streets of the city for the caged aisles of the real urban jungle, the zoo, where he captures some of the more humiliating and strange moments in the lives of God's creatures. See a lion stick its tongue out between chain-link fencing, an orangutan pee into another's mouth, a hippo give a great big yawn, two lions lamely going at it, and seals watching lovers kiss. Winogrand's zoo, even if true, is a grotesquery. It is a surreal Disneyland where unlikely human beings and jaded careerist animals stare at each other through bars, exhibiting bad manners and a mutual failure to recognize their own ludicrous predicaments. --John Szarkowski

Essay by John Szarkowski.

Clothbound, 10 x 8.5 in./48 pgs / 46 duotones. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the 1947 publication of Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague, millions of visitors have some to a barrier island between Maryland and Virginia in search of wild horses. Featuring more than 150 full-color photographs, Wild Horses of the Dunes tells the visual story of these wild horses. Since 1924, the horses have been rounded up each July to swim across Chincoteague Bay from Assateague Island to the small town of Chincoteague. This is a book for horse lovers, and for anyone captivated by the beauty of the Eastern Shore and the long-standing traditions of a special place. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Amazing!
This book was extremely well done. Along with its amazing photography, it contained factual information helping to describe the lives of the Chincoteague ponies. It is a must read for all horse lovers of all ages.

Wild Horses of the Dunes
Magnificent photographs with informative text. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Awesome book
I needed the book for a project I had to do and the pictures are amazing! I totaly recommend it! ... Read more

Book Description

In Foliage, Harold Feinstein returns to the natural forms that he chronicled in One Hundred Flowers. Elegantly designed and lavishly produced, this book contains 100 luscious color photographs of plants. An introduction by popular gardening author Sydney Eddison explores the cultural significance of plants while revealing the subtle ways in which they touch our daily lives. Her introduction, along with enlightening text by horticulture expert Greg Piotrowski, makes Foliage as practical and informative, as it is beautiful. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

PERFECT PARTNER TO "100 ROSES"
Sydney Eddison is back, introducing _Foliage_, Feinstein's follow-up to _One Hundred Roses_. In the introduction, "Looking Beyond the Obvious," Eddison introduces Foliage as a collection ready to instill a childlike observation and pleasure into grownups. Alexandra Anderon-Spivy's essay, "The Architecture of Nature Enhanced," discusses Feinstein's use of the computer in his images, his talent, and man's love of nature. The rest of the book contains a combination of photographs and such things as poetry, plant names, and famous quotes. There is something informative or inspiring to go with each photograph. Each section is labeled to let the reader know what is in it (Grasses and Ferns, Edibles, The Essence of Green, The Beneficial Green Plant). Feinstein's grasses look picturesque and proud; his vegetables lined and curved and his various greens sharp and eclectic. My favorites are the Hosta leaves (pg 90) and the poppy flower buds (pg 94).

If you are wondering about the expense of the book, consider the artistic value of the photographs printed on strong, waterproof material. A book like this, which is meant to be treasured and shared, will become personally or professionally priceless. Expect visitors to continue glancing through it as long as it sits on your table.

feast your eyes on this!
This informative, elegantly designed album of 100 luscious color photographs of plants in all their beauty & symmetry, is divided into Grasses & Ferns; Edibles; The Essence of Green; The Beneficial Green Plant; Leaf Coloration; Cactus & Succulents, & Seeds of Change. It is a sumptuous feast for the eyes, & a treasure for your library.

Popular gardening author Sydney Eddison, writes about the significance of plants in our cultures, revealing some of the subtle ways plants are part of our lives.

Alexander Anderson-Spivy in The Architecture of Nature Enhanced, writes about the legacy & passion of photographers of nature, as well as the photographic enhancing technology of today's computers.

Horticultural expert Greg Piotrowski adds enlightening Botanical Notes which makes FOLIAGE an interesting read.

A magnificent book of awesome proportions & perspectives. ... Read more

Book Description

The world's oceans are one of the last great largely unexplored places on earth. They teem with life some of it familiar and some of it strange to us and "Fish Face" takes us closer to the fish that live here. Showing full-page pictures of close up portraits of their faces, the book takes us from the beautiful to the ugly, from spiky to rotund. The huge variety of species is appealing and astounding. The book takes a look at the work of David Doubilet, widely acclaimed as the world's leading underwater photographer. He has photographed fish for over 25 years and "Fish Face" looks at the most colourful, fun and bizarre fish he has encountered. This book should appeal to anyone who has ever wondered about the variety of fish living in our oceans and to naturalists and photographers alike. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

fish face
Doubilet has done it again. As a vintage underwater photographer of 50 years I have devoured all of his books, as an inspiration. Undoubtedly he is the best underwater photographer in the world today and his use of light and subject matter are masterly. Fish Face is an interesting and difficult theme handled with great aplomb.I recommend this work to photographers and all those interested in the sea.

This is a Great Little Book!
I bought this book on an impulse. It is a great buy. I am a teacher and often buy coffee table books for students to look at. This is a fun book and students will love it. I enjoyed looking at it myself and will again when I share it with others.

Underwater "film" festival
I am an underwater photographer caught up in the film vs digital debate. Mr. Doubilet's book Fish Face, Water Light Time and his National Geographic works go a long way to keep me completely divesting myself from film in favor of pixels. At a recent lecture in Santa Barbara Mr. Doubilet indicated that he is still swimming with film with marginal mental and financial investment into digital techniques. His most credible argument in favor of film was black and white imagery and the use of filters. The unpublished works he showed us were incredible and I hope to see a collected works before digital devours us all. I have found Fish Face a good learning tool in terms of composition and and an exercise in recognize the moment and capture that moment, whereas I found Water, Light Time a good study in terms of lighting, composition and imagination. What I am really waiting for is the black and white.

fish humor
I have collected many of David Doubilet's published works and I find in this book a bit of whimsy. The pages are filled with expressions and personality and I find it funny that Mr. Doubilet likens many of his fish subjects to beloved human personalities. It is fun to go through and imagine who looks most like "that fish face". An inexpensive treat to have some fun with if you like fish.

Great Pictures
I am a huge fan of David doubilet. His photography is amazing and awe inspiring. My only quam with this book is that it is too small. Many pictures are ruined because they stretch over pages and parts are lost. The hardcover edition seems to remedy the problem though. As no content is lost to the binding. His Water Light Time book is one of my favorite books in my library. And Fish Face is already one of my favorites. The pictures are great, and he has once again proven his ability as a photographer ... Read more

Book Description

Over 130 images paired with essays from Nick Jans record the splendor of this great American wilderness. From intimate singular images to hauntingly beautiful landscapes, Alaska finds new expression under the artful lens of Art Wolfe.

For more than 15 years Art Wolfe has been documenting Alaska, from the rainforests of the Southeast to snow-shrouded mountains to the northern expanses of the Brooks Range and beyond. Wolfe brings a painters sensitivity to light, pattern, and composition in his photography of landscape and wildlife, and Alaska is his personal vision of a truly awesome landscape. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Alaska as Art
Whether this book of color photographs accurately shows what Alaska really looks like, I don't know, because I haven't been there yet. But having finished it, I'm planning my trip!

But I can say this is a great book of photographs of nature. Anyone who loves to look at photographs will love this book. Wolfe demonstrates that he is one of the greatest living outdoor photographers. His sense of light and composition is unexcelled. Almost every picture has a strong sense of line, either vertical, horizontal or diagonal. And the range of light is exceptional, often including in the same picture the darkest blacks and the brightest whites.

The handling of sky is as sublime as that of any of the 19th century American landscape painters. I'm certain that there must be plain blue skies in Alaska but every one of Wolfe's skies has clouds that are fleecy, or glowering, or mysterious. And the light that falls on the landscapes illuminates them with a strange beauty whether casting deep, hard-edged shadows that make a rugged peak look even more majestic; or soft shadows that fall across a brush-covered hillside and create a subtle modulation of green; or the red rays of the magic hours of dawn and dusk.

Occasionally his pictures take on a strange abstraction that requires a careful examination to discover what one is looking at, like the pictures of white ice floes on the surface of an inky-black river or the network of crevasses on a glacier with a few spots of emerald blue in the white field, where the snow has melted into a pond reflecting the sky.

Wolfe is a master of color field photography. Consider the brownish, grayish web of fine lines with several smears of white across it that resolves into a portrait of musk oxen with white horns and muzzles. Or the white arctic foxes in the snow with a bare hint of orange on their undersides. Or the receding green hillsides distinguished only by differing textures with a tiny browsing caribou in the foreground.

The text by Nick Jans is sometimes overly poetic and almost unnecessary given the photographs although explaining just what it is that makes tundra tundra has some interest. However when I turn the page to see just the top halves of the heads of two fierce little owls peeking at me with yellow eyes hidden amongst a row of wildflowers in the Arctic Wild Life Refuge, words disappear from my mind.

Most people agree that Alaska is one of the last great wildernesses and that we are unlikely to see anything more exciting in our lives. Art Wolfe has captured the excitement of Alaska. He has also captured the excitement of great photography.

The Right Photographer For The Most Beautiful Place On Earth
WOW! Breathtaking photos of Alaska. He captures Alaska as it should be.

A keepsake memoir of the state's natural beauty.
Art Wolfe's beautiful photos and Nick Jans' reader-friendly text blend in a beautiful coffee-table paperback edition of Alaska (1-57061-216-1, $29.95), featuring gorgeous full-page color photos of environments and animals and reflecting the contributors' familiarity with Alaska's many faces. Choose this as a keepsake memoir of the state's natural beauty. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ansel Adams may be one of the most famous nature photographersever, but his often-overlooked portraits of people and images ofbuildings and manmade landscapes are as stirring and beautiful as hisinimitable wilderness photographs. This is a manageably sized volumethat collects images of the state's beaches, mountains, parks,architecture, and people, as well as writing--poems, essays, fiction--by authorssuch as JohnSteinbeck, Jack Kerouac,RobertLouis Stevenson, Walt Whitman, andJoan Didion.The combination of words and images is a visual and literary homage toCalifornia, a place that was home to and the source of inspiration forthe great photographer. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

California
Growing up in California is obviously a different experience from growing up anywhere else in the world. These photographs are very representative of what California is like not only at the beach areas. It shows California's other beautiful landscape elements as well as people and structures. It is funny because California is such a large state and I have never been to most of the places he photographs. His pictures are so detailed that you can tell that he planned them for a very long time. He probably sat there waiting for that perfect light in order to capture what we see in this book. The photographs make you feel as if you are there with him as he photographs these magnificent places.

Through these pictures I am able to experience all of California without ever stepping foot in these places. The patience and discipline Adams has as a photographer is definitely apparent in this book. It is a great representation of the type of photographer he was and what exactly he was trying to make us see. It also helps us experience the photographs with excellent reproductions in the book. I do not believe anything is lost with these reproductions and they are very well designed in the book. The layout compliments the photographs along with the writings that accentuate the feel of the book and the knowledge of California. The well-known writers that the editors chose add to that unique feel California has. All-in-all I recommend this book to anyone interested in Ansel Adams and photography

Add New Dimensions to Your Appreciation of Ansel Adams
If you are like me, you feel you know work work of Ansel Adams quite well. Well, this book was a pleasant surprise in that it introduced me to many rewarding works that I had not seen before. These evoked many happy memories for me, and added to my delight in knowing California.

I was born and raised in California, so most of these scenes are ones that are familiar to me. Surprisingly, these were the first good photographs I had ever seen of many of the scenes, even though the scenes captured by the camera are often common ones.

The book contains a great deal of text that attempts to expand one's understanding of California, both as a physical and as a psychological place. If you have never been to California, you may find these useful. If you know California, they may seem redundant to the images. The authors include Richard Henry Dana, Jr., John Steinbeck, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry Miller, Joan Dideon, and Mark Twain. The texts are well chosen and appropriate, if sometimes superfluous.

The notes by the editor, Ms. Stillman, were helpful. "It was light that inspired Ansel to photograph . . . ." "He worked almost exclusively at dawn or sunset . . . " because the light was more vivid then. Here is a quote from Adams, "The silver light turned every blade of grass and every particle of sand into a luminous metallic spendor . . . ." Few have ever captured magnificence in black and white as well as Adams did.

Some of my favorite images included:

Trailer-Camp Children, Richmond, 1944

Hull of Wrecked Ship, Breakers, Drake's Bay, 1953

Forest, Castle Rock State Park, 1962

Pasture, Sonoma County, 1951

Clearing Storm, Sonoma County Hills, 1951

Mount Lassen from the devastated area, 1949

Redwoods, Bull Creek Flat, 1960

Edward Weston, Carmel Highlands, 1945

Surf and Rock, Monterey County Coast, 1945

Window, Robert Louis Stevenson House, Monterey, 1953

Orchard, Santa Clara, 1954

Dead Oak Tree, Sierra Foothills, 1938

Sunrise, Death Valley, 1948

Manley Beacon, Death Valley, 1948

Sand Fence, Near Keeler, 1948

Yosemite Valley View, 1944

Half Dome (Winter) from Glacier Point, 1940

El Capitan, 1952

Jeffrey Pine, Yosemite, 1945

Dawn, Mount Whitney, 1932

My enjoyment of the book was increased by nine images of Ansel Adams working by Dorothea Lange from 1953.

Why, then, did I rate the book at 4 stars, rather than 5?

Basically, the book design is all wrong. The size of the images are either too small for their grandeur and subject, or are reproduced across two pages with a crease in the middle. Although the paper and reproduction quality are excellent, the basic layout and page size are wrong. Perhaps a future edition will remedy that problem.

I also found the introduction by Page Stegner to be too much about California and not enough about Adams.

I do recommend that you examine this book. I'm not sure whether or not you will want to purchase it or not. The sizing of the images does spoil the effects quite a bit.

After you have finished enjoying many "new to you" Ansel Adams images, I suggest that you plan a trip to visit those places you are most inspired by. Take along your camera and see what wonderful photographs you can take now at dawn or dusk, with him as your teacher.

Live in the golden glow of California wherever you are!

superb quality reproductions, DIRE design
Absolutely superb reproductions of many 'new' and previously unpublished photographs .... stunning. I agree with the pevious reviewer in this respect. However, in my view the 'design' of the book is a disaster, and the potential enjoyment of this book seriously compromised. The adoption of a 'portrait' format for a collection of predominantly 'landscape' format images is perverse, and has meant that undersize images are surrounded top and/or bottom by acres of white paper, the image generally runs off the side of the page, all of which gives an unbalanced and uncontained appearance Worse still are the images that are reproduced across two pages (albeit at a very much more satisfactory size), with the crease of the spine in the image. AA had very clear views, as to how his images should be displayed, or published, he would surely not have countenanced this outrageous act of disrespect of his work. Should there be any more AA anthologies in the pipeline - and there must be given the huge quantity of his work as yet unseen, then I urge that a designer be used who actually understands the impact of design in use, respects the content of the book, and is able to enhance it, rather than compromise it as here. It is a shame that the book is not larger, and perhaps of a square format. I would still have have bought it, even at twice the price, and not regretted the purchase

Perhaps the Best Complilation of Adams' Work Ever Produced
CALIFORNIA is arguably the best compilation of Ansel Adams' work ever produced. The design of the large-format book is striking, elegant and restrained. Especially effective are the widely spaced lines of delicate sans serif type. The luxurious coated stock is very heavy and very glossy. The quality of the the roughly 100 big black-and-white duotone reproductions is extraordinary, the result, as it is, of cutting edge laser-scanning technology. Their sharpness, their bite and vividness, the richness and depth of their blacks and the brightness of their brights perfectly convey the essence of Adams' aesthetic ethos and vision and nonpareil technical skills. The texts of most books on Adams' work are chiefly concerned with how the photographs were made, and on the artist's intentions. CALIFORNIA has none of that. Instead, it features brief writings about the Golden State by a disparate array of authors, including, among others, Walt Whitman, John McPhee, Henry Miller and, quite unexpectedly, Emily Post. Certainly, these additions enhance the book's general appeal, but one wonders how comfortable Adams would have been with this approach, since his photographs speak so eloquently for themselves and don't require any verbal support whatsoever. Ansel Adams was probably the greatest landscape photographer who has ever lived and landscapes pedominate in this book. But he excelled with other kinds of pictures as well - portraits, buildings, outdoor still lives, etc. - and this splendid volume records the full range of his amazing talent. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

very basic
doesn't give any advice for seasoned photogs. Was looking for light placement...specifics of film ratings vs light position vs full or qtr power, etc for specific lenses/situations. Nothing there.

An excellent text for someone who already knows the basics.
The author does not include the basics of photography (f-stops, film speed, etc) in this text as other authors do. (For an excellent chapter on the basics, see Jim Church's Essential Guide to Nikonos Systems.) Rather, the author intends this text for photographers with some experience. I appreciated his opinions and reasoning. Rather than try and present all types of strobes, Norbert Wu states what he finds successful and why he uses them. Considering his list of accomplishments, I take his recommendations seriously. The chapter on films I found very helpful. The photo captions were great, too. I also liked that the book was very to-the-point. Again, this text is not meant for a beginning photographer, but rather someone with a few frames under his weight belt.

Know basic underwater & land photo skills before reading.
Mr. Wu primarily covers the difference in the photographic requirements underwater as compared to land photography including the effects of using a specific manufacturer's film. If your knowledge of photography basics is minimal you will be best served to grasp these elsewhere before reading this concisely written book. He all but eliminates the clutter of the basics. I felt he may have been too brief. It is definitely not exhaustive. I think that more examples of the various lenses available and their effects, camera manufacturers who make special cameras for this purpose, and lighting requirements that exist underwater could have been expanded without going beyond the scope of the writer's intent. If you need or want more detail, then this book is not for you. Overall, I think it's a good refresher book. ... Read more

Book Description

A master of underwater photography, David Doubilet captured his first images at the age of 12 in the cold, murky waters of New Jersey in the late 1950s, an era when the equipment was primitive and every picture was a struggle heavily dependent on luck. Since then, due in no small part to Doubilet’s contributions, underwater photography has advanced rapidly, allowing the world to see clearly the once invisible beauty and mystery that lies beneath the surface of the world’s oceans.

For many years, Doubilet, a veteran National Geographic photographer, has worked to photograph the entire length of Australia’s immense and spectacular Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef is the stunning culmination of his efforts. This breathtaking, collector-quality edition features 125 spectacular photographs and essays that capture the complex web of life along the 1,250-mile length of the Great Barrier Reef and presents a rare, complete portrait of this natural underseas wonder.

Reviews (1)

Not Doubilet's Best Work...But Still Good
Doubilet's latest book, 'Great Barrier Reef' (GBR) is disappointing when compared to his 'Water Light Time' masterpiece. But then, I consider 'Water Light Time' to be the BEST photography book...period.

I might have had unfair expectations.

In GBR, one sees the same picture composition over and over again (coral in foreground, diver above). The same colour combinations (yellow-coloured coral - yet again!). To me, the shots lack Doubilet's creativity...there is nothing NEW in the pictures. No new angles. No new techniques used. Compare Doubilet's earlier work with the previously mentioned 'Water Light Time' book and you will see how he continued to set new standards book after book. Maybe this time, the reef did not allow for any better pictures...who knows?

The photographs look as if they could have been taken by any one of a hundred lesser skilled underwater photographers. To think that I did not hesitate to buy GBR, believing that it would at least meet the high standards Doubilet had set for himself... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brilliant photography
Highly recommended.The photography in this book is outstanding.The photo print is of superior quality and the best I have seen ever published.All books by Gerald & Marc Hoberman are brilliant and you will not be disappointed.
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