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Richard Stolley knows a bit about what we want from the pictures of our century. He's the LIFE magazine guy who acquired the Zapruder film of JFK being shot (the fatal instant is depicted in this book), and he basically created modern celebrity culture as the founding father of People, where he articulated his famous rules for cover photos: young is better than old, pretty better than ugly, rich better than poor--"and nothing is better than the celebrity dead." All of the above are found abundantly in Stolley and Tony Chiu's lively, cannily selected, and sumptuously produced photo album LIFE: Our Century in Pictures.

It's not just a grab bag of 770 arresting, touching, scary, funny, alternately famous and unfamiliar images. It tells a semi-coherent story by breaking up the century into nine "epochs," each introduced with a brief essay by a leading intellectual light (David M. Kennedy, Paul Fussell, and Garry Wills do especially well). There are fun facts aplenty: did you know Columbia Pictures' Lady Liberty-like logo was inspired by a debutante in an anti-Hun propaganda poster? Or that Ike almost chose Margaret Chase Smith instead of Nixon? Each epoch gets assigned a "Turning Point," sometimes a defining moment or a flashy burst of upbeat cultural documentary to offset the sometimes stark violent-event photos. The World War I section breaks up the black-and-white trench-fighting scenes with a quickie history of the American musical, pages as radiant as a rainbow. Each chapter ends with "Requiem" photos of people whose passing is still news.

The layouts are often superb: you have to open the book to see how perfect a Mondrian looks next to a photo of college girls doing patriotic calisthenics that transform them into a similarly energetic grid. There are heftier historic-photo collections, like Bruce Bernard's true test of coffee-table construction, the 1,120-page Century: One Hundred Years of Human Progress, Regression, Suffering, and Hope. But you're not going to find a more popular book of its kind than Stolley and Chiu's. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Unmatched Photo History
A great book for kids to learn about the past and adults to be reminded of it. It's a bookmark of the time we left behind. A great opportunity to teach and entertain at the same time, although some photos might require a bit of explanation for the younger readers. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then this is War and Peace times 10! It brings history to life (no pun intended). You'll go through it over and over. It's a great coffee table or bedside book. You'll laugh and cry again, because the emotion and griping tales just leap off the pages at you. A must for anyone interested in our recent history.

Captivating images of our times
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. They were right! This fine pictorial collection of historic photos brings history to life as well if not better than the best historical novels of the year. 'War of the Rats', 'Charlotte Gray', and 'the Triumph and the Glory' triggered a fascination in recent history in our family and LIFE has sustained it by offering this superb book. We are always looking through it again and again.

A scrapbook of the century...
Life has done a superb job of pulling the whole century together into one book.I wont't tell you what picture was the first picture the started the book off with.But I'll tell you this;they got it right! This in not only the most important and best picture of the 20th century, but also; the most significient picture to portray what man has done;ever.

A great book.
How do you shoe the history of the past century in pictures. Life has come as close as anyone can to do this. This is a great book and should be viewed by everyone. Photographers would be especially taken with the presentation. One must take time in looking through the book as there is so much to cover. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Life
This book contained a very biased segment of American life, mainly that of immoral Hollywood and Washington. What of the families and individuals of America that put this nation together, the farmers, school teachers, workers, the miners, soldiers, etc. whose contributions are not protrayed adequately in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn to remove wrinkles, unwanted backgrounds or color casts, image flaws or 10extra pounds so images look better than reality. Photoshop Restoration andRetouching, 2/E has been updated with new techniques, new projects, and new screenshots. It will take you through numerous step-by-step examples that highlight the tools and techniques used by professional digital artists to restore valuable antique images, retouch portraits and enhance glamour photography. This book features dozens of tutorials that will show users of all skill levels how to transform faded, damaged photographs intobeautiful images that are as clear and crisp as the day they were taken.

Reviews (16)

The "Must Have" Photoshop Retouching/Restoration Book
Katrin Eismann's new Photoshop book is the updated version of her very successful restoration/retouching Bible. She is a brilliant teacher who uses her vast knowledge and precise communication skills to demonstrate sophisticated techniques at workshops throughout the world.

In this book Katrin provides a carefully crafted manual for repairing and enhancing photographs using Photoshop 7, Adobe's latest update of its challenging image software program.

This second edition offers step-by-step demonstrations describing how to approach the most common problems one encounters when working with faded, damaged photographs. Among the many subjects covered are: color, contrast, tone, exposure correction, mold damage, stains, cracks, red eye, torn edges, working by the numbers, replacing missing information and removing dust and scratches.

Katrin's approach to portrait retouching emphasizes the subtle touch. In her extensive chapter on developing a portrait retouch strategy, she thoughtfully discusses and demonstrates the steps for removing blemishes, reducing wrinkles, and improving eyes, lips and hair.

A comprehensive website supplements the book. Readers can download most of the photographs, making it easy to practice using techniques on the same images found throughout the book.

This great book by the "Photoshop Diva" will teach you more about Photoshop than you can possibly imagine.

Great Resource for Web Developers
Sooner or later most web developers will be approached by family members with the idea of setting up a web site to share all those old family photos. You may have even volunteered to do this. After all, it sounds like fun, until you are faced with hundreds of photos that have lain in attics, garages, basements and barns for the last 50 years. Getting these photos into some sort of presentable condition is not just a matter of scanning and sizing. This kind of work calls for an expert, and in this book Katrin Eismann does her best to make you one.

Eismann's book is not for Photoshop novices: you will need to know how to use the tools and work with layers. But everything else you need to restore photographs, even torn, stained, faded and moldy ones, is presented clearly and in great detail here. You will get the most out of it if you take the time to download the practice images from her web site and go through the step by step instructions. Even if you have considerable experience with Photoshop you will find new tools and techniques. The retouching sections are very interesting to just about anyone who works with photos. Here you will learn how to remove blemishes, wrinkles and unwanted pounds as well as any plastic surgeon.

Photoshop Restoration & Retouching, 2nd Edition is not just a "how to" book, but a "why" book, and a terrific way to learn how to work with photographic images of all kinds.

Best book in this area!
There are numerous books on this subject, and it wasn't until I browsed through many that I finally selected this book.

Few reasons why I selected this book against others:
1. the audience is photographers, especially those who own older photos that requires restoration.

2. the format is great - plenty of diagrams and photos and text in bulleted and easy to follow sequence.

3. plentiful tips - 350 pages jammed packed with ways to make your photos better.

4. tips are easy - there are books out there that provides tips on sharpening, correcting exposure problems, etc. But this book makes them so easy!

I'm an intermediate photoshop user, and this book suits me well.

Improving Digital Images
A significant difference between film and digital photography is the Desktop Digital Darkroom, DDD (my own term), the ability to edit digital images in ways well beyond that possible with film and its chemicals. And compared to film photography, DDD is neater, easier to use, reversible and does not require all the special equipment, once one has the computer of course. The images can be from digital cameras, converted film pics or scans. This book discusses modifying them using the Adobe Photoshop 6.0 program.

It actually is applicable to more than Restoration & Retouching. The information on image editing is useful for anyone working with digital images. And while it is based on use of Photoshop many of the tools are available in the lower priced Adobe Elements 2 and the approaches and concepts can be used with other image-editing programs as well.

Up front the author states that this is not a book for beginners. It assumes basic familiarity with Photoshop and the time available to learn, practice and use the techniques presented. It is targeted at professionals who use digital editing extensively. Well, I am no pro but I do take digital photos - generally quick pics at family gatherings. Rarely are my subjects posed - I take what and when I can. DDD lets me improve the photos by cropping, improving exposure, eliminating unwanted objects and such. I found this book informative and useful - even if many of the techniques are more than I want to do - now. Perhaps I'll grow into them too, now that I know what and how to do to improve my photos.

The book is a 10" x 8" glossy paperback. It has 276 pages for ten chapters and an Appendix. I found the type smaller and lighter than in other books, giving me some trouble in reading it. However, it is filled with a myriad of pictures, most in color, that demonstrate the before, during and after look of the images discussed. These before and after pictures often demonstrate quite dramatically the benefits of DDD. The Companion Web Site offers copies of the before images used in the book so the reader can follow along and practice by doing as described in the book.

I learned about using Levels to adjust the Histogram to get better overall tone in a picture. This is more potent than adjusting only the brightness and contrast. The author makes a point to use one or more adjustments layers to contain her changes - making them easily reversible. This is also a new trick for me. [Adobe's Layers tool is very useful in graphics editing.]

Of course, the book spends much time on the Restoration/Retouching subjects - over 2/3 of the book in fact.
These would have helped me in a family project where I scanned in old photos and created a CD for each member. I could definitely have improved the project with the techniques in this book.

The book covers: eliminating scratches and other defects in the pictures; repairing tears and rips; deleting unwanted objects, [Uncle Harry with the pitcher of beer in hand]; re-creating backgrounds; rearranging subjects; changing the colors; and more. The section on improving portraits is quite revealing. Remember the stories of aging movie actresses being filmed through gauze to cover the wrinkles? The same thing can be done with portrait photos. Subjects include "Digital Plastic Surgery" and "The Digital Diet". No wonder the people in advertisements appear so perfect - it's the editing [of good subjects of course]. The author does point out that one should start with the best possible image, recommending taking photos at multiple exposures, etc.

The book lists for $50 and is available on Amazon for $35. It does not discuss: digital cameras or scanners; the various file formats for the digital image files; the ways, besides prints, to show the images [as on the Internet]; nor management and storage of the image files. These subjects are covered in another of the author's books "Real World Digital Photography".

For its intended subject matter the book does an excellent job and will remain in my active library, available to guide me in improving the quality of my digital pictures and photo scans

interesting tricks
this book has some very useful info regarding retouching, some of which i had never seen before, but i don't like that fact that she shows readers the color balance and levels tools as they are for AMATEURS only!!!!! if you were to start using those tools during an interview you would severely limit your chances of landing the job. Despite this issue I would still recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

In his first book, photographer Michael Thompson offers a grand, almost fantastical vision of fashion, glamour, and style. A compelling yet enigmatic sequence of radiant images-plucked from his fashion spreads, portrait shoots, and personal projects-unfolds across these pages, transcending the original commissions to form a dreamlike narrative. Thompson, with editor Dennis Freedman, presents a surrealistic high-concept exploration of the theme of seeing with one's eyes closed, even as he seduces us with his photographic craftsmanship.

Invoking a pantheon of sources, references, and inspirations-from Vermeer, Man Ray, and Cocteau to Kubrick and Coppola-Thompson has turned the cool, austere style for which he is known upside down to reveal its lush, dark under-pinnings. This deluxe volume brings together Thompson's alluring photographs of some of the world's most celebrated subjects and beautiful models, including Claudia Schiffer, Sting, Kate Moss, and Britney Spears. The book reveals as never before the versatile and inventive vision of this stellar photographer. ... Read more

Book Description

The latest edition to join Martin Evening's bestselling 'Adobe Photoshop for Photographers' titles, gives you completely updated and revised coverage providing a professional photographer's insight into Photoshop CS2.

Inside you'll find invaluable information on Bridge, the new file browser that is set to become a very useful image management tool for photographers. Other new developments covered include the new Digital Negative (DNG) file format, improvements in Camera Raw file processing and High Dynamic Range imaging.

Packed full of all the latest features and instructive information on key elements from color management to printing, Martin Evening passes on his famous techniques and professional experience in this commanding and authoritative resource.

Martin Evening was a Photoshop CS2 alpha tester and worked on the development program from the very early stages.

The Adobe Photoshop for Photographers series of books have consistently been in the top best-seller lists for over seven years and is now in its seventh edition.

704 pages of fully updated content plus 30 pages of Photoshop Shortcuts on the free CD-ROM.

Includes all the basics such as how to open and save an image and adjust the contrast and color.

Digital capture devices: how to choose the right scanner or camera.

More than 300 pages of information show you how to make tonal corrections, sharpen images, use filters, create montages, simulate darkroom effects and automate Photoshop.

Over 100 pages devoted to explaining the basic principles of color management, how to calibrate your equipment and how to achieve consistent color and produce perfect prints.

* Over 450 professional, color illustrations make this book stand above the rest
* New interior design and reorganised contents make this book even easier to use
* Master the power of Photoshop CS2 under the instruction of an internationally recognised Photoshop expert ... Read more

Book Description

A luxurious full-color celebration of Ireland's scenic beauty, this book features more than 125 full-color images by Ireland's top landscape photographers and includes six panoramic gatefold pages, each one opening to almost four feet. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

awesome!
The pictures are breathtaking! They have captured the true Ireland in photographs.

There ar no words to describe the beauty of the large photos
The Photographs are awesome! Many of the photos take up both pages, which are so clear and gorgious. The old castles are so neat and look completely beautiful in the middle of Ireland's green moors. It is DEFINITELY a book worth buying!

Spectacular Ireland
I recently moved to Ireland, and my wife and I wanted something to base our site seeing. It has been a great help in deciding our weekend trips. The pictures depict Ireland correctly. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!

Beautiful coffee table book
This is an essential book for anyone of Irish descent or who simply loves and wants to learn more about Ireland. It features brief historical information and many large breathtaking photos on premium glossy stock.

In the Ancient sites section many mysterious tombs with huge rocks are shown. Next, you get a look into Ireland's stone monasteries & abbeys featuring majestic stone crosses. Grand Castles are then explored.

The following sections on Ireland's gardens & landscapes are truly dazzling. The colors are so vibrant they make you feel as if you're there. A few 3-page fold-out panorama's are included.

The cites chapter highlights Ireland's buildings including many impressive photos of doorways, churches, & cityscapes. Lastly, the Irish people are shown playing sports, celebrating holidays, & performing traditional dances & music.

The Journey is the Reward
Spectacular Ireland takes you on a journey through Irish time and scenery that is as rewarding as traveling to the country in person (almost!). The text is logically laid-out and easily understood. The pictures are exquisite with good explanations of what they are and where they are located. Absolutely fabulous! ... Read more

Book Description

If winning over clients means wowing 'em with Photoshop-enhanced photos, this is the book for you! Simple step-by-step instructions equal easy, elegant solutions in this streamlined volume geared exclusively to photographers using Photoshop. Just like your favorite cookbooks--the ones with short, clear-cut instructions and mouth-watering photos of the delectable concoctions--this book identifies challenges, provides simple recipes for overcoming them, and plugs in inspirational photos of the glorious results. The authors provide enough theoretical grounding so readers can use the program effectively but leave out the tech-heavy under-the-hood discussions that represent the core of other Photoshop tomes. You'll find recipes for dealing with common workflow problems (color correction, dodging and burning, retouching), and you'll learn all the exciting photo enhancing techniques that will give your work that extra wow: tinting, softening, collaging, you name it! Along the way you'll master all of Photoshop's newest, snazziest tools: the Healing Brush, the Pattern Maker plug-in, and more.

Book Description

Currently with no other book on digital SLR photography, photo enthusiasts have had to rely on books that concentrate only on aspects of the technology that are peripherally related to picture-taking.This book uniquely concentrates on creative techniques for the digital SLR photographer. Photography with Digital SLR and SLR-like cameras isnt exactly like conventional film SLR photography; nor is it exactly like digital photography with non-SLR cameras. DSLRs have special advantages, special features, and special problems that need to be addressed and embraced. In addition, users of these cameras tend to expect more from their photography and crave the kind of information that will let them wring every ounce of creativity out of their equipment. Anyone who has a Windows PC or Macintosh and a digital SLR camera will find advanced techniques in this book. Readers will cover various aspects of DSLRs including: why DSLRs work best for creative posing for group and individual portraits, using DSLRs to capture close-up scenes on the desktop using the digital cameras special capabilities, how to get great travel photos with a DSLR, and how to archive them when far from a computer. ... Read more

Book Description

Almost everyone can "see" in the conventional sense, but developing photographic vision takes practice. Learning to See Creatively helps photographers visualize their work, and the world, in a whole new light.

Now totally rewritten, revised, and expanded, this best-selling guide takes a radical approach to creativity. It explains how it is not some gift only for the "chosen few" but actually a skill that can be learned and applied. Using inventive photos from his own stunning portfolio, author and veteran photographer Bryan Peterson deconstructs creativity for photographers. He details the basic techniques that went into not only taking a particular photo, but also provides insights on how to improve upon it—helping readers avoid the visual pitfalls and technical dead ends that can lead to dull, uninventive photographs.

This revised edition features the latest information on digital photography and digital imaging software, as well as an all-new section on color as a design element. Learning to See Creatively is the definitive reference for any photographers looking for a fresh perspective on their work.

* New edition of a best-selling title
* Updated to include digital
* All new artwork, and a totally revised and expanded text
* All-new section on color as a design element
* Written by one of Amphoto's bestselling authors ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Chiken Soup for the Photographer's Soul !!
I bought this book expecting to see rules of composition.Apart from one reference to the rule of thirds, I did not find anything. But I did find something else - "The art of looking at the picture through the viewfinder". As I had gotten into using more complex, advanced equipment, I had started looking at the picture instead of seeing. This book will make you think before you take your photographs. Most of the photographs in the book made me marvel at the guy's composition skills..even envy. But now when I take my pictures, some of the pictures from the book come to my mind, and I re-evaluate my composition. If this happens to you...youre well on your way to taking great pictures. The section on exposure is nice. The book is worth every cent you pay for it.

Banish those ho-hum, so-so compositions.
This is the most useful photography book I have read in a long time, and I have read a lot (and taken a few pictures along the way). True this is not a general book and does not cover the basics in film, aperture and shutter speed which of course are important (after all this author has written a book on these aspects), but lets face it there are plenty of these general books around already. What this book addresses in spades is what is often lacking in some others; composition.

If you are a beginner then this is a must read book. If you are more advanced and generally happy with your images then read this book anyway and look again. Were any of you images 'ho-hum, so-so'? Need to move on to the next level?

This is the best book on composition I have read. I believe this book has helped me and can help you improve your images no matter what level you are at. Yes, even if you are a point and shoot photographer. For me this one is a keeper. Enjoy. ASC.

A casual book for novices
Nice photo examples, although neither really inspiring nor stunning.
Technical details are superficial and sketchy.
Not worth keeping it as a reference book.

A must have book for reference, learning and enjoyment!
I own the previous edition of this book, so I waited with anxious expectation for its revision. This is more than a revision, it's a brand new book, a necessary addition to the theory and practice of implementing creative vision in making photographs. I recommend this book to all who wish to receive inspiration and mentoring in realizing their own creative vision in photography and even general artistic picture making. The text is written in Bryan Peterson's inimitable down to earth, friendly yet knowledgeable style. The photographs are truly inspirational. This book is a keeper!

Well worth the wait
When I heard that this book was going to be revised, I waited for it in anxious anticipation - it was well worth the wait!

Sometimes all that is needed to improve a composition is to change one's perspective, which is often pointed out in this book. This is something I'm learning to take advantage of, and can see the improvement in my pictures.

I was also happy to see a section added dealing with color and one on digital imaging.

If you've got a basic understanding of photography behind you, then I'd highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Seventh heaven

Nothing could be more luxurious, pleasurable, or refreshing than pampering yourself in a sumptuous spa. The best ones are designed to look and feel like paradise—and they do. In this book, you’ll discover the most exceptional historical, thermal, thalassic, wellness & health, resort, new age, adventure, day, and hotel spas around the world—from Paris to South Africa, Bangkok to Texas—beautifully photographed and accompanied by pricing, service, and contact information. Use the book to scout out your ideal spa-destination and take yourself one step closer to nirvana. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lovely book filled with photos and ideas
Nothing is more lovely or inviting than a spa, and the best mimic pools and lovely outdoors environments. Whether you're a traveler seeking the ultimate spa or a homeowner seeking ideas for reproducing paradise in your own backyard, Spa is the book of choice for locating both ideas and destinations. Spas around the world, from resorts and hotel spas to, are profiled and packed into a lovely book filled with photos and ideas. Spa prices and services will appeal to destination-oriented travelers, while the extensive color shots of spa surroundings, both interior and exterior, offer plenty of ideas for homeowners who would create smaller versions of paradise.
... Read more

Book Description

Not only is he one of the world’s preeminent architecture photographers, Robert Polidori is also--as his popular book Havana proved--a master of urban portraiture. The Montreal-born photographer has made haunting studies of bombed-out buildings in Beirut, decaying New York tenements, Versailles rooms in dusty disarray, Brasilia's paean to spare '50s modernism, and, most recently, the abandoned, contaminated cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat. Taken together, they add to his ongoing project: the interpretation of the interrupted urban landscape.

This new monograph combines the eye of a celebrated photographer with the distinctive voice of an artist and adventurer. Each breathtaking image--meticulously selected by the photographer from his own personal archive--is accompanied by a compelling first person account, based on interviews conducted by Martin C. Pedersen, executive editor of Metropolis magazine. Polidori tells behind-the-scene stories about the making of his photographs, takes us to war-torn Beirut and Brasilia and other world capitals, talks about what makes a building photogenic, how he shoots buildings he doesn’t like, his favorite architects, and his love of mosques. A look at the world’s great cities as seen through the eyes of a sharp social observer--and a great photographer.

Often considered an architectural photographer, Robert Polidori is in fact a photographer of habitat. On the surface, his subjects are buildings. But at the core his lens is focused on the remnants and traces of living he finds scattered in hallways, left in back rooms and worn on façades.--The Globalist

The most interesting things are always behind us. I look at everything as archaeology.--Robert Polidori

With Martin C. Pedersen and Criswell Lapin.

Hardcover, 11.5 x 10.75 in. / 128 pgs / 60 color. ... Read more

Book Description

If you're ready to get serious about editing video, this best-selling, Apple-certified guide to Final Cut Pro is the best place to start. Master trainer Diana Weynand starts with basic video editing techniques and takes you all the way through Final Cut Pro's powerful advanced features, delivering comprehensive training--the equivalent of a five-day course--in one project-based book. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of video editing and finishing, with hands-on projects for you to complete as you go. All the files you need are on the DVD-ROM. After getting acquainted with the software's interface, you'll learn how to mark and edit clips, insert and adjust edits, and work with clips on the timeline, before moving on to complex topics like creating transitions and motion effects, real-time color correcting, and titling techniques. Previously published as Final Cut Pro 4, this revision has been updated for the HD interface.

Publisher¿s NoteIf you previously purchased Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 4, there is no need to purchase this revision: All the project files and exercises in the previous edition can be used with Final Cut Pro HD.

Book Description

For serious amateur photographers who already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, here’s the book to consult. More than seventy techniques, both popular and less-familiar approaches, are covered in detail, including advanced exposure, bounced flash and candlelight, infrared, multiple images, soft-focus effects, unusual vantage points, zooming, and other carefully chosen ways to enhance photographs. The A-Z format make sit easy for readers to find a specific technique, and each one is explained in jargon-free language. Top Tips for each technique help readers achieve superb results, even on the first attempt. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Eugene Smith... what can I say!
Superb. I am a professional photographer, and i really admire Smiths work. This book is a great collection of some of his images.
The publishers did a good job reproducing the photographs, nice detail and tone. Definitely worth the price.

Staff Photographer, Seattle Times, Seattle, Washington
An excellent display and text of one of one of the world's great photojournalists. I would recomend this book highly to any fan of E. Eugne Smith

Review of Smith book from an old friend
SMITH BOOK REVIEW

Having risked hernia to browse the impressive new book of an old friend and neighbor, ( W. Eugene Smith; Photographs 1934-1975 John T. Hill/Gilles Mora) what first grabs is the space, air and light enveloping these intense images with almost a loving caress, a sense of freshness and sunlight never possible in our dim, dingy-dusty claustrophobic Sixth Avenue loft building, where, just outside my studio door, were piled stacks upon stacks of his work mounted on black 16x20 dogeared mats, just waiting to be stolen, but which were, in fact, attributed by many visitors to some magical drugstore, and could I, please, arrange to have their wedding pictures made there, too? Gene couldn't sell one print for even twenty-five bucks in those days. Every night when I came home to sleep there was the despairing Clement Attlee staring upward at the bare light bulb over my doorway.

That was forty years ago, and twenty since Gene went to that great blast of ferrocyanide in the sky, and much ado about him has taken place in the interim. New York fifties mindset was Freudian psychoanalysis; everyone went to a shrink. Any prominent individualistic tendencies were often condemned to one definition of neurosis or another, and in the rather small and specious world of photography , Gene's maverick determination stood out in high relief. Businessmen photographers-- like the young Lee Friedlander, himself awash in Freudophilia, considered Gene a 'spoiler', pretentious-precious, and went instead to sit at the feet of the polymorphous Walker Evans; yes, "pomposity" was pretty much the legend that Gene's exit from LIFE brought down around his head. Not a team player at all; tsk tsk. And in his brave repudiation of corporate moloch, Gene valiantly pratfalled himself right into the lap of utter poverty.

To large extent, Gene's persona seemed to require a struggle against impossible odds; it focused and sharpened him to the high standards he demanded from himself , and he was no slouch when it came to grandstanding, often with tears, his anti-Goliath position. He built his own Myth of Smith, his self-invented public (relations?) image, fine when LIFE was footing the bill, but now, inside our firetrap former whorehouse , there was real rent to pay, real electric bills, bona fide empty refrigerators. That is about when we began to get acquainted--- I never really bought the Myth; for me he was just the strangely interesting guy downstairs who became a great pal.

Outside the loft, Gene was quick to acquire the packagable cliche of the garret-starved self-destructive artist. Compared to Van Gogh, he earned some residue of American Puritan contempt; this man whose great humanity was most evident in his work was treated most inhumanely by his peers.

Inside the loft, for many years the two of us were in daily contact, working and trying to exist under extremely difficult economic circumstances, and we often had one helluva good time!! I found him to be a genial, generous, courageous---often outrageous-- warm wildly witty man, always humble, sensitive, shy and hard-working, sharing a great interest in art, with a remarkable philosophical perspective. We jabbered of Welles and Chaplin , wide angle lenses, witches, Goya, Haiti, Satchmo, Stravinsky, O'Casey, Joyce, Kazan, war, suicide, politics, cock-fought over girls, guzzled cheap scotch, and swung with the jazz that regularly took place in my studio , as if great mind trips could avert the cold fact of the necessity to eat. I remember one hot summer day, making cream cheese and molasses sandwiches for us on cinamon bread. Gene argued that we didn't have to buy the molasses because we could get the iron from our rusty tap water. As a rule, his antic humor and punning sense managed always to keep things slightly off-balance; this man who had such a profoundly dramatic instinct and attraction for the tragic had also a capricious spirit of the absurd in the way he conducted his daily life; Van Gogh with a manic dash of Robin Williams.

And astonishingly productive. Yet always the gloomy impassioned chairoscuro came out of the darkroom-- prints blacker than black, then mounted on black, dense, intense, often in layout strangulation, making sure; I , W. Eugene Smith , won't let you go gently into that unferrocyanided good night. Sans assignments, now more artist than journalist, for years on end Gene shuffled his prints, made and remade PITTSBURG, photographed our jazz and our personal La Boheme, tried a failed book, a failed magazine, and finally luck brought him The Jewish Museum show and then his crescendo, Minimata.

One night in Bradley's in 1975, Gene said, "Well, Dave, I finally got there at last. I've got ten thousand dollars in the bank for the first time. Of course, it's only going to be there about a week."

Jump cut posthumous; an icon, passed away amongst us, is now suddenly acknowledged. Many who jeered him, refused him recognition, now come out to sycophant, to pedestal, to celebrate his life-- including LIFE itself. Gee, we're SO sorry; but let's exploit!

Those twenty-five dollar prints buckled the registers at auctions, and giant profits were made; yes, the same old art-woe story--- just at the time Vinnie the Gogh himself was pulling down millions in Sotheby sales. The dark side of Gene, finally, surely, took care of his children and at least one of his wives.

We get a brilliant and sensitive biography by Jim Hughes, a soso documentary, worldwide traveling shows. And then it seemed over. "There's no money left around for Gene Smith anymore" comments executor John Morris in the late eighties, handing his stewardship over to Gene's bastard son.

Now, surprise! comes this current coffee table dominatrix which gives Gene's babies, his pictures, the opportunity to have a life of their own in renewal. SNAP!! Of course one can argue anew the merits of the individual essays and which choices are the best, etc., but for myself-- having gone to bed amidst these images for many years, there's something new about them now; suddenly welcome. There is a spank-spank/no-no here; not all of what we see are Gene's own prints, very much against the artist's wishes, but the damage is by no means on the level of, say, Clement Greenberg's sanding off the paint on David Smith's sculptures after his death. And most of these choices help illuminate Gene's way of seeing and working. There are also textual inaccuracies; Hall Overton did not own the loft bldg. I had rented three floors, and Hall rented originally from me, and my friend Sid Grossman sent over Harold Feinstein to share Hall's floor. When Harold left, he brought in Gene.

I liked John Hill's technical essay at the closure. I was with Gene the night MAD EYES burnt out all the surrounding background, with ritual Clan MacGregor celebration, for neither of us-- one painter, one photographer-- gave a whit about 'objectivity'.

This spacious book-bomb adds honor and light to these master photographs, allowing them their own life and breathing room not usually available. Gene's insistence on control force-gilded his lilies, giving barely any space in his layouts to let the eye feel free to wander on its own volition. Now one can look afresh with impunity, and they look a bit different--even better.

In any event, Gene, now busily groping angels, can no longer argue in his own defense, no longer joke, weep, holler, cajole, rage, pun. And he doesn't need to.

You know? This fellow really had one goddamned great eye and sense of when.

David X Young

Oct 22 1998 ... Read more

Book Description

Although you can use one tool-Photoshop CS!-for both, the worlds of Web and print design are very different. Which means that if you use Photoshop CS exclusively for Web design, you probably don't want to waste a lot of time reading about its print capabilities. Not to worry: This is one Photoshop guide that covers the Web and nothing but! In this volume you'll find all the information you need to start creating Web pages with Photoshop CS, delivered in the form of classroom-proven lessons tested in Lynda Weinman's acclaimed Lynda.com training center. Using a combination of project-based lessons, guided exercises (the files for which are included on the companion CD-ROM), and QuickTime tutorials, this full-color volume walks you through all of Photoshop CS' Web features, including those new to cs: enhanced HTML output, Macromedia Flash (SWF) export, conditional actions, an enhanced rollover palette, and more. You'll also learn how to create rollovers, animations, image maps, transparency, and layer styles (among other things).

Reviews (2)

Plus 220 pages of additional content, minus color
The book description refers to the book as "this full-color volume" in error. The update from Photoshop/Imageready 7 to CS has added 220 pages of content, but to hold the same price point, it was necessary to produce the book in black and white. I really miss the color. I occasionally purchase a Photoshop book that is not in color, but with one exception (Deke McClelland's Look and Learn Photoshop 6), they always end up being returned.

Don't let me discourage you from buying the book -- it's still a great resource, even more so since Ben Willmore's Photoshop CS Studio Techniques no longer discusses web/Imageready topics -- but please be aware that it's not "in full color."

LYNDA DOES IT AGAIN!
I received this book about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I just tore thru it! Linda Weinman and Tanya Staples did an outstanding job in covering and teaching me what I needed to know about Photoshop CS. It beat out Photoshop class room in a book by a mile!

To bad I can't take it back!{

This has revolutionized the way I design websites for my realtor clients at realtors-image com

Thank you Lynda, Tanya and special thanks to Garo Green....what an amazing trainer he is. I made the move from Frontpage to Dreamweaver MX with his training manual.

The field of Graphic/ Web Design is wide open if you just follow these manuals from Lynda Weinmans HOT Manuals,

Thank you all and god bless! ... Read more

Book Description

Time-tested lighting strategies that will improve the quality of a portrait are detailed in this book for beginning photographers. Terminology used by industry pros is explained, the equipment needed to create professional results is outlined, and the unique role that each element of the lighting setup plays in the studio is explored. Photographers learn how color, direction, form, and contrast affect the final portrait. The concise text, photo examples, and lighting diagrams enable photographers to easily achieve traditional lighting styles that have been the basis of good portraiture since the advent of the art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Learning from a master
Christopher Grey is a master of photographic lighting, and this expertise shines through in his latest book, appropriately titled, Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers. Grey eases his readers into the topic with a discussion on the properties and quality of light and a review of modern lighting equipment, both store-bought and homemade. Then, after an informative chapter on lighting ratios (a frequently misused and misunderstood term) he embarks on an instructive and comprehensive journey that covers everything from classic lighting styles to the advanced lighting methods used by today's top studio photographers. Beautiful color photos and helpful diagrams complement each scenario.

Grey's writing is conversational and witty, which is a blessing when one is digesting material that, in duller texts, can quickly veer off into technical mumbo jumbo. In addition to his lighting information, he sprinkles every chapter with plenty of useful advice - things he's learned during his 30-year career - for saving money, choosing backdrops, building trust with subjects, capturing better expressions and much, much more. I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in portrait photography. The photographs alone are well worth the purchase price, but the lessons enabling readers to create similarly stunning photos make the book an extremely good value. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Worth the wait
I can remember when the book was first published over ten years ago, and I had a chance to go the the exhibit in Los Angeles. I balked at going and I regretted that chance. Now, eleven years later as a treat to myself, I bought the book without hesitation. "Bear Pond" has to be one of the most sought after if not the most referenced collection of male nudes. Bruce Weber is the master of photographing young men in the most natural and unaffected ways. Here, he manages to capture the innocence and provocativity of each of his subjects without seeming exploitative or lecherous. Although the book cost me much more than its original $50, I am so happy that I finally had a chance to add it to my collection of treasures. ... Read more

Book Description

Bestselling author Scott Kelby (Editor of Photoshop User magazine) is back with an amazing new collection of Photoshop Down and Dirty Tricks, including how to create the same exact effects you see every day in magazines, on TV, at the movies, and on the Web. It's more of those eye-popping, jaw-dropping special effects that made Scott's previous version an award-winning worldwide smash hit!

But this isn't just an update to his previous book--these are 100% ALL NEW EFFECTS from cover-to-cover to reflect the latest trends in Photoshop special effects and design. These are nothing but today's real world techniques--the same ones you see used by leading Photoshop photographers, designers, and special effect masters, and its all here in the only book of its kind.

You'll learn the most closely guarded inside secrets for creating the latest cutting-edge effects, including techniques that have never been revealed before anywhere! And the book is written so clearly, and is so easy to follow, that you'll be able to create every one of these amazing effects yourself. You'll learn:

• Tricks professional photographers use to show off their work
• The most popular effects used by the big Hollywood studios
• The latest cutting-edge photographic special effects
• How to fake all kinds of studio shots (you'll be amazed how its done!)
• The type effects that are most in demand by clients
• How to get stunning 3D effects without using a 3D program
• How to turn simple snapshots into museum quality gallery prints
• The most asked for new Web effects
• Plus loads of advanced effects that look hard, but are easy, once you know the secrets

But Down and Dirty tricks is more than just a just an effects book--it's a tips book too, because on every page Scott includes a cool tip, a quick trick, or a timesaving shortcut, making this an invaluable productivity tool too! Plus the whole book is packed with design techniques, creative ideas and stunning layouts that will help you unleash your own creativity. It's all here-- "Just the funk and not the junk" and if you're into Photoshop, you're absolutely gonna love it!

Reviews (24)

Great for all levels of Photoshop Users
This book as well as the other "Down & Dirty Tricks" books have been an absolute asset. I could not recommend them more to a Photoshop user, whether it's for print design (which is what I do), digital photography, or web design. The reason why I praise this book so much is because of the ease of use. The tips are step-by-step and easy to understand. Mr. Kelby does not fall into speaking a language that only professionals understand, and for that this book is a great tutor. While it can be compared to learning how to play music without actually knowing how to read musical notes, the information is definitely invaluable.

Down and dirty and GREAT!!
Want Photoshop tips? Want LOTS of Photoshop tips? Want Photoshop tips that you'll ACTUALLY USE?

Buy this book!

While written for CS, most everything can be done (as other reviewers state) in Photoshop 7 as well. I have the "Down and Dirty Tricks" for PS 7, and I'm delighted to say that Scott didn't just retread that volume, this is all NEW stuff!

If you want Photoshop help with "how'd they do that?", this book is for you. Scott is friendly, slightly weird (aren't all Photoshop users?), eager to share the steps involved to great effects, faster production and "wow!" in Photoshop.

Great all-round book of tips! Recommended highly (and I've been using PS since version 3).

The Camel's Back is Broken....
I'm very disappointed. This will be the last Photoshop book I ever buy. The only good tutorials in the book are: the Grunge Tutorial, and the 2 that Felix Nelson did, which were the Neon Text and Reverse Restoration. The rest is just stealing other people's ideas and brand identity. And that's just pointless, is it not? And the cheap "stolen-knockoffs" that Kelby creates look terrible, hence cheap stolen-knockoffs :)

My suggestion is that if you're a beginner that has never heard of Kelby, go ahead and indulge. But if you have read 1 of his other books don't get this. However, if you go against my advice and do buy it and like it, chances are you still think unadulterated Bevel & Emboss and soft-vignettes are cool. Lastly, if you're like me, just go to the bookstore and glance through it, because that's all its worth.

I've had it with this bloated bunch of copycat-cookbook-knockoff-crap. Truth be told, I didn't want to say crap. I wanted to use a stronger word with same number of letters.

There is nothing better
Scott has done it again !!!!! I am new user of photoshop and Scott has made it so simple for me to "fake a pro". Whenever people see me utilizing his techniques outlined in his books they think I have a degree in graphic designing. Keep up the good work Scott, I will be buying most of his books.

Mark---Florida

Great book that gets right to the action
I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master of a few, and simply don't have enough time to learn all my apps in-depth. I usually have a project, and have to dive into an application to the point I can get my work done, then move on. This book has been magic for me. Example - I learned how to create chrome text, so it was easy to create other chrome objects for our company web site. Same with other metal effects. Our site looks fantastic! It let me get on with my project, even though I didn't completely understand why some of the effects did what they did. But, then I put some effort in those areas, and nailed it.

Everyone thinks I'm a Photoshop guru (I'm not). But it fast-forwarded me to the point I could get my projects done. Some day I'll read one of those 1200 page monsters - right after I master Flash, Visual Studio, C#, Python, SQL Server, Illustrator and InDesign. That's after I finish installing our new Linux server and write our new MRP package.

It's NOT a tutorial - it's a cookbook. Rather than teaching you everything Photoshop can do, you flip through the book and find something that "WOWs" you. Follow the steps and it's on your screen. Cool. Very very cool.

If you are busy and need something that helps you get your work done, get this. It jumpstarted me. ... Read more

Book Description

The latest edition to join Martin Evening's bestselling 'Adobe Photoshop for Photographers' titles gives you completely updated and revised coverage providing a professional photographer's insight into Photoshop CS.

The main update is the latest coverage of all that's new in digital capture; also the numerous new tutorials and updated, top quality color images throughout make this edition a must have purchase. This edition also benefits from a new internal design that, along with a re-ordering of the contents, makes navigation even easier. Still packed with practical advice and even more hints and tips, this book will take your Photoshop up to a professional standard, guided by the 'Daddy' of Photoshop himself, Martin Evening.

* Over 450 professional, color illustrations make this book stand above the rest
* New interior design and reorganised contents make this book even easier to use
* Master the power of Photoshop CS under the instruction of an internationally recognised Photoshop expert ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An Absolute Must Read if you Love Photoshop
I was a very early adopter of Photoshop and used it extensivly for 10 years until I decided to try something a little different (farming) a couple of years ago. Now I have decided to get back into the game and in preperation I read four of the most current books on Photoshop.

Martin Evenings book is truly incredible for both the level of detail and the breadth of the material presented. I read this book cover to cover and then picked it up a week later and read sections of interest again.

This is not a book for those who want to gloss over the subject, it is a book for serious imagers who want to play at the top of their profession.

Honestly this book put to shame the other books that I read which tended towards little nuggets of information and specific techniques rather then presenting a solid understanding of how Photoshop works and the implication of not only technique but fundamentals like workflow, color management, planning for re-purposing files and so on.

It is a little humbling to know that there are wizards like Martin Evening out in the marketplace. This book is incredible.

Photoshop CS for Photographers is highly inspiring
Photoshop for Photographers is highly inspiring for me. During the four weeks I posess a copy of it I hardly did other things then discovering more and more on Photoshop... It is like discovering the world (which is my second job as a tourleader and travel journalist/photographer, next to my daily work as a photographer and editor/desktoppublisher).

Although I am working with Adobe Photoshop for over ten years as a photographer and desktoppublisher Martin Evening showed me a number of new methods which I could not find in other books on this program. Especially the extensive chapters on Color Correction, Color Management and Output for Print were very interesting to me; but every chapter contains interesting stuff. I am convinced that there is no better book on this subject, with the things together that belong together (for example colorcorrection) and not a full technical description of menu-item by menu-item which in daily practice are used mixed up.

I am sure that Photoshop for Photographers is very close to the way photographers (amateur and pro) think and work. This is not such a dull computerbook, from which there are already too much. Even for a non-native English-speaker as I this book is written in a very clear and understandable language. The fullcolor examples and how to's that are mixed througout the book are very instructive and inviting to try it yourself.
Martin Evening tried to keep a highly complex program simple for his readers. Meanwhile his texts stimulated me to try to understand how Photoshop really works (those technical backgrounds are not inside, to keep the book understandable for starters. And that is how it should be).
I wish you a lot of photo-editing fun!

The 1 Star Ratings are Ridiculous.
This book is not *intended* for inexperienced users, therefore it's not surprise it might also be confusing to the same group. The last reviewer answered his own complaint: if you don't know Photoshop at all, buy a cookie cutter / how-to book like those from Deke McLelland or even Scott Kelby. If you're looking for a comprehensive view of the application from a professional photography perspective, buy this book. You're not likely to be disappointed.

Among all the Photoshop books which attempt to detail all aspects of the digital photography workflow (from hardware to color management to editing techniques), Martin Evening's books are among the very best.

He also does make a habit of updating content wherever practical from edition to edition. Obviously it's silly for an author to change every screenshot and example for every edition. When you find one that works well for illustrating a particular technique, you keep it until the tool in question changes. If it isn't broken....

And to say this is poorly written reflects more on the commentator's reading comprehension ability, than the author's writing ability. Evening's work is very accessible, assuming you already know the basics of Photoshop. The only complain I have about this book is that I would like him to focus a little more on facial retouching aspects, as it's obviously a big part of his business. I'm sure he has more to share on that topic. Hopefully next edition....

Don't Waste Your Money on Martin Evening's Book
This book is for the highly experienced photoshop user. Martin Evening can't explain simple concepts, his graphics are on different pages then his text (so you have to hunt for the graphic). Just very poorly written. If you want to really learn about Photoshop CS the buy Deke McLelland's, "Adobe Photoshop CS One-On-One". It is full of examples, has a terrific CD, very well written, easy to understand. Absolutely the best.

Excellent as usual from Martin Evening
Another very easy to follow and comprehensive manual for CS. I've owned them all since Mr. Evening's 6.0 for Photographers and this one will prove to be as invaluable as the others. Highest marks! ... Read more

Book Description