Amazon.com

To achieve the quiet beauty of his art, Andy Goldsworthy spends long hours in rough weather, engaged in a tug-of-war with nature. He wrestles heavy stones on top of one another to form tall, egg-shaped landmarks known as cairns. He painstakingly covers fallen logs with bright golden bands of Dutch elm leaves—a last hurrah for a proud species decimated by disease. He pulverizes white chalk to lay a long, wandering path in the woods that gleams in the moonlight. Works like these are as much about the transience of life as they are about a sense of place and the pleasures of color, light and form. In Passage, the British artist's latest book, he once again provides diary excerpts that chronicle his daily successes and failures. The lush color photographs he takes to document peak moments of the birth, glory and decay of his art are as beautiful as ever. Unlike the other books, however, Passage--which begins in 2000 and darts back and forth over the next few years--is shadowed by a more urgent sense of mortality. Goldworthy's recently deceased father is in his thoughts, and a major project he tackles is the memorial Garden of Stones for the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. The garden's giant boulders pose many difficulties--finding the right ones, acquiring them, moving them, experimenting with cutting processes and coping with the elderly stonecutter's frequent tantrums. Hollowed out, the stones will be filled with trowels of earth (a ritual recalling burial) and tiny oak saplings, symbolic of life. "The partnership between tree and stone will be stronger for the tree having grown from the stone, rather than being stuck into it," Goldsworthy writes in his straightforward style. (An essay about this project by the historian Simon Schama, previously published in The New Yorker, is one of several pieces by other writers included in the book.) Once again, Goldsworthy succeeds in showing how seemingly simple ideas and actions can deeply engage both natural forces and human emotions. —Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

In Photoshop 6 Effects Magic, a array of professionals illustrate the use of many of Photoshop 6's new features as well as basic techniques in a collection of over 20 tutorials. This book is not for freshmen Photoshop artists. It requires that you have a working knowledge of basic Photoshop tools, getting around the interface, and creating and editing Photoshop images.

Spanning four sections, the book covers painting techniques, photographic techniques, image manipulation, and compositing techniques. Each section contains at least five tutorials, and all are in full color and richly illustrated. While the book is not platform-specific, many of the techniques described in the "Painting Techniques" section, for example, are dependent on a graphics tablet. If you use Photoshop for freehand illustration, you're probably already using one. If not, you can still use many of the techniques described with a mouse, albeit with less control.

Creating painterly illustrations from photographs in a sketch or watercolor style is well covered, as are manipulating and retouching photographs to change atmosphere, create multilayered compositions, or add depth or style. Compositing techniques using Photoshop's live effects give a designer great latitude, and the tutorials using text and live effects are especially worthwhile.

The Magic series of books from New Riders Publishing is an outstanding collection, with no expense spared in layout or production. Photoshop 6 Effects Magic holds its own in this distinguished series, and is a valuable handbook to have at your fingertips. --Mike Caputo ... Read more

Reviews (11)

MAGIC
This is one book that you should have in your library no matter what your area of specialty is. Each chapter is an individual project and there are valuable tips for everyone. From the graphic designer to the airbrush artist to the photographer.

Although this book assumes that you have some basic working knowledge of Photoshop, I would also like to add that the best way to learn such a powerful software is actually by using it. And Photoshop 6 Effects Magic provides a guide that will definitely shorten your learning curve. It doesn't explain what a particular Photoshop feature/function is. Rather, it explains in clear steps how to achieve a particular task eg how to colourise a monochrome. And this is one of the strengths of the book. You don't read pages and pages of what a particular Photoshop feature does. It gets straight to the point - results.

Now this Is what I wanted!
I was really impressed with this book, not only is it a Who's who of great photoshop instructors but it actually has valuable projects. I've seen big names before and often they give you projects that tease and not really valuable.

The projects in this book are quite impressive and are more advanced than normal. If you are looking for a beginners book then please don't buy this one, it means it when it says intermediate to advanced. But if you want to expand your Photoshop skills with techniques such as recreating a full studio environment with shadows and reflections, neon painting using blending modes (I've never seen anyone teach it like this before). There are shadows, reflections, clouds (great clouds, not the simple ones using just a filter), some restoration and algorithmic painting as well. This just touches the surface.

The layout is easy to follow and the steps are complete and not vaque. The full color layout throughout makes each project feel special. Ok, I admit I have a book fetish and I appreciate good quality paper, nice layout and color, it just seems to put me in the right frame of mind to do the project. After all, the book wouldn't do me any good if I didn't feel motivated enough to pick it up and actually use it .

This one is a fantastic value for the money and I would highly recommend it to any aspiring "intermeiate to advanced" user.

Another Cheesy Photoshop Book
This book contains little new knowledge or info on photoshop. Some of the techniques might give the reader a useful idea however the execution in general is more like the authors trying to show off instead of teach. After reading through the book there weren't many of lessons that I cared to duplicate or experiment with and certainly none that led to any advancement of my profession.
I don't mean to be overly critical, but with so many PS books out there I am tired of mediocrity. There are other books available with much better and informative content.

Creative tips & techniques
Some very useful info in this book, particularly creative tips and a more artistic approach to image manipulation. With this & Katrin Eismann's book, you will have a lot of bases covered.

Overdone
I teach both a begining and advanced Photoshop class for an Apple Specialist. I try to provide a book to go with the two day advanced class. Finding a book that is right for this class has always been a challange. I was sent this book to review and I have to say I was disappointed. It seems like they are wanting to impress and not use the route with the fewest steps. There are easier ways of doing most of these exercises. The effects themselves were also a little strange. The liquify filter is the old Kai's Power Goo and doesn't need a whole chapter on caricatures. I will say that there were a few (two) of the examples I was able to use in class. ... Read more

Book Description

In the early 1970s, the sport of skateboarding had so waned from its popularity in the 1960s that it was virtually non-existent. In the Dogtown area of west Los Angeles, a group of young surfers known as the Zephyr Team (Z-Boys) was experimenting with new and radical moves and styles in the water which they translated to the street. When competition skateboarding returned in 1975, the Z-Boys turned the skating world on its head. . Dogtown The Legend of the Z-Boys is a truly fascinating case study of just how an underground sport ascended on the world. These are the stories and images of a time that not only inspired a generation but changed the face of sport forever. The Legend of the Z-Boys has been described as "The Dogtown text book" and an insightful companion piece to the movie: "DogTown and Z-Boys". . Spanning 1975 – 1985, the first section of the 240 page book includes the best of the "DogTown" articles written by C.R. Stecyk III as they originally appeared in SkateBoarder Magazine. The second half compiles 100’s of never before seen skate images from the archive of Glen E. Friedman - many of which appear in the movie. Both Stecyk and Friedman acted as executive producers and advisors for the award winning film, Dogtown and Z-Boys to be released nationwide simultaneously by Sony Picture Classics in April 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

AWESOME- PERFECT- AMAZING - COOL!
Friedman and Stecyk went all the way on this one. After seeing it at a film festival I thought the movie was amazing, but this book just took it all the way over the top. For sure, the only two people who could have done it, did it! Now I know more than ever why all these guys are living legends. Stecyk's original stories from the 70's and all of those previously un-released Friedman images from the 70's (100+ pages of them) are even more than I expected. The whole thing is nothing less than cool, inspirational and beautiful. This small format but thick book is amazing, it really does feel like a textbook on Dogtown that everyone who loves the movie or culture will have to own. I can't believe Friedman was so young when he shot those pictures! Stecyk's words will inspire, excite, and really entertain anyone who reads them, he's an awesome writer.

Almost as good as having my old Skateboarders...
Finally, collected in one hardback book are all of the "Dogtown" articles from the mid 70's Skateboarder magazine. What a treat!

In their original incarnation, these articles (especially the single page "Who's Hot!")festooned the walls of my bedroom. Even if the originals hadn't disappeared over the years, most probably never survived the pillaging of their contents; thus, a hardback reprint is a treasure! But the real surprise is how well these articles were written.

Your average 13 year old skate nut is hardly a literary critic. So, I didn't really expect the articles themselves to still hold up nearly 30 years down the road. SURPRISE! They are extremely well-written, in a very adult voice. I'm amazed so many of us read these as young teens, they are really quite sophisticated. Whether Stecyk is writing as "John Smythe" or himself, his voice is intelligent and never descends to the "whoa, dude rad!" depths unless quoting a specific skater. The skaters themselves sound quite self-aware, and each has a distinctive attitude that comes thru, even in the first articles. Stacy Peralta is the proto-typical laid back SoCal surfer guy, into peace & inner-growth. Tony Alva is always & forever the rock star, fully into the babes & bling bling being thrown his way, but never losing sight of skating. Jay Adams is the unpredictable, mischievious imp, while Bob Biniack is thuggish & Wentzle Ruml is devil-may-care & funny.

Friedman's photos are awesome of course, & the color seperations & printing quality lavished on these photos is really impressive. This could have easily been a throw-away done for nostalgia or to cash in on the resurgence of "old school" skating, but instead someone took the time to do it right. The cover alone is a masterpiece of photo-reproduction. "The Legend of the Z-Boys" is a major bargain at this price.

A Great Companion To The Movie...
Glen Friedman is one of the pioneers of skateboarding. Of all the famous pictures you've run across through the years, of skating in the 70's and 80's, he probably took most of them. From Tony Alva, to Tony Hawk. This book is great for someone like me who was skating in both decades and is still an avid follower of the genre. For anyone who remembers SKATEBOADER MAGAZINE, you will love this book.

********
I bought this book a couple of months ago and I constantly find myself going back to look at it. The pictures keep me in awe and the articles are fascinating. The one thing I don't like about the book is that although they acknowledge Peggy Oki's part in the Z-Boys Revolution they have almost no photographs of her. She was female skateboarding at that time. Other than that the book is fantastic and fascinating a great coffee table book but also a great read.

Worth Buying
I think the Z-Boys were very lucky to have Glen Friedman and Craig Stecyk around during their moment in the sun. Both obviously knew something dynamic was happening and were able to capture this early culture of skating and the Dogtown days. The photographs are great and the articles and interviews give you a taste of the Z-Boys' personalities as they were. The pool pictures are more intimate as if the photographers were camera-crashing their parties, and it just looked like they were having fun hanging out. Very well put together. I think if you buy the DVD, CD and this book you'll feel complete. ... Read more

Book Description

"When I'm really old and can't use myself anymore, this is what I'll be doing." -Cindy Sherman

"Not only was I enthralled with Mrs. Ballard's Parrots, I was slightly jealous that these creatures had a better sense of style than me." -Isaac Mizrahi

In the late 1960s, Long Island housewife Alba Ballard decided to sew a little outfit for one of her many pet parrots. Soon she began staging elaborate productions, casting her lavishly costumed birds in scenes from popular movies, TV shows, and historical events-all preserved in photographs by Alba and her husband. One minute, parrots were tiny, winged incarnations of such luminaries as Sonny and Cher and General George Patton; another, yellow and green macaws in leather jackets rode on miniature motorcycles reenacting scenes from Easy Rider. Word of Alba's quirky creations spread, and with her feathered cast she eventually appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and even in Woody Allen's film Broadway Danny Rose.

In 1992 a small collection of her photographs turned up in the Swiss home of Elizabeth Taylor, and they soon reached the hands of Arne Svenson. Although Alba died in 1994, her fantasy world lives on in these pictures-a bizarre yet endearing mix of artistry, kitsch, and humor-which form the heart of this irresistible book. AUTHOR BIO: Arne Svenson is a New York-based photographer whose work has been shown extensively in the United States and Europe. He is the author of Prisoners and Sock Monkeys. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Birds scare me.
But when I saw them dressed as Sonny, Cher, General Patton, Liberace, and/or Little Red Riding Hood I screamed all right, of absolute laughter. Arne Svenson's wonderfully respectful book on Alba Ballard is a view into the world of a unique artist who used her pet birds as the protagonists in fantastic surreal tableaus based on 1970's movie and TV scenes, historical occurances, and fairytales.The photos walk a fine line between humor and pathos and offer somewhat satirical, and I am sure intended, comment on the culture of the time.

I am certain that when Mrs. Ballard created these images she was looked upon as a "bit odd" and perhaps even laughed at. I mean, let's get real, she was a housewife in Long Island who designed and created tiny bird costumes, velcroed them onto her pet parrots and made them run around miniature stages while her husband snapped the camera. Not exactly your typical neighborhood gal. However, with this marvelous volume, I think that Mrs. B is having the last laugh. Buy this book, and you will laugh along with her.

Just knowing this book exists makes the world a better place
Alba Ballard was the kind of woman who dressed her various parrots in outfits (astronaut, Batman and Robin) and put them in little scenes (Easy Rider, cowboy saloon) and then photographed or filmed them. In otehr words, Alba Ballard was a GENIUS!

Combining her love of birds, theatre and pop culture. she created tableaux that would likely fetch kajillions of dollars and make her the darling of the art world today, but back in the 50s and 60s primarily only garnered her scorn and weird looks. Alba's story is fascinating, funny, and frankly inspirational and touching.Just imagining Mrs. Ballard in her Long Island home, late at night, arranging her parrots in a faux bedroom with little overturned champagne glasses is enough to make one dazzled by the human spirit -- and the forebearance of her parrots! (As a parrot owner myself, I can't imagine trying to get any of my birds in one of these get-ups without losing a finger.) ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Squarely between art and science
Josef Albers was the Johannes Kepler of color. Kepler spent his life observing planetary motion, and distilling his observations down to simple laws of gravity. Change planets to color, and gravity to human vision, and you have Josef Albers. This book describes the gravitational laws of color. It has the whiff of simple perfection: you can't change one word without diminishing it. It is the bible of color interaction, and will remain so until an Isaac Newton comes along and explains these laws further.

In the rare book collection, I had a look at the first edition, from 1963. It's this enormous book with lots of colored paper and plates for you to experiment with. I really wish it were still in print... I'd buy it at once.

Interact without Color
How can someone put this title on a book and then exclude color examples? To really appreciate what Albers is trying to tell you, you must have examples to lay side-by-side and this paperback does not facilitate that. So I went to the public library to examine the hardback edition, all 20+ pounds of it. And guess what. The text is without examples. But there is a collection of colored paper appendicies that you can use to follow his examples. So buy the paperback and get a package of assorted colored paper and you may succeed in comprehending what Albers is trying to tell us.

He apparently spent his entire career thinking about this subject and he has insights that are very valuable. Unfortunately his writing style reminded me of a few philosophy classes I slept through in college. You have to work very hard to capture the flavor of all of his thinking and observations. If I am pesistent and frequently consume small portions, maybe in time I will feast on his experience.

Magnificent study of Colors
This is a book for everyone who like to dive into the wonderful world of colors. Josef revealed and explained almost all cases of color study. If you've read the books of Newton or Goethe. Josef will be the one of creating color theories and setting the pace for different art-form(s) in this 20th century. Bravo... it does show you what is the Presence of Absence.

helpful, but original Hardcover was better
Having experienced the original hardcover version, and having been given the task of going through the excersizes given in the book, the softcover version is useful, but not nearly as comprehensive and in depth as the original hardcopy.
Still a worthwhle read from a master theorist!
Better than a good read is to get a hold of a packet of Colored Paper and replicate some of the assignments in the book. Best way to learn.

Libro de ejercicios practicos
Para conocer la iteracción de los colores es imprescindible la práctica y una buena práctca es este libro; nos lleva mas allá de la teoría del color ubicandonos en la experimentación visual del color por el color mismo. Excelente para cualquier nivel de conocimiento. ... Read more

Book Description

Like a restless ghost, James Dean (1921-1955) continues to haunt us. Though he died nearly 50 years ago, the enigmatic star of East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause, and Giant still symbolizes the mystery and torment of adolescence-an image that his sudden, violent death fixed forever in the public mind.

Magnum photographer Dennis Stock met Dean in Hollywood in 1954 and began to capture him on camera. Shot over a three-month period just as the young actor's star began to rise, these iconic photographs are the greatest pictures ever taken of Dean. Together with Stock's text and an introduction by Dean biographer Joe Hyams, the images provide an extraordinarily intimate view of the cult legend whose brooding good looks captivated fans by illuminating the troubled depths of his character. Published on the 50th anniversary of his death, this is the definitive photographic portrait of James Dean in both his professional and his private worlds-the real man behind the lingering legend. AUTHOR BIO: Dennis Stock has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1951, and his photographs are in the collections of many major museums. Stock is the author of 16 books, including California Trip, on the surrealistic landscape of that state. He lives in Connecticut. Joe Hyams is the noted author of 28 books, among them James Dean: Little Boy Lost, the definitive Dean biography. Immediately after Dean's death, he was the first authorized by the actor's family to write about him. ... Read more

Reviews (83)

Just take a chance
I recently purchased and have read about 90% of this book. It's very helpful in explaining the exposure triangle as Peterson describes it, as well as depth-of-field including when to use it, how to use it, and how to compensate for it.

Some of the most important advice that Peterson gives is to take some chances with your photographs by trying different techniques and types of film. He also notes that even the best photographers end up with two or three great photos out of a roll of film. This makes me feel a little better that most of the photos I take aren't fit for lining the bird-cage. It should also help keep things in perspective.

I'm looking forward to finding the time to attempt some of the techniques described in the book. There's nothing in it specific to Digital Photography, if that's your area of interest, but if you choose to shoot with film, this book will be invaluable.

Perfect for beginners!
For someone just starting the seemingly daunting journey into photography, this book is for you... I mean, let's face it... not only are there a plethora of cameras, films, lenses, etc... to choose from most of us are just drawn to images... we respond to images. This book really helps you understand what exposure is... at the core. I read this book over and over again when I was still an amateur and now that I'm a professional, I find myself handing as a gift to my friends that want to improve their photographic skills... let's just say I've given this book as a gift at least a half dozen times.
I think Peterson has done a great job of 'simplifying' the art of exposure. This is a must read for those starting out!

Not for a beginning photographer
This book is NOT for a novice. It is very confusing, and presents exposure to the reader as if the one reading it would already understand the concepts of light, metering, aperature and exposure. After reading about 6 pages, I put it down. This will be a dust collector until I can learn more about the basics.

The best book on photography I have ever read.
I have read sections of this book numerous times to continue
to understand all the aspects of exposure w/ a camera. I highly
recommend this book for beginning and experienced photographers.
I plan to purchase his new edition which comes out in August, 2004 as soon as it comes out. Go buy the book--you will not be dissapointed.

Book was a surprise. Indeed.
In my humble opinion:
Book is for: serious amateurs.
Pros:
1)explanation of every single photo in this book, including settings of the camera for each and description by author on the subject of the photo, technique and problems solved while gaining result.
2)Patient and deep description of photo essentials.

Cons: Lacks author's experience or arguments on equipment.

Personal touch: I chose it online and was pretty surprised on the print format of the book and tongue this book has, describing stuff with experienced, but not 'you know this already, so next one is..' point of view. It became very obvious to me, that author really wanted to Share his experience, describing stuff deeply and covering it with more than basic or typical examples. I would recommend it to anyone allready knowing basics and willing to move on. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Scott Kelby is both funny and generous. His wry sense of humor doesn't get in the way of the hundreds of nifty techniques in this new collection of Down & Dirty Tricks. In fact, when you first flip quickly through the book, gobbling up all the creative ideas and timesaving tips, his sly jokes only add to the I've-just-hit-the-lottery feeling.

Whatever you're looking for--type that looks distressed, made of gel, or carved in stone; shadows in perspective or in motion; text that wraps around a globe; a glinting starburst on the edge of an object; a logo artificially placed at the bottom of a pool; or a starry sky created in an instant--just about every trick is here. And most are done in 10 steps or less. Also, each page has a Quick Tip sidebar (there're over 200 of them) that are worth the price of the book alone, with everything from getting better results from your eyedropper tool (click on Options and change the Point Sample to "3 by 3 average") to the quickest way to change units of measurement (the secret is in the Info palette).

The book has been updated since the previous edition with mostly new illustrations, many new and better ways to perform the same tricks, and a few completely new ones. Project files and images can be downloaded from the book's companion Web site at downanddirtytricks.com. Although aimed at experienced Photoshop users, the text is detailed enough for readers of all levels. For example, steps like "make a copy of that layer by dragging it to the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette" or "press the letter m to switch to the Rectangular Marquee tool" are repeated in full whenever a trick calls for them. This not only helps beginners, it allows all readers to hop around the book and be able to carry out any trick in any order. Yet another reason this book could've been titled Speedy Down & Dirty Tricks. --Angelynn Grant ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Photoshop 7 Down & Dirty Tricks
Scott Kelby has a way or writing books for the adverage person, but puts enough interesting information in there for experienced graphic designers. Photoshop 7 Down & Dirty Tricks is the top book of his in my opinion. You could start on any page and pick up something fun and interesting to work on. If you take the time, you even get friendly support from Scott in straight terms. When I read it, I get a sense of ease in being able to figure out how to create really cool tricks in a short amount of time. I could see some people being dissappointed in the book for this. Instead of diving deep into any design concepts or photoshop tools, he focuses right on particular effects. Once you complete the book, if you feel the need to read it from cover to cover, you may feel cheated if you're the kind of person who likes in depth explainations of tools and filters of photoshop. I see this book being best for someone who already has a basic understanding of photoshop and wants to pick up a few really cool tricks here and there. If it's the first time you're working with photoshop, you'll be able to put together some really impressive artwork in no time. I think the extent of your photoshop abilities will be pretty limited in the long run if you choose this book as your source of learning a highly developed graphics application, however. It's comparible to learning a couple songs on guitar, but skipping all the principals that could help you in playing or writing whatever song you want to.

It's Gooood
this was one of teh first photoshop books i bought, along with another of Scott Kelby's books Photoshop for Digital Photographers, they are both great and make an excellent reference pair. Down and Dirty tricks was infinitely helpful to me, before it i really didn't know how to use any of the good tools in photoshop, and even though the book is set up as seperate instructions on how to make specific projects (which can be rather helpful at times so you can just jump in and start), I learned techniques and tricks that i use everyday in photoshop, and the side bars in this book help almost as much as the main content, giving you keyboard shortcuts and extra info. Although this book is not very indepth about advanced concepts in photoshop, it shows you how to do alot of neat stuff and Scott Kelby is a funny author so its not as dry as some of the other photoshop books I have read.

Simply the best!!
AS a recent graduate of a web design program I found this book to be both pratical and inspirational. The steps are easy to follow and produce fantastic results which have helped add some energy to my work. For anyone interested in Photoshop 7 this is the must have book.

If you are a Design Teacher, buy it NOW!
A must have for any Photoshop/Design teacher. The tutorials of this book is impressively simple yet with breath-taking results. My students simply love to try out all of the possibilites this book offers while practicing the tools and effects that Photoshop offer us. That book revealed some features of Photoshop that I never used before. Easy to use, easy to learn and very straight forward content.

A Good Place to Start
Adobe is used to having a lot of books written on its products. They tend to be the most complex of any program on the market, but it is because they are so powerful. If you have got the Photoshop bug and can't make pretty changes to your pictures or projects, this is a good book to start with!!!
Yes it will not teach you a lot of the "Why???" of Photoshop, that can take some years to learn anyway. A lot of Photoshop books come it two groups, those that know Photoshop and those who don't. Most of those that are for the expert expect you to know your Gaussian Blur from your Unsharp Mask and what kind of effect it will have on your picture. Photoshop "cookbooks" as some have called them teach by example, this author's "recipe's" are easy to follow and will give hints in the margins to learn more indepth or customize. Again you might be mimicing the author, but sometimes that is all you need to feel good about your investment in Photoshop. The CS (PS 8) book was a complete rewrite from the Photoshop 7 book, I own both because both have a lot to offer that was different enough to almost consider them volumes 1 & 2. Also if you are just needing digital photographry help, I would check out Scott Kelby's books on just digital photographry. ... Read more

Book Description

Now in its seventh edition, View Camera Technique is a unique, comprehensive book that presents clearly and precisely the features, operations and applications of view cameras. It details camera movements, image formation, exposure control, and information concerning lenses and accessories. Diagrams, comparison charts, and more than 500 photographs and illustrations by distinguished professional photographers provide the reader with the tools necessary to analyze a picture situation, set up and manipulate the camera, and portray the subject to meet the expectations of the professional photographer.



This text has been completely revised and updated to include over 100 brand-name view cameras, and offers comparison tables to assist readers in choosing cameras, lenses, and view-camera digital backs. This latest edition offers expanded coverage of the newest technology, including electronic features that simplify the use of view cameras for conventional photography and digital view cameras that eliminate the need for film and make it possible to modify the digital images with image-processing computer software programs

Over 500 photographs and line drawings

Expanded coverage of the newest technology

Updated comparison tables for 111 brand-name view cameras and accessories including over 50 specific features ... Read more

Reviews (6)

THE authority.
This is THE reference standard for view camera photography. Prof. Strobel fully explains the different types of view cameras and how to best take advantage of the bellows and various camera movements. This book first appeared in 1967 and has only gotten better with each printing. Prof. Strobel was one of my professors at RIT 30 years ago and I still find myself using his excellent book as a reference.

Required reading
This is THE work on view cameras. Probably the most comprehensive single-volume work, it should be required reading for everybody.

It does not cover all the latest models (use the internet for that) but view cameras have not changed fundamentally in decades. The work covers all basic and intermediate topics, as well as many advanced techniques.

A book to read and re-read several times.

Not many books on the subject.
There are not many books on the subject and this one is probably one of the best, along with "Using the view camera" by S. Simmons. The camera brands presentation part summs up into a hard to read table, not really helpful; but otherwise, this is a very good book for learning and perfecting large format techniques, even if the inside layout is slightly in retreat from what the cover would let us expect.

Nuts to Bolts - Everything you want know
When anyone asks me what book they should read about how to use a view camera, I recommend Stroebel's View Camera Technique. I have a third edition and the 7th, while maintaining many of the original illustrations, the 7th edition is even better. If you are like me and want to know the how and why of view cameras. This is the book to read.

A great reference source.
An essential reference source, not only for view cameras, but for understanding all types of photography. You will use it frequently. Certainly one to own. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

The Shakespeare of the Lens
As a young man utterly fascinated by women, I find THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, like many of Hamilton's other books, invaluable - at least as far as the visual content goes. Most of these dozens of girls appear to be in their mid-teens, but one notices not so much their sexuality as their personalities. Thus, one girl has a strong domineering streak, another a maternal aspect, yet another a carefree, fun-loving disposition, and still another an impish and sly character.

The content of THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is bound to elicit some negative reception, but consider that many of these photos show fully clothed models and few are really provocative. In fact, the more provocative photos, such as those from the series at the end showing young lovers roaming the beach and preparing for love, are my least favorite. Also, the introductory essay is embarrassing and many of the quotes liberally interspersed throughout this lengthy book - even those by writers many of us would normally accord respect - are jarring in their comparative lack of subtlety. There can hardly be any more proof of Hamilton's artistry and intentions than his making certain verbal poetic evocations of females and their nature clumsy and unnatural by comparison. So, my advice is get the book and avoid most of the text (Shakespeare is one of the few assets in the writing department here).

I rate this book five stars notwithstanding the reservations noted above. And, although many of these photos have appeared in previous Hamilton volumes, their quantity and variety compensate for this.

Pleasing to the eyes? Yes. Pornographic? Not one bit.
This is definitely the prettiest book I have ever seen. One of the best books to come out of Great Britain ever, and surely one of the world's finest photo-art books. This is not pornographic in any way; those who think it is do not know the true definition of the term. This book is a celebration of youth and beauty as experienced by these young girls. If you appreciate what is truly beautiful in our world, then you will purchase this book. If you don't, you will surely be missing out. The portrait on page eighty-one is worth the price of the book alone.The quotations accompanying the photographs are thought provoking, and, in this reviewer's case, educating---I am now reading Ulysses as a result of this book! So, you may even improve your literary skills as a result of this book. Any way you look at it, this book is a real treasure, and congratulations to David Hamilton on a job well done.

As complex as its subjects
This is possibly the most beautiful set of photo portraits I've ever seen. Like the subjects, though, the beauty has a scary side to it.

There's a lot more to say. The pictures are intense, and more intense as a collection. I'm sure everyone who sees it will have more to say, and everyone will say something different. For that matter, I could discuss this in three or four contradictory ways. This time, I prefer to let the pictures speak for themselves and to let the readers form opinions of their own.

Beautiful Subjects
Physical beauty is something that we have for only a brief period in our lives. It is a temporary stage during our lifespan. Unfortunately, we discourage young women from sharing their physical beauty with others who can appreciate it. It really is quite a shame that we try to enforce modesty. David Hamilton gave us this gift so that we may be able to share his admiration for the young, female physique. I am grateful to the young subjects, who were gracious enough to share their beauty with us.

This is a remarkable book. It is obvious that David Hamilton is very passionate about his subjects. He has taken his appreciation and admiration for young women and shared that enthusiasm with the world. I highly recommend this book.

Barely Misses the Mark
If I could have rated this book 4 1/2 or 4 3/4 stars I would have. It certainly is a beautiful artistic endeavor. However, it fails the mark of perfection because of a few (VERY FEW) photos that are too suggestive for girls of their age, and a few comments by the author that would seem to provoke dangerously misleading thoughts in the minds of young people who might get their hands on this book. As the step-dad of a teenage girl I have experienced first-hand the confusion of an easily inluenced child, who lacks the full capacity to reason and misperceives what she has seen and heard. Too many (pre-teen and teen) children think they are supposed to be sexually active, and there are certainly a few paragraphs, and several photos, in this book that would help contribute to that pattern of thought. Otherwise this is a finely crafted work. Many of the photos are soft, muted, elegant, and almost dream-like, while others are sharp and rich in color and contrast. There are full figure studies and a variety of portraits. Some of the girls look confused, content, generally happy, thrilled, curious, and some disgusted. Unlike similar works by other photographers, the majority of the models do not appear to be emotionless, melancholy, or tormented. There are no portrayals of violence or mishap. The quotes from classic poetry are at times provocative but still tasteful and refreshing, especially if you are one who enjoys traditional Western European poetry. The author/photographer makes several attempts at poetic verse but they do not work so well. I do realize that the entire theme of The Age of Innocence is the psychological tumult experienced by young girls who are approaching womanhood, so the sexual element does have to be "taken with a grain of salt." As an artist and photographer I do highly recommend this book and treasure my own copy, but I strongly suggest caution when selecting an audience to share it with; teenage boys are not a proper audience. Overall this is quite a clean representation of the human form and psychology of young women. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Cool fashion book
This book is cool. Vogue is definitely the place to see all the latest and greatest fashion trend and the art of photograhing and show them.

Very helpful & informative
I just recently purchase this book, at a time when I was getting a bit discourage as a stylist. It helped me to realize that there are good days and bad days and to keep my head up! I believe that the book chosed me at that very moment. It is very helpful in terms of preparation for production shoots. Also informative in knowing the different ways each photographer preps and how Mrs. Coddington binds with each photographer's concepts. I have had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Coddington as a model, and I can confirm that she is a down to earth person which makes one feel comfortable when working for her. Thank you for sharing your 30 yrs!

stylist supreme
Grace: Thirty years of fashion in Vogue is a delightful collection of some of the most memorable and influential fashion photographs since the nineteen seventies.....all of them touched by the imaginative and chic eye of super stylist and editor Grace Coddington. The range of fashion fantasies is impressive. From the tough erotic chic of helmut newton, whimsical femininity of sarah moon on thru the joyful, innocent sexiness of bruce weber, Miss coddington helps each image become something entertaining and memorable. The printing is terrific , layouts are elegant , plus, perfectly boxed in a delicious and very chic pumpkin. Well worth it's luxe weight.... ... Read more

Book Description

For the last twenty years, James Casebere has constructed increasingly complex small-scale architectural models that are carefully built and then subtly lit and photographed in the studio. These table-sized models are made of simple materials, pared down to essential forms, empty of both extraneous detail and action. Casebere's disconcerting ''sites'' recall prisons, monasteries, tunnels, factories, and other archetypal spaces. Casebere has gained increasing international acclaim in recent years as the leading proponent of what has become known as ''constructed photography.'' This is the first publication to comprehensively survey Casebere's career in its entirety, and provides an important contextual and visual framework in which to posit his soaring international reputation. His oeuvre can be seen in the full scope of its development, from his early preoccupation with the genre of the Western and the suburban home, to his concern with institutional buildings, to his recent investigations into the relationships between social control and social structures. Clothbound hardcover, 176 pages, 9.5 x 12 inches, 48 color, 15 b&w, and 49 duotone illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

There's a lot more to Photoshop Elements than meets the eye. In The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements, author and Photoshop expert Richard Lynch lifts the hood to reveal how Photoshop Elements can be used to do some serious, advanced image-correction. The book and and tools (included on the CD) help turn Elements into a far more powerful image editor using many tools that are commonly thought not to be included with the program and many techniques thought to be impossible using Elements. Work with Curves, Color Balance, CMYK, Channels, custom shapes, Color Separations, Snapshots, masking, Calculations, Channel Mixing, one-step digital noise reduction, enhanced sharpening, animation, slices, and more! The book is filled with examples and step-by-step procedures, and all example images are included on the CD so you can work along and learn to use the hidden power. Tools included on the CD provide a simple interface to access incredibly powerful tools that will simplify and change the way you work with images—and consistently improve your final results. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The essential working and learning tool for photoshop
If you're upgrading from one of the ... beginners' image processing programs, and if you're serious about photography you should, "Photoshop 7.0" always comes out on top: the most power, the most sophistication, the best. But few of us can justify a purchase that great for a hobby. So "Photoshop Elements" looks tempting until you try it. Too many of the major tools of the full PS have been stripped out; you can't work with curves, make separations, look at individual color channels, etc., and that hurts.

Well, it turns out you can do all that! Richard Lynch's outstanding "Hidden Power" provides a CD with plug-in tools for "Photoshop Elements" that virtually turns the simpler program into the full package -- at about a quarter of the price.

If that were all Lynch's book did, I would give it 5 stars. But it isn't the whole story or even most of the story. The fact is that "Hidden Power" is just about the best explanation of what those tools do, how color imaging works, and how to use powerful tools to good advantage that I've ever seen. And I've read a lot in 10+ years of manipulating digital images.

Finally, "Hidden Power" includes the most useful tool I've owned for getting past the hardest part: making your printed output look right without spending hundreds of dollars on expensive 'profiling' gear and software. It's a simple file, with the colors recorded in CMYK format, and it's the perfect calibration tool. In one evening it solved completely the difficult problem of getting predictable, neutral-color black and white prints.

Kudos to Lynch. If you go for Photoshop Elements, you have to have "Hidden Power" to go along with it. Accept no substitutes. Give the book a sixth star.

The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements
This book is well worth the money for the "Hidden Tools" alone. I consider myself an intermediate user of Photoshop Elements. I have been tempted lately to buy the full-blown Photoshop to gain the additional capabilities. This book and CD gave me most of the additional tools that I thought I was missing.

The book is not written for beginners. You should have a good understanding of how to use Photoshop Elements before diving into this book. Given the scope of this book, I found the first chapter to be a little too basic. I initially found parts of chapter 2 a little confusing. I never use gradient maps and found the explanation in the book to be somewhat confusing. I went back to my "Photoshop for Dummies" book and re-read the portion on gradient maps. This made the light go on for me on what the author was saying in Chapter 2. I found chapters 3, 4 and 5 the most useful. These chapters dealt with the type of image clean-up I encounter most often. These chapters dealt with curves, which I knew was a feature I missed in Photoshop Elements. Chapter 5 showed some great uses of the History Brush, another missing tool from Photoshop Elements that you get on the CD in the Hidden Tools. The remainder of the book gave some good hints on how to improve your images as well.

I read the whole book, but I am sure that not all was absorbed. I will keep this book close to my computer to use as a reference as I try to fix those difficult to correct images.

The author of the book has made himself available to answer questions on several Photoshop Elements and retouching forums. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to go beyond the basics of what is available in Photoshop Elements.

A New "Basic Photo Series"?
I'm an experienced film photographer just now returning to photography after 20 years away from it, learning digital for the first time. I'm very grateful for this book; it really is a great course in digital editing technique.

I think it is a worthy successor for Ansel Adams' Basic Photo Series in which he outlined his "Zone System", a tool that made densitometry accessible to working photographers. Like Adams' books, The Negative and The Print, Lynch offers photographers a technical vocabulary and systematic approach which disciplines and liberates visual imagination, not just a list of tricks and special effects.

Every time I think of a tool or something to add, I study some more and there it is. The author continues to develop the potential of Photoshop Elements and communicate his insights with his readers through updates and newsletters from his website.

Advanced Elements
This book takes you beyond the basics of Elements, with step-by-step instructions in how to use the additional tools supplied on the companion CD to extend the power of Elements to include many of the features found in Photoshop.

Mixed: Good tools, Poor editing
If you scan through the previous reviews, you will find that those folks who are familiar with the full version of Photoshop are raving about the tools provided and explained in this book. The beginning Photoshop Elements users are having a great deal of trouble. The reason: experienced users are not following along with the examples and the newbies are.

Fact is, there are a large number of mistakes remaining in the book, even if you were able to find the errata on the author's book site. For example, the first big project leads you through creating color separations. There are two errors in the step-by-step instructions. One step for each is a +120 hue adjustment and the next should be -120 but the minus sign is missing. Users will find that they repeated the previous step and do not get the desired result. Additionally, the step changing one of the layer blend modes to 'screen' is omitted for each primary. The user will never get the greyscale result.

There are numerous other editing problems as well. Stuff listed as appearing in the appendix is actually in the tools, and at least one of the practice files is named incorrectly. There are numerous small linguistic errors, such as using the word 'effect' when the word 'affect' is correct. Clearly this book was rushed into print before many aspects were finalized.

That said, the tools are in fact very valuable, and the book goes well beyong simple follow-the-instructions explanation of Photoshop Elements. This sets this book apart from most others; you will know not only 'How' but 'Why'. I would recommend this as a second book to anyone who has some experience with Elements and can recognize why some of the practice instructions are not working correctly. They will also better appreciate the value of the tools.

While this book has a special section for color plates that are important for following the instructions, my impression is that a number of publishers are producing comparable yet cheaper books using color throughout.

For the first time Photoshop Elements user, I would heartily recommend Scott Kelby's book "The Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers". (New Riders) This book more than covers the basics of photo retouching and enhancement and is extremely fun to read. Every page is a full color page and it's $10 bucks cheaper. You will enjoy the book and will enjoy Elements even more.

To Richard Lynch: Your work is a valuable contribution to the Photoshop community. Find a better publisher! ... Read more

Book Description

Philip Jones Griffiths, for a record five years the President of Magnum Photos, created in Vietnam, Inc. a record of the war there of almost Biblical proportions. No one who has seen it will forget its haunting images. In Agent Orange he has added a postscript that is equally memorable.

In 1960 the United States war machine concluded that an efficient deterrent to the enemy troops and civilians would be the devastation of the crops and forestry that afforded them both succour and cover for their operations. Initial descriptions of the scheme included "Food Denial Program", later adapted to "depriving cover for enemy troops". They gave the idea the name "Operation Hades", but were advised that "Operation Ranch Hand" was a more suitable cognomen for PR purposes.

The US had developed herbicides for the task. The most infamous became known as Agent Orange after the coloured stripe on the canisters used to distribute it. The planes that carried the canisters had 'only we can prevent forests!' as a logo on their fuselages. They were right. It was very effective.

Unfortunately the herbicide also contained Dioxin, probably the world's deadliest poison. In Agent Orange Philip Jones Griffiths has photographed the children and grandchildren of the farmers whose faces were lifted to the gentle rain of the poison cloud.

Some maintain that the connection between the maimed subjects of Griffiths' photographs and the exposure to Agent Orange is not scientifically established. However, the compensation payments made by the herbicide manufactures to those Americans sprayed in Viet Nam refute this assertion.

Historians will find it sufficient to say that there will always be collateral damage, that useful PR phrase, in war and that Philip Jones Griffiths should understand the consequences of martial endeavours. He most certainly does. He has catalogued here a pitiless series of photographs, and there can be no doubt that they should and will be recognized. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Black Book of American Infamy
For those already committed to voting for the so-called 'antiwar' candidate, I recommend putting this book in front of Sen. John Kerry and demanding to know what he will do as president to address American responsibility and pay reparations for the genocidal assault on the people of Vietnam. Such action will constitute a litmus test for this candidate, his "band of brothers" and future warriors about how the USA intends to solve the problem of terrorism. Will they acknowledge international law and prosecute the guilty parties including politicians, bureaucrats, executive military officers and defense contractors? Will they honor, finally, the Paris Accords and repair the ecocide brutally wrought upon the Vietnamese by their chemical weapons? Or will they continue to cover up a deliberate, malefic genocide by honoring war criminals like Kissinger and McNamara who now cries cinematic tears while his Pentagon successors plan the mass destruction of any nation that dares to oppose American hegemony?

Philip Jones Griffiths's AGENT ORANGE, COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN VIETNAM is a complex, dense statement that can be viewed and read several ways. Foremost, it is unquestionably the greatest work of photojournalism ever published. I do not make this statement lightly or without professional judgement. For twenty-five years, I edited the work of distinguished photojournalists -- Capa, Richards, Salgado, Peress, and Nachtwey among many others. Comparable only to W. Eugene Smith's MINIMATA: LIFE -- SACRED AND PROFANE, a passionate chronicle of the devastating effects of post-WW II industrial pollution on a Japanese town, AGENT ORANGE surpasses all previous attempts to synthesize the medium of still photography with historical documentation. Griffiths's masterly images unselfconsciously insert readers into the scene of an historical crime and guide them through the evidence page by excruciating page as a means to elicit direct testimony from the perpetrators and their victims. With the possible exception of Erich Maria Remarque' s ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, no other monograph so successfully confronts citizens with the folly of leaders who commit atrocities in their name. The stares of genetically deformed children struggling to articulate humanity across the threshold of pain and disability give absolute lie to the facile excuses of national security used by politicians to conduct high tech assault-and-battery on unwitting, innocent populations. Then it was Vietnam, today Iraq and Afghanistan.

Beginning with his eloquent book, VIETNAM INC. first published in 1971, Griffiths has pursued an unrelenting inquiry into the truth of violence and war. He reported from the Mekong Delta battlefront and also the brothels of Saigon. Returning years later, he earned the trust of farmers who had rebuilt their devastated villages with the detritus of war. Pushing his inquest further he located and photographed war orphans, now shunned as the miscegenated offspring of foreign invaders (DARK ODYSSEY, 1997). Infrequently supported by the mass media, Griffiths parlayed his skills as a commercial photographer to raise the cash necessary to return periodically to Southeast Asia, as if excavating its pitted landscape for some fragment of reason that might explain the macabre body counts and haunting trans-generational birth defects. Some photographers are celebrated for their commitments in documenting a family coming of age or the rise and fall of a nation. Journalism schools promote the virtues of in-depth or extended coverage (sometime a whole week!) while network and cable news personnel embrace the fame of sticking with a big story only to defer, in the final analysis, to the desire of corporate sponsors. By contrast Griffiths has the determination of a seasoned forensic scientist. Although no maverick, he has paid the price of banishment from the newspapers and magazines "of record" whose editors remain too frightened by management to commission or publish his work. Why would they want to remind subscribers of their own inaccuracies and slavish pandering to the official story?

In this respect, AGENT ORANGE can also be read for its scholarship because it presents new historical research about the manufacture and deployment of chemical weapons during the Vietnam era. It has been almost twenty years since American courts acknowledged the gravity of dioxin poisoning in rulings on lawsuits filed by military veterans. Yet companies who supplied the military with these chemical defoliants continue to falsify experimental data on their products' potential for birth defects. Our government stands mute on the issue of "peace with honor" and refuses to contribute any meaningful economic assistance, nonetheless stipulated in the treaty with Hanoi. The war's apologists and neoliberal ideologues continue to deride Vietnam as a failed socialist experiment. Griffith's photographs and words rip their lies to shreds and dissolve their chauvinism in the cold truth of twisted limbs, hare lips, and hydrocehpalic fetuses preserved in formaldehyde. AGENT ORANGE is the black book of American infamy, its author has given citizens a priceless instrument to test their politicians sincerity and commitment to peace. Buy a copy and ask Kerry for a clear statement of conscience!

The ticking "time bomb" uniting two cultures once at war.
In September, 1976, just back from eight years helping homeless streetchildren in Viet Nam, I wrote an Op/Ed piece for the New York Times ( "Learning From the Vietnamese -- And Giving", 12/04/76) that concluded: "And I'm at a loss how to tell my own people that Vietnam's needs are our remedy - to say that what the Vietnamese people have to offer us - as they did me - is so great that for our own sake we must help them." I was attempting to make a connection between the spiritual strengths the people of Viet Nam had to offer us and the technological assistance we, in turn, could give them. Philip Jones Griffiths, in his book "Agent Orange, 'Collateral Damage' in Viet Nam" has made an even more compelling, if depressing, case for interdependency, i.e., because of the American military's chemical spraying in south VN during the war years there are now thousands of people in both the U.S. and Viet Nam who are dealing with deformities and death because of a ticking "time bomb" planted in Indochina decades ago. Griffiths, author of "VIETNAM, INC.", an award-winning photography book on America's longest war, has included here some unsparing images of humans beings brutally deformed by man's more fiendish dalliance with Weapons of Mass Destruction. Here is a "legacy" that must give all of us pause by a brilliant photographer's tireless effort to bring almost unbearable evidence to us of man's inhumanity to man. Like the Holocaust itself, the full impact of these atrocities took years to come to the fore, but "Agent Orange" makes a compelling case that two countries once at war remain linked in a tragic bond that will not soon go away. This is not an easy book to read or, should I say, to view, but I think we ignore it at our peril. Griffiths knows what of he "speaks", having spent years in Indochina and seen un-speakable carnage firsthand. Here he has placed the evidence before us, as well as a precious opportunity to understand where we have gone wrong and how we may become better human beings in the future. "Agent Orange, 'Collateral Damage'", it almost goes without saying, may be the ultimate brief on America's own WMDs. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Masterfully photographed and written, poetic
Philip Jones Griffiths is among the unsung heroes of our time, photographing the otherwise untold, unsavory aspects of a mean-spirited war completely lacking in human decency. Agent Orange is masterfully conceived, researched, photographed and written in prose that at once is dark, beautiful poetry. ... Read more

Book Description

This book/eBook package is your guide to getting more interesting and creative photos with your Nikon D100 digital camera. If you want to learn more about the concepts of photography, this book/ebook is for you. It discusses every camera setting in a clear, well-illustrated style, but it also does much more. You'll see why and when you use specific settings, not just how to set them. You’ll find that this guide helps you quickly master your camera so you’ll be getting the kinds of photos you hope for. The book is printed in black & white and has a well-liked spiral binding that lets the book lie flat or be folded back. The accompanying eBook on a CD disc is a full-color version of the same book in Adobe's popular PDF format. It can be read on a PC or Mac using the included Acrobat reader or any current Web browser. The CD also includes trial versions of a number of the author's favorite programs. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Cheapest book I every paid too much for
One of the cheapest production. This book is a total rip off. For the amount one pays, one would expect a properly bound color copy of the book. This is a cheap reproduction(B/W Photocopied)with cheap sprial bounding. There is no way to to pick up any photography color information since it's in black and white. I whould estimate that the copying of this book cost about $3 max.

A Great Value
If you have a Nikon D100 this book is a great investment.There's much to learn about the D100 and it's covered in this publication.In fact, all of the Short Course publications are well thought out and very useful.

I consider this particular publication the missing manual to my D100!

I like this book
Contrary to some of the negative reviews I have read, I have to disagree.I am not a beginner, and yet I have found this book most helpful.While it does talk about some of the basics in photography, I think everyone can benefit from a little repeat on exposures and other things from time to time, and the book also does a wonderful job in relating a photography concept to the way to accomplish it with the D100.For example, today I went out to take snow pictures, and just what I learned from glancing through the book has made the difference between night and day in the pictures!I have just gotten this book a few days ago, and I know that when I have time to read all of it, my photography will improve dramatically, so will my knowledge of the D100 camera.The book is also written in an interesting and readable manner.

Read the description carefully before you buy!!
I just received this book, and while I haven't read the printed material yet to judge its value, the mere fact that it is printed TOTALLY in black and white including the example pictures, makes it only worth about 1/3 of the 34 dollars (plus shipping) that it costs!! While the accompanying cd does include a full color version of the book which I originally expected to be the print version, now if I want a color, printed copy, I will have to take the cd to a printer and probably pay another 35 or 40 bucks to have it printed. It does state in the description of the book that it is printed in black and white and I foolishly didn't read that far down before I bought it. So buyers, read the description carefully and be aware that the printed copy you will receive is in BLACK AND WHITE. The author should have offered the book at a much lower price than this when he purposely printed it this way.

A beginners book for a professional camera
I expected a BOOK... for 34 dollars, and in color not a photo copy with Black and White pictures. I wanted to know details of the D100 camera not the basic's. Not worth the money at all. Sorry... better information for free on the Web! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Gorgeous Book Commemorating America's 1st Public Park
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Central Park, photographer and historian Sara Cedar Miller celebrates the aesthetic, cultural and historic significance of America's first public park with the book "Central Park, An American Masterpiece." This is the park's definitive illustrated history, and offers some of the most gorgeous photographs I have seen on the subject - a difficult task given the number of pictures that have been drawn, painted and photographed of the Manhattan landmark. The book includes over 200 color illustrations, original plans and drawings alongside modern photos, giving the viewer/reader an historical perspective.

Accompanying Ms. Miller's work, portraying the park throughout the seasons, is a well written text which highlights the conception and creation of the park and its art and architecture. This is a big, beautiful picture book that would make a wonderful addition to any home or library. It's a wonderful gift idea. I know as I have given it numerous times.

Ms. Miller is the parks official historian and photographer and has been since the mid-1980s.
JANA

A book as worthy as the park it celebrates
Sara Miller has put together an outstanding book: a book as vast and detailed as the Great Park itself. For those not familiar with the park and its history