Baby Photography NOW! Shooting Stylish Portraits of New Arrivals
by David Nightingale

So many families have digital cameras, in order to capture the precious moments of their children. Some of those parents only want to point and click and nothing else. But there are some out there who want to take there images to the next step and make a higher quality image with an interesting composition, creative poses, and artistic effects. This book will help the beginning photographer do all of those things. The author starts with the basic supplies needed and then continues with examples of different points of a young child’s life worth documenting, starting with the mom’s pregnancy. There is an entire section devoted to suggesting natural poses to help make the picture taking fun. The Post Production section talks about how to fix photos and create interesting effects. This is a great gift for the soon-to-be mom or dad with that extra desire for creativity.

Ratings:
Text: A
Layout: A
Photography: A+
User: Beginning Photographers
(Reviewed by EP - Feb. 2008)

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A new publisher for these reviews is Voyageur Press and I have found many of their books that will interest most photographers. One of their books I just got a hold of is Backroads of Pennsylvania. This is one of their many travel information books that covers all parts of the US. They are guidebooks for each area’s most scenic backroads, and will be a great way for any photographer to find places to shoot. If you want to find all of those places you’ve only seen shots of before, these books are the way to get there. There are directions to each area location and the states are divided into geographic sections, such as South-Central Pennsylvania, and those are again grouped into areas within those. This book is fully illustrated with what you will find there, and the directions contain highway routes, and directions to go. These are soft cover books, 8.5x11 inches in size, and this particular one retails for only US$19.95. This is the kind of book that many people will want to get two of, one for in their library, and one to take along on road trips, because the road copy is going to get very worn out from many trips. You can check it out at   www.voyageurpress.com  
I Rate it:  A++
(Reviewed Dec. 2004)

This photojournalistic book is like a story book of a community. The book is divided into different sections which organize the many perspectives of the race track, from the time of day to a specific horse. Looking at the many images in the book takes you on a journey through the lives of these people and animals. After reading the story, the viewer tends feel a personal connection with the community, creating a unique experience. Some of the photographs are stronger than others, but as a collection they are very powerful.

Booksmart Studio, www.booksmartstudio.com, publishes this 143 page, hardcover book. It retails for US$49.95 and is available from the publisher.
I rate this book: A+ (EP)
(Reviewed May 2007)

Harris's new book is a collection of images, and the history of a great “Old West” type area of Canada that any traveler would love to go see and photograph for themselves. Even under four or five foot of winter snow, these images will tempt you to make a trip there, or others may prefer open fields and an old cemetery in bloom with wildflowers. The quality of this small of a book is above average, and the images are top shelf as the cover shows.
    This hardback book is about 9x7 inch, with 56 pages and retails for US$19.95.  Distributed by Country Light Pub. Or check it out at   www.chrisharris.com      
I Rate it:  A++ 
(Reviewed Nov. 2005)

Here is a super little book about this incredible rail tour through almost the entire length of British Columbia. Part steam and part diesel lines, this cross country photo rail trip will make you want to pack up tonight and head for there in the morning.  You will see why when you look at images of the rail lines hanging off the sides of mountains, snaking around places where there is only enough ground between a monstrous cliff and a Canadian lake to barely fit the tracks, and over a 312 foot high trestle spanning the highest rail bridge in the world. Railroad loving photographers will love this book! And maybe hate it also for how jealous it will make them.

This soft cover book is about 10x9 inch, with 96 pages and retails for US$24.95.  Distributed by Country Light Pub. Or check it out at   www.chrisharris.com      
I Rate it  A++ 
(Reviewed Oct. 2005)

This is Anne Geddes's latest book of infant photography. Just like all of her other images, this collection includes sleeping babies of various ethnicities in beautiful sets. The focus for this work is on the beginnings of nature: the petals opening on a new bud, the new life in a nest, and the anticipation of an unopened cocoon. A book of images sure to please the fans of her work.

Text: N/A
Layout: A+
Photography: A+++
User: All Photographers and non-Photographers
(Reviewed by EP Nov. 2010)

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Bernard Plossu’s New Mexico
Photographs by Berneard Plossu
Text by Gilles Mora
Foreword by Edward T. Hall

Well known French photographer, Bernard Ploussu, travels the world and photographs the land, people, and culture that he finds.  The images in this book are from his life in the 1970s in New Mexico.  His earlier book Go West, published in 1976 in France, documents his first visits to New Mexico in the late 1960s.  In 1978, Ploussu moves to New Mexico to live and becomes more intimate with this unique place, resulting in the images found in New Mexico.  Ploussu used only a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera to take many detailed black and white images.  The ability to be mobile with a camera was important to Ploussu and resulted in a brilliant collection which documents the soul of New Mexico.
175 pages, University of New Mexico Press (June 1, 2006), Paperback, US$29.95
I rate this book A++ 
(Reviewed Aug. 2006)

Bethlehem Steel is a great new documentary book on one of America’s greatest, and most important companies in this country's history. Besides great, top quality B&W images, it also contains the history of the company that contributed to many, if not most, of the greatest projects, including the steel for the George Washington Bridge, the Chrysler building, battleship gun turrets, and engine parts in Lindbergh’s “Spirit of Saint Louis” to name just a few. The history is fascinating, and the images classic.

This soft cover book is about 8.5x8.5 inch, with 108 pages and retails for US$21.95.  Distributed by Princeton Press at:   www.papress.com               
I Rate it: A+ 
(Reviewed Dec. 2005)

 

This book is a part of the BetterPhoto Guide collection published by Amphoto Books which includes titles on Children and Digital Photography. This particular book focuses on the fundamental skill needed to make a great photograph: correct exposure. From the time photography was first invented, a good photograph has been dependent on correct exposure. Now into the age of digital photography, the user is tempted to “fix” or “enhance” poorly exposed photographs that will never stand up to the incredible quality of a correctly exposed image. The author covers the technical areas of aperture, shutterspeed, metering, white balance, and sensors. Later in the book Arbabi discusses creative potentials within exposure choices that make images unique and define the photographer. Although exposure has a lot to do with what is done within the camera when the image is captured, digital photography introduces new tools to use in the post-productions stages such as: editing, workflow, and calibrating your monitor. All of this information is covered with easy to read text, example images, charts, and accessible charts. A great tool for the beginning to intermediate photographer with high expectations for their images.

Text: A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A
User: Beginning to Intermediate Photographers
(Reviewed by EP, April 2009)

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Better Picture Guide To Photographing Nudes,
by David Daye.

This 127 page soft cover, 7.5x8.5 inch book is a fine art collection in itself. Richly illustrated on ever page, this book deals with the "Seeing, Thinking, and Acting" involved with how each image was created. Some technical details are included, but the coverage is more along the line of "why" things were done the way they were, instead of just how.  Retail price is US$21.95
(Reviewed Aug. 2004)

 

Beyond Light is the photography of Robert Werling, with a foreward by Cole Weston. This large 12x15 inch hard back book, has 80 duotone images on 120 pages, and is quality from cover to cover. It is not hard to tell that Werling  has been influenced by several of the master photographers he has worked with, including Ansel Adams and Brett Weston. The cover image alone will show you that fact.  From landscapes to leaves, each printed image is of the quality that you could frame and no one would know the difference. If you have, or want to start a top notch photo library, then this book is a must-have. It retails for US$75 and is published by Merrell. Check it out at  www.merrellpublishers.com        
I Rate it:  A+++ 
(Reviewed June 2005)

A southern cape in New Jersey, Cape May is a location for many birds in their annual migration. This makes it also one of the best bird-watching locations in the world. Karlson’s book includes his own images and some from Lloyd Spitalnik of an impressive variety of birds, including shore, prey, and song birds. Each photograph is labeled with the name of the bird and a description of the species. This book is a resource for both birders and photographers.

Text: A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A+
User: All Photographers and non-Photographers
(Reviewed by EP Nov. 2010)

B&W Photo-Lab, Hand Coloring and Alternative Darkroom Processes, 
by Andrew Sanderson

This is a super new book for all of those people who like doing things differently. In this case that means working with such things as paper negatives, bromoil, gum bichromate and other (non-digital) alternative darkroom processes. Processes that are not for the lazy, but for those who don’t mind a little extra work which will bring them a lot of extra top quality images. This book includes fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, formulae, and gallery samples of both the color and B&W images like you can create yourself. This is for sure one of the better books on this subject and one recommended for your reference library. It is 9x10 inches, 127 pages, and retails for US$29.95.  
I rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed April 2005)

I would recommend these four books to everyone, and they have given me a lot of new ideas for my own work. They are all soft cover books, and in the range of 8x9 inches in size. One of the first things I noticed in every one of these book is the top image quality. These and other AVA books can be checked out online at www.avabooks.ch.
(Reviewed July 2004)

Black and White in Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Lightroom
By Leslie Alsheimer

This is one of those books that clearly explains the steps required in achieving quality results in Photoshop. Included amongst the detailed text are images of the screen and specific menu options along with example images showing the applied effects. This book is for the intermediate to advanced photographer looking for the how-to of techniques in workflow, color management, editing, and printing of their digital black and white images.

I rate this book A+++ (EP)
(Reviewed January 2008)

 

Most people know that creating amazing color images with digital photography creates some great results because there are many examples out there. What people, besides photographers, don’t know is how hard it is to create a quality black and white image with digital photography. This is why many traditional black & white photographers are so devoted to film. There’s never been anything like it, until now. The capabilities of Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom are to the point that amazing black and white images are now possible; the trick is knowing how to use the programs to optimize the qualities. This book, published by renowned Focal Press, is a resource for the photographers wanting to do just that. The text shows photographers an ideal workflow to optimize monochromatic images.

Text: A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A
User: Intermediate to Advanced Photographers
(Reviewed June 2009 by EP)

The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, 2^nd Ed.
By Christopher James

This second edition is about twice as thick and has a lot more images than the first. In his introduction Christopher James says, “New to this edition is the following: a complete re-write, hundreds of new images, many new process chapters, coating table and sink set-ups to enhance the learning process, condensed chapters that mirror changes in the media, and a new section that deals with alternative photographic ideas as well as process.” Although sometimes criticized as being too narrative, this book is full of a lot of information and advice on the topic of alternative photographic processes.

Text: A
Layout: A
Photography: A+
User: All Photographers
(Reviewed June 2008 by EP)

This is one of the most beautiful books of flower photography I have ever seen, and I am sure that you will think so, too. These are not your typical flower pictures; the images are beyond typical in all ways. As good as the cover image is, it is far from the best image in the book. Don’t ask me which one that would be because it would be impossible to pick the best dozen images, let alone one. The images are like those you really have to see to believe, and even then you will question your own eyes. If you can even still find a copy in a bookstore, you will see exactly what I mean.

This hardback book is a large12x12 inch, with 156 pages and retails for US$60.00. Distributed by BULFINCH Press at: www.bulfinchpress.com      
I Rate it:  A++++
(Reviewed Dec. 2005)

 

This photography book covers the basics of the job with the purpose of the outdoors. Covering topics such as lighting, lenses, creativity, digital basics, and post-processing Norton uses nature as the subject to explain and demonstrate. A lot of explanatory text is included to teach the reader about the many techniques necessary to be a successful outdoor photographer. Key words and vocabulary are bolded and defined within the text and as side notes. A great text for the beginning photographer inspired by the outdoors.

Text: A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A+
User: Beginning Photographers
(Reviewed by EP Nov. 2010)

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: A Photographic History By Gertrude Käsebier
By Michelle Delaney 

This book illustrates and describes the photographic study of the Native American performers in William Cody’s Wild West show. Gertrude Käsebier, a turn-of-the-century photographer and supporter of Native American rights, wrote a letter to Buffalo Bill and requested to photograph his Sioux performers when they came to New York to perform at Madison Square Gardens. Most of the collection includes photographs taken in Käsebier’s studio, but there are others taken of the troupe’s staging area and back home in Michigan. Käsebier was known in her time for her desire to capture an artistic portrait of individuals and was most celebrated for her images of Buffalo Bill’s Sioux Indian performers. Although often hesitant of the effects of a camera’s ability to capture the soul, Käsebier was able to connect with many of the Sioux Indians, which continued with long-lasting relationships. This book is a unique look at a forgotten female artist and her impact and capture of American history.

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Collins (www.harpercollins.com)(September 25, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0061129771
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Retail Price: US$34.95

I rate this book A++++ (EP)
(Reviewed October 2007)