This book is a magnificent collection of the work from a country that has been one of the world’s leaders in photography almost since the craft began.  It includes daguerreotypes and other type images of early Emperors, Samurai, Geisha, and village life, on up through the war years, and onto the modernism of today. All of the photography is typical of the Japanese mind, where if you are going to do something, do it perfectly. I have never seen a photography book as good as this one, and many of the images in it are also the best I have ever seen, and it doesn’t end there. Many images are presented (framed or mounted) in some of the most beautiful ways you can imagine, including on scrolls and in hand made wood cases. This is a landmark book that will be a great addition to any photo or reference library.
    This hardback book is 10x12 inches, with 406 illustrations on 432 pages, (weighs over 6-lbs) and retails for US$65.00.  This book is also published by Yale University Press at   www.yalepress.yale.edu/        
I Rate it:  A++++ 
(Reviewed Sept. 2005)

How to Cheat in Photoshop^®: The art of Creating Photorealistic Montages, 3^rd Ed.
by Steve Caplin

This book is not a basic reference book for Photoshop, but a creative technique and idea book.  This third edition is updated for Photoshop CS2 and includes a CD for Mac and PC.  The word Cheating is used to describe the shortcuts Caplin has created for Photoshop’s published techniques. The word also means that Caplin has created an entire book of techniques to make images look like real photographs, when in fact they are manipulated by you, on your screen.  The examples given in the book use very specific images, but the techniques explained can be applied to your own images.  This book is for the ambitious Photoshop user who wants to add impact, creativity, or emphasis to their own images.
384 pages, 10 x 7.5 inches, Focal Press (August 2005), Paperback, US$39.95 
I rate it: A++ 
(Reviewed Dec. 2005)

This is the fourth edition of this popular book, adding some of CS3's powerful new tools. (See previous review here at Apogee Photo.) If you noticed in the past that each new edition of this book seems heavier than the last, this one will not disappoint. Yet, even if you do not have CS3 and have not purchased any of the previous editions of this book, you will find this book very useful. It is full of advanced techniques for creating images for use in the graphic design world and photography - anyone wishing to create photorealistic effects using Photoshop. It also includes a DVD full of high resolution images and two hours on video tutorials.

For teachers and students of Photoshop this book provides interesting projects for the advanced classroom that hold one's interest through their sometimes bizarre and quirky imagery. While many other so-called "experts" in their technique books use silly middle school humor to lighten the drudgery of their comic book style pages, Caplin's humor sometimes is the project itself. Yet at no time is the project so limited as to have no other use than the example he provides.

This is definitely a book for those who want to take their Photoshop skill to a higher level, a much higher level.

I rate this book: A+++ (MF)
(Reviewed Sept. 2007)

How To Photography Animals in the Wild, 
by Leonard Lee Rue III & Len Rue, Jr.

The Rue name is well known in the field of wildlife photography and this new book from them covers not only the how-to of wildlife photography, but also very useful information on the animal subjects themselves. This very well illustrated book includes all of the info it took to get each shot and would make a much-used reference book. It’s also a nice size at 7x9 inches, and has 133 pages. I recommend it for everyone interested in doing wildlife photography. The retail price for this soft cover book is just US$18.95 and will pay for itself on your first photo trip. Published by Stackpole Books it can be ordered at: www.stackpolebooks.com      
I rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed April 2005)

   

How To Photograph the Outdoors in Black & White is a nice change from all of the usual “color everything” books that fill the book shelves. It covers everything about making great images, but this time all for black & white. Although it is not in the title, this book is about landscape photography by the man who is also the editor of Shutterbug Magazine. It is also about the “old fashion” form of photography, meaning film and darkroom. Digital is nice but there is nothing like a great B&W print done by hand, and this book will show you how to make your own. It is a 7x9 inches soft cover book with 122 pages packed full of how-to information, and retails for US$19.95.       
I Rate it:  A 
(Reviewed April 2005)

 

How To Succeed in Commercial Photography
Insights from a Leading Consultant
By Selina Maitreya

Here is a nice new how-to/info/reference book that anyone interested in becoming a commercial photographer should have on hand.  There is usually no one better from whom to learn a business than someone who’s job it has been to consult in that business.  This book gives you the info you will need to know, along with all of the problems that turn up, and shows you how to deal with the ever-changing photo business world.

This soft cover book is about 6x9 inches, with 225 pages, retails for US-$19.95 – and is published by Allworth Press at:www.allworth.com        
I Rate it:  A
(Reviewed Nov. 2007)

 

This new book will show you how to create web images that will knock their socks off. Nothing sells a web site like the graphics and images that are on it, and this book will have you creating them in no time. Each web effect is fully illustrated and captioned with step-by-step instructions from start to finish. It also comes with a bonus CD that contains the original designs by Colin Smith that you can work along with for each lesson. This is one of those few books that will pay for itself with the first image you create from what you learn in it.

This soft cover book is about 9x9 inches, with 209 pages, retails for US$39.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at   www.peachpit.com       
I Rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed Feb. 2006)