This book is very interesting to browse through even for those who are not enchanted by horses.  The advice and troubleshooting that Charles Mann offers is helpful for any subject.  Mann has taken the time and effort to produce a quality how-to book with very specific information for horse photographers. The book starts with the production: from the techniques of capturing a correct image on the camera to producing a high quality print.  A good part of the book talks about composition.  Horse owners want a very specific character to be portrayed in their horse photographs which can change depending on the breed.  Mann suggests different compositional techniques to portray a positive light on the horse.  This book is good for the amateur who wants to take a successful picture of their own horse, but is also very helpful to the professional who wants horses to be his/her specialty.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their equine photography. 

This softback book is 212 pages, measuring 9.5 x 9 x 0.9 inches. It is published by Trafalgar Square Books (April 2, 2007) www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com and lists for $27.50
I Rate it: A++ (EP)
(Reviewed April 2007)

This hardback book is about 10x10 inches, with 155 pages, retails for US$24.95 – and is published by Sterling Publishers at www.sterlingpub.com 
I Rate it: A 
(Reviewed June 2006)

Photographing the Patterns of Nature,
by Gary Braasch

Photographing, the Patterns of Nature is a great revised and updated book for anyone who likes to photograph the patterns they find in the world. This book tells you how to find and then photograph the patterns around your world, no matter if they are minute parts of a flower petal, or a sky full of clouds. The 163 images are great and show just what you could also create. With 144 soft cover pages, 8x11 inch in size and retailing for just US$24.95, it is one of the better buys you could make for improving your own photography. 
I rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed April 2005)

Both this book and the one above are published by AMPHOTO BOOKS,  check it out at;   www.watsonguptill.com 
    
 

Here is a great new book for everyone who likes to photograph water in with their landscapes, no matter where it is located. There is both tech information and general how-to sections with every illustration, and great images throughout. There are even some maps of selected areas, but unless you are familiar with England they won’t do you much good. I don’t know what they expect everyone in the rest of the world to do with them, but that is about the only thing in this book that was not well thought out. The rest is very well done, and just as well printed.

This hardback book is about 10x10 inches, with 175 pages, retails for US$29.95 – and is published by Sterling Publishers at www.sterlingpub.com
I Rate it: A 
(Reviewed June 2006)

 

Photographing Weather
by Storm Dunlop

As with most photography how-to books, this book begins with an explanation of equipment and exposure. Although the reader might look for basic photography skill elsewhere, it is nice that those concepts are illustrated with weather photography to see how those skills specifically apply to this temperamental subject. The author of this book is not only a photographer who loves photographing the sky, but is a specialist in meteorology and astronomy. This pays off in the chapters exclusively about the atmosphere, earth’s cycles, and other weather phenomena. Towards the end of the book, the author talks about photographing weather, storm chasing and then a few tips on production. This is a perfect book for a weather enthusiast or photographer wanting to improve their images of the sky.

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

This book by Craig and Nadine Blacklock covers all of the normal shooting methods; however, although it does have a lot of very nice flower illustrations, it doesn’t have much of what has not already been published dozens of times before. It is a small size with only 63 pages, but it has a good price of US$12.95 for what you do get. It is published by Voyageur Press,  www.voyageurpress.com      
I Rate it:  B+ 
(Reviewed Jan. 2005)

Photography FAQs: Lighting
by Chris Weston 

This book is part of a series titled Photography FAQs, a collection of small photography reference books designed for the amateur photographer. This particular book focuses on the aspects of lighting, including natural and artificial. After beginning with a description of equipment and understanding lighting, the book is organized by the type of lighting (i.e.. natural, night and low light, etc). Each section has a quick description of the concept and includes quality images and illustrations explaining the techniques to master. This is a great book for someone wanting a quick reference for photography lighting.

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

Photo Impressionism and The Subjective Image is described as, “an imagination workshop for photographers,” and it is that and a lot more.  It is two photographers giving the photographer/reader extended caption information on each of their images, most of which are matched up to similar subject matter, so that the reader will learn why each image was made the way it was. Some tech details are included, but most caption info is along the line of being directed toward the way of thinking behind the image, and not the mechanics of it. This is one great book for learning how these inspirational images were made, but the one problem I had through most of the book was knowing just who’s work and captions was who’s. The only text that is labeled is at the beginning of each chapter, and none of the images were ID’d.  However, that small matter would not keep me from getting this book as it is more than worth it.

This soft cover book is about 8x8 inches, with 159 pages, retails for US$27.95 - and is published by Key Porter Books and distributed by Firefly Books at   www.fireflybooks.com     
I Rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed Jan. 2006)

This soft cover book is about 9x11 inches, with 416 pages, retails for US$54.95 – and is distributed by Focal Press at www.focalpress.com
I Rate it: A++ 
(Reviewed June 2006)

Photo Journalism: The Professionals’ Approach, 6^th Ed.
By Kenneth Kobré

The original version of this book was published in 1980 and although technology has changed (the skills needed from photographers and means in which information is given to the public), the goal of the book is the same - to emphasize the “JOURNALISM in photojournalism.” The book covers the differences in assignments - portraits, sports, etc. The book also covers technicalities like ethics, editing, and the camera bag. This book has many examples of quality photographs from famous photographers to famous events. It serves as either an excellent resource, how-to, coffee-table, or all of the above.

RATING
Text: A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A+
User: All Photography Levels
(Reviewed April 2008 by EP)

Click on the above image to find out current pricing or to purchase this book from Amazon.com

Photo Portfolio Success
by John Kaplan 

Another book by Writer’s Digest Books dovetails neatly with the above book about business. If you are serious about promoting your photography, you must develop a dynamite portfolio. I really enjoyed the organization and layout of the book. It is full of wonderful photos, great illustrations to help the reader understand exactly what Kaplan is talking about, and sidebars full of tips and comments from notable photographers, as well as insets in each chapter summarizing the facts, giving more information to think about, or directions where to go next. As a photo educator, I was impressed by the way look and feel of the book. 

The first half of the book covers the basics of selecting and organizing your photos. The second half features advice specific to the particular kind of photography, with advice from Kaplan and others on topics such as photojournalism, freelance work, wedding photography, nature and wildlife photography and fine art.  

I wish all textbooks on photography were as well presented as this book is. This is another book for photographers of any skill level or stage of development where everyone can find something to improve his or her portfolio. It retails at $27.99 and is worth every penny. You can’t say that about many photography books!
(Reviewed July 2004 by Michael Fulks)

Photo Portfolio Success is one of the rare books I receive to review, which I haven’t requested, but yet end up being glad I got it. No matter how you wish to sell your images, this book's thirteen chapters will tell you how, and that info comes from the Pulitzer Prize winning author. When you see the images inside you will understand why he got that and many other awards, so with this book you can learn from the best. It will be one of your best photo investments.

This soft cover book is about 8x11 inch, with 160 pages and retails for US$27.99.  Published by Writer’s Digest and distributed by www.fwpublications.com    
I Rate it:  A+ 
(Reviewed Nov. 2005)