Photo Book
Reviews
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All Reviews are by Paul W Faust unless otherwise noted as Michael Fulks (MF)
and Elizabeth Powis (EP).
To purchase any book or to find out pricing
information, click on any of the book images.
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Quick Snap Guide to Digital SLR Photography
by David D. Busch
This new book is an instant start-up guide for new DSLR owners, and
would be well worth getting so you can understand everything that is
unique to digital cameras. The book's seven chapters cover many of
the common photo subjects from portraits to close up shots, and does
it in a very easy to understand manner. It is fully illustrated with
images that help to illustrate a concept, and it is also a nice size
to take along with you when out shooting, (and learning.)
This soft cover book is about 9x7 inches, with 192 pages, and is
distributed by Thomson Course (
www.courseptr.com ) in the US, and by iLEX Press (
www.ilex-Press.com ) in the UK., and retails for US$29.99
Rate it: A
(Reviewed Oct., 2006)
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Railroads of Pennsylvania, Fragments of the
Past in the Keystone Landscape,
by Lorett TreeseIf you like the
rails, this is a book you will LOVE! The book gives the history and
culture of Pennsylvania railroading past and present. Learn its
history and at the same time find many places to photograph as a
bonus. The book has many images from the past and also lets you know
what old trains and engines can still be found at statewide
museums. This book can be a treasure trove of information for
places to shoot. This soft cover book has 274 pages, is 6x9 inches,
retails for US$19.95, and is also published by Stackpole Books. www.stackpole.com
I rate it: A
(Reviewed July 2005)
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Rainbow Under The Sea
By Jeffrey L. Rotman
The only word that comes to mind to describe this new book is
AMAZING! From looking at the cover, this book may not grab your
attention, until you open it up and find out that the image on the
cover is a close-up shot of a small segment of a fish taken in the
ocean. Most of the images in this book are just like that -
close up shots of all sorts of marine creatures, big and small.
Getting a sharp, full length shots of fish and marine photography is
hard enough capture, but to work in so close that you get shots of
just an eye and mouth, or even closer, to get just the area where a
fin meets the body is AMAZING. Then, there are the shots
looking into the mouth of a Tiger Grouper and a Barracuda. It
is little wonder that Jeffrey Rotman is one of the world’s best
underwater photographers. If you want a marine photography
book that is probably unlike any other you will ever see again, this
is the one. Colors and shapes fill the frames like an artists
painting. This is another one of those books that you really have to
see to believe – including its incredible low price!
This hardback book is about 10x13 inches, with 224 pages, retails
for US-$29.95 – and is distributed by White Star Publishing at:
www.whitestar.it
I Rate it: A+++
(Reviewed December 2007)
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Rainforest
by Thomas Marent
Rainforest is without a doubt one of the best nature photography
books that I have ever seen. Talk about up-close and personal! Many
of the images almost have you nose-to-nose with the animals and
insects shown in it. Most of the images are of plants and small
critters, but it is the closeness that will blow you away. This is a
large book to begin with, so when you have images that are
full-page, or even two-page spreads, it is hard to describe what is
it like to see a Red-eyed Tree Frog that shows up on the page as
large as a house cat. When it is a Tarantula this size coming at you
it looks like a scene from an old Sci-fi movie. There are creatures
in this book that I have never seen before, and the butterflies and
moths are just amazing. This is one book that nature photographers
and lovers should not be without in their library.
This hardback book is about 10x12 inches, with 360 pages, retails
for US$40.00 – and is distributed by DK Publishing at
www.dk.com
I Rate it: A+++
(Reviewed March 2007)
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RAW 101 – Better Images with
Photoshop & Photoshop Elements,
by Jon Canfield
RAW 101
is a must have book for everyone
wanting to use their digital camera to make the best images
possible. As more digital photographer find out that RAW is the
only way to fully control all of their work, they are more in need
of ways to learn how to use it, and RAW 101 will certainly fill that
bill. It covers everything you need to know from before you even
take the shot to how to finish it up to attain the final image you
want. This book will teach you how to do it right and then you will
never want to go back to a .tiff type file format again.
This soft cover book is about 8x10 inches, with 150 pages, retails
for US$24.99 – and is published by SYBEX and can be ordered at
www.sybex.com
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Feb. 2006)
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RAW Pipeline: Revolutionary Techniques to Streamline Digital Photo
Workflow
By Ted Dillard
The book is about the RAW file format: what it is and
how to use it to create an efficient workflow. Key to understanding
RAW format is the very basics of digital imaging. Dillard begins
with the fundamentals of digital imaging and especially the RAW
image. A large part of the book covers what to do with the RAW image
after it has been opened in Photoshop. He covers setting up
Photoshop, adjusting the image, retouching techniques, and more
advanced tools that go beyond most people’s superficial knowledge of
the program. The end goal of the workflow that he discusses is the
making of fine digital prints. To help the reader integrate this
portion of the workflow into their own working habits, PART 3 of the
book covers the basics of color management, printer profiles, and
advanced printing methods. As the title suggests, RAW Pipeline
presents an integrated streamlined digital workflow from capture to
print.
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher:
Lark Books
(May 6, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600592791
ISBN-13: 978-1600592799
Product Dimensions: 9.9 x
8.3 x 0.6 inches
Text:
A+
Layout:
A+
Photography:
A
User:
All Photographers
(Reviewed by EP July 2008)
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RAW Workflow from Capture to
Archives
by Philip Andrews/Yvonne Butler/Joe Farce
All serious digital photographers know that shooting in the Raw file
format will give them all of the data that they will need for the
best quality image output. With this new book everyone can
learn how to use all of that data to do the same thing. It has very
easy to follow instructions, and it takes all of the mystery out of
the Raw process. It teaches you what the different Raw processes do
and why, and then makes it easy to understand how to use them.
Everything is fully illustrated to make it even easier to see what
it all means as you go step by step through each chapter.
This soft cover book is about 7x10 inches, with 290 pages, retails
for US$39.95 and is distributed by Focal Press at
www.focalpress.com
I Rate it: A+
(PWF)
(Reviewed November, 2006)
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Real World Aperture, Industrial-Strength
Production Techniques
by Ben Long
Here is a nice new book for all digital photographers who shoot
mostly RAW files and need to have the best postproduction methods.
Topics include editing, output, and archiving final work. Aperture
is a program created to do the file editing an image needs, but not
the image editing or manipulation that programs like Photoshop
offer. This new book shows you how to do the simple jobs first and
as fast as possible so that you have more time for the big jobs
later on. The book’s nine chapters cover this whole new Adobe
Aperture program, but I do wonder why it has such a high retail
price for such a small book when most similar ones are a good $10
less.
This soft cover book is about 8x9 inches, with 243 pages, retails
for US$34.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at:
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A
(Reviewed Oct., 2006)
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Real World Camera Raw with Adobe
Photoshop CS2,
by Bruce Fraser
Fraser's latest offering is filled with
“industrial strength production techniques” to make using RAW work
to its very best. RAW is not one of a digital camera’s easiest tools
to use, but it can be easily understood and used if you have the
right information to do it with. This new book gives you just that
and more. It also includes info on the new Bridge, and guides for
building your workflow and automating tasks. It's a soft cover with
314, 7.5x9 inch pages, and retails for US$39.99. Published by
Peachpit Press at:
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Aug. 2005)
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Real World Creative Suite 2
Industrial-Strength Production Techniques
By Sandee Cohen and Steve Werner
This is the super-sized how-to book for EVERYTHING you will ever
need to know to use the entire Creative Suite package, and make
every program and tool work together. This is the one how-to book
that will replace all of the others, or save you from having to buy
them in the first place. No matter what job you need done, this
(800-lb gorilla) will show you how to do them from start to finish.
This soft cover book is about 8x9 inches, with 694 pages,
retails for US$49.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at:
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Sept. 2006)
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Real World Image Sharpening
with Adobe Photoshop CS2:
Industrial-Strength Production Techniques
By Bruce Fraser
As soon as most photographers switch from film to digital, they find
out real fast that digital images are softer, and lack the sharpness
they expect from film. Then comes the learning process of what
is needed to make their images sharp and crisp the way they are used
to seeing them. Fraser shows you exactly how to do all of that in
this new book. All of the needed steps are fully illustrated and
captioned, including the tool settings used. Sharpening is one of
the major things that most digital images need, and you need to know
how to do it right to get the best results. This book is your answer
to that very need.
This soft cover book is about 7x9 inches, with 288 pages,
retails for US$39.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at:
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Sept. 2006)
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Click on the above image to find out current pricing
or to purchase this book from Amazon.com |
Real World Photoshop CS,
by David Blatner & Bruce Fraser
Real World Photoshop CS
is another one of those books that seem to be more of an
encyclopedia than a book, as it is just over an inch and a half
thick, and if you’re looking for information that has anything to do
with Photoshop CS this book will most likely have it. It has over
890, 7.5x 9 inch pages, that are illustrated with working images,
and the command windows and settings that are used to do each step.
Lessons are for both Mac and Windows, and are for intermediate to
advanced users. This soft cover book retails for US$49.99. Published
by PeachPit Press at
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Dec. 2004)
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Real World Photoshop CS2,
by Bruce Fraser and David Blatner
This is a large book of “Industrial-Strength
Production Techniques,” and I do mean “large.” When you are not
learning from it, you can use this over 4-lb book as a doorstop!
Written for intermediate and advanced users, this is a whole
reference library in one book. Its fourteen chapters cover
everything you will ever need to learn how to use Photoshop CS2 to
its fullest, and then some. Each chapter is fully illustrated,
including the Photoshop tools and the settings used for each
job. If there was ever an all-in-one book that you can learn it all
from, this one is it.
This soft cover book is about 7.5x9 inches, with 957 pages, retails
for US$54.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A
(Reviewed
Feb. 2006)
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Real World Print Production
by Claudia McCue
Print production has always been a major issue for every art form,
and one that seems to have its own problems for each type of work
needed, but this new book will help make that easier for you.
It covers the printing process from beginning
to end, so that you, too, can start getting the top results that the
pros get. You will no longer have to think about having someone else
do all of your print jobs because with this book you can start doing
it all yourself. Although this book is on the technical side, it
will be a major reference source for any serious printer, or those
wanting to be one.
This soft cover book is about 8x9 inches, with 348 pages, retails
for US$44.99 and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A
(Reviewed Nov. 2006)
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Click on the above image to find out current pricing or
to purchase this book from Amazon.com |
Real World Camera Raw w/Photoshop CS,
by Bruce Fraser.
This is not
a book for beginners, even though they can benefit a lot from it. Camera
Raw covers all the advanced information anyone who wants professional
production results will need. You can now use your digital camera’s RAW
setting for all of your shots, and have total control over every one.
White balance, tones, and color space, to name a few, will no longer be
a problem. With what you will learn from this book, you will have full
control over all of your raw images. It is not just all reading either.
Each tool is fully illustrated with the settings used to do the jobs
shown, so there is no guess work as to what you should set things to.
There are no manuals that will even come close to teaching you about
Photoshop’s Camera RAW the way this one does, and it is for both Mac and
Windows users. This 235 page soft cover book is a nice 7.5 x 9 inch size
to take with you anywhere to study, and retails for $34.99-US. Published
by PeachPit Press. (www.peachpit.com)
I rate it:
A+
(Reviewed Sept. 2004) |
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Recollections, Three Decades of Photography
by John Sexton
There are tons of
books out there with real good images in them, and there are even a
lot with what most people would consider to be great images, but
there are very few books available that I would consider to be the
Best of the Best, but it was not really a surprise to me when I
found that Recollections is one of the best photography books I have
ever seen. Probably because it is the work of John Sexton, who I
consider to be the best black & white photographer and printer
alive. All you have to do is look at the first 2 or 3 images in this
book to see exactly why that is. A black & white print made by a
true master is really hard to describe because there are so few of
them around for people to relate to, so all I can say is; get this
book and you will see what you have been missing all these years,
and why so many people consider black & white photography to be in a
class of it’s own. Recollections shows how a quality
black & white print can turn even the most humble of subjects into a
work of art, at least when it is a Sexton print. As a photographer
myself, all I keep saying as I look at each new image is, “Oh, if
only!”
This hardback book is just over 12x12 inches, with 55 images on 140
pages, retails for US-$75.00 – and is published by Ventana Editions
at:
www.ventanaeditions.com
I Rate it: A++++
(Reviewed August 2007)
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Recycled Realities
By John Willis and Tom Young
I would guess that this book is unlike any other that you have seen
lately, if ever. It is a collection of images taken at a New England
paper recycling plant, and they range from shots of piled up bails
of paper, to close up shots of selected areas in these bales. There
are some shots that look like they were “fixed” by placing a unique
piece of paper, or picture, in a fixed position to add to the
interest, but other than that I would say that most of the images
are straight shots of what was found there. This is a collection of
images of a place that most people never see, and most companies
like this never want you to see. It is also a great example of how
stunning images can be created from what the rest of the country
considers as nothing but trash.
This hardback book is about 12x10 inches, with 71 pages, retails for
US-$45.00 - and is distributed by University of Chicago Press at:
www.press.uchicago.edu
I Rate it: A (PF)
(Reviewed October 2007)
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Retouching
Photos in Photoshop Elements 4By
Holan Hester
This is a
beginning level book for those who want learn how to do the basics
of photo-editing using Photoshop Elements 4.0. This small
resource is perfect for those who want the minimum amount of detail.
Hester describes, in the simplest format how to get the job done:
fixing redeye, cropping, correct exposure, and adjusting color.
For those who are ready to use a few of the more advanced tools
available in Photoshop Elements 4.0, Chapter 4 is about repairing
and transforming photos which includes fixing blemishes, removing
objects, creating a panorama and more. The last chapter is
about how to share photos digitally and as prints. This book
is perfect for the digital photographer who wants to improve the
quality of their images but not be overwhelmed with a lot of complex
image-editing information.
160 pages,
Peachpit Press;
1st edition (November 4, 2005), Paperback, US$12.99
I rate this book an A
(Reviewed Aug. 2006)
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Return To Titanic:
A New Look at the World’s Most Famous Lost Ship
by Robert D. Ballard and Michael Sweeney
The story of the sinking of the Titanic never seems to grow old as
the ship itself does laying on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Some day all that will be left of the Titanic will be its brass
propellers, but with this new book that covers both its history,
sinking and re-discovery, you will always be able to see what it was
like. There have been several movies of its discovery by Ballard,
but this new book contains a lot of images and information that was
not in any of them, about how he was able to find it again. This
book will make for many days of very interesting reading for
everyone.
This hardback book is over 8x9 inches, with 192 pages and
retails for US$30.
I rate it: A
(Reviewed May 2006) |
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Role
Models: Feminine Identity in Contemporary American Photography
National Museum of Women in the Arts
This book accompanies a sequential exhibition at the National Museum
of Women in the Arts. This show opens in Washington, D.C. on October
17, 2008. This collection features eighteen photographers from 1975
to 2005. The book is divided into two separate sections: 1975-1990
and 1990-2005. The first period highlights artists who devoted their
photography to conceptual concepts. Some of these photographers are
Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, and Sally Mann. The second period
includes photographers such as Anna Gaskell, Kathy Grannan, and
Catherine Opie who utilize role playing and staged photography. The
photography created by these female artists have challenged the
societal views identity through gender, race, and sexuality.
The first part of the book includes essays by Lucy Soutter, Shelly
Rice, Susan Fisher Sterling, and Kathryn A. Wat with a few
photographs to illustrate their points. The second half of the book
includes full-color plates of the featured artists with a complete
list of titles by author in the back.
Hardcover: 128
pages
Publisher:
Scala
Publishers (October 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1857595386
ISBN-13: 978-1857595383
Text:
A+
Layout: A+
Photography: A+
User: All Photographers and Non-Photographers
(Reviewed by EP Sept. 2008)
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Ruth Bernhard, Between Art and Life
by Margaretta Mitchell
Mitchell's book is the first
biography written about Bernhard, who Ansel Adams called, “the
greatest photographer of the nude,” and many other subjects as far
as I am concerned. I have always like her photography and this
new book is now a treasured part of my library. This is
fascinating life’s story along with pages full of her masterful
photography. It is top quality in every way befitting a
quality lady.
This hardback book is about 10x10
inch, with 160 pages and retails for only US$29.95.
Distributed by Chronicle Books at:
www.chroniclebooks.com
I Rate it: A+++
(Reviewed Oct. 2005)
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