Photo Book
Reviews
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|S-Sp | Sp-Su
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Apogee Photo Home Page
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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Understanding Digital Cameras: Getting the Best Image from Capture
to Output
by Jon TarrantWhen a book is labeled
with Focal Press as its publisher, you know it's going to be a
quality guide. The way this book is organized makes it useful as a
quick reference or a thorough text. The first part of the book
discusses different technicalities of digital cameras like camera
menus, exposure and focusing. The middle of the book has chapters
based on the subject or type of photography: people, nature, action,
and studio. This is a very useful tool for those that want to
explore a new avenue of digital photography or want to trouble
shoot. The last part of the book focuses on image output: printing,
image editing, and quality. Although there is a lot more text than
illustrations and examples, it is perfect for those who want a
thorough explanation of concepts, rather than a how-to.
This 360 page, softcover book measures 9.7 x
7.3 x 0.9 inches and is and is distributed by Focal Press, an
imprint of Elsevier, at
www.focalpress.com. It retails for USD$34.95.
I rate this book: A+ (EP)
(Reviewed May 2007)
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Click on the above image to find out current pricing
or to purchase this book from Amazon.com |
Understanding Exposure,
by Bryan Peterson.Another
great AMPHOTO book that every photographer should have in their
library is Understanding Exposure. Correct exposure is
probably the #1 factor in making a good image. It can make or break
your final results, and almost every situation can have it’s own set
of needs. This well done book covers just about every one of them,
from daytime to night, indoors and outside, people, nature, wide
angle and close ups, and also how your equipment will effect those
areas. This 9x11 inch soft cover book has 160 pages retails for
US$24.95.
Both of these AMPHOTO Books can be
checked out at
www.watsonguptill.com
I Rate it: A++
(Reviewed Dec. 2004)
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Understanding
RAW Photography
by Andy Rouse
This book is
a sequel to the successful Digital SLR Masterclass, written
by the same author. Andy Rouse is known for both his ability to
capture amazing images and explain digital photography concepts.
This new book is full of incredibly useful information, which
follows the flow of a professional digital photographer - capturing the image
in the field to workflow and editing. Rouse uses his own images and
diagrams of the computer screen to show and explain the concepts.
The excellent layout includes “Pro Tips,” before and after diagrams,
sub titles, and captions, making it easy to read from cover to cover
or flip through to find what you want. This book would be good for
the intermediate photographer wanting to go RAW or the advanced
photographer wanting a refresher of best practices.
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher:
Photographers'
Institute Press (April 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 186108515X
Product Dimensions: 9.8 x
7.5 x 0.7 inches
RATING
Text:
A+
Layout:
A+
Photography: A+
User:
Intermediate to Advanced Photographers
(Reviewed by EP March 2008)
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Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light
Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
By Bryan
Peterson
This book is
written by the same author of
Understanding Exposure. There are so many books out there
that try to cover everything about photography, possibly narrowing
down to only digital photography, for example. It is exciting
to see a book that spends time exploring the possibilities of
just one tool in the field. The book starts out by talking about
shutter speed facts and myths. It is then separated into the
potential images of fast and slow speeds. The author spends time on
exposure and composition as well. Although the amount of images
demonstrating the techniques is somewhat disappointing, the quality
of images mostly makes up for it.
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher:
Amphoto Books
(April 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0817463011
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x
8.2 x 0.5 inches
Retail Price: USD24.95
RATING
Text:
A
Layout:
A
Photography: A
User:
Beginning to Intermediate
(Reviewed April 2008 by EP)
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uptospeed, Photoshop CS3
by Ben Willmore
The best way to learn all of the upgrades in the new Photoshop CS3
is to get a book that focuses only on those features, and uptospeed
is it. If you already know Photoshop, then why spend time and money
on books that cover the same old things that you learned many
versions ago. This new book will use your time to show you only what
you need to know about the new CS3. It covers every new feature and
shows you how to best use each one.
This soft cover book is about 7x9 inches, with 155 pages, retails
for US-$29.99 – and is distributed by Peach Pit Press at:
www.peachpit.com
I Rate it: A
(Reviewed August 2007)
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Utah: The
Light Fantastic
Photography by Tom Till
Essays by Mikenna Clokey
This is the newest photography book of Till’s work, and I would say
that it is the best one yet. Winter, spring, summer, and fall, from
close ups of ice formations to the most magnificent grand landscapes
you will ever see; this new book is cover-to-cover inspiration. Many
of the images are of places I have seen before, but NEVER like this,
and the rest are hard to believe that they really exist out there in
this one small part of the US. I had thought that I had seen it all,
but then I came to the page showing large double icefalls coming out
of double holes in a canyon wall. Another favorite is the shot of
Druid Arch, as I have never seen it before. It is not hard to see
why Till has had “over” 30,000 of his images published over the
years. This latest book has another (I think) first, and that is the
great essay of the photo trips written by his daughter Mikenna.
Books you can learn from are a dime-a-dozen,
but books like this that “inspire” are hard to come by!
This hardback book is about 10x13 inches, with 176 pages, retails
for US$39.95 - and can be ordered from his web site at
www.tomtill.com.
I Rate it: A+++
(Reviewed July 2007)
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Vintage San Francisco,
photography by Moulin Studios
This new addition from Welcome Books is a
great example of why they say the best things come in small
packages. This book is a collection of images taken by Moulin
Studios from as far back as before the great quake of 1906. Images
from before and during the building of the Golden Gate and Oakland
Bay Bridges, the beautiful Cliff House along the coast, and on
through the 1930s. Most are images of well-known places, but there
are also shots few people ever even knew about, such as a herd of
buffalo grazing in Golden Gate Park. All images are B&W and well
captioned, but this is not a history book. It is a great little
picture book that would be perfect on any coffee table of someone
who has ever lived in, or visited the city by the bay.
This hardback book is just under 7x7 inches, with 160 pages, and
retails for US$16.95. It is published by Welcome Books at
www.welcomebooks.com
I Rate it: A+ (Reviewed Sept. 2005)
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Here are two great new books that travel photographers will love and
others will want for their coffee table collection:
VIRGINIA contains the images of 34 photographers, and
WASHINGTON, D.C. has the images of 20 photographers,
with text by Tanya Lloyd for both. Each book includes some history
of the various areas presented. Anyone looking to find out what all
there is to photograph in the state of Virginia, and its neighbor
Washington D.C., will find enough places shown in these two books to
keep them in photo trips for years. You can not only see what is
there, but also what spots to shoot from in order to get your own
images as good as those shown in these books. These are some of
those few books that will pay for themselves as soon as you use one
piece of info from them. Besides both being filled with useful photo
locations, they are beautiful picture books, and you will also learn
a lot too.
Each of these hardback books are over 10x10 inches, with 96 pages
each, and each book retails for US$17.95 – and is distributed by
Whitecap Books at
www.whitecap.ca
I Rate them: A
(Reviewed Jan.
2006)
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Visual Verse
by John Parkinson
This beautiful new book is a collection of images of the natural
world combined with words of poetry, including those from people
such as Shakespeare. There is even a section in the back with the
photographers notes about each image. Images range from 2 or 3 on a
page, to one large panoramic image across a 2-page spread. All of
the images are beautifully printed, and the only thing that I find
missing is more complete location captions. When I see a great
image, I always want to know where is was taken in case I may be
able to get there some day, but this book, like far too many these
days, gives little help in that area. Otherwise this book would be
a great addition for every nature photographer’s library.
This hardback book is about 12x10 inches, with 91 pages, retails for
US$29.95 – and is published by Synergy Books and is distributed by
www.bookpros.com/
I Rate it: A+
(Reviewed Oct., 2006) |
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A Voice Within -
The Lake Superior Nudes
Photography by Craig Blacklock
Essay & Modeling by Honey Blacklock
Introduction by Jim Brandenburg
This book is a collection of images that both landscape and figure
photographers will love. They are images taken from the coastline
all around the shores of Lake Superior and include poses throughout all four seasons. The figure shots are some of the best
you have seen, and the landscape is something you have to see to
believe. I never knew there could be so many incredible places
around one lake. I have to add a personal note: Craig is either the
luckiest guy in the world to have a model/wife like he has, or Honey
has to be the craziest person in the world to tolerate posing in
some of these locations. You will see what I mean in the winter shots
taken of her laying on sheets of ice and under cliffs
covered with walls of ice. This combination of nude and coastal
landscape makes for one super book for any photo library! Buy a
second one as a gift - you won't want to loan yours out.
Note: all of the Blacklock's books are signed and can be ordered
from their web site - shipping is included.
This hardback book is about 12x14 inches, with 121 images, and
retails for US-$75.00 - and is published by Blacklock Photography
Galleries and can be ordered from:
www.blacklockgallery.com/
I Rate it: A+++ (PF)
(Reviewed October 2007)
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