Alternative Digital Photography

By John G. Blair

This book is based on the alternative processes that artistic photographers used to create more creative and unique images such as black and white, infrared, hand coloring, toy cameras, pinhole, and sepia. The author takes those traditional film processes and demonstrates how to create the same “look” digitally. Blair also suggests some of his new ideas of alternative digital processes like fresco, photoimpressionism, and neomysticism. Each chapter is devoted to one process which starts with a description and explanation of the original process. The chapter includes multiple ways of attaining the look of the specific process which vary in difficulty and quality of results. This book is for the beginning to intermediate level photographer interested in creating more unique digital images. 

I rate this book A+

Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age

By Robert Hirsch

Instead of writing another how-to book on photography, Hirsch explores the purpose and concepts of photography to better understand the camera and photographer. Hirsch uses the images of many extremely talented photographers including Deborah Oropallo, Loretta Lux, Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick, and Adam Fuss, creating a rich discussion of the topics on photography. There are excellent “Exercises” throughout the book to be used by the reader to explore a new technique or better understand the camera. This book is perfect for the higher education class that includes a contemporary view of the topics of photography. Just looking through the book and the wonderful collection of artists’ work is an experience worthy of purchasing this information-packed book.

I rate this book A++++
 

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+++
 

301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers

By Andrew Darlow

This book is part of the Digital Process and Print series published by Thomson Course Technology. This book is broken up into chapters about digital imaging and printing. The chapters are composed of an introduction about the subject and then organized by a list of tips about the topic. For example, within the color management chapter, Tip #60 is: “Learn the difference between calibrating and profiling.” The author continues with a couple pages of a written explanation and images of that tip topic. This nearly 500-page book is full information on the subject of inkjet printing as a digital photographer; perfect for the digital photographer, instructor, or student needing a resource.

I rate this book A++