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Apogee Photo - Home
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Apogee Photo - Home
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Photo Book Reviews
by Noella Ballenger & Marla Meier
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Book Review Rating Scale:
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Text: Is the text
well written, helpful and accurate? |
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“Not just another Photoshop Book…”
From the Camera to the Finished Image
AND... For Photoshop Elements, Version 10 and Earlier By John Watts
John Watts has taken all of his training and experience in color printing and condensed it down into an easy to follow guide to making great color photo prints using the basics of Photoshop. It is literally a digital workshop in book form and is geared directly towards the needs of photographers. It is in a step-by-step, effective, well formatted, and easily understood book that takes the complexity out of using Photoshop. It keeps you on tract by starting with how to best utilize the books information and provides you with Workflow & frequently used Speed Key Charts. John’s method is: “K.I.S.S - Employ the K.I.S.S. Method - "Keep It Super Simple". This book uses that method very efficiently and all along the way, you'll have Photoshop screen shots and images so you'll know exactly to what he is referring. It covers everything from setting up your workspace, to working on your images utilizing the Color and Contrast tools, Layer Masks and Adjustment Layers, RAW image format, and so much more. You’re then ready to add the finishing touches by resizing, cropping and sharpening. Finish up and get ready to learn the techniques needed to prepare for printing. He’ll give you ways to organize and archive your files in Bridge and teach you how to control color and your monitor and printer profiles. And to top it off, this book is not just a source of information but a contact with John. He encourages you to email him with your thoughts and/or questions. I recommend it to any photographer.
Order from John Watts
Order from John Watts
Text: A+
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Crazy Photography
Crazy Photography is just that—CRAZY! In the new digital world, anything is possible and 40 photo artists from around the world have transformed images of reality into images that can test not only how we view our world, but maybe our perceptions and opinions about it. The images created by these artists may look familiar, but their manipulated states of realism pull you in to take a much closer look. Is it real? Is that possible? How did they do that? It is broken into four chapters: Body, Scenery, Fears, and Dreams. The various images in each chapter play on our senses. Contained within the pages you’ll find the beautiful and the bizarre, the humorous and the shocking, and things that “go bump in the night” or carry you off to fantasy land. They are all certainly imaginative. And once viewed, you just can’t wait to read the artist’s introduction and description of his or her work, because just maybe, you’ll also get a glimpse into how their minds work. This is a fun book that just may tap into your own imagination.
Text:
A+
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BEHIND PHOTOGRAPHS
Archiving Photographic Legends
Tim Mantoani is a wonderful photographer that has created a special book that photography historians will find most valuable in years to come. By taking the iconic images of our times and showcasing them with the photographer who took them, Mantoani preserves an important link. And, by sharing a word or two from the photographer, he allows us some insight into their life and ideas as well as his own comments on their time in front of his camera. By using a rare and mammoth format of a 20X24 Polaroid camera, Mantoani created a superb documentary of the magic of Polaroid as a prelude to the instant gratification of digital photography. What is clearly obvious in this work is the amount of dedication and care that went into the selection of the photographs and the making of these large Polariod images in his studio. By sharing the stories behind the images he has done a great favor to future generations in allowing them a small view into our times.
Text:
A+ |
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WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
By Chris Gomersall
When picking up a book on wildlife photography it is most natural to flip through it looking at the photographs. However, when you pick up Chris Gomersall’s book, Wildlife Photographer, you stop and savor each one from the inquisitive otter on the cover to the common cranes feeding at the very end. It is only after you get your fill of looking that you think about the text…and go back to begin this “course in creative photography.” Chris Gomersall, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2007), shares his techniques for finding and making beautiful wildlife images. His suggestions are not just casual ideas but well thought out methods that relative newcomers to seasoned nature photographers can happily apply to compliment and strengthen their own abilities. Gomersall encourages each individual to explore their personal creativity through his easy reading text, his examples and his straightforward suggestions for projects and exercises. This is a must-have book for wildlife photographers.
Text:
A+
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That Picture Stinks!
This is a book for beginning photographers that points out the major photographic composition pitfalls and gives simple solutions for correcting the problem. The illustrations are clear and the comments from both Holmes and Baer are brief … and get the job done. The style of the written word is modern, casual and no-nonsense. It definitely helps the new photographer who looked at his photographs with disappointment and wondered why they did not turn out as he thought they would. While it may not deliver what it promises, (“to end lousy picture taking forever!”), it certainly makes big strides in that direction. If you are giving yourself of someone else his or her first camera, include a copy of this book in the package. It will make a difference.
Text: A |
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Everyday By Leonard Volk Leonard Volk, FAIA emeritus, retired architect, author and photographer, has produced a book of photographs that is more than you would expect to see. It is a wonderful collection of images taken over a 60-year period. The images awaken the eye to the “normal” as seen by a photographic enthusiast. As an architect, his training has been in design…and this discipline speaks enthusiastically well to the structure of his photographic images. They are worth studying for this alone. However, the text is also very special. In a simple and straightforward manner, he imparts beautiful nuggets of information that will assist the photographer in their creation of personal and unforgettable images. Everyday is a book that will be welcomed in a photographer’s library for its imagery and its fundamental understanding of the process that encourages and helps photographers record their world in fascinating detail. To purchase please visit: www.leonardvolk.com ISBN-10: 978-1-934812-93-8
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CELEBRITIZE YOURSELF The Three Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business By Martha Friedman Friedman takes a unique, no-nonsense approach to branding yourself, your product or profession to celebrity status. She states, "WARNING: USE OF THIS BOOK MAY LEAD TO FAME AND FORTUNE!" She'll lead you through this easy-to-read business book with all the principles and techniques necessary to reach fame status and she does it with plenty of real-life examples to get you fired up to share your talents, knowledge and wisdom with others. Are you ready for and want fame? Why do you want it? Once you've found the answers for yourself, you'll follow her 3 steps to make it happen: Write, Speak and Sell. Grab a hold of this program and learn how to build your visibility through variety of media channels. You have something special to give to the world, so if you really want it, her book is a roadmap on how to accomplish those goals and reap the benefits. Layout: A+ Photography: N/A User: All photographers and non-photographers Reviewed by Marla Meier
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