5 comments about Colorado, 1870-2000.

1. This book is an amazing capture of what has happened to our world. You are able to see what scenes were like 150 years ago and compare what they are like today. The photographers are so exact that people have been placed in the scene at the exact site. If you wonder if global warming in real than take a look at this picture. You can see the glaciers and rocks change between the pictures. It is amazing and wonderfully done. I bought 3 for Christmas gifts and now want to buy one for my own family.



2. I noticed the review that said this book was worthy of "permanent display on your coffee table." Well, I don't think that will be possible with my book, as the binding fell apart after 6 months. The book has gotten a fair amount of use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've since seen a similar problem with a couple of the display copies at bookstores (which is why they've been demoted to display copies). So I don't think this is an isolated problem. It seems like the book is so big that they didn't make a strong enough binding for it. So just a warning for this thinking of buying this book. The good news is that, on the advice of one of the reviews, I bought Colorado: Yesterday & Today to replace my copy of Colorado: 1870-2000. I agree that it is the better book and now it will be on permanent display on my coffe-table.



3. This book is excellent in look, feel, and quality. It is intriguing to see how much landscape has changed in 130 years. Many times for the better and many times for the worse. In every case it is very interesting to see two pictures side by side and compare 1870 with 2000. The photographer was very meticulous to capture every shot as closely as possible to the original perspective and frame, which really enhances the "then and now" feel of the book.



4. There appears to be some confusion as all of the reviews of the original "Colorado 1870-2000" big book are credited to this, the paperback "Colorado 1870-2000 Revisited: The History Behind the Images". This book is a companion book to the original. It takes each photo set from the big book and goes into detail about the location, changes, and how Fielder acquired each photo. These are the things that, being left out of the original, made several people give the big book negative reviews. While it would have been nice (and certainly less expensive) to have everything in one volume, we now have the information for which those disappointed with the big book were looking. While the big book is a piece of coffee table art, the Revisited book fits neatly on your bookshelf, ready to be taken down to answer those questions posed by your friends perusing the big book. I take a bit of offense at having to have paid for two different books, but they belong together and I feel were money well spent; the big book for the beautiful photos and the revisited book for its entertaining and educational material.



5. John Fielder is one of America's greatest living photographers, and he brings his love of the Colorado wilderness to this book. His re-shoots of Jacksons 19th century photographs are both beautiful and thought-provoking.... the photographs make it worthwhile.

   On the other hand, the text is a different story. Reading a text-only version of this book, one might conclude that the title is a misprint, and that the book should really be called "Colorado 1970 - 2000." Fielder roamed across Colorado capturing the changes in places like Kremmling, Denver, and Ouray, but the text never tells us anything about these places, or why they changed, or why we should care. Instead we get chapters about oil shale and the Forest Service.

   Ahem. If I wanted to read about the relationship between Forest Service bureaucrats and small Western towns, I would have bought a book called "The Relationship Between the Forest Service and Small Western Towns." My book is called "Colorado 1870 - 2000." That is what I want to read about.

   It's true that oil shale schemes, government agencies, and others have played a role in shaping Colorado in the past 30 years. But before that there were events like the Silver Crash of 1893, the City Beautiful movement, the Depression, World War II, and Urban Renewal. You won't read about those in this book.

   The pictures are beautiful, and the text is well-written (if misplaced and unwanted). Just don't expect to learn much about the places you are looking at- except that they are very pretty.

5 comments about The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens.

1. This book has great pictures but I had to return it because the pages were falling out. The binding was loose. When Amazon replaced the item. The problem was the same. I will be returnng it this time for a refund. FIX THE BINDING, THE PAGES ARE COMING OUT OF THE BOOK. IT'S BUSTED AT THE SEAMS!



2. This book is printed on nice paper stock. It is full of many great photos of chickens. There really isn't too many breeds of chicken pictured here, but the originality of the photos makes up for that. Very good pictures of chickens. Personally, I didn't care for the written part by Ira Glass. It was the typical 'make fun of the ignorance of chickens' that makes country people squirm. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book very well.



3. This book has amazing portraits of chickens with some imformation about each one. I wish the author had told us where each breed is from. Also is was not comprehensive of u s chicken breeds, but still an outstanding book.



4. This is a gorgeous book. The pictures are breath taking and as Ira Glass said the birds really do "look" like they have personality. It's amazing. The pictures are clean and crisp and the description pages having interesting information about the birds. This is not a reference book though, it's purely for fun and for admiring.



5. This is one of my most favorite books of all time to include those books which mostly contain pictures. These chickens are turly 'sharp' birds and this book gives them due respect. Ms. Staples did a excellent job - let's have another edition...

No comments about Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks.

3 comments about 500 Lighting Hints, Tips, and Techniques.

1. 
   
   At the middle of last year I opened a photo studio. So, I can say, I'm still beginner int this topic. So, this book was very helpful for me to gt advance knowledge about art of making great photos.



2. The book does not contain much of light setups but it shows
   almost every lighting gadget and explains them. Useful for
   begginers who wants to see which tool is used for which purpose.



3. This book was a BIG disappointment. The first Chapter: The Basics consists of 86 so called tips about the camera. It is more of a dictionary of photographic terms sometimes with illustrations. The following Chapters: Characteristics of Light, Working with Daylight, Artifical Lighting, Lighting Setups and Postproduction Lighting are not much better, what is presented is very elementary. If you have no ideal what aperture is or what a ring flash looks like this book is for you. But otherwise skip it.

2 comments about My So-Called Digital Life: 2,000 Teenagers, 300 Cameras, and 30 Days to Document Their World.

1. This book is likable for several different reasons....It provides a social anthropology of children and teens and allows readers to peer into the lives of diverse teens. Some quotes are eye opening and others are confirming of my perceptions of teens. The photos selected are very good and stand on their own merit. I like how this book is written and photographed by teens, so it's not like those dense theses by ivory tower scholars writing about what they think teens arelike.



2. I never realized how much life has changed for teens....this is a must read for anyone on marketing to teens.

No comments about The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion.

4 comments about Camera Assistant, The: A Complete Professional Handbook.

1. Of the two major "textbooks" on ACing, this is the best one to start with. It gives enough information to initiate you into what is expected of all members of the camera crew, but is not overwhelming with technical info (not that you are not going to want that info someday, but if you are new, it can be confusing and even discouraging.) After this book, get David Elkin's Camera Assistant's Manual, which goes into much further detail. As you work with different cameras, download the manuals from the panavision/arri/aaton/etc websites so you can feel comfortable with the differences in individual cameras. Lastly, get a used copy of the very expensive American Cinematographer Manual for all the technical bits in one handy portable reference book. This, and tons of set experience, is probably all you need (and keep in mind some of the greatest cinematographers who ever lived worked without any of these aids). Rely on your eye!



2. This is probably the best handbook for this discipline I've ever seen. I bought a copy when I was in the States three years ago - and it was swiped ! I plan to prescribe this book for my students from 2001 onwards. Well done !

   John Hill ctftvs@netactive.co.za




3. This book is a complete and highly insightful manual for motion picture camera assistants and operators. It covers the disciplines, techniques, skills and even the politics of the craft. For anyone involved or wanting a fabulous look into the workings of the film industry, buy this book!



4. Compiled from years of teaching innumerable students at the International Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, ME, this book supercedes all previous texts on the subject. A former President of East Coast Camera Local 644, Hart writes in a manner as readable as it is thorough. Illustrations and appendices are completely useful. This is the new Bible for the working A.C. and anyone seeking to understand how the camera department really functions.

5 comments about Tadao Ando : The Colours of Light (Mini Edition).

1. The value of this book largely depends on how familiar you are with Ando's work. For example, if you have read articles about his Water Temple from architectural magazines, it is really nice to zoom in and take a close look at several details shown in this book. On the other hand, if you don't know Water Temple project, it will be hard for you to catpure the overall structure of this incredible building from this book. Simply put, this book focuses more on photography and details rather than overall structure. You need to study these projects in order to appreciate the details. Of course, the pictures are really nice.



2. Beautiful little portfolio showcasing some of Tadao Ando's best known work. Richard Pare's photographs are excellent. The book's design is also very elegant in its minimalism. A must have.



3. Ando's work is splendidly displayed by Pare. But it would be very hard to take a bad picture of one of Tadao's buildings anyway. Great eye candy for anyone.



4. If you have a slither of appreciation for the finer things on this planet, you definately should not pass up the opportunity to own this title. A book that left me speechless and I mean that!! - 10 Stars -



5. The sublime architecture of Ando, delivered on a haunting polychromatic plate by R. Pare. The photos discover many of the wonderful uses of space and form Ando masters and manipulates to tame light into a force that is nearly unrivaled by any other modern architect. Certainly it makes the oft ludicrous shapes of several (ahem) "Experienced" LA-types appear clumsy and banal (Basque'ing in their own glory perhaps?). Most wonderful is the way in which he can make one look at the 'ordinary' materials used (exposed concrete, etc.), and focus on the forms themselves; or better, to enjoy the materials in their place. Why a '9' rather than a perfect score? Though less artistic, I would have enjoyed a few more full-shots along with the other photos to better put each structure into a perspective understandable by those of us unable to visit the sites in person.

4 comments about A Gun for Hire (Photo Books S.).

1. The Christianity and even more the Islam have abolished to idolize woman as a goddess. However this was the daily use in the Greek, Roman and Egyptian religion (sorry to remember, that the Aztecs tore the heart of young virgins out of the live body). Newton has reversed this development - he told us, to idolize women again. I visited the Helmut Newton exhibition A GUN FOR HIRE in the "Museum for Photography" in Berlin, near the Station ZOO, Jebens-Street 2. Sometimes I thought Newton is cynical, contemptuous against women, emphasizes the power struggle between the sexes too much. After the reading of his autobiography I thought: "What a humorous, witty person! " After having the pleasure to watch the film of his wife on his work, I thought, oh God, I get dizzy by this hand-held shaking camera. After the reading of the museum catalogue A GUN FOR HIRE I always get quiet again. Newton was skilful. He regarded himself as A GUN FOR HIRE self ironically, as an unfortunately rentable killer because of the kind money. But if he had carried out a banal "killer" order with the necessary simple, most childish aesthetics guidelines for any fashion magazine, showing the models in a predefined wardrobe sales beneficially - then he afterwards extended the dialog with a lady in most cases after completion of this obedient work for the capitalist system of the chewing fan heating - then he enlarged the dialog into the direction of more human, erotic, adult and no longer infantile situations, real and no more prudishly, running free experimenting for new emotion and aura. The growing picture collection from the vermiform appendix after that official work peeled out that image, that unique art form, which everyone connects now with the name Helmut Newton - a milestone in the history of photography. Before the visit of the exhibition A GUN FOR HIRE (in the long night of the museums in Berlin, January 2006) I went astray in that nightmare of holocaust stele field in Berlin. Newton had managed to escape from the insanity of the Third Reich. Newton's work could have never resulted under the thumb of any ideology. At first in the private, thereupon in a society, where is the liberty to make something new, it was possible for him, to make what could correctly be described as "making a woman to an idolized goddess" again. A GUN FOR HIRE is the reminding bequest which, shortly before his death, he bequeathed to that town which had dropped him 1938. I hope, that Berlin people (and many more) will awake and learn, what he wanted to show...



2. Highly recommended for anyone who knows Helmut Newton only by reputation. This doesn't show his most graphic work, but it has a nice range of his early editorial photos, fashion campaigns, absolut ads. This book is a great example of showcasing Newton's talent as a photographer. Instead of focusing on his sometimes intense sexual images, this book focuses on the composition, layout and colors his photography had. Don't worry, you Newton-lovers, the sexuality is still here for all to enjoy.
   Newton is one of those photographers whose intense images and reputation can overshadow the actual brilliance of what's important...the photographs. If you are mostly familiar with his black and white photography, the colors in this book will take your breath away.
   Don't be shy, this book will make you appreciate what a true talent Newton was without shocking you.



3. While i like HN work and always pick out his style even if i dont know a particular photograph, this book was downright disappointing. Its like someone assembled pictures which weren't good enough to be included in any of the other (previous) books just to sell it to suckers who will buy anything by HN. However, i absolutely adored the 4 or 5 pics of Monica Belucci and bought the book solely on account of them.



4. While I am always happy to grab a book full of naughty Newtons, it would have been even more wonderful to see the complete series of images that the undisputed master of kinky chic had created for the various euro fashion giants....some campaigns being a one season adventure, while others scandalized for years. The amount of advertising that he shot for french designer Yves Saint Laurent alone ,could easily fill a book. It was the perfect marriage of designer and imagist, followed very closely by Newton's ads for Thierry Mugler's erotically charged fashion fantasies. Sometimes it's hard to tell who came first, Newton or Mugler! In any case, Newton's unique imagry clearly remains unchallenged, even at their most commercial and subtle. The perfectly over groomed mannequins posed ever so precisely to convey roles of power, dominance , discipline, torture, fetishism and erotic menace...are all here. The acres of flawless,palest skin, highest heels, blood red lips, cold, smokey eyes often expressing a complete indifference to anyone looking on. The spectacularly graphic and bold compositions combined with the clever use of the blackest shadows as design devices instantly helps to define a Newton photograph. Many of the images showcasing his legendary wit and black humor, not to mention social and sexual comment.There's an amusing series shot for a calender with wickedly suggestive teenage lolitas posed at the ready in a desolate , dusty desertscape showing newton's playful and light hearted side.....very tongue and chic...and clearly inspired by one of his favorite themes, American Pop Culture. One missed opportunity for an amazing campaign would have been Helmut Newton for Tom Ford's Gucci....I can't imagine a more perfect union: A Newton "driving' a Ford to ecstasy....both men forever fascinated with drama, controversial lust and impossibly decadent glamour. If there was indeed some tests, it would be terrific fun if they ever surface. Paging mr. Ford....

5 comments about Interiors: text with Design CD-ROM.

1. This was a required text for a design class. I found it pretty useful (in conjunction with the other text), and ended up keeping both for reference books when the class was completed.



2. GReat book pretty updated, I dont plan on selling it off in exchange for another in the future. It is a great referrance for anyone to keep who would like to reminded of all design terminlogy. A great foundation book for anyone pursuing Int. or Arch. Design.



3. This book is easy to read, easy to navigate and has great illustrations. Worth the price and an asset to any designers collection.



4. This is a great book to study the basics of interior design, and I have referenced it many times, long after that first class. Highly recommended!



5. The book is very helpful and has great examples and reference photose