1 comments about Farmhouse: Classic Homesteads Of North America.

1. Good book, nicely written & put together. Easily read for enjoyment.
   Not a book for learning technique, layouts, or building methods.

No comments about Rolando Gomez's Posing Techinques for Glamour Photography (Rolando Gomezs).

5 comments about Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers: 113 Easy-to-Follow Recipes to Improve Your Photos and Create Special Effects (Cookbooks (O'Reilly)).

1. There are many web sites with better information. Take a look on them.



2. The book is ok for what it is. One to two pages of how to do different tecniques to your photos...but if you have any training in basic photoshop you will know most of this stuff. Changing contrast? Making a picture dark enough to look like it is at night? Using layers to import one picture into another and masking out other parts? Using the clone tool to copy from one area and cover up another area? getting rid of red eye using the 'red eye tool'? Very simplistic stuff...and I am only a novice at photoshop. They do cover a section on using raw pictures from your digital camera... I think that covers about 10 pages. For the cost you could find great books on using photography and photoshop. Although visually filled with information with big pictures and small amounts of print...it is great in that area of display...but for the money I would suggest you get "Photoshop CS2 - One On One" by Deke (it will teach you all these tecniques (and comes with a CD of the artwork so you can work with what you are learning) plus teach you how to use PhotoShop. If you want to get a good book on Photo Retouching with Photoshop... I would reccomend "Commercial Photoshop Retouching - In the Studio" by Glenn Honiball. He has been doing Phtoo Retouching for 20+ years and teaches you to use tried but true tecniques that moset every professional uses without all the bells and whistles (you can use just about any photoshop program for these) These two books are a better bang for your buck.



3. O'Reilly hits another ball out of the park with this solid Photoshop book. I love the layout and paper chosen with this serious and the tutorials and examples are just as good!!
   
   Employing a slick design, great writing, and nice, tight size, this book is useful for Photoshop users of all levels who want to learn how to take their images and photographs taken and make them shine!!
   
   If you are a photographer on the level of a newbie/amateur or a seasoned pro, I highly recommend this guide so that you can learn how to make your pictures all the better for any purpose.
   
   Wonderful book and easy to recommend!
   
   ***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



4. Its often been said that there are several ways to do the same thing in photoshop. This book just gives you a few ways of doing them. My biggest complaint is that it appears noone proofed the photos. Some photo are of poor quality on 1 page and then fine on another. Another photo of showing a whitening effect shows someone with pink teeth. O'reilly is the best usually when it comes to IT books but this effort is subpar.



5. At last! This is the book I've been waiting for! I've been on the hunt for a book that goes over practical photo editing with Photoshop-you know, how to alter colors, fix over/under exposure, remove distractions, etc. Most books I've come across are either designed for the Photoshop professional (meaning they leave out all the steps between A and Z), or they're too basic. This book is it-a step-by-step guide to Photoshop editing for the casual Photoshop user.
   
   The author does an excellent job in identifying all the Photoshop tools you should be familiar with right off the bat. This introductory material is a great crash-course in Photoshop tools. This basic material forms a foundation for successfully understanding the rest of the book's material.
   
   While there are tools and editing methods the author did not identify, I felt satisfied that the most important tools were not only identified but demonstrated in action. In my own photo editing attempts, I felt like I should be using certain tools, but didn't know how. Using some very illustrative photographs, the author works his way through using the curves tool, the levels tool, masks, layers, etc. The author provides the reader with the tools s/he needs to successfully complete the most common photo editing assignments.
   
   I would highly recommend this book for digital photographers. Huggins' book is now the favorite among my digital photography books.

5 comments about Arabians.

1. Expertly edited by Hossein Amirsadeghi with enhanced with full color photographs from Rik van Lent Sr. and Rik van Lent Jr. and an informative text by Peter Upton, Arabians is an extensive pictorial documentation and understanding of a distinctive equine of historic lineage -- the Arabian Horse. Providing readers with an detailing of the breeds origin, use, recorded development, and the interesting historical significance of the prestigious and fascinating animal. Arabians is very highly recommended as illustrated compendium of detailed writings about a truly noble and enduringly popular animal.



2. This book has entrancing photos, and skips through a large number of countries and studs. If you are looking for in depth information on Arabians in any particulary part of the world this book is not for you. It looks at selected studs only. If you want lovely pictures you wont be unhappy.



3. This book is a necessity for the library of any Arabian lover. The text and photographs take you around the world and through the passages of time. Fabulous photographs and wonderful attention to detail. What a worthwhile purchase!



4. This is a great title to add to your ever growing arabian horse book collection. It's excellent reading, as it contains everything that you need to know about this magnificant breed and is fully illustrated with beautiful graphics.



5. i love the great pictures of these beautiful horses, and the text actually tells alot, where most books give alot of info you dont need.

5 comments about Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World.

1. This photo book really touches the heart. The photos along with brief synopsis really makes one think about the plight of women around the world. I highly recommend this coffee-table book. It will inspire you to take action.



2. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how moving this book is. I have a lot of photography books and this one is my favorite. You will not be disappointed!



3. Strong images speak for themselves, and the inspiring text goes right along with the beautiful photography.



4. I was familiar with Phil Borges' photography and knew I'd like this book, but it exceeded all my expectations. The photographs speak for themselves, and the text is inspiring and enlightening. I plan to purchase this book for all my family and friends. It is a beautiful book, full of hope and compassion.



5. I returned the book; unread. I had thought that it was a new novel by Allende. I believe the book was for female motivation and empowerment which I believe is good. However, I was waiting for a novel. Sorry!

No comments about X-Posed.

No comments about Sierra Club 2009 Wilderness Calendar.

5 comments about American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stone.

1. I bought this as a gift for someone and now I wish I would have also bought myself a copy! The pics are great, as is all the information regarding gargoyles. Only drawback for me, I thought it was going to be bigger, it's no bigger than maybe 10x10 or so.



2. This book is one of the best books I got from amazon. I got the two books Holy Terror's and American Gargolyes... it was a great deal. The book is loaded with pictures of gargoyles from across america and desrcibes what type of gargoyle and where it is located in america. The photographs are beautiful and descriptive through out the book. If you gargoyles get the two books for the price of one. Highly Recommended!!!!



3. I was a little skeptical when I first picked up "American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stone" but a friend had reccomended it so I decided to read it. Boy, am I glad I did! If I hadn't I would have missed out on the wonderful details, breathtaking pictures and an all around fascinating history of American Gargoyles. The pictures are well shot, and I have to admit, were the first thing that caught my eye. But, when I sat down to read the text the author shared all these captivating little details about the gargoyles which I loved! The author tells you the story behind a particular gargoyle and if there is anything special you should look for when you see it. This book was so fascinating that I was inspired to take a trip to some of the sights mentioned in the book and check out the gargoyles for myself. I reccomend this book to all readers, it appeals to all audiences.



4. Gargoyles have gotten to be very popular recently, and any gargoyle fan ought to get the book _American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stone_ (Clarkson Potter) by Darlene Trew Crist, with photographs by Robert Llewellyn, because American gargoyles are fun. It wasn't the original job of gargoyles to be fun. One of the explanations of how gargoyles got into their exalted positions in churches is that they were placed there to entice pagans to come and worship at Christian locales. Those who ran the churches thought that pagan symbols, and scary ones at that, were a good marketing ploy. Perhaps we American moderns are simply amused by carvings of fearsome dragons, but there are plenty of gargoyles shown here that are deliberately humorous caricatures.

   The pictures are a treat. This is not a big, coffee-table book, but there are scores of pictures from many American sacred, commercial, and academic buildings. Though American gargoyles reflect the traditions of Europe, many are truly American. The University of Pennsylvania, for instance, has a strictly medieval style of quadrangle, complete with gargoyles, but one of them is a football player. At Washington National Cathedral, there is a gargoyle showing a crooked politician; he has horns, a big belly, a cigar, and a pocket full of dollar bills. There are a pair of gargoyles there which were given by a grandmother in thanks for her two grandsons. One is angelic and one is demonic, and she never said which is which; the grandsons are now grown up and still don't know. A weeping sea turtle is there as a statement of environmental protection. Out of the mouth of a monstrous duck stares a tourist with a camera, a payback from the carver who was the subject of thousands of pictures as he worked.

   _American Gargoyles_ could have been a lot bigger, but Crist has included a reading list for those who want to see more. It is a good-looking and informative book.




5. Having read this book, I have a new outlook on American Gargoyles which truely are spirits in stone. This book is very educational, picturesque,informative, well written and I simply love it!

1 comments about A Night at the Motel.

1. What is sleazier than a hot tryst in a hot-sheet motel?..Virtually nothing...but this picture essay permits the sleaze to sizzle and stimulate, as well as, visually satisfy.

1 comments about Motion Blur: 2: Multidimensional Moving Imagemakers.

1. The book delivered. If you're a filmmaker/graphic animator, I highly recommend it. And your friends will think you're the coolest cause there's nothing like purposely buying a collection of commercials. Ha. I also discovered a handful of cool bands too from the music videos on the DVD... and the book itself makes a great coffee table piece as well.