5 comments about Photographers Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business: Everything you need to know to run a successful photography business.

1. While the subjects covered in this book aren't exhaustive by any means, I was more bothered by the lack of proper editing. Blatant misspellings ("fiftenn-plus years in the business"), missing quotation marks, incorrect punctuation, and bad grammar make this book difficult to take seriously.
   
   Subject-wise, the author just doesn't go into enough detail to make this book worth reading. She brings up important subjects, but doesn't explain or define the terms. For example, in chapter nine, the author discusses protecting copyrights. She advises not to "give away the intellectual property farm," but doesn't explain how photographers are giving away their copyrights. Perhaps she assumed that a photographer would already know what he or she needed to know about copyrights before reading this book. She would be wrong. After reading a chapter, I have to resort to looking up information online to fill in the gaps.
   
   I don't recommend this book. Please don't use it for a class. It was a waste of my money.



2. As a professional photographer I found this book to be very useful in the early stages of starting my business. After spending much time doing all the things I thought I should be doing (and not getting very far!), I read this book and realized that being a professional photographer was going to mean much more than just being good at photography.
   
   Like many businesses, professional photography requires skills in marketing, selling, advertising and dealing with people. This book introduces all these concepts and more, together with a lot of interesting case-studies of people who have switched to photography from other careers, and how they met the challenges of doing that.
   
   Professional photography can be very rewarding and is an excellent business to be in - but make sure you get off on the right footing by realizing that 90% of it is knowing how to run a business. This book is an excellent way to start.



3. Apparently, and according to this author, the only business you should open as a photographer is a studio. Everything else is pointless.
   
   That being the case, she should have made that clear in the title.
   
   The money I spent on this book was absolutely wasted, and I won't buy anything else without reading the reviews first.
   
   Totally useless.



4. Not Everything you need to know to start a business but a LOT of what you need to know. No book has Everything you need to know. I recommend this book to those who have not been in business before and want to open a studio. Great advice on customer service and dealing with the public.



5. I have studied "fine art" photography for a long time now. This book was very helpful to me as I've been timid about using my skills & knowledge to start a business. the book is encouraging and informative. For me it was perfect.

2 comments about Children's Portrait Photography Handbook.

1. This book has outstanding photos and ideas. It really opens up the horizon on how to photograph children. We took some great shots of our 5 month old son after reading the book. However, the book assumes that you are a serious or professional photographer and neglects to explain some of the technical aspects in easy to understand terms for a novice wanting to merely learn how to take better pictures of children. Overall, though, definitely worth it for the photos and ideas.



2. I am not a professional photographer, just so we get that out of the way. I recently graduated from a point and shoot digital camera that, while better than any camera I had owned previously, was not the nice unit I have now. I also have three little girls who are photogenic. Now, I have a book that has turned me into a better photographer of children. It was so easy to understand, so inspirational and so filled with wonderful examples that it sucked me in and spit me out with the knowledge to photograph my children anywhere, anytime and enjoy beautiful results. The interviews with professionals gave me insights that I never would have obtained elsewhere.
   Now I take the pictures for my sister and for a few friends. Amazing book.

5 comments about The Photographer's Guide to the Oregon Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them.

1. This book was amazingly specific in directions of how to best view an incredible scenery. It was great more for its direction of where to go, park, or stand than the photography tips. The author gave great detail such as tips for how to find the best parking lots, how to avoid the tourist packed spots, and how to find unmarked trails to find fantastic angles in isolation. We used it as our primary guide for three days down the coast and really loved it. Note that the order of the book is generally north to south.



2. Covers alot of ground and offers more photo op suggestions than one could ever hope to take in one visit. Used it extensively to plan a photography vacation on Highway 101.



3. Having this along with my on my recent trip up the Oregon Coast was absolutely invaluable. It helped me choose which turnouts to take and which to bypass. I loved the included suggestions of what to do according to the weather, since several of my days were overcast and drizzle, rendering some of the views drab or nonexistant. I wish there were more books like this available for everywhere I want to go!



4. I am what most people consider an advanced amateur photographer. Last week I went down to Portalnd on Business and used David's book as my guide on a little detour I took on the coast.
   
   I had only one day to drive through the coast. The book was extremely valuable in helping prioritize where to go, and save time by driving right to the good spots. Thanks to this book I was able to take amazing pictures in Cannon Beach and other places.
   
   Absolutely recommended for anyone visiting Oregon, even if you are not a photographer, this book is much better than any tourism guide I have seen.



5. I am from New England and have Dave Middleton's books for Vermont & Maine. They have provided me with wonderful opportunities for photography. Having never been to Oregon I'm sure after reading this book that my up coming trip will be that much more successful from having read this book. It was exactly what I was looking for to plan a photography trip to Oregon which included the Oregon coast.

5 comments about Garage Glamour: Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple.

1. Not a fan of the writing style nor layout of this book. The photos are very non remarkable for the most part. The photographer describes his style in the book, it's not mine and perhaps I'm biased? But I don't think skin should be THAT yellow. There's a time and a place for flash gels but imo most of the photos in this book are way overboard, very jaundiced looking.
   
   As for the homemade fluorescent light setup mentioned in other reviews. Unless you wish to spend time in photoshop removing the very distracting and very strange eye reflections, don't bother. The light looks...uh...fluorescent, I suppose, but not particularly soft fluorescent as there's no soft box or any other filter in front of it. With 4 catchlights in the models eyes in examples from the book I would definitely alter that plan. Plus a 4x6 hunk of plywood with a hole cut in the middle to insert your camera limits mobility drastically with such a light. It's a one trick pony and that trick isn't even that great.



2. I read this book and in fact have read it several times. It gives some excellent advice on photography from using lines and form to direct the viewers eye to working with lights and models.
   
   The glamour images are excellent and will inspire you to try harder. The only down side to this book is it leaves you wanting more. There is so much information in such a little space, I finished thinking there had to be more.
   
   Tim Skipper
   Vision Photo Image
   www.visionphotoimage.com



3. As a long time professional photographer I feel I can always pick up something new from any book on photography I read. Unfortunately this was not the case. There were very few really top quality images in this book and they were mixed with a lot of poor images. The equipment that he used was very limiting, it was like he was pushing certain brands. Normally I would say it may be good for beginners but in this case I feel they would be lead astray. If you are going to write a book about photography every image should be of top quality, and you should explain the alternatives of the different kinds and brands of equipment available. You should explain how you are using this particular piece of equipment and why you are using it, and what effect it produces. I was so disappointed in this book I sent it back for a refund, and I have a very extensive library of photographic books, in the hundreds. Don't waste your time buying this book.



4. 'Lite' simply means all the basics are well covered. The author opens his mind and reveals his thought and action processes. All glamour shots that are shown give detailed camera settings. Many 'tricks of the trade' are given. A very valuable resource. Keeping brevity in mind, he does mention several times in the publication that you will need to go to a more defined source if you need detailed information regarding a specific photographic arena. I got this publication in addition to 'Lighting the Nude'. I think they compliment each other very well. The first 'tells' you how - the latter 'shows' you how.



5. Very deceptive title for a book with no lighting setup diagrams or easy to follow descriptions. A few worthwhile tips, but essentially an extremely unrealistic approach for the average amateur. You would need a full crew of assistants and a nearly unlimited budget to accomplish what is shown and described in this book. If you're a pro this book may be worth your time otherwise look elsewhere.

4 comments about Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography.

1. This is a wonderful book. I bought it truly as a "vitamin", to give myself a kick in the pants regarding my own photography: to find some sources of inspiration that were more up-to-date than my usual heroes (Minor White, Cartier-Bresson, etc). It served that purpose admirably. The artists and photographs are carefully chosen, and the essays are well-written. Some of the essays are even in English rather than art-speak. There is an incredible range of styles represented here, encompassing both conceptually-driven and aesthetically-driven art. Because of the large size and beautiful paper and production, this book is a tactile and visual treat that would make a great gift for any photographer on one's holiday list.



2. It's big, it's well produced and it's a worthy addition to a photo book collection. Phaidon is a great publisher and the production values of this book are up to their usual high standards. The concept of "New Perspectives in Photography" is an ambitious topic, given the broad variety of art photography practice around the world. If you could sum up the main trend, it would have to be the movement away from the photo document and towards a conceptual exploration of the photographic object as it relates to the human experience. It is not photography, it is photographic.
   
   Much of the work is relatively new, made in the past ten years and is representative of that shown by a certain kind of photography gallery -- one looking forward, yet rooted in the past. That said, much of the work references earlier photographs. Artists such as Gregory Crewdson and Anne Hardy create narrative, staged environments that the photograph documents, yet they look back to work from the 80's by Sandy Skoglund. Nikki Lee's work with her personal identity clearly references earlier work by Cindy Sherman. Tim Lee uses the photograph as a document of his conceptual work, a traditional way to preserve performance and conceptual art. However, there are some valuable new perspectives.
   
   Rinko Kawauchi's beautiful photographs of life's ephemeral moments indeed provide a new, thoughtful perspective -- her book "the eyes, the ears" is worth searching out (sorry, not available on Amazon, I found my copy in Tokyo). Esteban Pastorino Diaz challenges our understanding of visual devices and the way they form our perspective of the world. And Paul Pfeiffer uses a database filtering model to create meaning from a photographic practice based on images appropriated from popular media. Clearly, innovation is limited only by the imagination.
   
   The challenge with this type of overview is that it is almost too wide ranging and lacks depth -- it is without a singular point of view. It mostly covers artists who are already "established" in the gallery and museum circuit, which means you will be about five years behind the state of the art. The latest, newest work is found on the Internet, but only to those with the time, desire and domain knowledge to seek it out.
   
   While you may pick it up once or twice, it is most valuable as a point of departure for further exploration of individual artists. As the other reviewers from New Zealand mentioned, it will probably be most valuable to readers without access to contemporary art galleries.



3. This book provides a short sample of each artists work along with an explanation about the artist or the works.
   It is fantastic as a student tool to have such a range of works at your fingertips. It is also great for those just looking as the content is broad and dynamic.
   I have yet to come across a book that has such a large number of contemporary photographers along with a range of their work (rather than a single iimage job).



4. Having already purchased Vitamin D and Vitamin P I was expecting great things of Vitamin Ph. I was not disappointed. This book is beautifully presented. The Artists work chosen for this book are all of a high standard. Living in NZ you are a long way away from the International art scene. The only way to find out what is happening is from books such as this.

2 comments about The New West: Landscapes Along the Colorado Front Range.

1. The New West is one of the most significant works of photography in the 20th century, presenting the reality of the western landscape in harsh contrast to the mythology of the other Adams... The pictures cut straight to the bone, showing the damage done to a landscape by our progress, but always the light is perfect, the skies brilliant, and the distant horizon intact. This work is a challenge to photographers, to see the world clearly, and to others, who struggle to live with the earth, rather than on it.



2. The return of this beautiful book is as inspiring as the book itself. Never having seen the original however makes it hard to compare editions but as I am a BIG Adams fan the work is stunnning, the neat categories help the beginner to understand Mr Adams and where he is coming from.

4 comments about The New Earth From Above: 365 Days.

1. The theme of this book is man's impact on the planet and the life-or-death need for sustainable development. The introduction is a mix of statistics and a call to action, while each month is prefaced with text on some aspect of our planet's characteristics and condition (April: Biodiversity--A Condition of Survival; August: Renewable Energy; December: Free Trade, Unfair Competition, and Equitable Commerce).
   
   The aerial shots from French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand are astonishing in their diversity and beauty. One for each day of the year, they run the gamut from unspoiled natural beauty to despoilment by industry. Each photograph is annotated with a mini-lesson of its own on the facing page. Atolls, volcanos, a stunning linear railway switching yard, fish farms, agricultural scenes, golf courses, alpine glaciers ... a feast.
   
   Surprisingly affordable, unexpectedly heavy at over 5 pounds, and stunningly thought-provoking, this book has given me hours of communion with Mother Earth. If it increases our awareness of our impact, then they are hours well spent.
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



2. This book is more than just a collection of breathtaking aerial shots of the global community in which we live -- it's an informative and often damning look at the world that we have created, and how our lives make it what it is. The book does not pull any punches, and often as we gaze at the sheer beauty (both man-made and natural) of this planet, we are slapped in the face with the facts of life. It's a picture book that seems to be telling us, "Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but here are a few that you may not have noticed."
   
   
   Don't just buy this book for yourself, buy it for every person that may come into your home, pick it up, and look at just a few pages. You will help each of them understand the complexities and dilemmas of our modern lives.



3. I still haven't read it all, as there's 365 days, but what I have seen I am impressed with. It's not just the pictures but the background information that accompanies it It's like a mini history/geography lesson, but fun!



4. Many of the pictures were nice. A little disappointed in the choice of some of the pictures that were used. The written narration is very environment, global warming, & politically biased. I purchased several as a coffee table gift idea. I won't buy any more of this particular book unless I am certain the person I'm giving it to has liberal values.

5 comments about The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio.

1. This is a really good book if you're trying to start or enhance a portrait and/or wedding photography career. It is aimed primarily at those trying to start a portrait studio, and there migh be better wedding-oriented books. But since that's my core business, it hit the nail on the head. Lots of good insights and tips, and I have quite a few page corners turned down for later reference. I recommend placing the book in the bathroom, so you can hone your photography business and marketing skills on a regular basis!



2. I am a professional photographer who has been using my home as a studio. This is a good book as a guide for what the title implies, but it also spends a lot of time on things like film. I know, many pros still shoot film. I'm only saying some of his formulas are outdated. It's my own fault for not looking at original published date. So just be aware of this.



3. Edward does a wonderful job with this book. Whether you're thinking about starting a photo business or already own one, this book is a must have. It's very detailed and chuck full of proven ideas and methods to get you running your business right from the start. He covers everything you can think of and even things you didn't in one book. I like that he writes about dealing with different situations with other photographers and different types of clients. I will be incorporating many of his suggested techniques and ideas in my business (currently part-time but soon to be full-time). Great stuff!



4. This book was revised in 2002. There is still plenty of good advise and a great place to start. But every time you come across something that you know is out dated you start wondering what else you might be missing or worse wasting time on. Having said that there is plenty of good sound business practice advise that will always be relevant.



5. This book is well worth a read; it is a little dated but the ideas and approach are excellent. The book covers a wide range of issues related to starting a business in photography and all are helpful to consider even if you are not building your business along all of the areas.

No comments about America at Home.

5 comments about Andreas Gursky.

1. The pictures are jaw dropping. Exquisite. Incredible. Six stars pictures.. The most important thing to me is that his photography is SUCH that I turn pages very very slowly... Each picture contains majestic details... such a level of detail in each photo is what makes his photo craft so unique...
   
   However, there are too few pictures and many pages devoted to words and words... essays that ramble on art, pictures and blabla... I mean, I love words, i love books, but this, to me, misses the point of a book tha's mean for beautiful pictures...
   
   That's it...



2. This is a fairly inexpensive way to acquire one of Andreas Gursky's books. Most of his other books are fairly expensive and seem to be increasing in value. The quality of the images is excellent and the only issue I have with the book is the size of the offerings. If you have ever seen one of Gursky's images in the flesh you will quickly realize that this book only hints at what his prints really look like. But an oversized book would have been more costly and even then would not have approached the scale that Gursky prefers. All in all, I would recommend purchasing this book which is something that I have obviously done.



3. Probably the most innovative and gifted
   photographer of our time Mr. Gursky's work is
   selected, edited and presented by equally competent
   eyes at MOMA. It is a 'must have' for those who
   enjoy photography and contemporary art.



4. Gursky's prints in person are astounding--words fail to capture not only their size, but their detail. This book does an excellent job of taking those gigantic prints and putting them into a manageable size. Plus, this is a comprehensive overview of Gursky's work.



5. Its amazing how much more respect this book gets from guests once they realize the sheer size of these prints. The book is a great collection of his work, but cannot (of course!) truly do justice to his work.
   
   Gursky's eye for symmetry astonishes me...internal shots of hotels, landscapes of cities, even crowds.
   
   The book does a great job of borderless shots, to help exemplify his work as well as random close-ups to emphasize its clarity.
   
   You don't have to be a student of art to appreciate this book - rather you just have to be able to realize the grandness of gursky's work.