2 comments about Olaf Otto Becker: Broken Line.

1. I was moved by Becker's work when seeing it in person at a gallery here in New York. So much so that I have recommended his work to several clients.
   He has a graceful quiet eye, skillful editing and extraordinary patience to set-up and get the very best shot.
   
   I love the book and sent it out as my client gift this past holiday season.



2. When I first saw Olaf Otto Becker's serenely beautiful landscapes, I couldn't help but think of the great American luminist painters of the late 19th century. Like those masterworks, Becker has produced images with an atmospheric luminance that often makes his subjects seem to glow as if lit from behind. But Becker is a German and no doubt has influences closer to home. Among those, his childhood near the Baltic Sea and his early studies as a painter seem likely to have informed his visual vocabulary. But whatever or whomever he may cite as artistic antecedents, the end result is a collection of elegant quiescent landscapes of exquisite beauty.

1 comments about Digital Black & White Photography.

1. Digital Black & White Photography is one of the few photography/imaging books I have read cover to cover. The book is well written and covers a wide range of topics from camera capture and photography to detailed digital B&W techniques using Photoshop. Learnt lots from this excellent book.

1 comments about Finland (Exploring Countries of the Wor).

1. I was very pleased when I received this beautiful book. It is coffee table quality (no dust jacket), and with Amazon's buy 4-for-3 deal it's a great value. It contains many gorgeous photographs with very little text, which is what I was looking for. Flipping through it gave me a better understanding of what the country and some of its culture looks like. It's a virtual mini-trip. I will definitely look for other books in this series.

No comments about Iowa: Simply Beautiful II.

1 comments about Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya.

1. The Himalayas are extensively featured as asides in many geography and history titles, but until now have not been given their own complete coverage. ILLUSTRATED ATLAS OF THE HIMALAYA is the first in-depth atlas to focus entirely on the region, with its authors holding over 25 years of combined experience to do so: cartography, GIS and photography expertise creates an outstanding title. Presented in an oversized edition to embrace the fine photos, ILLUSTRATED ATLAS surveys local tribes, geological history, changes, and relationships between land and peoples throughout the region, using color key-coded maps and charts and plenty of color photos.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

4 comments about Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area.

1. This book was very interesting. Not only did it have plenty of photos, the text was actually useful and have a great message. Reading Galen's work is just as great as looking at it. I had never even heard of or seen most of the places in the book until I got the book. Now, I'm walking some of the same trails I discovered in the book.



2. An incredible photographic argument that nature is ever-present, fecund, and indomitable! Rowell and Sewell capture the majesty of one the world's most beautiful urban areas to describe nature's ability to adapt and thrive next to mankind. A surprising array of wild animals are photographed within the ex-urban landscape and combine with dramatic Bay Area landscapes to make a compelling story of the beauty that surrounds us--if only we can take time out from our busy lives to see it! This is a great gift to bring back East for the holidays.



3. Galen Rowell is showing here surely the nicest landscape shots I have ever seen. The Bay Area, that I didn't know, is here in spades, and if you know a little bit of tech, you see several uses of Galen special shooting way (flash, A2 Nikon filtering, s.o.)



4. Galen Rowell and Michael Sewell have compiled their photography of the San Franisco Bay Area's remaining natural areas into an excellent book. The photography in Bay Area Wild illustrates the Bay Area's vast greenbelts and natural areas. For someone who has only been involved in still photography for eleven years, Sewell is an amazing wildlife photographer. The text is extremely interesting and informative--Rowell reminds those of us who live in the Bay Area how lucky we are to have such a wonderful backyard abundant with a great diversity of flora and fauna. However, conservation of our wild places didn't come easy. Rowell discusses the many struggles involved in preserving these places. This is a book I've been waiting for!!!

5 comments about In the Groove: Vintage Record Graphics 1940-1960.

1. This is a fantastic book for album cover designs. But as I was warned, the glue on the binding really does gives out after the first reading. But the content is so incredible, it's worth purchasing this book...just be sure to handle it carefully so you don't loose your pages.



2. Mr Kohler presents two hundred and fifty covers (from his large collection) which he rightly thinks show the best of album design in the early years of the LP. He features eight artist/designers who created some of the most distinctive work in cover art. Two of them are my favorites, David Stone Martin who gave Norman Granz's Clef label some beautiful cover illustrations (twenty are shown) and Reid Miles who created the east coast look to Blue Note Records. Unfortunately only four of his covers are shown but you can see dozens more in the two books by Graham Marsh: The Cover Art of Blue Note Records and The Cover Art of Blue Note Records, Vol.2. The other six designers range from the unique illustrations of RCA's Jim Flora to the work of Swiss born designer Erik Nitsche and his semi abstract work for Decca. Record companies are also featured and you can see the beginnings of the Capitol Records house style, I think they were the only major company to produce consistently well designed covers with excellent photography and typography.
   
   Though all these covers are interesting to look at I don't think too many work as complete design units, that is image and text complement each other, mostly they are images with text added later. One cover that I like is on page eighty-one, it shows a file-card box and the albums title, 'Guide to Jazz' is typed on a card which is resting against the box, the tabs of the other cards have musical instruments on them, a simple creative idea that works. Strangely the designer is unknown.
   
   I doubt you will see as good a coverage of the early years of the LP as this (well produced) book but have a look at this title that concentrates on jazz covers from the fifties and sixties, Jazz West Coast: Artwork of Pacific Jazz Records. It has dozens of examples of creativity on paper twelve inches square, somehow CD covers just can't compete with that.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer image' under the cover.



3. Being a music lover, I've never been partial to one type of music only--I have a passion for everything from rock to classical, pop to country, even from jazz to techno. Something in all of these styles intrigues me. And how intriguing is this incredible book by Eric Kohler. I never thought I'd "get into" a book dedicated solely to album covers from 1940-1960, but I was wrong. The music lover in me kicked in, and I found myself fascinated with the glorious color photos, the revealing and well-researched text, and with the artists themselves. This album cover artistry really has diminished with the advent of the much-smaller compact disc (which is a truly disappointing fact), but Mr. Kohler's book rapturously captures the vividness of the times, the artists, the moods, and the music of those two decades. It took me back to the time when I myself used to stare at the covers of my records for hours while playing them over and over again - this classic book uncovers that wonderful feeling inside you once more. And to top it all off, Mr. Tony Bennett himself writes an introduction that's both classy and sentimental. This is a great book for any music lover with a coffee table -- and an open mind towards how art has influenced music (and vice versa) in so many ways.



4. As a graphic designer, I get so flustered when I see the same old CD covers now: a photo of the artist or band, and their name scribbled on top, or a really un-inspired text treatment, most likely using some wretched Photoshop tool like, alien skin or eye candy- blech! Perhaps modern day CD's skimp on the design work of the covers because they are so much smaller now. But back in the days of LP's and 45's art was generously splashed on covers. Full-colored, stylized and oh, so hip! Each one fit to be framed and displayed. "In the Groove: Vintage Record Graphics, 1940-1960" effectively chronicles the history of this long, lost art-form in a picture-book style. I say picture-book, because of the lack of background information on many of the pieces, in fact there are quite a few pieces that are listed as "unknown designer", how unfortunate! Some poor old designer dedicated his or her life to creating some stunning art to attract music lovers' eyes to this or that particular record, and now they're the "unknown designer". Eric Kohler did his best grouping together styles of record graphics, so seeing the evolution of style was very nicely mapped-out. Nice quality paper, nice printing... would've been nicer in hardback. Still, this is one of my favorite books!



5. I liked this book so much that I bought a copy for my record-collecting boyfriend and a DJ friend with a varied and ecclectic vinyl collection.

   When I thought of record cover art, I thought of those fantasy-styled "YES" covers, or the metal band covers of the 80's. I had no idea about how many cool vintage record covers were out there.

   The book focuses on covers from 1940-1960. You'll find many jazz, swing and vocalists represented here. The reproductions are excellent and the variety is impressive. While most covers are reproduced in 3x3inches, quite a few are refresented as full pages which is about a 9-inch square. It is organized by artist and record company, showing you how the artist's style influenced the cover.

   I highly recommend it for record collectors, vintage enthusiasts, graphic designers/illustrators and those who love old things. It made me miss the 12-inch vinyl covers all the more and has inspired me to track specific albums down. CDs can never match the emotional connection that vinyl did.

4 comments about Greene & Greene.

1. The book has a great selection of Greene & Greene houses and design elements. Unfortunately, the image quality is poor. The lighting is often poor to begin with, and the attempt to correct for it in post production was not done properly in many cases, the result of which is a posterized effect and a loss of overall depth, contrast, and sharpness. The color balance is off leaving most of the rich, reddish mahogany and other woods looking green and flat. It's possible that all of this is the fault of the book's Printer, in which case I feel sorry for the photographer. Been there......



2. I own several other books about the Greene brothers but this one is my favorite. I am a woodworker that makes a lot of furniture. And this book provides lots of photos regarding the furniture. In fact, at the end, there is a section of close-up photos dedicated to the details. These are photos of the chairs, sconces, stained glass and lights.
   
   There is very little discussion of the Greene brothers' career--this book is almost all photos. And almost all of the photos are from unique perspectives. Very few of the perspectives are repeated in my other books on the Greene brothers.



3. Marvin Rand is an accomplished photographer with a special affinity for capturing the essence of architectural details. His eye is keen, his technical skill in manipulating the camera is obvious, and his ability to go beyond the surface makes this portfolio a very fine exploration of the mysteries and profound accomplishments of the brothers Greene!
   
   Having the luxury of visiting many of the homes photographed here offers the opportunity to evaluate more acutely. After a fine introduction by Daniel Gregory who, like Rand, prefers to concentrate on interesting details rather than over-chewed history, the remainder of the book is a collection of lavishly colored plates of the houses created by Greene and Greene, showing the importance of the California climate in the way the houses were laid out architecturally, the concept of the bungalow style, and the craftsmanship which lent its name to a movement. But the real treasures are Rand's scrupulously lighted and composed images of details of the Greene and Greene genius. These include doors, and windows, lamps and furniture, intricate and simple designs from the blossoms of Art Nouveau, and the endlessly fascinating influence of the Orient in finding the quiet and tranquility of the through-designed/composed dwellings.
   
   This is more a book of photographs than the books written by the Greene and Greene scholars and as such serves as an adjunct to the literature rather than just another volume about California's favorite architects. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 05



4. This is a gorgeous book on a most worthy subject. Greene and Greene's architecture is so unique and beautiful and it has never been photographed so well, the pictures just jump off the page, they are so vivid and they make the subject really pop. I have not always been an admiror of Greene and Greene's work, I realize that it is not everyones taste, but when captured this way I just can't see how anyone could not admire it. The seeming symplicity of the architecture belies an incredible amount of craftmanship and talent that it took to create these homes. I enjoyed the pictures of the grandest of the homes Greene and Greene produced, but it was really the small bugalows that I most enjoyed viewing, the attention to detail is amazing. If you have any interest in architecture and most certainly if you are someone who likes this particular style of architecture then I highly recommend this book, there are several books on Greene and Greene but this is the best in my opinion, but don't take my word for it look at the other books and chose for yourself, several are quite good, but as I have stated this one, in my opinion is the best...for what it's worth.

4 comments about A Vanished World.

1. some of his most remarkable b&w works from across the globe...keep it in my office of folks to pick up--very good condition



2. Wilfred Thesiger lived an amazing life; he was born in Africa, educated in England, and lived most of his life among the Arabs whom he loved, respected, and emulated. This book features many of his unique and thought-provoking photographs of tribes members in Africa and the Middle East. I spent many years as a portrait photopher and find his compositions, lighting, and photo subject integrity to be among the best I have seen. The text of this book is sparse, so a reader might also like to peruse one of his in-depth studies such as "Arabian Sands" or "The Marsh Arabs."
   
   I bought the books so that I could better understand Islamic people outside what I read in the media. I was both humbled and elated by what Mr. Thesiger recorded.



3. The photos in the book are beautifully reproduced. The richness of strange and exotic cultures, some irreplaceably lost through political upheaval, is apparent fron the photos!



4. A Vanished World is packed full of true-to-the-time photographs of the peoples and places Wilfred Thesiger experienced and so interestingly described in his books.

   Like the text of Arabian Sands, Among the Mountains and The Marsh Arabs, Wilfred's photographs are real and gritty, without special effects or photographic manipulations.

   In these photos, Wilfred has vividly captured history. Moved by his authentic interest in extremely remote places, as well as in the people of those places, accompanied by his old Leica, he has served well those of us in the later generations.

   A Vanished World is the perfect companion book of photographs to Wilfred's literary works. Wonderful.

4 comments about Adobe Photoshop for VFX Artists.

1. This is by far a very informative in-depth guide to advance on the subject of or brush up on Photoshop and VFX skills even for the amateur "that's me" and there's an ample amount of books out there to choose from. I would say that this is worth checking out.



2. As of the copy I bought this book is no longer really up to date with the latest techniques and the latest version of PS - CS2.
   As a senior Vfx artists there was some stuff of interest but it would be much better for a student than a practicing VFX artist.
   
   It is not a waste of time but it would be nice to see more on newer things like Smart objects, HDR, layer groups and alike. It would be worth checking out if there is a new edition.



3. You will make nothing cool in this book as far as examples, tutorials go, but what it will do is concentrate on solid methods you can use to get the most out of photoshop. Most content is geared toward small tweaks, processes you can use to add quality to your work. For example, most people use the unsharp mask or sharpen tools to crispen images, in addition to this, she will show you some lesser-known features such as high-pass, which may give better sharpening results in many situations. This whole book is based on stuff like that. So if you are interested in exploring lesser-known ways of going about things, then you should get it. My guess is that intermediate artists would benefit the most from this. Even beginners will get something out of it. All in all this is a good title.



4. there are hundreds of books on Photoshop but none that have been made specifically for VFX Artists. Except this one.
   VFX Artists means those that create the materials and do the mapping for 3D objects as well as Matte Painters.
   Although targeted for the intermediate to advanced user you don't have to know much about photoshop to read this book. Lopsie invests the first 92 pages to explain all the basics and make sure that everybody will be able to follow the following chapters.
   
   Part two is all about textures. She introduces her own version of a UV-testing checkerboard which is (as her example clearly shows) better suited for checking the correct alignment of all UVs than the standard black-and-white checkerboard often used for mapping-tests.
   She also explains how to create your own tileable textures from any photo, even when the tiles on the photo have been shot in a non-orthographic angle.
   She shows how to create custum brushes for dirt maps, create actions and lots more.
   
   Part three is about matte paintings. Having read that Lopsie Schwartz has been doing work for "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", and "Hollow Man" i thought that this chapter would be filled with inspiring examples of fantastic matte paintings, fantasy landscapes and so on. Well, it's not. But that's okay. If i just wanted inspiration and examples i could have ordered "the invisible art" by by Mark Cotta Vaz and Craig Barron. What she does instead might be less stunning but more valuable: she shows how to handle common tasks and problems. Such as removing unwanted elements in a photo, how to sharpen images using the highpass filter, reduce the noise, extract portions of an image, change the color of objects and scenes, merge two photos into one, change a daylight scene into a night scene (pictures on the front cover show before and after) and the list goes on ...
   
   Lopsie Schwartz has a very nice way of writing and explaining things. She also has humour. Reading the book is a joy.
   
   The book is all in color. Pictures for the exercises can be downloaded from the publisher's website.
   
   Summary:
   Adobe Photoshop for VFX Artist is a great book and covers a topic that has been left out so far, even though there are already so many books on Photoshop. It might not cover everything you need to know but i believe it's the best way for you to get started.