4 comments about Katrinaville Chronicles: Images and Observations from a New Orleans Photographer.

1. Two years ago today I was in New Orleans, gutting houses for Habitat for Humanity. My son, my brother, his son and I were there for several weeks, and got to see first-hand what the aftermath of Katrina was like. It's similar to childbirth: until you've experienced it first hand, the full impact doesn't really hit you. I had seen the photos and the footage, but as we drove through the 9th Ward on the day we first arrived, I realized NOTHING had prepared me for what I was seeing in front of me, that day, June 18, 2006. It didn't seem as if we were still in America - it was more like being in the aftermath of a war zone in some other country. The wide streets, empty and silent; the school-bus-sized piles of what had been the entire contents of a family's home; the stench that lay over everything (this came from the refrigerators stuffed with food and rotten water: "Katrina Soup", my brother called it). And in the trees that were still upright, if you looked closely, you could see where strands of Mardi Gras beads still hung from people having thrown them up there, in celebration, over a year and a half ago. The book was so brilliant - his photographs bring it all back to me in vivid relief. The one that affected me the most was the one of the shrimp boat sitting at the end of the street. My brother took me to see that same boat the first night we were in New Orleans, and I visited it several times after. And his descriptions - !! The heat, the isolation, the fear, and the adventure of what he was living. God bless his friends and family for saving his e-mails and urging him to publish them. This book is an absolute treasure.



2. David Spielman's book is both awesome and emotionally jarring. It's as close as one can come to experience Katrina without having been there.



3. I evacuated, returned to my own Uptown neighborhood eight weeks after the storm... and after just now looking at David's book I'm seeing it all over again. And, I'm seeing things I've never seen (Six Flags under 20+ feet of water). The emails walk you through what it was really like, the photos are reminders of what happened to this American city. All Americans should see these unique photos, this unique perspective, as we continue to try and fathom what happened here. This is the perfect presentation. I don't live in New Orleans anymore for a million reasons... but these photos take me 'home' again, and this is a book you will show your friends for years to come.



4. Mr. Spielman's approach in presenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is excellent. He guides the reader, using photography, to relate the sequences of events in a very clear, realistic and poignant way, especially, on his photograph depicting the sick and the poor waiting for medical services in a cold morning in Audubon Park in December nearly three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. showing a Third World situation inside the world's most advanced and richest country. All because of bureaucratic red tape and FEMA inability to handle a catastrophy of such magnitude.

5 comments about Creative Digital Printmaking: A Photographer's Guide to Professional Desktop Printing (Photography for All Levels: Intermediate).

1. While searching out another photography book, I stumbled upon this one and bought it on a whim. What a revelation! I am totally thrilled with the book, the authors' writing, and the info - both aesthetic and concrete - inside. I've had several print b/w darkrooms - bathroom affairs that I've loved - but no longer have the space. I really have missed the print-making experience. Thus Creative Digital Printmaking opened new and exciting doors to me. Even better, it clearly explained how to handcolor digiprints, something I'd done with my b/w images, but never imagined I could do with a digital print.
   The book's instructions and explanations are masterful - clear and concise, yet full of exciting techniques. While the book takes the reader on interesting creative journeys, Airey also focuses on the concrete, such as how to calibrate a monitor and the best way to scan a negative or photograph. The combination works. So do the excellent photographic examples. If you have the urge to make digital prints that last and ones that resonate with and excite viewers, this book will guide you on your way. I can't recommend it highly enough.



2. You can spend weeks following web users groups that discuss specific papers, inks, printers and combinations of archival inks and papers etc. You can subscribe to numerous artists' magazines. But in this book, you can save yourself months, because of Theresa Airey's practical information and lists. The book not only helps photographers looking for quality in printing but it also gives people who hand tint photos good advice with the current lineup of digital materials. From the applications standpoint, I like that this book takes readers from basics to difficult, creative projects. The listings for companies, websites, papers and other media are excellent. To Amphoto Books: Please give us more from this talented and extraordinarily helpful author.



3. BASIC Digital Printmaking -That should be the title of this book. Perhaps for the amateur photographer who is unfamiliar with basic digital processes. There is so much more that can be done, missed completely by this book.
   The book is filled with cheezy Photoshop effects equal to those "star" filters back in the 70's. cheezy, cheezy, cheezy...



4. For those who endeavor to perfect fine art digital printmaking, this is the book to read. It is a "how to" and so much more. The book covers paper, ink, techniques, hand coloring and the practical application and intereaction of all of these variables. The book is cogently written and elegantly displayed. It is a must for anyone's library who wishes to expand their horizons in the digital printing arena. Ms. Airey is a master of her craft and it shows.



5. For those who endeavor to perfect fine art digital printmaking, this is the book to read. It is a "how to" and so much more. The book covers paper, ink, techniques, hand coloring and the practical application and intereaction of all of these variables. The book is cogently written and elegantly displayed. It is a must for anyone's library who wishes to expand their horizons in the digital printing arena. Ms. Airey is a master of her craft and it shows.

3 comments about Bison: Monarch of the Plains.

1. This is a beautiful book, very well done. The photos in it are excellent. We give this book out to our Speakers at conferences. It is a great coffee table book.



2. I found this book to be interesting, with a lot of nice pictures, but sort of short on information. It's 128 pages long, many of them full page photos (which no doubt cut down the number of possible information pages)and is divided into several sections. Much of the book is done from a sort of American Indian perspective telling of their traditions and uses, conflicts with the white man. Later on you get some stuff on the buffalo hunting period, that's also interesting if not entirely error free (in one place the dates are given as 1934 and 1947, that should be 18, not 19. They also call buffalo rifles .50 caliber when one photo clearly shows mention of other calibers).
   Apparently a huge number of animals were killed even in the early pre- 1870's years.
   The last part of the book tells of efforts to save the remainders of the great herds and how that's worked out as well as hopes for the future.
   I'd liked to have had much more information (there are notes & a reading list at books end)but did really appreciate the large selection of photographs, most of them modern but some historical, that included not only the buffalo but some of the things made from or related to them. This is the real reason to buy the book.



3. If you love the Great Plains and have a heart for the prairie, this book will delight you. The photography in here is outstanding. After working with buffalo earlier this year, this was a book I had to get. Some of the photos, including the cover photo, bring not only the sights but also the smells and sounds of the giant herds to mind. These photos are worth more than 1,000 words... because they speak to my prairie heart.

5 comments about Better Picture Guide to Black & White Photography.

1. The format of this book is pleasurable but different. Rather than straight text and photos the author shows you an image and then explains how he made it by explaining three steps: Seeing, Thinking and Acting. There are also handy rules of thumb and the images show Busselle to be a really good photographer. I learned a lot from the book, but don't expect traditional,lengthy text. This was fine with me. Shorter explanations often require more thought on the part of the writer.



2. I expected concrete advices on exposure, lightning, how to see in black and white, specificities of b&w films, specific filters for b&w and got nothing. 90% of the book is made of generic, basic, uninteresting generalities on composition, camera, lenses... Technical details don't help at all: for each lense used, I would like to have the 35mm equivalent, shutter speed / diaphragms, paper gradations are never mention, neither the why or how of the exposure. Discussion of low key & high key is a joke. The seeing/thinking/acting structure of the book got on my nerves very fast, as is the very bad use of typography. Photos are flat and uninteresting, I don't think I saw one for which I thought "Gee, I'd like to shoot photos like that". All in all, I was completely disappointed.



3. I really like the concept in this series of photography books. Think about what attracts you about the image, then work to get that effect in the finished product. It's a very useful and systematic approach which one can follow in the field. My problem with this particular book in the series, as well as with his color photo book, is that his finished images don't move me. I kept thinking about the Ansel Adams remark, "Inside many a picture there's a good photograph waiting to come out", and I yearned to crop the image to something which had more effect.



4. An innovative approach to teaching aspects of Black & White photography that works very well: Each two page spread has a main photo that is used as an example. The author sets out what he saw when he first encountered the situation; what he was thinking about how to make a good photograph; and what he did to make the photograph. There is also usually a "Rule of Thumb" sidebar on the same spread, as well as several other photos or drawings that help to make the point. The graphic design layout keeps it very interesting, all I can saw is that it is not layed out like a normal book, and the layout helps with the learning process.

   Perhaps more importantly, the photographs are good. You can go back and look at this book over and over to tighten up your technique or to just admire the photos. The series title is "Better Picture Guides", and this book really will help you take better pictures, and is almost worhty as a small coffe table book.




5. Author/photographer Michael Busselle offers the reader both vision and insight. In razor-sharp prose, Mr. Busselle not only presents the final image, but also explains (in layman's terms) how that image was created. If you are looking to expand your horizons in black & white photography, this is the book for you. You will learn about lighting, shooting, printing and most importantly, seeing. A must have for the serious amateur or professional.

3 comments about Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of Our Changing World.

1. While looking through the new books at the library, this one caught my eye. It wasn't that it was large, but rather the premise: looking at the Earth, the cities, rivers, glaciers, at different moments in time. In many of the photographs, they take the same picture, separated by centuries, decades, years, or minutes.
   
   Contents:
   Map Contents
   Foreword
   Introduction
   Environmental Change
   Urbanization
   Land Transformation
   Forces of Nature
   War and Conflict
   Leisure and Culture
   Index and Acknowledgements
   
   The basis of the book, Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of Our Changing World by Fred Pearce, is set in the Foreword (written by Zac Goldsmith) as a showcase for climate change. The first chapter, Environmental Change, shows hard evidence that we are changing our environment. The pictures of glaciers, ice shelves in Antarctica, the Rhine River, and the Aral Sea are staggering (the latter is a direct result of man - an eco-disaster on par with the Dust Bowl). Once you have reviewed the pictures and the text of that chapter, Pearce brings more change to your attention, urban sprawl, deforestation, strip mining. The results of earthquakes, volcanic activity, hurricanes and tsunamis. The detestation of World War I and II and Vietnam. Finally, beaches in the heart of Paris, resorts at the top of the world, and more.
   
   The photographs are stunning and the text is sobering. By taking photographs and placing them on facing pages, separated by time, the result is an amazing "before and after" affect. The results, as shown in the photos, cannot be disputed. Not only are you shown retreating glaciers, but the effects of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and the United States. Not satisfied with simple photographs, Pearce also bring satellite imagery into play. Thought provoking.
   
   If those stories and photos were not enough, you have to witness the chapter on War and Conflict. Man against man. And yet, we seem to have reclaimed some of the worst effects of war to create some beautiful areas of remembrance and reconstruction. The photos of Dresden, Germany and Caen, Normandy, France are wonderful. The rebuilding of Mostar Bridge in Bosnia (originally built in 1705) is especially touching.
   
   This is an amazing book. It should reach you on almost any level, between the spectacular photos or the text that accompanies the shots, you may not look at the Earth or your environment in the same way. "Thought provoking" is a good phrase and it is definitely worthy of your time.



2. Fred Pearce in his Earth: Then and Now manages to capture the attention of anyone that picks this book up. Wonderfully done, the book compares current photos to historic photos of the same scene from various places around the globe.
   
   Organized into 6 units or chapters ( Environmental Change, Urbanization, Land Transformation, Forces of Nature, War and Conflict, and Leisure and Culture) the images demonstrate how man can change his enviroment whether in a town or around a lake. Perhaps the most striking comparison are the images on page 30 of the Upsala Glacier in Patagonia. Having said that, there are other stunning images throughout the book. The most touching of the chapters in my opinion is the unit dealing with War and Conflict.
   
   At 288 pages, Earth Then and Now will be a book you want to return to again and again. This would make a wonderful gift.



3. I work at a library, and as I was covering this book, I just had to look inside. I'm a fan of satellite images of the Earth to begin with, so naturally my interest in this book was piqued. I only opened to a random page to take a peek, but I ended up completly hypnotized by the images and the concise captions. I literally could not put this book down. This book has an amazing magnetism to it; it draws you in and takes you for a ride around the world.
   
   Unfortunatley, a majority of the photos and explanations reveal the horrid and destructive ways of man altering the Earth and choking the environment. If anyone is in doubt that the Earth is being ravaged, this book will make clear to anyone of any age just how abusive we are of the planet. The section on glaciers is seriously scary. The images are just unbelievable, but sadly, they show the truth.
   
   From aerial shots of New Orleans before and after Katrina to satellite images of the recent growth of Las Vegas, this book explores not just the United States, but the world as well. Mountains after avalanches, volcanos after explosions, land after flood and drought, page after page you are assaulted with powerful imagery.
   
   Mostly focusing on the effects of climate change and deforestation, Earth Then and Now shows the "progress" that modern man has acheived on this noble planet.
   
   I reccomend that everyone on planet Earth read this book. It is a shocking eye-opener, and just simply unbelievable. A perfect coffee table book or addition to any library, you will not be dissapointed in Earth Then and Now.
   
   I just hope they printed it on recycled paper...

3 comments about Ray Gun.

1. Though it was published some years ago its nice to see that this lovely book is still in print. The landscape format is ideal for showing off the streamline design that was a requirement for any gun of the future.
   
   Each model is shown in profile and a nice touch is the removal of the photos background so the guns are floating on the page. Another idea that gives the book a lift are several pages of period graphics: movie posters, ads and the original gun boxes. The first blaster is from 1935, a surprisingly good condition Buck Rogers pistol, made by Daisy. The models are shown in date order up to the mid-sixties and mostly from the US and Japan with several from Europe.
   
   Considering that this was a really tiny part of the toy market you might think it surprising that a book should be devoted to the subject but there is another equally beautiful title showing more: Zap! Ray Gun Classics. This is out of print but you'll easily be able to pick up a used copy. Both books will give you a nostalgic blast for the past.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. It is amazing that enough material existed on this topic to constitute an entire book. The text reads like a labour of love. Who else would write such a thing?
   
   For science fiction fans, or children of the 50s to the 70s, you can revisit your youth. Some of the ray guns might be recognisable indeed.
   
   The text is nostalgic retrospective on an era with no digital electronics, as we know them now. As far as I can tell, every gun depicted here lacked a microprocessor. Everything was hardwired analog.



3. This book is the bible for vintage rayguns.

   It was great to see the toys of my wonder years in full color. Inspires me to become a collector!

   Lots of fun!

1 comments about Kodak Digital Photoguide.

1. Packed with technical info about general digital photography, this volume has a lot of info you won't find elsewhere about your digital camera. It is indespensible for the pro, or the serious amatuer photographer, especially those using today's advanced DSLR cameras. My only gripe is that it did not come with an 18% gray card. (Fortunately, I have an old one.) I am not sure that it was included and did not fall out of the book at some point. (I bought mine off the shelf at a conventional book store.) It did come with a white card.

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....

3 comments about Christmas in America: A Photographic Celebration of the Holiday Season.

1. A pleasant enough selection of photos but pay attention to the title sub-line because probably half the photos relate to winter/holiday season rather than Christmas specifically. The pages are divided into three chapters: Christmas in the East (there are no page numbers but this chapter is eighty-four pages) Christmas in the Heartland (thirty-six pages) and Christmas in the West (forty-seven pages). I wonder editorially if it might have been better to put all the Christmas images together with the winter ones filling pages either side.
   
   The photos concentrate on the outdoors, either in the countryside or cities and strangely there are hardly any of folks enjoying a domestic Christmas Day around a decorated tree, opening presents, mealtimes or just enjoying the company of each other. This does seem a major omission. The book's fly leaf biog of Peter Guttman reveals his extensive photo assignments so maybe the contents are made up from a trawl through his archives.
   
   I think the outdoor shots work best with several stunning landscape photos especially in the West chapter. Mountains, trees, a frozen lake and plenty of snow seem sure fire ingredients for inspiring creativity. The city photos come across to me as average with several rather badly cropped.
   
   The book's printing and paper are excellent with the photos presented in a picture book layout rather than a formal photo book look. If this kind of subject matter interests you check out Christmas in America: Images of the Holiday Season by 100 of America's Leading Photographers a large size photo book published in 1988 (part of the Day in a Life series) that takes a closer look at the season than Peter Guttman's book.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. This is such a beautiful photo collection of, as you may have guessed, Christmas in America. These are some of the most breath-taking, gorgeous photographs I have ever seen. I love looking through this book at the Holiday Season.



3. Peter Guttman's visionary photographs of the holiday season and his heartfelt captions in his new book, "Christmas in America," grabbed me with the power of a passionate virtuoso. The most difficult task an artist can face is to reconfigure and reintroduce the imagery of a well known topic such as Christmas in a way that we understand once again why this holiday is so special. By portraying people from sea to shining sea as they revel during the month of December, by candidly capturing the countless ways we celebrate our love, compassion and appreciation for each other as we come closer to the end of yet another year show what a sensitive and an insightful photographer Peter Guttman is. His words are equally compelling and illuminating. I'm a professor in English and teaching literature in college, but I have never read such a beautiful, eloquent and inspiring portrayal of Christmas and its history of celebration all through the ages, on different continents and in America. A true jewel, a must have Christmas ornament!

No comments about Wolfgang Tillmans (Contemporary Artists).