5 comments about Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set - Volume I & II: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs.

1. Besides the fact this weighed more than my mom(a joke) I considered it
   a great review of Steiglitz's work .Yes a number of pictures are not poster size but you still get the feel of the age, the man, and my favorite artist Georgia O Keeffe at a turning point in her life, I would highly recommend it.



2. An important contribution to the history of photography, this book is a monumental task in cataloging and comparing Stieglitz's opus. At 1000 pages (including index, bibliography etc), it is massive, but so is the quality of the binding, the printing, the paper. A pleasure to hold in your hand (if you can lift it!).
   Regarding the content, it really is an almost complete history of Stieglitz's photography including the mundane and experimental photography (endless pictures of clouds). What I find interesting are the subtle variations in photos as well as prints of the same picture for a different effect. If you are a student, I hope you can afford it. If you are a scholar and a historian, all of photography's early greats are there, and if you are a lover a photographer like me then you really will enjoy the whole experience. These books are as much reference as "coffee book", so they will keep on giving you for many years to come.



3. My first review - I just couldn't let this go by without comment. There are lots of books by and about Stieglitz, and you can look through fine reproductions of Camera Works and watch the DVD. But you won't get a real feel for his photographic work until you spend some time with this beautiful 2 volume set. The hundreds of images, thoughtfully grouped, with quotes and background details, will open your eyes to the scope of his photography, and the amazing blend of subtlety, sensitivity and fun it conveys. And of course the image quality is sumptuous.



4. For this collection O'Keefe chose the best print of every mounted photo in Steiglitz's collection at the time of his death. I just flip through ten or twelve pages a night. As another reviewer said, they are small. But I just get close and enjoy. This is an unparalleled opportunity to fathom the mind of a master. If you want Steiglitz to be your teacher this is the way.



5. This is a major contribution to the field of artistic photography and art history, and frankly, I am not sure what the previous reviewer was looking at or for when giving this award-winning set one out of five stars (it was rated "outstanding art publication of the year" by the Art Libraries Society of North America in 2002).
   
   Greenough's 2-volume set is a standout in numerous ways. For starters, it is the first retrospective work that has attempted to establish some kind of chronological order to Stieglitz's photographs (many of his major works were never dated previously). Why is this important? Stieglitz was extremely influential not only as an artist but as a technician, introducing new photo cropping and printing methods at a time when photography was just starting out as a field of study. Without dates for his photographs, it had previously been impossible to determine for certain whether Stieglitz was employing (or improving upon) techniques that were already out there, or if he was forging ahead into unknown territory.
   
   The scholarship undertaken here is impressive: in addition to the dating of all the material, Greenough provides copious notes about the images, including invaluable information about the reproduction process. There is a detalied appendix, bibliography, index, and concordances, as well as information of other Stieglitz photographs in other collections.
   
   Apart from the scholarship, however, what makes this set standout is the quality and quantity of the images. There are over 1600 photographs in this set, and only about a third of them had ever been reproduced before. Many of the images here are print variants that Stieglitz produced from the same negative, showing how he experimented with printing (using carbon, platinum, gelatin silver, and palladium among other materials) as well as cropping/orientating/mounting of his prints. These images give us a more complete picture Stieglitz's thought processes in terms of his art, his experimental nature, and the methods he employed in presenting his vision to the world.

3 comments about The Exotic Plumeria, a pictorial, Volume 1.

1. The author is one in all: a photographer, a writer and a graphic designer. He is great with photography but writing and book designing should be left for a professional. Book is unorganized. Not enough descriptions for each varieties. Chapters jump around. Page layout is very amateurish. This should not have been a book but a PowerPoint slides show instead.



2. This is the best book yet for plumeria photo's that are true to life, the pictures are that good it makes you almost want to bend down and smell the pages. This is a must have for every plumeria lover and it will be well read once you do get a copy, especially if you have it on your coffee table. Even non plumeria growers will enjoy the photo's in these pages, they are just so vibrant , anyone that has an interest in flowers will be nothing short of amazed and find it hard to put down, I know I did.



3. All I can say is that this is the most fabulous book ever published on plumeria. The photography is absolutely outstanding. These pictures could very easliy be framed with great pride. It is obvious no cost was spared, down to very heavy paper stock the book is printed on. Great job and keep them coming.

5 comments about Directing the Documentary.

1. As a beginning documentary maker, I have found this book to be highly useful. As well as the practical aspects of creating a documentary, it provides history of the genre and valuable insight as to why documentary makers do what they do - it is clearly not for the money.
   
   By the way, this book was recommended to me by a college professor who teaches film making.



2. Thought it would be much more heavy and academic. Is an easy read without dumbing down. Great for getting you going again if youhave "fallin off the wagon".



3. what a great book. it's up-to-date and goes through everything you could ever want to know about documentary filmmaking.



4. I already use Rabinger's "Directing" tome as my filmmaking bible, and always refer to it when planning productions and right before shooting. So when I started a documentary project, I knew I had to get this version dedicated to that aspect of filmmaking. I was not disappointed. Right away, his advice improved my project planning and helped me make a much better project pitch than I originally had. And once again, it's loaded with practical advice that's very easy to read and use. Rabinger knows how to put together a great reference resource. Too bad all books weren't put together like these.



5. this book includes all kinds of useful information that is not necessarily specific to documentary, although that is it's focus. there's excercises in here to help develop ideas into a filmic narrative, ethics, how to tackle an interview as well as subject matter. i've read a lot of film books, and i have to say, this is not only well written with a sense of humor and wit, it deals with potential situations in a down to earth way. The information provided is not just technical, but also how to approach an emotional situation, gain the trust of your participants, and address multiple points of view.

1 comments about The Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa: Two Centuries of a Family Retreat.

1. The stunning photos of the Agnelli Gardens span the four seasons and include shots that have been displayed on folded pages to open up over two or four pages, which give the photos extra depth. It was impossible for me to choose a favorite among them, but they sure made me wish I could go and visit the gardens first hand. The narrative was written in a personal and romantic style which made it easy to read, and was punctuated with monochrome and color photos of the house and its occupants - with beautiful children of course! The history of the property and its development spans two centuries and is told in the context of the family and the world around them, which makes it far more interesting than if it had been written only to address garden plans and project progress. To my suprise, even though the gardens are on a grand scale, I found some ideas which could be put to good use in my own garden environment. In short this lovely book did not disappoint, is well worth purchasing and keeping close at hand to look at often.

1 comments about Frontier.

1. In this book he has written a series of essays that whet your appetite for more information on and history of the peoples who settled America. He broadens our mindset of what "frontier" means in regards to America's settlement, in both timeframe and area of the country. For him, all of America was once a frontier - not just our usual limited concept of "the west". Any fan of L'Amour will like this book. As usual, he leaves you satisfied, and at the same time wanting just a little more, just like any good storyteller.The breathtaking, awesome photography makes you want to leave home and go discover the places photographed for yourself.

5 comments about Messages from Water, Vol. 1.

1. Somewhere along the line I missed the film "What the Bleep" and the book that accompanied it, Masaru Emoto's "Messages from Water," but when my minister at church referred to Emoto's scientific study and passed around the amazing pictures, I had to go straight home to the internet and order both. Emoto's study examined molecules of water under differing conditions, photographing their reactions to a variety of stimulii. While the findings are not astounding--one would expect even a raindrop to respond more gratefully to Mozart than to AC/DC--the pictures that prove the point are profound. What totally blew me away, though, was the way the water reacted to words that were typed and pasted to the jar, without even being spoken. Expressions of appreciation and love created lovely, graceful lacy snowflake-like images, while just the typed words of hatred and violence resulted in disgusting slides that resembled cancer cells. If water recoils from such negative outbursts, just think how we ourselves are buffeted: first, in the physical sense, as our bodies are made up primarily of water, but second--and more important--in the spiritual sense. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"? Not so. Not in a million years. No wonder we need so much water--and so much positive reinforcement--in our lives. Maybe as we clean up our water supply, we'll consider cleaning up the rest of our lives, as well--at least in how we speak to others.



2. This is simply a fascinating book. I recommend it to anyone due to its sheer "hmmm" factor -- that is, you look at the pictures and are inspired to think about why in the world things are they way they are. To a certain extent, some of these can perhaps be explained, like the heavy metal one appearing shattered: perhaps the furious pace/rhythms/etc. in the music caused a lot of vibrations, etc.... but others are inexplicably different, and to know that they come out similarly each time the experiments are performed similarly is just... baffling.
   
   An awesome collection of pictures. They are very beautiful. :)



3. This hardcover edition of the original English/Japanese version is smaller in size and does not have the charm-the energy of the original. It seems they did nothing but crop the text and voided it of it's original intention. Funny thing since this bock and author are all about intention. The original series had heavy bound, glossy finished paper with a dust cover that seemed to make it a real coffee-table book that had weight. (Quite literally since the hardbound edition is fewer pages and less weight and smaller dimensions.) I perfer the originals. They are collector's items. The newer versions, of past volumes to be released in the near future will similarly be reworked and, in my view, lessened.



4. Masaru Emoto presents outstanding pilot experiments on mental, vibrational and spiritual influences that can alter the crystalline structure of water.
   
   Masaru Emoto is a Doctor of Alternative Medicine (Open International University). He has been studying the micro cluster structure of water using Magnetic Resonance Analysis. Emoto found that when water from polluted sources is frozen, the crystals have a disorganized, aesthetically ugly appearance. When healing or prayer is directed to the water, its crystalline structure changes to beautiful, symmetric patterns.
   
   The power of words is suggested in experiments in which positive and negative words were written on pieces of paper and taped to bottles of water from the same source. Correspondingly pretty, symmetrical crystals or disorganized, aesthetically unpleasing forms were produced. Classical music produced aesthetically pleasing crystals while heavy metal music (unspecified) produced chaotic patterns.
   
   Emoto's explorations are ground-breaking beginnings at clarifying some of the influences of conceptual vibrations on water. As 65% of the human body is composed of water, this may provide new avenues to explain some of the influences on the body of mental intents and prayers for healing.



5. The pictures and explenations are astounding and would be great to believe since he provides such stunning and extravagant photos. The problem? The book does not provide any solid evidence as to WHY the designs are caused by the environmental or other factors the water is exposed to. There is never an instance where the same (or relatively the same) crystal or design is duplicated. In fact, it is known that you can not ever reproduce an identical snowflake, or crystal. Snow has been falling for billions of years, and scientists say that there has never been a duplicate. With this in mind, how can the researchers prove that the shapes or designs are caused by their environment when they can not reproduce the effects? In my belief, they took a random set of pictures, and just put them in the slots that they believed to look good. As far as the changes in lakes, ponds, or rivers, you will notice that the picture itself is different in that other items have been added to the picture (a pole sticking out of the water with a ball at the end, which if I'm not mistaken was to detect wind, in which case the change from no ripples to ripples would be? WIND!), from small things to a house on the shore! Pictures have a multitude of colors from white, orange, and yellow, to black, brown, or red. Where does this color come from? The water is clear, and the ice should be a white color. They are also very vague in some of their environmental descriptions; one of the music choices was described as "Heavy Metal." What? Did they just choose some random song? This book, in my humble opinion, was to dazzle its audience with a mislead belief in spirituality and their environment. Yes, spirituality and certain effects they describe may very well exist, but not in this case. This is a show for people who wish to be entertained with 'the unknown'. A great book for that purpose, and for those who do not look in to the details or the obvious of what is sitting in front of them.

5 comments about 40 Digital Photography Techniques.

1. This book is great for starters in digital (or even film) photography. If you don't quite understand what all the settings in your digital camera are or used for, this book will open your eyes and will have you using all different settings really soon.
   The book is very easy to read and explains a lot with pictures to show you the results.
   Also, this books talks about lightining, how to take better photos of people, how to adjust the settings to take inside and outside photos. It gives plenty of neat tricks for you to try out with your camera without having to buy extra equipment.
   Although if you really want to spend some money, this book also talks about good equipment, like lenses, light bouncers, and more.



2. This book is written in simple lucid language, with good clear pictures makes it perfect for beginners and 'getting semi serious' photographers,
   my pictures have become much better as result of the knowledge out of this book plus i have a better eye on photography on the whole, in the past had never put a thought on clicking a button on the camera..no complains



3. As a semi-professional photographer I am often asked for camera and photography advice which I gladly provide. What I am more at a loss for is what you get is the best resource for someone trying to learn a little bit more of their own. This book is a great solution, for which I am keeping a copy around simply to loan out to those in this situation.
   
   40 Digital Photography Technique is designed for the beginner and maturing intermediate photographer and does an excellent job covering everything from the basics of how to use your camera, to composition, how to shoot in various lighting situations, macro photography and much more. Though it does not go into great depth in any one of these subject areas, it is a great overview and touches on a lot of areas that new photographers may not think of. It attempts to be a beginner's guide and provide ideas and how to use on a wide variety of areas pertaining to photography, and it does a great job.
   
   I highly recommend this title to anyone who has picked up a new digital camera or may have one laying around that they have not gotten as much use of as they thought they might have won about it. Your camera along with this book may become a new hobby and passion that you never knew you had within you.



4. This book teaches the principles of digital photography--the quirks, the problems, the peculiarities, and how to work with these to get the most out of your camera. Most of the other books on the market spend one chapter on these fundamentals and then spend the next 400 pages discussing the functions of expensive, prosumer DSLR's like the Canon Rebel or Nikon D50/70, and post-processing on the computer. This is great if you have a DSLR and are looking to do a lot of post-processing.
   
   However, if you have a consumer level point-and-shoot camera like the Canon Elph, Nikon Coolpix, Kodak Easyshare or Sony Cybershot, this extra material won't apply to your camera because it doesn't have these advanced manual controls. What this book does for the P&S user is teach you why some of your photos are coming out blurry, overexposed or dark. How to frame an exciting picture. How to use the flash to improve some pictures, and when the flash isn't appropriate. How to use the manual controls that are included on these cameras and how these controls can help you succeed in taking better pictures.



5. If you have a camera with manual controls and know how to use them, this probably isn't the book for you. If the extent of your photography experience is 110 Instamatic, this book is worth a look. If you're looking to buy a new digital camera the information is a little dated (the largest CF card is 512MB?), but the information on desirable features is still valid. Most of the images are OK, but it's occasionally difficult to discern the point being made. For example, you're not going to be able to tell the difference between Normal, Fine, and Super Fine JPEG compression levels on a 2" image of mediocre quality to begin with. Occasionally it's just wrong, like the discussion of pixels overlapping in the CCD causing noise--first, they can't possibly overlap, second noise is caused by the higher amplification needed due to the smaller pixel sizes.
   
   The included CD isn't worth much, nothing at all if you're a Mac user.
   
   A very quick read unless you're a beginner, but not a bad book if that's what you need.

5 comments about 101 Uses for a Lab.

1. I saw this small book at someone elses house. Being a new Lab owner, seeing the personality of the breed in this small book, I had to buy. Expensive..YES..... but I guess put the value on a smile! It sits on my coffee table for visitiors to enjoy.



2. I returned this book as soon as I received it. I thought it was overpriced for its small size. I'd also expected the pictures to be irresistable; they turned out to be very mundane and cliche. I've seen better amateur pictures taken by lab owners themselves. Bottom line--I would have given this book 0 stars if it were an option.



3. I have several other Lab books for about the same price as this one. This is a little book for the price but the pictures are very cute. I would have rather bought it used, it would be a much better bargin. Enjoy!



4. Having read the previous reviews, I'd expected to find little text, but had thought the photographs would prove sufficient ... unfortunately the photos are a little disappointing ... more like snap shots taken to fill up pages ...



5. We have had labrador retrievers in our family for over 40 years. Splash, our current yellow lab, and our many other labs, is well described in this wonderful book. Splash thinks his (and I am sure other labrador owners will agree) sole role in life is to be our best friend and he gives us so much love every single day. It is clear, after reading this book, that labs are the best breed of dog available. The author truly captures the fine spirit, dedication and devotion of the labrador retriever -- I found the book to be true for all of our wonderful dogs. For those who are fortunate enough to own a lab, this book is a MUST!

2 comments about Roadside Americana.

1. "Roadside Americana" consists of just under 200 images that record a slice of American history related to automobile travel, and almost anyone with experience in long-distance road trips will be familiar with a few of the roadside attractions depicted. From a curiosity standpoint, the subjects are fun and intriguing, and likely to evoke a chuckle or two; however, considering photographic quality, the range is all over the board: first-rate professional to downright amateurish. It's the latter characterization that brought about a bit of disappointment.
   
   The best examples I've seen of Americana imagery of this type come from a photographer named John Margolies, who possesses the professionalism and diligence to capture countless roadside oddities using the best angle and optimum light. He is serious about the latter criterion, as one of his trademarks is to insist on having a blue sky as a background for his subject matter. Unfortunately, no Margolies photos appear in this book (he's published many of his own, and Smithsonian magazine featured him back in November 1988).
   
   What you get are nearly 200 images, almost all color, ranging in size from 3"x4" to nearly a whole page. I'd say about 60 percent of them are of excellent artistic quality: good color, lighting and exposure. John Elk III, Jack Olson Photography and Nick Wheeler Photography are a few examples of those that contributed noteworthy ones. Much of the remaining 40 percent are marred by photographic let-downs, such as poor framing, odd perspectives, unfortunate lighting (e.g., pesky shadows or a washed-out sky) and even sloppy focusing. Each photo has an accompanying caption which gives a history of the object in a few sentences. These and the descriptive text at the beginning of each chapter are well written by Eric Peterson, and I found them quite enjoyable.
   
   The subject matter is grouped into six chapters: landmarks, statue gardens, architecture, "world's largest," gas/food/lodging (my favorite) and "unclassifiable." That makes sense. On the downside, the photographic credits appear at the very beginning of the book, alphabetically by photographer; so, in order to find credits for a given image one must scan the whole list to locate a page number. This becomes really annoying for those pages where there are two or more images.
   
   Overall, as an Americana photo log, most will enjoy this book. As a presentation of photographic artistry, I'm afraid the shortcomings are a bit too frequent.



2. Another solid piece of travel writing from up-and-coming author Eric Peterson. Funny, insightful takes on America's roadside landmarks: "the geographic center of north america is in Rugby, North Dakota, and it's also the geographic center of the densest population of roadside goliaths...big statues are good, but bigger statues are better."
   
   Bravo, Mr. Peterson!

4 comments about Fashion: The Twentieth Century.

1. It's a Rizzoli; light on the text, heavy on the graphic. But vastly incomplete and devoted to high fashion only. No trickle-down here, which is a shame. When will someone publish a historically complete book on fashion encompassing couture to K Mart?



2. So jam-packed full of information and pictures, great for history, trends, great source book in a compact easy-to-carry size.



3. 'Fashion - The Twentieth Century' by Francois Baudot is the book to read if you really want to gain an insight into 20th century fashion trends. Its five page bibliography is the most comprehensive list of any fashion book we have come across. Baudot is an expert and this is what makes the book so enjoyable. There are many pictures and the text flows and is very informative. There are also separate features on the important designers/couturiers of the 20th century. A historical review of fashion is presented at the beginning of the book and at the start of each of the eleven sections.



4. Fashion books tend to focus in on one subject or personality, or sometimes a series of related subjects. Fashion, the Twentieth Century is an entirely comprehensive look into the world of fashion and how it has developed over the past century. The book is divided into two "chapters", and delves into many different sub-topical areas of fashion interest. It focuses on different fashion eras, as well as different popular (and avant-garde!) designers over the past 100 years. Although I tend to enjoy a more single subject type of fashion book, I found this book useful for its depth of many topics, not to mention some interesting and gorgeous fashion photography. As a sort of fashion encyclopedia, it will make a useful addition to any fashionista's library.