1 comments about The Lives of Lee Miller.

1. First I want to state that this is a very fine biography, the author (Miller's son) does an admirable job of showing the many different sides and personalities of a multi-gifted woman whose life spanned the tumultuous revolution of women's roles in society. But Lee Miller led a very complicated and somewhat contradictory life and the author manages (artifully, I admit)to avoid probing too deeply into the dark corners that would truly flesh out her life. There are crucial points in the book where a gentle fog of vagueness creeps in where an objective biographer would have strove for clarity, i.e. what exactly was the nature of her relationship with her father? He clearly had a huge role in her life and career (he began photographing her nude at a very early age)but the treatment of their relationship is ginger to say the very least. But issues outside the family are well covered, inside not so much. So to sum up, a good general bio but it is neither too critical nor too in depth on certain issues.

4 comments about Matisse Picasso.

1. This is an excellent book with great reproductions of artwork. It also compares the two artist's. This is a good book for any artist to have.
   It arrived as described in a timely manner.



2. A perfect (necessary) match for Jack Flam book Matisse and Picasso: The Story of Their Rivalry and Friendship (Icon Editions)



3. A blockbuster exhibition and a blockbuster catalogue. This book is hugely informative, very well organized, chronologically, with a constant comparison of both masters. Every masterpiece by Picasso is followed by one by Matisse and vice-versa. It is a break-through study on the mutual influence of both artists, an attempt once tried by the critic Yves-Alain Bois with less success. This book is required material for any arts library. The authors are all authorities in this particular field and vouch for the quality of the acompanying text.



4. Huge, very heavy book of almost 400 pages. Wonderful reproductions in color of their work, and, for the most part, easily understood prose. I think I learned a lot. I know I learned that I like Picasso better than Matisse, whom I found to be basically cold and severe, too intellectual in his art. How he was personally this book does not say. You do get a little more sense of Picasso than Matisse. The book focuses on how these two artists played off each other's work almost all their artistic lives. And as such, it definitely succeeds. It was actually printed in conjunction with a major exhibition of these two, in Paris, London, and New York. A must for all art lovers.

No comments about Dream Horses Calendar 2009 (Wall Calendars).

No comments about Glory Years: A Photo History of the New Era in Ohio State Football.

5 comments about The Basic Darkroom Book: compl GT Processing ptg Color Black White photogs for Beginners thru Experts.

1. Finally, after thirty year' hiatus from the darkrook, now I get the technical facts of how to do film processing correctly. Too bad this book is out of print. I am so glad that someone who was in the know suggested it.



2. This book, is so hard to read, i don't know how any one could possibly turn a book that i, a darkroom hobbist my self could have wirtten in perhaps two hundered pages into a 464 page snooz fest. he includes all this unessiccary stuff aout how the film works and summerizeds stuff hes going to explain before he explains it... WHO CARES!!?? if i wanted to know how film works id buy a book on film! If you want to set up a drak room, eihter take a class, or buy a diffent book, thats not so hard to read, its basicly a text book. is it a bad book? nay, but don't expect to use it as a instruction manual, it has about fifty pages of nonsense between the actaul process of making a god damn darkroom!



3. This book by Tom Grimm is by far the most comprehensive and practical handbook on darkroom information and procedures that I have yet read. I have been involved in photography since the early 1950's and this is one of the best books on this aspect of photography that I own. I believe it surpasses that excellent book "Enlarging" by Jacobson and Mannheim that I also own and still use (1975 edition). I just do not understand the previous criticism made that the book requires "a degree" to understand it! The only criticism I would make is that products listed by the author are not always available to UK photographers, as it has, naturally, an American bias, however, even with that small defecit, the book is well worth the price!



4. This is one of the best photography books around, in my opinion. Very very detailed coverage of most all aspects of B&W and color photography. The author does not assum that you have your very own private dark room and makes sigguestions as to how you can use things you probably allready have around your house instead of expensive photography equipement. For instance, the author sigguests that you might use a fish tank and heater to control the temperature of color chemicals! And I tell you what, that is a lot less expensive compared to buying a rotary processor from Jobo.
   
   The author gives detailed explinations of how processos work, and some hostory behind them. He also lets you just jump ahead to the quick and simple overview. This lets you learn about what your doing, if you new to the area, or get a quick review if you're not sure your quite remember how to do something.
   
   Truly a great book, or even textbook for college classes.



5. I am writing this review in order to warn new-comers to the field of photography against buying it. Although the title specifies, "for beginners through experts," this book almost requires a degree to comprehend it. Techniques discussed are not for beginners! The book insists you need to spend vast amounts of money and time to develop prints; this is untrue. In fact, a beginner would need to read 6 chapters of the book, which are extremely confusing, before being able to develop a black-and-white print. The process could quite easily be explained in less than a page.

   In short, I do not recommend anyone buy this terrible book.

5 comments about Black & White Photography Techniques with Adobe Photoshop.

1. There is no doubt that the author, Maurice Hamilton, made a great effort to produce a technical book about the finer points of using Photoshop to produce black and white images. It is technical and 'dry', and a hard slog. He explains (at length) some of the detailed procedures, tips and methodology which go to making fine prints. But, the book made me think of some of the Hollywood epics where the idea is grand but the director and the editor let the cast down. I don't care for the high price-low quality production of the book, either. Not that worthy and informational books must be slick and glossy; but for me they must be attractive and 'feel' good. I will keep this book in my reference library, but I do not count it in my '20 best photography books' list!



2. Film photographers have long savored black-and-white photography for its stark alternative to realism, and the stripped down, minimalistic approach to creating an image. Digital photography threatened to push black-and-white photography to extinction, but, thankfully, artists like Hamilton have preserved the spirit of the medium and extended it through the use of Adobe's flagship image editor.
   
   The author shows you the proper way to create monochrome images while preserving -- or enhancing tonality. He explains that a good black-and-white image isn't simply a color image that's been desaturated. I also liked the exploration into reproducing traditional darkroom techniques in Photoshop. This is a must-have book for any serious black-and-white worker.



3. I consider this book to be in a class with the best books written on photography.
   I especially appreciate the Ansel Adams quote and the way that Maurice Hamilton lets his own gallery speak for itself. The emphasis is not on showing off his own work but rather, on helping the reader advance their own art. My work has improved significantly since my first reading and I will read sections over several times.
   
   Bravo Maurice and thank you, Linnea Nereim



4. This is a very nice fine art photography book dealing with black and white. The author is obviously very well versed in Adobe Photoshop and his expertise is evident through his writing. The inforamtion is well presented and clearly stated. The images are well done and have a broad appeal to both a professional and amateur.
   
   Well worth the money



5. Intrigued by the glowing review of this book by Garth Leach at The Daily Shooter.com, I acquired a copy and experimented with several of the black and white conversion techniques described.
   
   Like Garth, I found this book guided me toward the creation of outstanding black and white images. This book seems geared toward the intermediate Photoshop user but should also be helpful to novice users.

2 comments about Lost Lhasa: Heinrich Harrer's Tibet.

1. Most of LOST LHASA documents the peaceful years that Heinrich Harrer spent in Tibet. The map of Tibet and its border with northern India is shown inside the front cover, with a line marking Harrer's route from Dehra Dun near the Ganges River in India, up into the Himalayas far northwest of Mt. Everest. After escaping from a prison camp in April, 1944, and climbing for 18 days to Tibet, then stuck in Traduen until December, 1944 while they waited for permission to travel further, they waited in Kyirong on the border of Nepal until November, 1945, when they escaped again. "To avoid large cities, we decided to move even farther north, into the Changthang region--the famous Tibetan Plateau. Here we would see only nomads and brigands; government officials avoided the area." (p. 43). Walking into Lhasa like starving beggars on January 15, 1946, "We thought of our adventures and of our comrades still in the internment camp at Dehra Dun." (p. 47).

   Heinrich Harrer is famous, now, as the author of the best-selling book, SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, which told the same story. LOST LHASA was not published until 1991, when the 2000 negatives which he had kept became the best reminder he had of the years he had enjoyed most. There is a lot of writing in this book to tell the entire story again, and in places where there aren't many pictures, the people are still fascinating. A young couple, who had given Peter Aufschnaiter and Harrer each a dried apricot on a 20,000-foot pass two months before, had much to complain about after they reached Lhasa. "They were surprised that they had to work for daily necessities, even if it was only a place to spend the night or a cup of tea. They felt that people in Lhasa were greedy, demanding things that in the Changthang you wouldn't think about. . . . We invited them to our modest home, where we had lots of barley, rice, and butter, and we supplied them for their return to the Changthang, their nomadic home, where they had plenty of meat, butter, cheese, milk, and where nature would provide for all their needs." (p. 65).

   Picture captions are jumbled together. The caption under the picture on page 116 explains "Noblemen and women . . ." with everyone in winter clothes "in front of the Kumbum monument in Gyangtse [above]. The girl [right] sits behind three fancy teacups, complete with stands and cover." also explains the picture of a young child on page 117 with very short hair and a necklace of beads sitting behind a table with four teacups. My first clue that it was a picture of a girl was the covers on the teacups. The 7-inch-square picture on page 116 shows plain cups and saucers. I did not realize that four teacups with stands and covers were on the table in front of the kid until I tried to measure the height of each cup to see if they were taller than the kid's head in the picture. Allowing for perspective, it might be possible for a knob on top of the fourth teacup to be mistaken for an earring, just below one of the kid's ears, but the earring pictures are elsewhere in this book.

   Several trips to Lhasa are described in this book, including "When I returned in 1982, I found that the Chinese had destroyed the medical school that perched atop Chagpori and replaced it with a radio tower." (p. 208). A Glossary on pages 218-219 explains terms like Dob-Dob (monk-police) and Tsampa (parched barley flour, the Tibetan's staple food). Notes on the pictures on page 220 identify two of the people in the picture on page 116 and explain that the picture following it is of the daughter of Surkhang Wangchuk, the governor of Gyangste. Harrer had fled Lhasa and was staying with the governor of Gyangste when the Dalai Lama with a caravan that contained more than a thousand animals came through on the flight from Tibet to the Chumbi Valley. Harrer left there in March, 1951. "Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama returned to Lhasa to find posters of Mao plastered against the walls of the Potala." (p. 207). Among the brighter aspects of the nostalgia in this book is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Dalai Lama in 1989 because he "opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect, in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people." (pp. 216-217). This book is a monument to that tradition.




2. What a lovely book! Engrossing illustration of a way of life destroyed by the Chinese conquerors. I love reading Buddhist writings, but I think this would appeal even to those who are not interested in Buddhism, as Harrer seems to be not particularly religious and he concentrates on the everyday life of Tibetans in Lhasa.

4 comments about Ellen Von Unwerth: Couples.

1. Ellen Von Unwerth is by far my favorite photographer! I haven't the foggiest idea of how a picture is taken, but I can appreciate a good photograph when I see one. The person who said, "a picture is worth a thousand words" must have thought up all one thousand of them in that instant, thus spontaneous inspiration! Ellen is SPONTANEOUS! I fell as though she takes pictures to make you wonder, marvel and enjoy the world around you, taking you away with a simple click!

   Ellen is also unpredictable, as you turn the pages to this book you will see why! Although there is no denying her style, she manages to portray a variety of situations, there is no monotony or constant theme and her subjects are unpredictable in a wide variety of settings, these photographs are proof of her widespread intellect. I was actually expecting to see pictures of couples in a conventional way, but Unwerth managed to convince me that there are other types of pairs!

   It is a witty, playful, and yes even inspiring book! Not to be taken too seriously, but to be enjoyed and digested like one would fine ice cream!

   I could not leave out the always intelligent and wonderful introduction by Ingrid Sischy... That woman is a GENIUS!!




2. Fantastic... well worth the dosh. While it seems a few narrow-minded sorts will muse over grain, focus and the apparent 'cheapness' of her camera, Ellen injects life, soul, sexiness and humour into her images. The fun, intimate feel is only increased further by her supposedly rough focus and grain. For those who can appreciate a photo that isn't of a clean-skinned model against a plain black or white backdrop, Von Unwerth is an artist without equal.



3. From this book, it seems that Ellen Von Unwerth has found a way to avoid the necessity to be creative or to develop technical skills. Perhaps it was thought that enough people could be fooled into thinking that since they are different they must be examples of sheer creative genius. The only problem is that she is not the only photographer who appears to be taking this shortcut to "masterpieces." A quick study of this book, and you too can learn how to take snapshots and play them off as sheer genius. ... Hmmm Let's see, how bout the random idea of a supermodel standing nude, except she's wearing army boots, and holding a half eaten corn cob in one hand and a light bulb in the other, all photographed with a disposable camera in the absolute worst possible lighting situation. No that's not in the book, but that's the type of image you'll find in it. Oh, and by the way, don't buy this book if you just want to see such naked super models, because there are better books with naked supermodels in them.



4. Snaphshotty, but with a twist. These images are difficult to create, but Ellen von Unwerth makes it seem easy.These images are simple, graphic, and raw. Contrasty, grainy, out-of-focus and incredible. This is some of the best photography out there, fashion or otherwise. Buy this book to add to your collection of great photography.

No comments about William Claxton: McQueen (25th Anniversary Special Edtn).

1 comments about Hamburger Eyes: Inside Burgerworld.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R32PPHMIW8T4JV