4 comments about Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion.

1. The book itself is gorgeous and looks great in any library. As far as content, I was expecting more information on the featured stylists as well as more stylists in general. There are so many more that are more facinating and creative. It just seems as though the other featured her posse and that was it.



2. I Bought this book in January... (with another 2 books)
   
   AND SINCE THIS DAY AMAZON SAY TO ME THAT HAD SENT MY PACK 5 TIMES,
   
   BUT NEVER ARRIVED...
   
   So, a book, and a website NEVER stressed me so MUCH....



3. As a fashion journalist, I served as a reference as a creative director very much.
   Expect next edition.



4. The book is good. It have very good pictures. But I expected that it have more text and explain you more about the stylist career.

5 comments about America at Home.

1. I have followed Rick Smolan's books for many years. This book touched me as few others have done. My Czech wife often seems to miss the diversity of the true America. I think all of us that have suffered these past 8 years where we might not have felt proud of our country can find something to feel proud of in this book. Here one can see so clearly and beautifully the diversity, the imagination, the love of family and friends that we who have grown up in America hold to be the true America. I shared this book with my wife who I think was quite surprised to see how many America's there are and to see what the true fabric of our society looks like beyond the slick magazines and endless TV glitz.
   
   This is a book that you can give to someone who wants to see and better understand what America is truly about.



2. A beautiful and elegant celebration of american life at home.
   The authors also offer a great way to personalize the outer cover of the book with your own pictures. Very cool!! Customizing the cover makes a great conversation piece for your home as well as a great gift for friends and family.



3. I love the warmth of this book. I travel the world and am disturbed by the misconceptions many foreigners have of us here at home. (I can't say I blame them with the present administration having devastated our reputation and the relentless negative news reports.)
   I would love to share this book with everyone abroad. It paints honest, touching, personal, everyman images of true Americans in all sorts of everyday activities in their homes.
   Whether as a gift to people abroad or enjoyed with friends and family, this beautiful book presents who we are as everyday people. Honest, simple, good, loving Americans.
   Thanks to Rick and Jennifer.



4. Review from Ryan Brenizer's Amazon Blog
   
   America at Home
   8:45 AM PDT, June 16, 2008, updated at 8:47 AM PDT, June 16, 2008
   If millions of photographers around the world have a collective bias, it's this: The more interesting the better. Generally, that's a good thing -- the last thing the world needs are thousands of photo documentaries on "Things I Found in My Belly-Button." But if you're trying to document the way we live, it can be dangerously deceptive. Someone hundreds of years from now looking only at the professional photography of the era might assume we spent most of our time getting married and killing each other, but never went to the store or drove to work.
   
   Photojournalist Rick Smolan tries to ameliorate this with "America at Home." Documenting as broad an idea as American domestic life is a daunting task, but Rick handles it adeptly, with a number of clever flourishes. His curating of the collection is very well-handled. It's unselfish, with his own work playing roles only where it fits best (and one of my favorite photos in the book, of a girl resting on the couch in the dramatic shadows of twilight, is his). With few exceptions, the photos that look best large are given the space to shine, and the photos that can convey messages in smaller sizes are paired up on a page, maximizing visual impact. The work itself tends to be both brilliant and familiar, trending toward subtle compositions that tell a story without being garish, appropriate for the topic.
   
   Where it starts to get clever is in how the book is arranged. There are essays by writers such as Amy Tan and Terry Teachout breaking the book into chapters, but the photos are arranged around prominently displayed salient facts about American life, such as how much TV we watch a day or that the average American woman has one hour less free time per day than the average American man (I tried to hide that page from my wife).
   
   It's a book that's supposed to teach us about us, and Rick wants readers to make it their own -- literally. The book has a companion Web site, MyAmericaAtHome.com, where you can order the book with your own photo as a customized cover. Since this is all about domestic life, I tried it out with a photo of my nephew at the ice cream shop instead of my professional work:
   
   As you can see, the process is well-designed and easy to understand, showing how the final product will look with the headline and logo, as well as whether your photo will have enough resolution to make a good cover print. It's not only an easy process, but a bit addictive, so be careful lest you order 20 different copies of the same book.
   
   This book represents an important topic well-handed, and a copy will be sure to grace my coffee table.
   [...]



5. This is a book for the whole family to page through and read together. It will be particularly appealing to children, since the material is not only appropriate for them - it is heavily focused on how the family is structured around the daily routine of kids.
   
   The book celebrates our diversity. We are a much more complex country than the rest of the world gives us credit for. We are not uni-dimensional, by a long stretch. We have many regional and micro-cultures and a broad spectrum of lifestyles, habits and opinions.
   In this book, Rick and Jennifer give a unique, respectful and gentle insight into people's homes and the things they care about. The camera sees the deep ties that bind all those people to their homes, their pets, their things, their landscape and, most importantly, to each other.
   
   We see conservative households in the heartland, both Christians and Muslims, that home-school their children, read the Holy Book, and celebrate their faith in their families. We see recent immigrants trying to adapt to America, scrape a living here, while remaining profoundly attached to, and nostalgic of their ancestral traditions. We see conservative same-sex couples loving their children and struggling with their busy lives. We see affluent folks on the two Coasts embracing modernity and new age ideals. We see diverse dreams of happiness, technology, tradition, community and the counter-culture.
   
   We see the immense mosaic of resources, cultures and moral ideals in our beautiful country, something to celebrate joyfully. As both John McCain and Barack Obama point out, we are about an ideal greater than ourselves, about service to family, our neighbors, and our country. This book is a lovely witness to this ideal.

5 comments about The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System.

1. I really like this book. It consists of exercises & a bit of theory, the book is filled with learning examples to understand exposure. A brilliant idea & well worth the money.



2. This is succinct and straight to the point. I have been looking for something like this for years. If a highly trained 76 year old idiot like me understands the methodology and make it work , anyone can. Cannot praise it highly enough.



3. I am a rank amateur just entering the world of photography and have struggles with trying to understand the concepts of exposure .....Well I have read ton's of books and articles but NOW is the first time that I have understood all of it. The book is amazing . It is written for the novice and for that I am grateful. but there is plenty in here for the experience photographer as well. I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you are serious about getting better shots this is definitely a book you need to read.



4. I bought this book primarily for my 17 year old son who knows nothing about exposure. It is probably not bad for a rank beginner, but the whole thing could have easily been condensed and thoroughly discussed in 30-40 pages. I fear my fairly intelligent son will be just about as bored as I was even though he doesn't understand exposure and I've been taking pictures for 40+ years.



5. The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System
   
   I am a beginner to the world of photography.The reason for me to buy this book was the difficulty with getting a correct exposure to suit different lighting conditions and objects.
   After reading this book now I am able to get a correct exposure and make it quickly.
   
   This is the best book I read which is intended for beginners as well.Book provides a lot of details in a very easy to understand format.Ample graphics are used and the Author gradually takes the reader from very basic exposure techniques to more advanced ways.Further he provides some quick steps as well.

5 comments about Digital Travel Photography Digital Field Guide.

1. Very informative, detailed, user friendly, you don't need to be photo pro to read this. I have learned a most from this one compare to another books. Read it, make notes and hit the field for some great pics.



2. i am an ameteur photographer that is trying very hard to understand a manual digital camera. i want to learn to take better pictures and use the manual features on my camera instead of the auto all the time. i have read many many photography books (probably 25 to 30 in the last 3 years). many go on way too long about how to select a camera - i don't think a book should cover that - cameras change too much from month to month and a good camera store should be able to steer you in the right direction. and, the books spend the last half covering how to change your photos on adobe. well, not everyone uses adobe. no matter what program you use, get a book on that. so, i loved this book, didn't delve into these two subjects too much. i can finally start to get a grasp of f stops and lighting and all that. my pictures have finally started to improve and i can understand what the book is saying. most other books i've read are either WAY to basic, too many or not enough pictures, too detailed for me to understand, etc. this book is perfect! i am learning a lot but it's not so far out there that i need to take a college course to understand the language used!



3. This is my fifth photography book in the past year, and I'm getting to be a bit of an expert on them! (joke). This is the first book that I have seen that is intended for the digital photographer who is planning a trip.
   
   David assumes some photographic knowledge, but covers some of the basics anyway. I won't go into that. Where this book excels is in teaching how to prepare for a photo-safari trip, or just how to maximize on a regular vacation. How to take photos that don't look like the typical tourist shots. What to pack. What not to. And how to learn to take good travel photos by using your home area in a series of homework assignments. "Digital Travel Photography" covers technique for landscape photography, nature, portraits (that don't look posed), and even planning a photo-vacaton to cover local annual events.
   
   Although David recommends packing this book as a filed guide, I don't equate it to the bird and nature guides that are pocketable. High marks for content and abundant color illustration.



4. I used this author's D50 field guide to learn to use my Nikon camera. Now, just when I am ready to set out on a dream vacation with my family, he comes out with this guide aimed especially at those taking vacation or travel photographs.
   
   I must admit that I like this one even better than the D50 book, mostly because 1/3 of it is NOT taken up with explanations of how to use camera controls. This book is chock full of great travel tips, how to prepare for your trip, how to equip your camera, and valuable information on maximizing storage, etc. Like the other book, most of its content deals with techniques for taking great pictures, but these are all travel oriented. The author works through several dozen different kinds of photo opportunities and offers recommendations for settings and how to approach the shot. Well worth studying before the trip, and including in your backpack, purse, or camera bag while you travel.



5. It's amazing how much essential information is contained within the covers of this compact guidebook. It's filled with shrewd advice on working with digital cameras of all types, from simple point and shoot models through advanced digital SLR cameras. Even if you already know how to operate your camera, you'll find lots of tips on coping with special problems you'll encounter in travel photography situations.
   
   This is a full color book with beautiful photos on every page, all of them of a type that the reader can aspire to after reading the advice in the guide. I especially appreciated the format of this book, which was small enough to tuck in a camera bag and take with you. Take it with you on every trip you take. I know I will.

2 comments about Facial Expressions Babies to Teens: A Visual Reference for Artists.

1. A ton of good photos to work from here. As always you may never find just the right photo to work from but with this many photos in one book you will come much closer to finding what your looking for.
   I could cry about the printing being to dark or wine about some of the grainy pics but hay for this price and not having to put up with a real brat and there over baring mother this is worth it (thats a joke honey).
   I have drawn a bunch of kids from life and most kind of like it but to get anyone to hold those cool odd faces is not being realistic.
   I have used the other face book more then you might think and sure hope to use this one as much.
   This book just makes my giggle every time I pick it up with the goofy faces these kids come up with.
   When I can't work from life a book like this is just what I need.



2. I own both Facial Expression books by Mr. Simon and for such a popular series you'd think they'd invest in a better photographer or a better camera. A lot of the photos, especially in this edition are very blurry and grainy. Though you don't need super well-taken photos to capture someone's facial expression it would have been nice if they would have upped the quality in this edition. I imagine it is difficult to direct children, but a lot of the expressions used were very similar too. This version has about the same amount of photos as the last, but they are a bit larger. I believe they made this change because one page after each person captured wasn't reserved for an illustration. This was a welcome change for me because a lot of the artists used in the previous book did sub-par work and some only re-drew the photograph of the person without applying the facial expression to something less obvious like an object or a fictional character. Overall, my satisfaction with this book is mixed. The first edition was far better because of the image quality, but it is nice to have references of children's expressions. Having little books to compare these 2 to, I had to give this 3 stars.

5 comments about Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (Adams Streetwise Series).

1. I will be using Sandra's title as a recommended resource in my upcoming High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series starting June 2, 2008.
   The 8-week tele-course will show ambitious career women, entrepreneurs and other professionals seeking to re-enter the workforce how to stay visible, credible, confident and connected "during a hiatus" or lay-off to help them avoid career suicide, re-launch their careers with confidence and ease the re-entry process when they're ready to return to work.
   
   Barbara Bamba is a career hiatus expert who specializes in "career hiatus marketing and management." She is the founder and former owner of the Philadelphia Speakers Bureau, a sought after speaker and creator of the High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series for ambitious women, entrepreneurs and other professionals who step-out, opt-out or get pushed-out of the workforce. Contact Barbara for more info at: barbarabamba@aol.com [...]
   
   Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (Adams Streetwise Series)



2. As PR has become more of a necessity for more companies, the world of public relations has become just as cluttered as the world of advertising, yet it remains a completely distinct animal. Gone are the days when writing a decent press release was enough to get you exposure. Today you need to take a strategic approach and have a complete plan. This book helps you develop that plan (and also helps you with how to write a good press release if you've not done that before).
   
   As the host of a radio show called The Publicity Show, I have spoken with a lot of publicists and PR professionals. This book gives an insiders view on what it takes to break through the clutter that reporters are bombarded with and create real momentum that will snowball. If you are looking for how to get consistent exposure instead of just a quick hit, this is the book.



3. I classify business books as follows: read and forget, take notes and dump, keep for reference. This book is definitely in the latter category. For small businesses, typically characterized by a tight budget, PR is often a mystery. How do so many businesses get into the media - sometimes repeatedly? This book demystifies PR in plain language. It also has formats, elements and numerous examples of the varius types of press releases. The book also makes the valid point that money is better spent on PR than advertising. Buy this book, save thousands of dollars for a consultant, and increase the probability to make thousands for your business.



4. This is an excellent book to create publicity for your business. It tells you step by step how to write and implement a publicity plan to promote your products or services. I cannot recommend it more highly.



5. as a public relations director, i was really missing this book. It refreshed my knowlege and added new inputs to me. this book is good for beginners as well as PR professionals. I highly recommend it for those who want to grasp pulbic relations and corportat communications subjects.

5 comments about English Cottage Gardening: For American Gardeners, Revised Edition.

1. I have owned this book for several years, and recently got a copy for a friend who is also into cottage gardening, and loves all things British. This book is chock full of ideas to help one create a beautiful garden. It is not a "How to" book, but a reference to help stimulate your own imagination. The photography is lovely, and the text is overflowing with information. I would (and did) buy this book again and recommend to anyone who loves English or cottage gardening.



2. This is a garden book to keep by the side of your easy chair. Every time I pick it up, I start reading and enjoy the straight forward descriptions and plant recommendations and flower combinations.
   
   I've made the mistake of ordering a book or two from the internet only to find that "English Gardening" is all about estate gardening. Lovely, but I don't own an estate. Margaret Hensel has traveled through England and brought back practical advice about how to get the look of a small, intimate garden outside English cottages not castles.
   
   It's an easy read of information about what makes a cottage garden have the charm and intimacy that I think of when I envision my own plot of land. There are diagrams of the landscapes as well.
   
   There's encouragement about what makes a English cottage garden rather than the usual approach that it's not possible to create this kind of garden outside of England. So many books fall short because they begin with this premise and this leads to how to add tropical plants or other such nonsense.



3. This is a truly wonderful and totally inspiring book. I bought it in order to look at the lovely photographs, but ended up reading it from cover to cover late into the night. I am completely new to gardening and have found so many books to be so dry as to be unreadable, not so this book. The main message of this book is just to start... LIke the gardeners profiled in the book learn from trial and error and move things around as necessary. The author describes a very personal, relaxed and process oriented approach to gardening which to me seems like the reason for doing it in the first place. Thank you Margaret Hensel.



4. My sister and I love english gardens...I bought the book for her..it was difficult to part with!



5. This books seems full of gardening ideas for those of us who are going to try to plant a cottage garden. We lost our home in the recent San Diego fires so this book should be great when we start from scratch.

5 comments about Timing for Animation.

1. Timing for Animation is the best choice for those who would like to have a clear view of animation-timing. It delineates the basics very concisely, which are long enough to understand, but short enough to run through anytime when needed. Has a good partition, right examples and illustrations, contains only practicable things which makes it very easy to read and highly practical. John Halas has made a good job, happy to be his compatriot :)
   Would recommend to anyone.



2. My instructor recommended this book for my special effects animation class. It was such a life savor.
   
   It covers all the basic animation topics like Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, Slow In and Slow Out, Exaggeration, etc...



3. As an animation student I found this book very helpfull. Not too heavy, just enough facts and examples to get the point across. If you are an animator or a student, you should own this book.



4. I have referred to this book for nearly ten years, and it is still my favorite with regards to the fundamentals of creating naturalistic movement.
   
   More concise, less self-indulgent, and less bulky than either Richard Williams' "Animator's Survival Kit" or Frank and Ollie's "Illusion of Life", Whitaker and Halas' "Timing for Animation" allowed me to advance in my knowledge of timing charts and the creation of believable, naturalistic movement more efficiently than either of those two venerable books. While I tend to agree with reviewers who question the book's price, the no-nonsense explanations it contains provide a solid base from which an animator can embark upon further exploration without being too tied to a particular guru's insights.



5. This book is simply a must have for animators. It's very clear written and has great examples, I consider it a must just as the two masterpieces "Illusion of Life" and "Animation Survival Kit". Being about the timing I think it works great not only for traditional animators but also for CGI one (like I am).

5 comments about Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video.

1. If I had this book as a reference when I first started out as a newbie assistant editor I would have made less mistakes along the way.
   
   Recently, I found this book when I started teaching an introduction to digital editing at the college level. Now I literally stand in front of the class with the book in my hands and say: "Learn what Chandler is teaching you in this book and you'll be on your way to getting and keeping a job as an assistant film editor. It is so full of practical advice and solid information on what to do and when and how to do it.
   
   Because of the availability of lower cost editing applications today, many young people become quite technically savvy with the software even before they leave high school. But they have no knowledge of, or experience of working with projects shot on film. Nor are they aware of the aesthetics of the art of editing.
   
   Chandler's book makes the reader aware of how much work has to be done before even one scene should be cut. Then she gives some great advice on what to consider when editing in general, and when dealing with various types of projects. It is a must read for anyone who needs more knowledge before they step into the digital cutting room.



2. I am never going to make a movie -I just love watching them, talking about them and understanding them. This book gave me enormous insight into how movies are made, not just edited. All the parts of a film come together in the editing process and Ms. Chandler explains how all those parts come into being as well as how they are edited together to make a film.
   It is well written and precise, as a technical book should be, but it is also lucid and frequently funny.
   Other than a couple pages of detailed film planning material at the end of each chapter everything in this book will be of great interest to any film buff



3. A comprehensive, updated, description of how to post, edit and finish a film including both creative and mechanical processes. Clearly written, many tables, charts, and illustrations. Covers film, digital, and web preparaton workflows. Fabulous book. High recommenation. But this leans on the technical and workflow side, not the creative. A wonderful review of the ENTIRE process. Necessary text for all film students.



4. If you buy the book, you have to be prepared to read much useless information.
   The interesting part of the book (10 to 15 pages) focuses on practical editing problems.
   The rest of the book contains endless lists of unnecessary information on video/film editing.
   From 360 pages of the book only 10-20 really count.
   Other books like "on editing" by Edward Dmytryk or " the technique of film editing" by Karel Reisz contain full, real, deep, dense information on the subject.
   And for the amateur/enthusiast/prosumer film/video maker (like me) there is one book that really arms us for the battle in that difficult field.
   A book with myriads of most valuable information.
   A book that it's a pity only few knowledgeable people have mentioned it.
   The "Five C's of cinematography" by Joseph Mascelli.
   That book every day teaches me. And that author is a big teacher, someone who loves and really wants to communicate his knowledge with fond to learning people.



5. This book is a reminder that there's more to editing than meets the eye.
   
   Chandler methodically details editing practice and thoery in an easy to understand way. There's so much here for the interested hobbyist to the aspiring editor.
   
   An indespensible resource.

5 comments about History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present.

1. This could have been dry subject matter, but it was both interesting and useful. As an avid designer that dabbles in photography, I found this to be a great book.



2. The book is more than perfect, its content, the way its written. It was right on time with a big discount, but had a corner a little wrinkled.



3. I can't remember the first time I read this book, decades ago. Although it's quite dated in light of the advancements in digital photography in recent years, this is still the first reference to check for information about the first 140 years of photography. Even with Wikipedia available, this is the book I check for information. I happened to live in Rochester near the end of his time as curator of George Eastman House, and got to see first hand his influence on the medium. Newhall's book will remain on my shelf for as long as I am interested in photography.



4. As a student, I was forced to buy this book during my 2 year tenure at photography school. It remains one of the most comprehensive, detailed and well written references on the history of photography. History books can be a little "dry" to read but this one is exceptionally well written and covers a vast amount of ground in an admirable fashion.



5. If you're even remotely interested in photography and its development, this book is a wonderful way to learn about it. It details the emergence of all the important photographic processes with just enough technical detail to be interesting and not so much as to be overwhelming. There are many pictures in it that provide examples and show how images changed over the years. It also includes the personal aspects of this history and how photography has affected our culture. The writing is smooth and easy to read. In short, I highly recommend it; you won't be disappointed.