No comments about Space: A Photo & Fact Anthology: 2009 Day-to-Day Calendar.

2 comments about John Waters (Place Space).

1. Every John Waters fan must own this! I feel like I'm peeping through the windows of his house spying on him. How cool is that? Fake plastic food, kitschy collectibles, and a library that puts mine to shame. Highly recommended from a huge Waters fan!



2. I am so pleased with this item!!! I am an avid fan of Mr John Waters, and all of his works. My collection would not be complete, without this magazine.
   
   It is soooo righteous! All of these photos of HIS HOME, his crazy crazy collection of weird vintage stuff. His porn, his literature, his knicknacks (his house is full of glass food!). It's just fabulous. Get it now.
   
   If you DON'T know who John Waters is... but you like interesting voyeuristic ventures into a complete strangers interesting, flamboyant, original, awesome private home... then you too will dig this excellent bit of media. ;>

5 comments about Until Now.

1. I gave this to a pregnant friend, and she absolutely LOVED it. I actually spent an hour pouring over the pages and the notes in the back before I gave it to her. It is an excellent book, although it is a little small (probably about 8 inches tall).



2. I bought it for a friend recently- somehow I expected the book to be a little bigger- still a good gift for all the pregnant women in your life :)



3. I assumed that all Anne Geddes books were full of adorable pictures of uncomfortable-looking babies. I bought this book online as a gift for my Grandma for Christmas. I wrapped the book before looking through it, and was more than shocked on Christmas morning when my Grandma was flipping through her brand new book and saw a lot more than babies!! While the photography is stunning, please be warned that nude adults are included in this particular collection. I was also disappointed that the pictures were rather small. Overall, the pictures were beautiful but the book was not quite what I expected.



4. I was recently presented with a copy of this--compendium of cultural toxic waste--by a friend with dark sense of humor. I had confessed to her that, after lapsing into unconsciousness after a bender compounded of too much Maker's Mark and not enough food, I had had odd and disturbing nightmares studded with grotesque images of infants. By the following weekend, she left a copy of this monstrosity on the cocktail cabinet. After shaking up a suitable quantity of Manhattans, we fell to thumbing through this glossy bit of schlock. The inevitable debate arose: Does this stuff really reflect some vision of Geddes', or is this a very well put-over joke? I thought I had the better end of this argument by suggesting that anyone who collaborates with Celine Dion must have an immense sense of humor, but I was reminded that listeners to the latter are often a really humorless lot. That stymied me. And Geddes' objectification of infants, I was reminded, has the hallmarks of kitsch and sentimentality, but with an edge of--fetishization. These images are no more genuine, no more reflective of the (rare) bit of beauty that one can glean from a squirming screechling, than a grainy Linda Lovelace flick. Either Geddes is a master ironist, or a very, very disturbed photographer. For a case of the creepies, only Wegman and his harem of porno-Weimaraners can do more psychic damage.
   
   So as a gift to someone whose tastes are so utterly debased that they can't see the creepy humor in this, as a gift to someone who can, or as an evil prank on someone who is likely to have colorful nightmares, this thing is a winner.



5. Anne Geddes takes such beautiful pictures of babies! This price for such a big book is a GREAT value for the money. You won't be disappointed!

5 comments about Lighting for Portrait Photography.

1. I loved this book it is great, I haven't tried every illustration but I love the layout, and the ones that I did try are excellent I own numerous amouts of portrait books but I find myself reaching for this one the most.



2. This book leans towards the "artistic" elements to portrait photography (which I love). If honey dripping and being licked from fingers (non sexual way) or a portrait of a model with egg suspended over her face are not yours (these are the extremes of the book, most others are more realistic)and you are looking for improving your family photos or posing seniors, you may want to look elsewhere, although you will still likely benefit from this book. If you want to see how some very "non ordinary" ie exceptional photographers achieve their results, this is it. I enjoyed it very much and it is basically a diagram book. An image is shown, then little keys show where (and what type) lights, gobos, flags, etc were placed and the cameras settings for the shot are diagrammed -excellent. this makes the book a quick read and a great reference, I've read it once but as soon as I finish a few others I have left to read I've got this on the "return to read" stack.
   
   Also, worth noting for anyone who noticed and may be sensitive to nudity and get the wrong idea. If you click on Amazon's "look inside" feature, in the table of contents section it shows a topless photo (as of this writing).In the revision of the book I have, 2007, purchased from amazon, that photo has been replaced. There aren't any nudes in the book, that I remember. Just in case something like that is offputting to you I thought I'd mention it. In fact I think that photo has no place in the book, not because it's a nude, which is also why, but because it's not up to the caliber of the rest of the book either. There are some flat out great portraits in this one.



3. 
   
   At the middle of last year I opened a photo studio. So, I can say, I'm still beginner int this topic. So, this book was very helpful for me to gt advance knowledge about art of making great photos.



4. This book is great if you are just starting out in portrait photography. There are detailed light diagrams and a lot of awesome portraits to choose from.



5. I am a portrait photographer and I pull this book out all the time to review lighting set ups and get inspiration. A definate must have for any photographer. I especially love that the book extensively covers one and two light set up and using foamcore bookends. You don't need a bazillion lights to create amazing images.

5 comments about Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest (Deluxe Edition).

1. Stunning - Ortner's best book yet. He has captured the surreal
   natural beauty of the Southwest. Breathtaking photos of a part of the country that I was not familiar with. I was impressed with both the fold out panoramic views as well as the gorgeous signed and numbered print that I am framing.
   Jon and Martha Ortner's creative efforts have produced the definitive pictorial to the American Southwest. It will be among my most prized books.



2. 
   What a spectacular book!! I am mezmorized by these amazing images...so beautifully shot. This is surely one of the most brilliant collections on the forces of nature that has ever been put together under a binding!
   I have had many friends over to the house, and after looking at this book (and wanting one for themselves) they are so impressed by the flow, the impact of the images, the breathtaking panoramas, and the exquisite quality of the reproduction.
   
   This book is a treasure, to be looked at again and again and to marvel at the vision of Jon Ortner, who has captured these images so exquisitely. And the foldouts are just astounding!!!
   Cynthia Adler



3. This is rich and thoughtful book that is truly a work of fine art. The luscious landscapes are true to the spirit of Ansel Adams while maintaining a fresh contemporary feel. The print quality and color and is exceptional. It is a museum quality book that feels more like a portfolio of fine art prints. I particularly love the scale; it is quite large with tons of images and foldouts. Included is a limited edition signed print by the artist. A nice touch that feels like a personal gift. I Highly recommend this book to photographers, travelers, book collectors or any one who appreciates beautiful things.



4. Dare I say erotic? How else to describe the color and curving layers in these hollows and hills? The force of wind and water, pressed in the vice of time, doing its splendid work...These are visions unlike anything usually associated with America.
   
   But who among us would get out there intrepid in the hot desert with great stamina for weeks of travel to see these extraordinary landscapes? Fortunately Jon Ortner and his partner Martha McGuire have not only made the difficult trips to these stupendous and hardly seen treasures, but have the talent to bring back, through the eye of a panoramic lens, the best of what they saw. Vistas in the first morning light, in the sunset glow, gazing up from the watery bottom crevices of the deepest canyons , and down over the long distance of white crusts so delicate that every step must be measured--have been captured with a practiced eye and consummate skill.
   
   These trekker photographers bring us the greatest and unknown gifts of this country, and an experience that is bigger than the page. Who ever thought that rock could sing such a siren song? The photos speak the story, deepened by masterful writing. If ever a book of photographs and words compels us to understand the evocative, magnetic, and soulful power of landscape, it is this book. It is a sensual, compelling joy.



5. Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest, by Jon Ortner, is unique in at least two very important ways: First, Ortner has gone to places so remote that few other photographers have been able to attempt these ambitious images. Ortner's images - the most extensive and most beautiful documentation of this endangered American legacy - reflect his seemingly supernatural dedication to his craft. How could he have captured that astounding image of the North Teepees in Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness? How many days hiking with heavy, large-format, panorama cameras, tripods, and other equipment did it take for Ortner to arrive at - and bring home to us - the one-of-a-kind image of Paria Canyon? Second, captured with a large-format, panoramic view camera, these images have immediately become the standard by which all other such photographs will be judged. This book redefines southwest U.S. photography and is unlikely to be approached for many years to come.
   
   The locales of course are the core of the book and cover all of the most extreme sites, including the spectacularly sensual Waves site in Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, the astonishing slot canyons of Antelope Canyon, Zebra Canyon, and Peek-a-Boo Gulch, as well as practically inaccessible tribal lands that together make Ortner's accomplishment all the more impressive. This work obviously required not just photography skills, but expedition skills as well, that reveal a sensibility that harkens back to a time before SLRs when Ansel Adams and the great documentary expedition photographers took the care, risk, and time to document a vanishing wilderness. Canyon Wilderness reflects that sensibility, alive today in Ortner's monumental work. (Another beautiful element of Canyon Wilderness is the presence of lush, expert, illustrative quotes throughout the text.)
   
   And the book itself is impressive. At almost 250 pages, with hundreds of images, multiple fold-out panoramic images extending to over four feet wide, Canyon Wilderness is a substantial experience in itself. The large-format panoramic images are nothing short of immersive - they are literally enveloping. As if I were there, I had to move my head, panning from side to side - for my eyes to take it all in. The vivid palette and intense color saturation in this book are unlike any I have ever associated with the American southwest, with many images that are more like what one would expect in Patagonia - or Venus - proving that for the dogged scholar-artist, spectacular, novel sites may be found even within supposedly well-explored America.
   
   Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest is an extraordinary achievement.

2 comments about Masterclass: Anal Sex.

1. This is a really informative read for anyone interested in adding any anal behaviour to their play.
   
   Anal sex must be one of the most discussed topics, highly erotic for some repulsive and vile for others etc. Even historically it was significant enough to rate a mention, written into Mythology where it was demonized as an extremity of sinfulness (Sodom). Curious that. After all, the same mythology includes enlightenment being evil (The tree of the knowledge of good and evil), female empowerment being improper (check out the Lilith myth) etc. So that in itself acts a pretty good recommendation, suggests there may be something worth exploring in anal sex. Anything that was so vigorously opposed by the institutions charged with the job of keeping the masses compliant and scared to reach their full potential for knowledge, power and pleasure must have some merit!! In the Southern parts of India anal sex was also included in the Kama Sutra as a sacred and significant act, yep, lots of good reasons not to dismiss anal sex as weird kinky stuff just for sick people.
   
   This is a great little read that doesn't bother with the historic aspects I've just mentioned. Instead it's straight forward, honest and a good manual, helping people understand what it's all about, to know their own bodies, to learn their own pleasures, understand safety and, for some no doubt, find some of the best fun times and most powerful orgasmic experiences they might ever have. For others they'll just have a better understanding on their bodies and possibly just find one more sexual option that just `isn't for them'. None of that matters though because there's probably very few people who could read this book without gaining a better understanding of their bodies and find some more options to explore in search of the pleasure that does `do it' for them.
   
   If my body is a temple, there is no part of it which isn't sacred and no part of my body which is dirty or in any way a shame or embarrassment. If anyone has a problem with my refusing to consider any part of me or any partner of mine dirty or a humility, you know where they can stick their thoughts,-in their dirty, humiliating places!!
   
   Cheers
   
   Lloyd



2. Wonderful pictures, short book, not very much information. Buy this book for the visual and "Anal Sex for Couples" for instruction.

5 comments about Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) 6.0 Classroom in a Book.

1. The Item arrived on time and in good shape . I would do buisness with this merchant again. Thanks



2. If there are those out there who have read: "Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Classroom in a Book" ISBN 0-201-71016-1
   and disliked it as much as I did, please submit reviews of better books you've found.
   
   I got the impression that, that book tried it's best to make sure you had very little idea of what the lesson was leading up to until the very last sentence. The problem with this method is that it makes understanding and following the lesson much more difficult because you have little idea of what it's leading up to.
   
   Using it as a reference is pretty much impossible. You can't just pick up the book and go to a point of interest and learn that topic. It seems like you have to start at the beginning of the book just to get the sence of something in the middle or end of the book. Frankly, what a piece of crap. Thanks for any recommendations.



3. When I first picked up Adobe Photoshop 6.0, I almost gave up on it because I had no idea how it worked. Instead I searched around for a book to teach me how to use it. Well, Photoshop 6.0 Classroom in a Book was the right one to chose! Simple, step by step lessons teach you about each feature of 6.0. If you're brand new to Photoshop, this book will make you an expert!



4. If you want the practice and need a step-by-step lesson, this is a good book. I did want the step-by-step practice, and I'm still glad I bought the book. However, it only tells you what to do. It's not very good at explaining why you're doing it or what exactly the overall effect will be. Also, any tool, filter, etc. that you don't learn about in the lessons, you don't really learn about at all. I think it's a great book for practice, but it's probably best used in conjunction with another book that doesn't have lessons but gives a better explanation of the tools, what they do, and when and why to use them. An example is probably Photoshop 6 For Dummies. I haven't bought it yet, but I've looked through it, and I think it will be helpful if used along with Classroom in a Book.



5. First, let me say that it is very easy to pick apart any book that attempts to introduce a beginner to such a complex application program as Photoshop6. I am not an expert on Photoshop but I have invested a lot of time and money learning how to use it effectively in web development. This is an very cost effective approach to learning some of the useful features that Photoshop offers to the artist both in the Print media and the electronic web pallet.
   Just remember this is starting point Photoshop is an life long pursuit if you are trying produce original quality work. If you can find a good copy used. It will be a reference book that you will continue to use years after you complete the exercises in it.

5 comments about The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.

1. Nan Golden achieves in this book a thing that is very difficult for most photographers to do well. She makes pictures of great power because they are connected to deep personal experiences, good moments and bad. The bridge of the gap between subject and photographer in herself helps bridge the gap between photograph and viewer.
   Good Shtuff.l



2. Nan Goldin captures what it's like to be human in a way that no one else can. Her friends---her family----feel pain and introspection and I felt lonely looking through the book but the rare moments of connection in a world where so many people are alone with their drug addiction, disease, unhappiness, are all the more moving.



3. It's really sad how Nan Goldin hasn't gottten a single intelligible review for her seminial work, "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency." Her incredibly self-brutalizing protrayl of her life, friends, lovers, are just the sort of photographs we take when we want memories to cut. Most of the photographs are candid, fleshy, and almost dirtied with color. People copulate, hurt, masturbate, alienate each other with the sort of urbane nonchalance that people confused in their own lives inflict on others. In one particular self-portrait, Nan Goldin records her battered face directly after being battered by her lover, her bloodied eye matching her pasty lipstick. That one photograph can rip you to shreds if you let it. Originally, Nan Goldin showed "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" in a slideshow format, which probably has a different feel than the book does. While some of the photos in the book were a little weak in the grain, most of the photos are beautifully reproduced.



4. I'm glad I didn't buy this book, now that I've seen it. Although the reproduction quality of the photographs is very good, the photographs themselves aren't interesting to me and are even a bit distressing.

   I haven't seen the film(s) or exhibitions about Nan's work though. There is some information about her work on the web - take a look at Yahoo.




5. this is one of the best collections of color photography i have seen. nan and her friends are beautiful and scary and strong and fun and sad. i have seen the slide show and bought the book when it was reprinted. go out and buy it! END

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop CS3 A-Z: Tools and features illustrated ready reference.

1. when you forget how to use a tool or how to do something in photoshop this is great to have around better than going to the manual to figure something out



2. Even a casual reader can get tips from this book because a single topic is covered just on that page. If you have a question about a technique or are unfamiliar with some of the terminology, this is a great reference book.



3. Excellent Photoshop guide .All Photoshop users should have this reference
   sitting alongside their Computer as an instant companion when delving into Photoshop
   Highly recommended



4. This is a concise, well-written quick reference for Photoshop CS3. I would say, as someone who takes the ACE exams when they are newly released for each version, that this book would be helpful in studying for the ACE exam but not sufficient on its own.
   
   All of the major features and dialogs are covered but some of the important functions associated with a given feature or dialog, are not. For example, there is a column about the Channels panel, but no columns or descriptions relating to some of the important functions held within the Channels panel, such as the ability to create a Spot Channel. There are of course many other examples, many of which are specialized but nonetheless important features that anyone serious about Photoshop will want to know, ACE exam or not.
   
   I've also noticed a few layout and typographical errors (for example sometimes section headers for two different functions, will mistakenly show the same menu tree / shortcut. IOW, the layout person cut and pasted, but never updated the text).
   
   Overall however, this is an affordable and worthwhile reference to have, especially if you're not as concerned about the specialized functions or hidden commands within a given panel or dialog. The quality of the binding and paper are very good and the image reproduction is decent. I would recommend the Photoshop CS3 On Demand book because of its added depth, but it is riddled with errors.



5. Photoshop is not known for it's easy user interface or help files. There are many tutorial books that take you step-by-step through common tasks, but this is finally the book to let you quickly look up all those little things you can't remember. The book starts with about 20 pages of step-by-step summaries of common tasks (importing photos, selection techniques, retouching, etc) then the remainder of the book is an alpha listing of every Photoshop feature. Each feature has a consistent format showing a small before and after photo, the menu path for the command, the shortcut key for the command, what versions apply, "see also" and where needed a screen shot of a dialog box. There is no index - it's not needed. this is a handy size and it stays out now when I am using Photoshop.

3 comments about Wedding Flowers.

1. Paula Pryke is very popular in the industry and has the reputation of being UK's top florist. Paula designs tasteful, classic, never go out of fashion styles so you won't find anything wild or trendy in her work. Because of this, brides who lean towards classic, tasteful styles are more likely to be satisfied with the bouquets they'll find in this book.
   
   This is definitely more of a reference book for bouquet photos and basic information and not really a "how to" book. If you're looking for "how to" books for making bridal bouquets and wedding arrangements, you'll want to check out books by Ardith Beveridge and Terri Rye. Most of their books are "how to" books filled with step-by-step instructions.
   
   A previous reviewer states that the book's author recommends brides hire a professional florist to design at least their wedding bouquets, and that reviewer ultimately rated the book lower because of that. I make that same recommendation to my budget-conscious clients on a daily basis due to a long history of past experiences so I totally understand why Paula felt that is important enough to mention. All too often florists everywhere (including myself) get last minute, frantic calls from tearful brides or their mothers. It's the evening before the wedding and the bulk flowers they ordered online to save money are wilty and brown or not the flowers they ordered and they need to know what you have available for purchase. Ultimately, they spend twice as much as they would've (buying two sets of flowers) if they had contacted a florist in the first place. The other most common frantic call is from brides and their mothers when they've attempted to design the bouquets themselves and they are gravely disappointed at the results (typically because they don't have any formal art or design training to understand proper visual placement to make the designs most appealing, they don't know proper floral prep procedures to make sure the flowers don't prematurely wilt, and/or they don't know proper mechanical techniques and the bouquets are loose or falling apart). I wholeheartedly agree with the author on this point. It's one thing for a bride to place some simple loose stems in a vase for inexpensive centerpieces, but when the bride spends a small fortune on photographs, it makes sense to let a professional design the flowers (bouquets and boutonierres) that will appear in nearly all the photographs and be forever documented in an expensive wedding album.
   
   The two key visual things that define a bride as a bride on her wedding day are her wedding gown and her bridal bouquet. Most brides don't make their own wedding gown (for fear of how it will turn out if they haven't had formal sewing training) so why would they make their own bridal bouquet if they haven't had formal training in floral design? It's not just about knowing how to hand-tie a bouquet -- it's about knowing formal visual design principles and floral properties (such as how quickly a flower blooms and wilts, how it reacts to other flowers and greenery that may excrete sap, how to condition, handle without damaging, etc). It really is more involved than people think so it's very easy for people to bite off more than they can chew and get into trouble, resulting in panick during one of the most nerve-racking, stressful times of their lives. As such, I don't interpret Paula's comments as a "hard sell" for floral services. Instead, I think she's simply trying to educate brides about the fact that it's so much less stressful and risky to hire a professional designer to handle at least the most important and photographed flowers of their wedding day.



2. Paula Pryke Wedding Flowers is a wonderful book. The bouquets are absolutely beautiful and inspiring. She provides excellent directions. Festive Flowers by Pryke is another great book.



3. It's a lovely book on choosing wedding flowers, but like all products from the Bridal-Industrial Complex, it's more about giving you a complex than giving you a wedding. Paula Pryke comes up with some beautiful arrangements, and she gives you lots of wonderful information about the history and meaning of flowers, what flowers are in season, and how to go about choosing flowers. That said, she is, as is unsurprising for a professional florist, utterly convinced that decorating a wedding is something for hired professionals to do. She says in the intro that you should, at the very least, hire someone to do the bridal bouquet, the implication being that if you do not, you will suffer ignominious failure. This is especially frustrating, since many of the bouquets she showcases for the bride are simple, classic, one-type-of-flower affairs, of purple calla lilies or roses making a wonderful impression, simply gathered in a ribbon. There is a lot of great information, but not much practical how-to. And much of what's good in the book (the seasonal suggestions) you could get from merely speaking to a competent florist, which is what she encourages you to do anyway. Save your money, or at the least, only buy this used. It's better as a coffee table book than as a resource.