5 comments about Leroy Grannis: Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s.

1. This is one of the few coffee table books that can give you a rush of adrenalin just by flipping the page.
   
   Leroy Grannis may not have been the sole architect of the late twentieth century surfing culture phenomenon, but he certainly was among the dozen or so people that projected the image of surfing beyond the enthusiasts to almost every nook and cranny of our globe. Kids in Omaha bought surfing-styled duds, listened to surfing music, and went to some really hideous Hollywood surfing movies. Grannis, and the publications that used his photography, took surfing away the beach and showed the landlocked how much fun they were missing.
   
   Whether you lived the lifestyle, emulated the lifestyle, or just want to know how cultural trends can capture the imagination, this is a great book.
   The Shut Mouth Society
   The Shopkeeper



2. This was a gift for my husband. He LOVED IT! It had great pictures of surfing throughout the years. It was neat to take a look back in time. I am going to purchase another book for my brother, who is also an avid surfer.



3. In my opinion, this book is one of THE BEST surf books ever. The visuals are clean and classic and takes one back to the golden age of surfing. The writing is short but informative. LeRoy Grannis put his stamp in this world and is a legend among all surf photographers. I am a big fan of Mr. Grannis and of surfing as well.
   Buy the book, put it on your coffee table, have some friends over and discuss.



4. This was purchased as a gift - specifically requested by the recepient - and so I have never seen it - but they said they loved it - very beautiful pictures that brought back lots of memories for them....



5. "Granny"s magnificent book is a must for any surfer's library. The art of Leroy Grannis' photographs is not only his beautiful composition and exposure, but also his portrayal of the ambiance, exuberance, and joy of the surfing world of the 1960's and 1970's. He has incitefully memorialized the icons of the period.

5 comments about North Carolina Waterfalls: A Hiking and Photography Guide.

1. I'm planning a photographic trip to NC to do waterfalls. This book has more falls than I can possibly photograph. Book is well organized. Gives helps with travel, times to photography, best locations. It's all in this book. Hikers will also find it beneficial.



2. This is an essential guide for anyone who loves waterfalls and lives/travels to North Carolina. The photo tips are very helpful. This is a great update to the original, as access points and property ownership change. The author has even changed his mind about some of his initial beauty ratings -- some up; some down -- so you know he's done his research as well as the footwork.
   I also recommend Kevin's book on Virginia/West Virginia waterfalls and North Carolina wildflowers.



3. Excellent book for locating waterfalls. Very good directions. Is a good book for those just wanting to look for waterfalls, but not much for a regular hiker as most of the trails are either very short, or there is a need to bushwack.



4. A good reference, but I found the directions confusing at times. You need to drive slowly and read carefully.



5. I am an amatuer nature photographer so I am always on the look-out for books to know where to go to shoot. This book may be the best photography guide I have ever had. He tells you where the waterfalls are, and how to photograph them. Best of all he has the guts to rate the quality of each waterfall on a scale of 1 to 10. There are so many waterfalls that I can't visit them all. With this book I can go only to the highly rated ones and know they will be knock-outs. When I get there he will help me to know how to shoot it. This is a great book!

2 comments about The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow.

1. Black and White is not dead - it has its advantages over the world of color. "The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow" is a complete and comprehensive guide to the craft of taking photos in the style of black and white. Chapters discuss when black and white should be used rather than color, how to avoid the cliches so often associated with black and white, applying new technology to improve an old art, and much more. For anyone enthusiastic about photography, "The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow" is a must-have.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. This is a welcome volume for B&W photogs and a useful read for color photographers from another fine German photographer/author. This is Hoffmann's first instructional book to be published in English, although he has had numerous articles on image design/composition published in the magazine "Leica Fotographie International", or LFI, which, by the way, is not published by Leica-Camera GMBH.
   
   Hoffmann emphasizes the possibilities in tonal manipulation in digital and analogue photographing. The point of his presentation is always to show how manipulating the tones and, therefore, contrast, contributes to the design of the image with respect to the photographer's intentions. He spends a significant amount of space on showing how to elicit mood in various kinds of photographs (content).
   
   His chapters start with, what I find to be, rather interesting summaries of the chapter topic's history, significant practitioners, and current directions. Then he examines several of his own images in detail. His commentary on an image concentrates on the visual structure and on the darkroom and/or digital manipulations necessary to realize his intentions. The only other book that comes to mind for nearly such excellence in pictorial descriptions or captions is the first edition of Bill Smith's "Designing a Photograph," which sets the standard for applying the Gestalt visual psychological approach to analyzing image structure.
   
   Rather differently from the other two top volumes on image structure currently in print, Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye," and Harald Mante's "The Photograph," Hoffmann spends significant time looking at the various genres of photographic subject matter and then covers composing/design from the point of view of visual tensions and abstract structure. There is overlap with both of the other volumes, but also depth and emphasis that is his own. Color is not part of the subject in this book, but color photographers will benefit from Hoffmann's insights into tonality, contrast, and structure in images.
   
   This book, IMHO, sort of completes the circle of really good books on photographic composition/design at the intermediate level. With this book, the years 2007 and 2008 have been the best in a few decades for the publication of outstanding books on design/composition, and it is interesting to this reviewer that the three best are by an English and two German photographer/authors . It just does not seem that US practioners are taught the nuts and bolts of visual design to any degree of depth and ability to articulate their thoughts about image structure. The ability of even world class US photographers to discuss the reasons that their images work in structural terms is relatively rare.
   
   I like this book enough to make a triumvirate of this one, Freeman's book, and Mante's book for readers interested in sophisticated, analytical approaches to visual design and image structure. The only thing I would wish for is that more of his photos be accompanied by those delightful little thumbnails with his structural line diagrams. The more of these there are in a book, the more an interested reader packs away in one's mental image databank for later resurrection and use.
   
   Some asides before I finish. Hoffmann gets more visual mileage from aircraft vapor trails than anyone else I know of. Most of us regard these as intrusions into the tranquility of our landscape images. But, in the venerable tradition of divorcing content from an image's abstract structure, and the role of structure being to support the content, Hoffmann integrates these features into his images so forcefully that to remove them would ruin the image. Bravo; Mante would be proud.
   
   Too, the basic structural architecure of many of his images rests upon the grid formed from the golden ratio approximations of breaking the height and width into 5/8th and 3/8th divisions. One advantage of this choice versus the preference of US photographers for the Thirds Rule is that the Thirds method breaks the space into nine identical rectangles - a recipe well on the way to boring space management. Yet, as shows Charles Bouleau in his seminal book, "The Painter's Secret Geometry," even relatively simple visual architectures in the hands of someone with excellent training and inspired talent yield captivating, dynamic images, while the plodders among us achieve less subtle and interesting results.
   
   I hope it will not be so long before Hoffmann gives us a volume on design in color photography.

5 comments about Pools.

1. I was excited to see this has been reissued, as the first edition copies cost several hundred dollars. Well I can see now why the 1st edition continues to bring top dollar. If you get a chance to see the pictures in the 1st edition and compare to this one, you will be highly disappointed. Pictures which were bright and cheery, turned out gloomy and look like they were taken at night with poor lighting. I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't get over the poor printing. If you haven't seen a 1st edition, you might not care, but if you have, you may be quite disappointed like I was. Guess I will have to save up and splurge for a 1st edition. The good thing is this only costs about 5-10% of what a good 1st edition copy sells for.



2. I, too, missed the first edition of this book and combed used book stores for years in vain. When I heard Pools was being reissued, I was delighted and preordered. When it arrived, I sat outside in bright light for my first look, expecting to be dazzled, but was sorely underwhelmed. Over the years, I have noticed lousy printing in many of Rizzoli's books and this might just be the worst. Page after page, what should be vibrant images are overly dense or dingy and end up looking sinister instead. The shadow areas are often completely black. The whole book looks like it took a gloom pill. I feel for Kelly Klein. She's done a great job of assembling a fascinating collection of images which are mostly drowning in too much black ink.



3. If you are artist or photographer,buy it.
   If you are landscape architect or pool's designer,DON't buy it
   Kamal Moneir



4. I read the few available reviews in advance of purchasing this book, and to my disappointment, the one negative reviewer was the most accurate. To one of the praisers, I agree that the book has a beautiful cover and would look great on a coffee table. However, inside the book, the images are poorly organized, and what little decription is available is at the end of the book in a short (two-page) reference. Better pool / landscape images are available in Architectural Digest and Southern Living articles. Overall, I found this book boring, repetitive, and disappointing. I haven't seen the Slim Aarons pool-themed book yet, but I would imagine it would have more interesting images and commentary / documentation.



5. Kelly Klein explains that she was inspired to create a comprehensive design reference for those wanting to complement their own backyard with a swimming pool. While the book does provide dozens of interesting and beautiful photographs of pools, water and people, it provides little, if any, inspiration for those hoping to design their own oasis. There are dozens of books that offer better photographs and design ideas for modern backyard swimming pools. In addition, there are thousands of photographs on the internet that would offer more help than most of those shown in Klein's book.
   
   If you are desperately looking for a coffee table book, you may find this one appealing. Personally I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, of better collections of photographs. Other than the quality of the paper, this pretentious volume wouldn't warrant a $12.00 price tag.

5 comments about Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation.

1. Fantastic book! This book is well written and is amazingly interesting. A must read for anyone interested in 50's design.



2. I absolutely love 50's (and early 60's) animation styles, so based on the other reviews here I eagerly awaited this book. It was a huge letdown.
   
   First of all, the majority of content here is biographical information about the artists who created this art. As such a nice piece of scholarship and research, and giving these artists their just rewards is a Good Thing. But that's basically all there is.
   
   Yes, there are some images, even quite a lot, but the artwork isn't large or arranged in a manner to make any sense (other than as biographical material). There are a few tantalizingly good images, but the vast majority are small, rather pedestrian and, oddly enough, not particularly indicative of the style of the period.
   
   The author sets great store by "unconventionalism", but in point of fact the art of the 50's and 60's did become conventional -- it became its own convention. And this kind of historical perspective is sorely missing here, in large part due to the way the material is organized (it's strictly a studio by studio look -- no timeline or growth of the art is presented in any way. Each studio is given a page or two, and the studios are listed alphabetically).
   
   If you are into cartoon history *facts* then this book will be a goldmine of information for you. If, like me, you are more interested in the visual aspects of the art then I'd strongly recommend skipping this and spending the money either renting or buying some of the cartoons from that time period that are available on DVD (contrary to the author's opinion, much of the stuff IS available: once again, his bias towards the unconventional means that he overlooks the majority of work of that time period).



3. If you are a cartoonist, or animator, or aspiring to be either one, this is the book to have. Hurry before it's out of print!!!



4. Cartoon Modern by Amid Amidi is a book who's time has come. As an artist
   and a baby boomer, this book brings back warm memories of my youth sitting
   in front of the T.V.(back then Cartoons only happened on Saturday.)
   So these images have a fond connection to a developing mind at an age
   that soaks it all in, from English ONE to Gerald McBong Bong. Just a note,
   I do have 3 of the original Gerald McBong Bong and find genius in the
   illustrations, so timely, to have all these illustrations and works of art
   is like having bell bottoms popular again! I have been trying to find
   other Gerald McBong Bong tapes at flea markets, yard sales, etc. So how curious
   to see Gerald McBong Bong in the stores again. I bought two different D.V.D.s
   my fingers and opened it up and all the wonderful illustrations were turned
   into a over intense experience of the story, packed with friends and parents, noises,more friends,all packed
   into a 1/2hour show. This tells me two things, our children need more attention
   grabbing, multi-tasking everything, which means when we were children , T.V.
   had been out for just a few years and there were no computers, hi-def,
   cell phones, I Pods, e mail, in fact I don't think the first computer game "Ping
   ,pong was , but years away. This book is wonderful in it's simple ,
   but great art and illustration, when life was not so erratic. I also want
   to let the cartoon fans know that this book is packed with tons of color. I always want a read a review that lets me know there is color ,
   I am a colorist, in my art, and I do think we may see some of these cartoon
   images in bits and pieces in our art today. It's a good thing.



5. This book is so much more than I thought it would be. An incredible source of art, artists and companies, this book is an essential for those who respect animation in general. Incredible reference for the price!

5 comments about Master Lighting Guide for Commercial Photographers.

1. Both natural and artificial light are analyzed and essential elements for successful commercial photography are revealed. This book starts off with a vast array of equipment for producing light. Each lighting apparatus is thoroughly explained as well as how each device applies light. Many examples of setup diagrams detail how different types of lighting angles affect an image and ample photographs illustrate each change. The best lighting techniques for various situations help perfect the illumination demands that commercial photography requires. A creative approach on common subjects is also covered. This book is the total package that will provide an edge in this photographic discipline.



2. What a book. This book takes you from step one all the way to the final stages of photographic lighting. This is what my teachers weren't teaching me. This is a real world application of commercial photography for any photographer at any level. It has helped me comprehend how the simple basics of lighting grow into complex shots that are based upon simple yet exact theories. Wonderfully illustrated and executed.



3. This guide is great for the beginner, but as someone who has been in the photography world for years, I was hoping for something that would push my creative lighting skills. This book definitely did not do that. I also found it to be incredibly boring. While the model shots could be nice for the right person, the hundreds of shots of volleyballs were just horrible. Unless you are a true beginner, skip this book.



4. This book is well done with lots of photos to accentuate the descriptive language. I recommend this book.



5. What skills produce top images and big sales? Lighting has a lot to do with a photo's success or failure, and the basics of commercial lighting are here revealed in a guide covering how to use and capture light. From selecting commercial equipment to creating setups and shooting using panels, grids, umbrellas and more to soften or accent lighting, Master Lighting Guide for Commercial Photographers is filled with both photo how-tos and business tips for neo-professionals. Perfect for the college-level collection strong in photography studies.

5 comments about The Photography Book.

1. Great anthology of the premier photographs from all over the world. 500 excellent quality photos with notes on the photographer and subject. A good springboard to investigate interesting photographers in more depth. I have purchased one for myself and 3 as gifts.



2. Great small size for traveling or just to carry with you. Small print type, but nice for content and style pics.



3. Following on the heels of the similar "Art Book," "The Photo Book" is an inexpensive, interesting and invaluable reference. Each page is devoted to a single photographer, and provides a snapshot (pun intended) in writing about that photographer, as well as a reproduction of a representative work of that photographer. The appendix provides a wealth of information about photography in general, as well as a taxonomy of sorts regarding fine art photography. If you are interested in photography as an art form, this book should be in your library.



4. First of all, it is a great book! I read it from libary and seached from Amazon afterward.
   
   however, the under $10 paper back edition is not the kind I have read in the library. It's a mini edition of the same content. and it makes the letters too small to read comfortably. The pictures in the mini book are fairly ok, but not as good as the hard back edition's.
   
   i strongly recommand the hard back edition book but not the paper back. it worths $30+.



5. One of the may "relatives" of the original "Art Book", this is possibly the most accesible of the collection. The photographic image is after all, an art form we can all identify with and one which most of us regularly utilise and interact with.
   The layout follows the same gentic coding as the previous books, which is a tried, tested and highly sensible a-z format, exploring a wide range of artistic schools as it wades through the alphbet.
   The chosen works are stunning and like any good gallery plan, aims to stir a vast range of human emotion and experience.
   My only problem with this book, and it is more a criticism of the genre really, is that page after page of same artisitic medium (however diverse the pictures may be) renders it a little lack lustre, but then however beautiful a picture may be one cannot escape the basic premise that the image is more about good fortune than good work;however skilled the cameraman/woman.
   While I would undoubtedly recommend this book, it is the quieter child of the family and you won't want to visit it as often as it's more vibrant siblings.

4 comments about Henri Cartier-Bresson: Photographer.

1. Our affective and existential memory not only has been not only enhanced, but enriched in sum grade due the photography in a good portion of its nature, and being the memory the human form of the time, Cartier-Bresson knew to achieve and freeze the actuality to become eternity.
   
   We are commemorating the first centenary of the birth of this giant of the photography. Looking Cartier-Bresson's work we use to remind that admirable sentence of Renoir. " We should remind that a field of wheat painted by Van Gogh can arouse a stronger emotion than a field of wheat in nature."
   
   The astonishing atmosphere displayed around every single pictures of this genius of the lens arouses that authentic sensitivity, artistic conviction and supreme commitment that signed his life.
   
   That book is by far one of the most excel and must-have references to keep in mind him.



2. Excellent!! Cartier-Bresson has got to be among the top 2 or 3 photographers in history. The book contains 155 images presented in a good large format perfect for viewing. You get all of the details. I can sit for hours slowly moving from photo to photo. I am a photographer. This book is teaching me so much about the decisive moment and moods as related to photography. I cannot say enough about the book. Every person interested in photography should have and study this book!!



3. THE Cartier-Bresson book to own. The reproductions are high-quality and large, the selection is superb, the book is made to last. Almost all my favorites are here. In short, worth the high price. He always deserved a book like this.



4. This is a beautiful book of duotones of Cartier-Bresson's work. It features the most famous photographs Henri has ever photographed and because it was excellently printed, you can truly feel the images with such intensity. This is a definite book to own if you love Henri's work.

5 comments about Matters of Light & Depth.

1. Rather than lighting formulas which are a great way to see the tried and true setups, Lowell discusses the "whys" to light in particular way, opening up your creativity. It discusses selecting the planes of the subject that are desired to be emphasized/de-emphasized and lighting accordingly, eg good cheek bones vs. large ears. To consider having your lighting be consistent with visible light source in the scene. A great companion to Light: science and magic that considers how particular surface types should be lit. It will change the way you see light, consequently the way you photograph or watch movies.



2. No problems. Who could complain when the product was delivered quickly and in the condition as described (great).



3. For those of us who seem mystified by why their videos look so...well, bad, Matters of Light and Depth offers valuable insights into the subtle and not so subtle qualities of light. Some of the material presented looks at still photography, and some takes advantage of classic artists whose tools were oil paint and canvas. All in all, while Matters of Light and Depth does not offer a "by the numbers" approach to lighting scenes, it does provide strong aesthetic considerations, as well as pithy quotations from people who "do lighting." It's worth looking at. And the glossary is entertaining, as well. Basically, you just can't beat something from Ross Lowell.



4. In a few words, this book is a must read for begginers and proffesional individuals that find themselves quite lost within the vast challenges of visual arts.It is a great guide for capturing great lighting into film,video or any other medium. Mr.Ross Lowell has set some high standards and has created numerous great lighting techniques, which shares with us, inside his well organised book.
   My only comment will reffer to the small print in the letters of the book.
   Great!!



5. Let me say up front that I view the book from the prospective of a photographer, though it does cover film and video lighting also. This book is an easy read and offers a great balance technical information and practical applications of technique. The exercises presented at the end of the book work well to illustrate many of the lessons in previous chapters and show the reader first-hand the subtleties of lighting technique. "Matters of Light & Depth" is in my top ten favorite photography books along with "Creative Still Life Photography" By Bruce Pendleton, and "Learning to Light: Easy and Affordable Techniques for the Photographer" by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz

5 comments about Thin.

1. Based on the Lauren Greenfield's HBO documentary of the same name, Thin graphically presents the stories of several women receiving residential treatment for eating disorders at the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida. The intense emotionality of these stories is captured best by eating disorder specialist Dr. Michael Strober who describes them as "gripping, poignant, bewildering, heart wrenching, incomprehensible, inspiring, sickening, disturbing, repellent, touching, infuriating, and so much more" (page 159). Greenfield's amazing photojournalism speaks as loudly as the words voiced by the women themselves in conveying the insidious, shocking, tragic, and lethal nature of eating disorders. Each and every page bleeds with the pain and despair of women who are literally dying to be thin.



2. I saw the documentary first years ago and recently I picked up the book. The book is way better in my opinion. It was hard reading it because it was very graphic and depressing. I pray for these women to get better.



3. I read "Thin" a day or two after seeing the documentary, and it gave me a better sense of who the 4 women focused on in the documentary, especially of Brittany, the youngest of the four girls. Diary entries by Polly and a letter written by Brittany to her mother were honest and touching. The book also gives us a look at a number of other Renfrew patients who were not in the documentary except in the background. One of them is a woman whose eating disorder began in middle age. There are older women, women of color and a woman who is an overeater who was grateful that the underweight patients (the majority of the patients) were so welcoming to her (which I guess makes sense; it was their own bodies that tormented them). The photos are graphic, but not lurid or sensational; the photos are stark (some of them) but they are haunting as well; you won't forget these women soon. The text includes a lot of the statements made by the four patients who were the focus of the documentary, but it includes other stories told by residents that we don't get to meet in the film.



4. I have read this book cover to cover twice already & watched the documentary numerous times. The stories the girls share are believeable & heart-wrenching, & if you have or are suffering from an ED, you can really relate to them. The photos just pull you in & you want to know more & more about each of these women.



5. This book is the most honest book ive ever read on eating disorders. I have quite a few family memebers with anorexia and bulima. I watched them waste away, go into to hostpitals and come back from the time i was 5 untill 19. Most have recovered, or are still in recovery. One of my cousins put it to me this way "once an anorexic, always an anorexic" even though she is at a good weight (still 5 lbs underweight) and is now 29 she still has trouble and daily struggles. Most books ive read in this subject all kinda have the same ending, they are finally hospitalized, recovered and then last page is "THE END" which is far from the truth.
   Lauren Greenfield has truly Captured the Day to Day life with older, teenagers and young adults suffering from eating disorders. The details are graphic and the photographs in this book actually made me cry, but it was a eye opener. I reccomend this book to anyone who has a loved one or friend that has an eating disorder. Alot of people do not understand or can even commprehend why anyone would choose to starve themselves, This book can really give enlighting information to the desperate person trying to cope/understand their loved ones eating disoder. To anyone who is curious and just wants information in eating disorders. This is the book! the author holds nothing back. Excellent is all i can say! buy this, you will not be dissapointed. I hope this review was helpfull.