5 comments about The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers (VOICES).

1. I have this book on my desk at all times. Step by step applications that make learning photoshop CS a breeze! I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn how to enhance their pictures!



2. This book, like many photoshop books, is just the same thing over and over. How to retouch photos, how to use layers to change the intensity of an image. It's a good book if it is your first photoshop book and you're looking to learn the basics, but it is nothing beyond basic.



3. These book have helped me to do things I could have never done without reading. Love these Photoshop books.



4. Good easy to understand instructions. Full color pictures help.
   
   Topics covered are for intermediate users.
   
   Some advanced topics such as HDR not covered.



5. I got this b/c I am still pretty new to photoshop and it's a tough program to get a handle on b/c of the terminology. This booked helped me get thru the basics and even had a few advanced tips. It's easy to read and very well written (Kelby is pretty funny!) I would reccomend this to anyone just starting out in photoshop.

3 comments about Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers.

1. My background is in engineering photography (high-speed events), but I want to learn more about studio photography for marketing and demonstration. I purchased this at the same time I purchased the Creative Lighting Techniques for Studio Photographers and Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting. Of the three, I got much less out of Softbox Lighting Techniques than either of the other two. Maybe it's just me, but this just looked like a random collection of different studio lighting setups. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, no explanation, no general drift, just a grab-bag of different light arrangements.
   
   On the plus side, the photographer did something I always thought should be done, but have never actually seen in the wild: he used a Gretag-Macbeth chart in some of the photos as a reference for doing color balance.



2. Stephen A. Dantzig's SOFTBOX LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS tells how to use the softbox tool to produce superior photography lighting results, from understanding how softboxes work to their different sizes, shapes, and range of possibilities. Techniques range from producing glamour shots and interior images to using color temperatures effectively and modifying lighting with scrims and masks.



3. Unlike Steve's previous two books "Lighting Techniques for Fashion and Glamour Photography" and Master Lighting Techniques for Outdoor and Location Portrait Photography", "Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers" is light on all the theoretical techie talk ie: Inverse Square Law etc . . . and heavy on the creative use of Softbox Lighting. Almost every page of the 122 page book is illustrated with Stephen's beautiful photography along with diagrams to help illustrate his points. For those of you who are technically impaired like myself this will be a breath of fresh air! If you like the nuts and bolts of lighting, then make sure you pick either of Stephen's previous two books, which go into much greater detail on these topics.
   
   Once you get through a short chapter on the Characteristics of Light, you are headlong into the practical use of Softbox lighting along with chapters on softbox modiefiers and combining hard and soft light sources to give you images some snap. The book does not stop there, it finishes with chapters on using softboxes to light commercial interiors and products as well as a chapter on using the softbox for outdoor lighting. Stephen has left no stone unturned with this latest in his Trilogy of Lighting books.
   
   The only real complaint I have for this book are the Lighting Diagrams, for my personal taste I prefer diagrams illustrated from the Camera's perspective and not the models, which avoids me having to constantly flip the image in my head. A minor nitpick at best.
   
   Even acclaimed commercial photographer Will Crockett was noted as saying "Professionals and non-pros alike will find something of use in Steve's new book and we think the info on "Combining Light Sources" in Chapter 4, is some of the best we've seen on this topic." I totally Agree!
   
   Bottom line, if you are a seasoned portrait shooter looking to spice up your typical softbox images or a beginner looking into adding the softbox to your arsenal of lighting tools, we highly recommend this book!
   
   Cris Mitchell
   Publisher
   ProPhotoResource[dot]com

5 comments about Hollywood Glamor Portraits.

1. If your into black and white portraits you'll enjoy this book; a collection of portraits to inspire any student of photography.



2. If you love old style Hollywood photography this book is a must for your collection. My only wish was that it showed some of the lighting and techniques used to take the images. But as far as a straight forward picture book goes even if your not a photographer you'll enjoy the great looks and drama from the past.



3. This is a great coffee table book, I very much enjoy looking through it (being a vintage photography/Hollywood fan myself), but I have to say, I was most dissapointed when I didn't come across some of my fav. stars.

   Such as:
   -Sinatra
   -Marilyn
   -Audrey

   So if your a fan of them, don't get this book. ^_~

   Otherwise, it is a good book to have, if you like Vintage Hollywood, or just looking at the glam portraits of the past.




4. Where to start? This is almost a wordless book filled with 145 glamour shots from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood. I would say that the book is a work of "art" and contains the work of many masters of still photography of the era. Some of the photos are truly stunning an deserve to be shown in the top Museums in world. The book uses high quality, acid-free paper and strong binding that enhances the book as a collectable. It would make a nice piece to anyone's collection of art books and you will page through it every so often. The reason that I did not give the book a higher rating is because it is quite short, it's a paperback and does contain many average works (in my opinion).

   My personal favs were: Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow and Louise Brooks.

   thank you for your time, David




5. Here is a beautiful book with some breathtaking photos of some the hottest Hollywood film stars of the golden era. The quality of the first and oldest photos are not the best, but one can see an improvement as the years go by. What makes these photos so special are the talented actors who can portray just about any emotion the photographer calls for and his ability to capture it on film. The best ones at this is Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich.
   
   My favorite is one of Carole Lombard on page 40. It will knock your socks off. I too wish these books came in hardcover, but then it wouldn't be as affordable. A wonderful addition to your library and for anyone who loves the old movie stars.

5 comments about Hotel Lachapelle.

1. Simply inspirational photos. I love the quality of the prints and it's a nice touch that the book comes in a small box.
   
   The photos are truly fantastic! Lachapelle is able to take you to fantasy worlds with his colorful and over the top photography.



2. It's a big book with wonderful pictures.
   Very nice print.
   And I have no words to describe Chapelle's photos.



3. Shows off some different styles of David, as well as shows off his clientele. Great photos and a cool hard cover with the same graphic as the cover to keep it prestige.



4. I have always loved David LaChapelles work. He is a fantastic photographer and this book was well worth it. Depending on your taste, i think i prefer his first book to this one, as this one is a little more provocative. But all in all, he is amazing, and anything he does is worth owning.



5. Confronts you. Makes you feel so small. Makes you feel like the king of the world. So much depth.

5 comments about Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual.

1. I really like Henry Hoernstein's book, Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual. I use it as a text book for my Photo II class. It brings 2nd semester students to the next level, "Old School" style. Easy to read and to the point.



2. For those of us who want to go on in photography and learn in depth techniques, I think this book is pretty good. I have Horensteins book Basic Photography. I appreciated all the indepth coverage of the elements of basic photography. Beyond Basic Photography continues with more detailed coverage. I don't like the illustrations this time around, they seem more cartoony--but the content is very detaile.
   
   The book is very specific about teaching you how to get good negatives, which will in turn, help you make better prints. That's always a good thing.



3. "Beyond Basic Photography" is indeed a technical manual, in the sense that it focuses on things you can do in the darkroom and in lighting setup. It does feel outdated for those of us who have left the bad-for-health-and-environment chemical world and adopted the digital revolution. There's also nothing about how to take pictures; the emphasis is how to light and how to process the film.



4. This book is really surprisingly still in print. It's from the 70's and it looks like it. Some useful information can be gleaned from it to be overgenerous. I find it rather amusing in fact. The photos inside are absolutely ridiculous. They are clearly examples of "just let me take your picture for this ass of a book I'm writing..." -- the fat couple in lawn chairs is pretty funny (pg. 21). The discussion of the zone system is laughably short and comprises only 5 pages. Most of the discussion centers around mixing various chemicals in various ratios. I wonder if all of these are still available on the market. The drawings in the text are third grade level, and someone actually gets credit on the cover! This is a very poorly done text and I don't recommend it with so many other books out there on this subject matter.



5. As a student of Henry's at the Rhode Island School of Design I read the book BEFORE I attended RISD I was captivated by the simple ways he explained the "sometimes" complexity of photography.

   Such as Henry's way - making life easy and fun for everyone.
   
   I suggest checking out his other books too.

5 comments about Workers: An Archaeology of the Industrial Age.

1. The author: a great reporter.
   The book: a detailed "story" of manual workers, from Sicily to Cuba and India...
   Very good images, very well printed. Very very good black and white warm tone.



2. Salgado, like Bresson, Smith and Evans goes into the detail the world of WORK, it is an amazing array of images.



3. Wonderful book! Highly suggest buying if interested in socially concerned photography. Only negative comment is that the book designer chose to place some images on a two page spread which means the subject of the photo's are in the crease.



4. My wife and I saw these photographs exhibited in NYC quite a while ago (mid to late 1990's at the ICP?) and were extremely impressed, and I think that the book does them justice. Some are almost difficult to believe are real (see Brazilian gold miners on pages 300 & 301).



5. I was lucky enough to see this wonderfully humane expose and photographic genius while it was on tour at The Philadelphia Art Museum years ago. At that time, I passed up buying this book at the Museum Store and regretted and searched in stores for it years later.
   If this book were on everyone's coffee table and looked at page by page ... there would be much more respect and much less oppression in the world. Good people would see to that.

3 comments about Flight Attendants.

1. There's not much to this book as a "coffee table" book. There is only one photo per two pages and no text accompaning the photos. What text there is is limited to a couple pages at both the beginning and the end of the book. The text at the beginning is by the author and is an abbreviated history of the flight attendant and how it relates to the airline stewardesses he studied. The text at the back is almost a criticism of the work. No where in the book is the answer to the most urgent question raised by this book: Why do the Tiger Airways flight attendants have the Visa logo embroidered on their blouses?



2. Loved this book, I'm in the airline industry and it brings the "new" reality of flying with the lost mystique. I also saw the Tribeca exhibition of this book and I wish I could have afforded one of the poster-sized prints; instead, I bought a second copy and framed my favorite shots. A nice addition if you are an airline buff or just need to be reminded that there is still something called "class" in the commercial airline world today.



3. From the 4 photos displayed, I was expecting more of a "classic flight attendant" look throughout the book. While there was a bit of that, most of what I saw felt a bit more mundane and typical of modern air travel. I get to experience more than enough of that without a visual coffee table aid.
   
   The photography is well done. The quality of the book is excellent and the introduction is a fun read.

5 comments about Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer.

1. This book has a fine combination of beautiful photos and well written text about an American niche. There are stories and examples from all over America that give a glimpse of the joy of seeing the world from a home away from home.



2. I have a weakness for books on architecture and interior decorating anyway. But this is the one I turn to again and again. For those of us with Champaign tastes and beer budgets, a vintage trailer is ulimately doable. Own your own piece of modernist archeture, albeit on wheels, even though you could never touch a Mies or Wright. When ever I try to figure out what to do with my 1957 Sportcraft (a classic silver-clad "canned ham"), I flip through these pages. I always find something inspiring.



3. This is an incredible wealth of information for anyone interested in architecture, travel trailers, and Americana in general. Lovely photography is augmented by nicely coordinated text. Some redundancy is my only criticism.
   
   Bob



4. An architect and a photographer co-authored this classic mix of pix and text that rolls us down the American back roads in high style. From the early almost-train cars manufactured for the wealthy, to the poor man's alternative --- "Sleep in Your Car," one ad suggests --- we are drawn along by the fantasy of life fully lived away from home, a fantasy that could only have taken root in America, where roads and cars grew up together in serendipitous symbiosis.

   Before the metal bodies and custom interiors, there had been the Conestoga wagons and, before that, the wooden gypsy vardos of old Europe. Sheepherders had "arks" made for crawling across the lonesome prairie, precursors to "tin can tourism" that attracted freedom-loving Americans almost as soon as they discovered the practicality of the auto itself.

   From the 1930s onward, the question was not if they would buy it but what shape they would purchase, as independent companies vied for a market share, assembling campers shaped like teardrops, bread loaves and fantastical avian forms lifted from the burgeoning airplane industry.

   Today's RVers owe much to Wally Byam, a true fanatic whose conception of a trailer accessible to the average middle-class family resulted in the Airstream, arguably the finest development of the pull-along format. With wood paneled mod cons within and an aerodynamic metal bullet exterior, the Airstream divorced trailering from the Oakie image and spawned many imitators. While confections like the Curtiss Aerocar and Pierce Arrow's faux railcar sought the aristocratic end of the market, and utilitarian itsy-bitsy tent-trailer combos attracted the low budget traveler, Airstream sat doggedly in the middle, offering class, ease of hauling and fine workmanship at an affordable price. "Today, more than four decades after his death in 1962, Byam's basic Airstream design continues to roll off the Jackson Center production lines, still widely regarded as the Rolls-Royce of trailers, and still inspiring imitations."

   For nearly fifty years in the heyday of over-the-road vacationing, there was a Very Large Array of metal boxes on wheels, with names like Comet, Gypsy Wagon, Spartanette and Airfloat, and some more durable brands like Shasta. Because these ephemeral blips on the trailering screen were often handcrafted and built, remarkably, to last, many are still rolling or at least set up on blocks in mint condition, alluringly photogenic.

   Gellner and Keister sought them out and tastefully snapped their innards and their outer skins, along with the cars that pull them. Where the snowbirds flock, these metal bubbles proliferate, often hauled by cars of equal interest to collectors. Now there's a new craze, and why are we not surprised --- that of building "vintage" campers, look-alikes to the old timey road runners of the early 20th century. Is this true "camp" or what?

   Peering inside these metal marvels, via the camera's eye, we get a feeling for what was considered essential to the traveler in times past: parquet flooring, lounge chairs, recessed doors and plastic laminate kitchen counters, the latest thing. Beginning as a simple imitation of home interior design, trailer construction soon became a playground for experimentation in the technology of the tiny, the art of making things work smoothly in cramped quarters without skinning knuckles or having to sleep in a ball.

   Like millions of Americans, I've followed the camper craze, the boondoggling and midnight interstate rest area getaways. I've moved with the carnival where homes on wheels have to be durable for the weekly hops. Maybe when I retire I'll look for a campsite at Slab City in California or Quartzite, Arizona.

   If you love this book, then you're the guy for me. You and I could hit the high spots --- starting at Braden's Castle in Reno (that's where we'll get married), then on to Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona, where overnight guests can stay in vintage trailers. We'll honeymoon there in the Spartan Royal Mansion.

   --- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott




5. Ready to Roll: A celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer
   Although I am admittedly a bit biased because of Tin Can Tourists' association with Dough Keister and this project, I found the book to be top notch. The blend of Arrol Gellner's text with Doug's pictures provides the reader with much more than a typical "coffee table" book.
   I believe it deserves a place with Galloping Bungalows and Wheel Estate as a must for those that require a fuller understanding of the RV evolution from the Tin Can Tourists to Airstream Founder, Wally Byam.

5 comments about The Photograph: Composition & Color Design.

1. Mante's "The Photograph" joins Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye" as a must read for anyone who takes a serious interest in photographic composition. Though it probably won't be an easy read -- Mante does occasionally make considerable demands on the brain and the eye -- it will almost certainly be a rewarding read. You will likely find yourself taking, looking at, and thinking about photographs differently.
   
   Mante organizes his book around five basic concepts, each of them the subject of a separate chapter: point, line, shape, universal contrast, and color contrast. His discussion of these concepts is enhanced by numerous diagrams and photos. Understanding the text requires studying the diagrams and photos, sometimes including putting the book down for a while and then coming back to it. Mante wants photographers to think differently about their craft, which means shaking off their usual ways of seeing what's in front of their cameras. The final chapter demonstrates how the five concepts might work together, using Mante's own work (the photos are his throughout the book).
   
   There is something in Mante's approach that I find quite challenging but am unable to express precisely. Conventional photography books tend to take the subject as a given to which conventional rules (e.g., the rule of thirds, placement of the horizon, shooting early or late in the day) can be applied more or less effectively. Mante wants to pull the photographer out of this often basically reactive mode by instead taking the subject as something in which the photographer is far more actively, creatively involved. This means challenging pre-existing ideas about what our "subjects" may be. It means genuinely internalizing the notion that we don't find or dis-cover subjects already out there, but instead have a more direct role in creating those subjects by the very act of taking photographs. Our subjects, in a way, need no longer also be objects.
   
   It's obvious that I'm still trying to work through the implications of Mante's book, but that in itself convinces me the book is worth reading. Whether or not it makes me a better photographer remains to be seen, but it has made me re-examine my ideas about what "better photographer" means in the first place.



2. Still reading this book... There is some interesting stuff in there for sure but it is terribly put at a disadvantage by the writing style and page layout of the book.
   Interesting points are delayed in useless assertions such as "the landscape format is the traditional format for landscape pictures" or "... the portrait format gives a visual impression of begin somewhat narrow relative to the height..." The style is quite repetitive and fitful due to very short sentences.
   The page layout is organized with pictures on the upper page and text on 4 columns in the lower page. Because some pictures are also inserted in the lower page, one of the columns in the lower part of the page is regularly left blank, forcing the reader to "jump" over the gap, from one column to the next. Worst of all, diagrams and pictures referenced in the text are almost never on the same page as the reference, and they are not referenced in the order they appear (eg diagram H called before diagram A...) which forces the reader to go back and forth from one page to the other. Fortunately, chapters are short so it's mostly one or two pages to flip to see the picture corresponding to the text.
   All this makes the book fairly difficult to follow, which is a pity because, again, there is interesting stuff in there. Because of that, I find myself reading only 1 chapter at a time... or reading only the text without caring about references to images, and then taking time to look at the pictures only...
   (side note to Rocky Nook: why the chunky hardcover format and not the nice small paperback used for Take Your Photography to the Next Level: From Inspiration to Image ?)
   Regarding the text, I would say you can skip this book and go for an introductory (or not) book about drawing.
   The pictures are good though... They cover a wide range of subjects/styles and they are inspiring. They make it worth having a look at the book. And they explain the 2/5 rate.



3. This book is my first text on picture composition and design. I've read books about the technologies involved with photography and books that explain why a particular photograph really works.
   
   But Mante's book explains the principles behind good photographs. And the value of this is that it gets you past understanding why a particular picture looks good and into how you can replicate the success of that photograph.
   
   How exactly does Mante go about doing it? He breaks his large book down into the basic elements of interest in a picture. There are five major sections on photo composition in the book dealing with points, lines, shapes, universal contrasts and color contrasts.
   
   All through his text, Mante deploys copious photographs - some almost thumbnail size. I found this to be hugely useful because it gave me lots of data points for each of the principles described by Mante. There are multiple elements at play in each of the pictures, but instead of explaining all of them at once, you tend to focus only on the ones being described. This allows the reader to understand the mechanics contributed to the picture by the immediate principle alone.



4. This may seem to be a mutual back-scratching club, as I'm following a review by Tom Campbell, who also reviewed my own book, The Photographer's Eye. Nevertheless, I'm compelled to say that this is the welcome return of one of the classics of composition in photography. And excellently updated and revised, too. Mante methodically and sympathetically presents an exhaustive account of the formal elements, from points and lines, through colour, to purely photographic forms such as time sequences. His painter's training allows a refreshing and rare cross-discipline analysis. An essential read for anyone with an interest in design in photography (and any photographer SHOULD have just such an interest).
   
   Michael Freeman (author of The Photographer's Eye, among many others)



5. Serious photographers! Immediately purchase and immerse yourselves in this extraordinary volume of instruction and inspiration. Of all the hundreds of photo and image texts we've reviewed at MyMac Magazine, The Photograph - Composition and Color Design is the most important one for helping intermediate to advanced photographers grasp the precision and acuity necessary to achieve the finest images. Those are strong words, matched by author Harald Mante's strong content.
   
   He is an acclaimed German professor of photography who has been teaching and publishing photo textbooks for over 45 years, with numerous exhibits in many countries. Such a resumé is mere fluff if his photos and tutorials aren't impressive, which they certainly are.
   
   Over 600 of Professor Mante's powerful photographs illustrate his lessons, each of which is accompanied by detailed descriptions, plus charts and graphs of his own creation. Photo presentation is world class, as are all production values within The Photograph. My heart was racing as I turned page over page, both from Professor Mante's sensational photos and with enthusiasm for his methods.
   
   You must understand image design (composition) and color design to be a top notch photographer. If you consider yourself already to be at your peak, the mountain will rise by the application of Mante's methods. Beginning with "The Point," and progressing through line, shape, and contrast, concluding with "Using the Tools," this book is its own reward. Your photos improve as you marvel at the author's.
   
   Now stop reading, and order The Photograph - Composition and Color Design. Then send us a thank you note.
   
   MyMac rating: Perfect 5 out of 5!

No comments about The Hot Shoe Diaries: Creative Applications of Small Flashes (Voices That Matter).