4 comments about Master Lighting Guide for Wedding Photographers.

1. Great information with current well known professional photographers shared knowledge. Would highly recommend this book.



2. This book is not per say of lighting. Its about shooting weddings. There are only 5 setups with pretty minor discussion. Rest is just either huge fluff on what light is, or on what to shoot at the wedding. Unfortunately, i already have AWESOME book by Glen Johnson, and some experience behind me belt to listen what to shoot (which is not explained very good either, btw, but rather quickish).
   
   Images in book, on other hand are pretty good. Its pity that some of them repeated from other lighting and wedding instructional books. And about 30% of them i wouldnt even consider to hand out to the client, but send straight to the dust bin.
   
   Shooting of groups is pretty much non covered either. And book would get on and on about sort of expensive gear you may want to purchase to light things up.
   
   So i will try to re-read it in a week or two, but so far i have that "you got screwed again" feeling, as a kid, who opens X-mas present, but would get like a tie, instead of cool toy train.



3. Bill Hurter has created another in a long series of wonderful photography books. The book is richly illustrated with images from some of today's premier wedding photographers. Both artificial illumination and the creative use of natural light are explained in great detail. I especially enjoyed the real expressions on the subjects in the photographs. The images did not looked forced. This is an excellent inspirational guide for any wedding photographer.



4. Everything from the essentials to creative lighting is covered in this book. The works of many leading photographers are illustrated as well as technical aspects and tips. A must-have for those seeking superlative wedding images.

5 comments about The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book: Harnessing Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool, covers Photoshop CS3.

1. This book is more complete than the average Photoshop book. (I currently have 6 books in my personal library on various Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom topics.) The approach that is taken with this book provides more funadmentals than usual - the "why's" of what is presented rather than the usual cookbook, "follow along" style that is typically used in these type books. While the book does provide some of the underlying fundamentals, I took off one star from my rating because more improvements in describing the "whys" could be made to make it even more useful. But overall, this is better than most, and I would recommend it for both beginning and intermediate users of Photoshop programs (from Elements to CS3 versions).



2. I added this volume to my rapidly growing photoshop library in order to learn more about layers, which is indeed a very powerful and most useful weapon in the photoshop arsenal.
   
   And there is a lot of very useful information in here, which I reckon is both the blessing and the curse of this book. After reading this book, you will definitely understand layers. However, there is a lot of text and, as a reviewer before me pointed out, not that many pictures, which to my mind, is not a very good combination. The text can be a bit hard to follow without any prior understanding of photoshop I should imagine. I was certainly glad, that I had already purchased and read other books before this one.
   
   I'm not a big fan of the Scott Kelby approach to photography or photo editing. I think he oversimplifies the learning process in a way that makes you learn some of the hows but none of the whys. This book takes the exact opposite of Kelby's approach and loads everything you could possibly want to know about photoshop layers in your lap. This does make the book a bit heavy. You need to concentrate while using this book and you probably need to go over some of the things a couple of times.
   
   So in conclusion I'll say, that this book is very good and very thorough, but does need an effort to go through. I wouldn't recommend it to a complete novice either, but once you get into photoshop I think it is defintely worth acquiring.



3. I purchased this book and another newer layers book at the same time, hoping to really dig in and get a good grasp on a great feature of Photoshop I want to know in and out to improve my workflow. If you're new enough to Adobe Photoshop that layers confuse you, this book might be too in-depth. I personally find it a bit boring. Also, not enough images. Designers and photographers looking to learn Photoshop are (presumably) visual people. Help us out with big gorgeous color images. I'm well educated, but I am BUSY! I don't need quite so much detail. Just SHOW me how to do it. Just my opinion, but that's what these reviews are for, right?! Maybe for the next edition. Cute cover design, though!



4. I am please how easy this book is to follow. Layering is essentially the power behind non-destructive photo editing and this book covers the concept of layering in an easy to understand manner.
   
   I've had maybe 2 months of tinkering around with photoshop and by doing the excercises in this book, i was able to venture off on my own and create fantastic composites quickly.



5. I got through the first couple of chapters. I understand layers a little bit better, but there should be more of the basics. It should start off with the simple actions rfequired to use layers

5 comments about RFK: A Photographer's Journal.

1. Benson's photography is great--but whoever edited the book flipped photos. Including the cover photo--which clearly has RFK's hair parted on the opposite side. C'mon guys--



2. Although 40 years have passed since Bobby Kennedy's assassination, the photographs in this book still bring a sense of sadness and longing. In many ways RFK's death, following that of Martin Luther King, marked the death of hope in American politics, perhaps even American society. Author/photographer Harry Benson's photo-history of RFK captures some of that promise and sadness but, to my mind, it could have been so much more.
   
   Benson's book consists of two separate sections. One documents a boating trip RFK & family made in 1966 down Idaho's Snake River. The 1968 section covers Kennedy's bid for the presidency, ending with his burial at Arlington.
   
   In the '68 section, Benson intermixes photos he took of Kennedy with entries from his diary and excerpts from some of Kennedy's speeches. In terms of imagery, most of the photos are fairly stock shots. The Ambassador Hotel snaps though are heartbreaking. Others have commented on the flip-flopping of images which is somewhat disconcerting. (Didn't Benson look at the galleys?)
   
   Aside from correcting the photo mistakes, the book would have benefited from more personal comments and observations from Benson and less usage of speech excerpts.
   
   Recommended with some reservations.



3. I was very moved by this book - the intimate images of a family vacation we beautiful. It is definitely worth getting and I think it would make a great gift.



4. This book is a great reminder of what artistic photo journalism can be. The book compiles a set of shots that walk the line between a family's intimate moments and a political leader's ascent and death. It is both micro and macro and could only have been made by a talented photographer with deep access and the knack for being in the right place at the right time. And keeping his wits about him when he was in the worst place at the worst time.



5. This book by famed photographer Harry Benson is a fitting tribute to RFK's legacy, with stunning behind the scenes photographs of RFK and his family on holiday on the River of No Return, during the St. Patrick's Day parade and campaign, as well as before, DURING and after the assassination at the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968. Benson was the last photographer to leave the Amassador Hotel kitchen that night. Although other photographers may have taken photos that evening, none caught the scene or covered this horrific event as extensively as Benson. Have you also seen Benson's books on the Beatles? You should.

3 comments about Travel Scrapbooks: Create Albums of Your Trips and Adventuresi'm.

1. It is very informative. Lots of good ideas. I am glad I purchased the book.



2. This book shows some very nice and new ideas in scrapbooking. Here in Holland it is really getting better with scrapbooking. I teach people for over three years now, I was one of the first. And these kind of books make that I can offer my students something new every time!



3. If you've ever been on a day trip, road trip, or full fledged vacation and you are looking for fun and creative ways to preserve those memories, this is the book for you!! Not only will you see great examples of "pages" but you will see how entire albums can be created around them. This book is great for all levels of scrapbookers. The only requirement is travel photos. :-)

No comments about Jock Sturges: Misty Dawn.

No comments about David Busch's Quick Snap Guide To Lighting.

5 comments about Digital Photography Pocket Guide, Third Edition (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly)).

1. I have room for only one reference book in my camera bag. I carry my camera manual and the third edition of Digital Photography Pocket Guide. The information is up to date and constant. Buy it and use it.



2. If you have used point-and-shoot camera for a while and want to learn more tricks like me, I would not recommend this book because two third of the guide gives the basics you should already know, and the last third has few tips you might think useful. In addition, this book is B&W print that makes the example photos not standing out between different settings.



3. This book is pretty decent for a beginner's guide, but not as in-depth as you might expect. Overall, I'm happy with it, but if you really want a great photography book, get Understand Exposure by Bryan Peterson.



4. This book is a good reference pint to start with for beginners or intermidiate. Cover many topics and list many functions. Good book to have



5. Even though it is a Pocket Guide, I was expecting more from this book. I'm not saying it is a bad book but it is very very basic; practically focussed to those who have never EVER used a digital camera. The only chapter (to my taste anyway) that I find with relevant/interesting/good information is the 3rd chapter where the writer describes some tips on "how to questions". In summary, if you have some experience on digital photography this book won't be that usefull and if you want to learn about aperture, shutter speed and so on..there are better books to learn those subjects.

No comments about Sierra Club 2009 Engagement Calendar.

No comments about Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds (Playboy).

5 comments about The Underwater Photographer, Third Edition: Digital and Traditional Techniques.

1. The book has beautiful illustrations and is easy reading. Underwater photography is covered in detail. Plenty of how to information. The book is worth reading twice and using for reference.



2. I have some experience with underwater photography, but am completely new to DSLR's. This is a fantastic book that provides not just the basics, but advanced techniques to improve your underwater photography. Step by step, broken down into manageable chapters, tips and settings to start out with, this inspiring book has it all. After reading this, I can't wait to get in the water!



3. this book did nothing for me, because amazon have never given me the chance to read it as it has taken 5 weeks to deliver it, tip from me, dont ask for a review untill you have actually delivered the goods.sorry amazon, my new name for you is"amazed-its-gone" because you dont seemed to be able to deliver the service in the right order!!!
   happy new year!! only because i live in hope that i might get my book by then.



4. The couple of poor reviews notwithstanding, this is the best focused reference on digital underwater photography I have seen so far. It is composed of bite-sized chunks of information that covers different aspects of the problem. I like the references to different techniques, lighting, burn-out, and all the other little tips that take a long time to figure out on your own. It also has great advice like how to set your camera if you are swimming around with nothing particular in mind to photograph. About the only thing I think is missing is better coverage of shooting with the ubiquitous compact cameras. That's the only reason I gave it a four. The compact photographer still has a lot to get from this book, but an awful lot is designed for the SLR shooter. Still, I recommend this book to my underwater photo students.



5. This is a great book - highly recommended by many divers. I am more than happy to recommend this book to other divers who have a decent understanding of photography and are looking to expand their knowledge of u/w photography.