5 comments about Digital Photography Workshops: Nudes: Unique Course in a Book Taking You from Beginner to Expert (Digital Photography Workshops).

1. This book is a sort of guide to nudes, being very concise with lots of "tips" and images, not the best images you will ever see, but more to the point, perhaps the best images for explaining the problems and solutions of the nude photography being explained.
   
   Furthermore, it is not a beginners book teaching you how to shoot your camera and what f stop to use, etc. It sticks to the point, which is Nudes and how to shoot them. That being the case, it's not an "everything" book, but a good primer and reference that is easy to read and makes a good, fast and easy to use reference for shooting nudes.
   
   My only complaint is that it shows how to adjust some of the images--maybe all of them?-- in Photoshop. This immediately dates a book, but it's a minor infraction, and since PS does stay similar even over years, it could be helpful to those not too up on post processing.
   
   I would suggest getting this book and keeping it in your bag for reference. Clear, crisp, and concise.



2. This book is full of practical tips, plus some useful examples. I'm not a professional or seasoned photographer, so I can only speak for myself. Not only helped me on the setting up of the photos, but also with the "editing" part, when you manipulate the image in Photoshop. I definitely recommend it.



3. This book is full of examples and techniques for the nude photographer. Really a great book.



4. I have not studied it in detail but it is clearly writtern and provides good workshop type demonstrations which a photographer could apply just as well to clothed subjects.
   I wish you would expand this format to all other types of photography. I like the nude but am mostly interested in other types of clearly written material.
   It is an excellent book and is erotic withoug being suggestive.
   First caliber.



5. This book is full of great tips for beginners. I highly recommend it.

2 comments about Textiles in America 1650-1870.

1. This is a reprint of a classic Textiles reference book. I'm happy to get a copy at the current price instead of inflated re-sale prices.



2. TEXTILES IN AMERICA 1650-1870 was first published in 1984 to become a celebrated, definitive study on the topic of textiles in early American homes. Its reprint here makes it an ongoing top pick and mention for any college-level art library holding: it draws on source material scrapbooks of cloth swatches offering period terms, dimensions, prices, and engravings of their times to reproduce both photos and information, adding historical background on decorative practices and textile use in both England and America. College-level collections strong in textile history and art can't miss this.

5 comments about Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo.

1. I've been using Paint Shop Pro since version 9 and consider myself at the lower end of an advanced user.
   
   I have seven Paint Shop Pro books proclaiming to teach you how to use the program. With the exception of Ken McMahon's book they all fall miserably short.
   
   I was weary of ordering Robert's book thinking it would turn out to be just like the others that sit in the bookshelf collecting dust. Fear not his book isn't a dust collector.
   
   I won't go over what's already been stated in the other reviews. This book is everything the publisher, author, and other reviewers claim it is.
   
   One recommendation:
   
   If you're a beginner to intermediate user of Paint Shop Pro I'd recommend getting Ken McMahon's book "Paint Shop Pro Photo For Photographers" along with this book. McMahon's book covers the program and it's use while Robert's book covers techniques for photo corrections. The combination of these two books will greatly reduce your frustrations and enhance your skills, knowledge & techniques of photo corrections and manipulation using Paint Shop Pro.
   
   
   Thank You Robert for a great reference and teaching publication.



2. Others have written enthusiastically about this book. I concur!
   
   I regularly must touch up photographs for web or print use including conversion to b/w for newspaper ads. I'd used PaintShop Pro since V5 for this task but with Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 and this book, everything I've done has moved forward by a quantum leap. People won't notice the fine differences in your work because of your better photographic presentation but it WILL show, and the advice/tips in this book will make you wish you'd found it years ago! I am SO pleased!!!!!



3. A common lament among users of Corel's popular Paint Shop Pro series of photo editing programs is the lack of advanced tutorial material. Over time there have been a few professionally done video books and texts offered here and there, and author Robert Correll himself has put together two helpful video books based upon earlier versions of PSP, but in general those efforts concentrate on developing basic to low-level intermediate skills at best. Now Correll and Thomson Course Publishing (since become Cengage Learning) have come forth with an advanced PSP tutorial that goes well beyond the basics of photo repair titled Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo.
   
   In his new tutorial Correll (the similarity in names Correll/Corel is pure coincidence) has assembled 73 photo projects, mostly casual photos of his wife and children along with those of assorted kinfolk who were smiling into the family cameras as far back as 1919. The color and black and white photographs presented here have suffered a host of indignities over the years; fading, overwriting and smudges of all kinds, scratches, tears and holes in addition to the usual technical defects caused by bad film, poor lighting or poor scanning techniques. There are, of course, the human flaws as well; a pimple here and there, nose hair, dandruff - it's all here in gory high resolution detail, and each Photo Study's source photo is made available for download upon request to the author. I should add that Correll makes himself readily accessible to his target audience via e-mail, keen on cheering them on in their photo restoration efforts.
   
   Basically each Photo Study begins with a brief background about the subject(s) of the photo. Along the way you will meet the author and his wife Anne and their four small children who are introduced in a light-hearted fashion along with Uncle Jim and Grandpa Bud among others. Then the problems in the photo at hand are pointed out, and Correll begins his repair routine in a step-by-step fashion sometimes diverging to try alternative means of solving the issues being confronted. A pre-release version of PSPP X2 was used to do the repairs, but the included screenshots are taken from PSPP XI. I am still using PSP X, and for the most part had no problems following along though the capabilities of some of the tools in my older version differ slightly from those in the more recent PSPP X2. The Levels adjustment tool is one such example. The text and screenshots are of excellent quality and printed in color on high-gloss stock. My only niggle here is that my 73 year old eyes had difficulty discerning the small text shown in many dialogue boxes, and even my magnifying glass sometimes struggled to make out many of the dialogue settings which are not always specified in the explanatory text.
   
   In Photo Study One the author throws the reader off the leaning tower and right into the heart of photo restoration and retouching with a very challenging photo repair study of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I would have preferred easing into things with a more merciful project, but so much for whining. Perhaps Correll was trying to instill from the get-go a necessary sense of patience and persistence which he emphasizes frequently while stressing the need to be discriminating about one's work. He also cautions a light touch that does not render restore operations obvious to the viewer.
   
   One great advantage of the book for me was that I became acquainted with several tools that I had, frankly, not previously employed in my photo restore efforts since beginning to work with PSP about 6 or 7 months ago. The Saturation Up/Down and the Lighten/Darken tools are just two such. I was also introduced to the Displacement Map under the Effects menu. This looks like an interesting Effects routine that I intend to explore further. The final chapter of the book presents a few creative applications using some of the Effects menu options, but frankly the author only scratches the surface here, though his results are impressive. An imaginative author could easily employ the PSP Effects tools in a tutorial presented solely upon their own merits, and I am sure Mr. Correll would be the first to agree.
   
   In addition to the photo exercises, Correll offers interesting background information about scanning photos, organizing and archiving them as well as helpful printing tips. He also interjects along the way a few useful editing tips and tricks that he has discovered through his personal experiences using PSP.
   
   Does the author leave anything left unsaid? Well, in a word, yes. Not every tool and adjustment in the PSP arsenal is acknowledged its fifteen minutes of fame, though all the heavyweights certainly are, but there is an appendix to the book that does give a brief rundown of each and every tool. However, there is no mention of the hidden tools to be found in the Unused Commands section, some of which can be quite helpful in certain circumstances. Plug-ins are not touched upon nor is the use of scripts, even those pre-defined scripts included with PSP. The author has a tendency to use the High Pass Sharpen adjustment as opposed to the Unsharp Mask, but his reasons for this apparent preference are not stated. He also likes to work with photos in .tif format as opposed to the more common .jpg/.jpeg file format, but again reasons are not stated though I presume they have something to do with a lesser likelihood of introducing artifacts into a photo during the restoration/retouching process.
   
   I personally would have liked to have seen Photo Studies that put to work a few PSP capabilities that I am largely unfamiliar with. In this category I would include the Hue Map tool, and a few exercises using the Create Mask from Image procedure would have been a very welcome addition. In fact, I would have liked to have seen a few more exercises using masks in general though there are 3 of them. Masking, I think, is a weak point for many, including even PSP buffs far more experienced than I am.
   
   All in all, however, this is a powerful tutorial that ought to be a part of every PSP enthusiast's personal library - it is a text that is sure to be referred to again and again. It is my hope that Mr. Correll's tutorial does well in the marketplace thereby launching further PSP instructional texts from this very knowledgeable and photo-savvy author. In my book, Correll's tutorial, Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, gets a well-deserved 5 stars.



4. As previously mentioned in other reviews this book assumes you know how to find your way around Paint Shop Pro. It's most compatible with versions X through photo X2. He doesn't go into any tools that aren't in all three of these versions so it covers the general usage of specific tools very well.
   
   The author stresses the importance of not trying to "perfect" your photos. Giving good examples of doing things the right way, the wrong way, and stopping when the photo is "good enough." He explains himself very well and has a good method presenting the information.
   
   His use of actual photos that he's fixed before, and has an actual personal connection with really brings this down to the average user who is just trying to fix those old photos and improve upon ones that didn't come out as well as they could have.
   
   My only real criticism is more of a warning to those of you who learn as I do. I learn by example, or in other words I need to follow along with the book to properly get everything down just right. This book does not include a link for downloading these pictures that I have found so without your own photos to practice on as he goes over the different parts, if you learn like I do, will be difficult.
   
   This book is far more about recognizing the different problems with photos and some tips and tricks and methods that the author himself has discovered that work very well. A lot of what he says comes from personal experience. And he goes through a trial and error process for most of the book demonstrating the different things you might try by using the number of effects options and hands-on tools. And he explains them all fairly well. He doesn't bore you with all of the technical aspects of the tools, he simply tells you what they do and gives you suggestions on their proper use.
   
   All in all the book is excellent, he focuses on basic aspects and information rather than focusing on the photo in specific. If you're fixing cracks he won't go into depth about adjusting the contrast unless it's needed. If he's being artistic he won't lecture you on the proper use of the clone brush. He focuses on the task at hand and only the task at hand. Helping you to identify the various aspects of restoring and retouching a photo individually.
   
   I would suggest this to anyone wanting to use Paint Shop Pro to correct photos.



5. This book is great no matter what level of experience you have. This expands so much info on the corel program it is definitely worth purchasing...everyone that has this program should own this book. You won't be sorry. Seriously, buy it right now! 5 STARS! A+

5 comments about An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

1. This was a gift for my best friend and she loved it. The book has a lot of pictures..more pictures than words actually, it has a short intro with a great explanation of the pics, but overall it's all his greatest photographs...loved it



2. Published to coincide with the opening in 2003 of the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which was created to house permanently the artist's collected works, AN INNER SILENCE is a joy to behold. There are 95 photographs reproduced here along with a self-portrait sketch of Cartier-Bresson and a quotation by him. Both curator Agnes Sire and philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy have written insightful, informative essays to accompany the photographs. Sire reminds us that the artist disliked being photographed-- ("Perhaps he felt the falseness of the situation")-- and tht he liked to work quickly, in the photographer's own words, to "'bite like a mosquito,'" in order to capture the inner silence of the subject.
   
   But now to the photographs. There are shots here seen around the world of famous people: Marilyn Monroe, Martin Luther King, Jean Genet, Christian Dior (one of my favorites), Francis Bacon, Roland Barthes (fantastic photograph), a very young and pensive Carson McCullers. William Faulkner (another favorite), Henri Matisse, a very youthful and handsome John Huston, Truman Capote, Albert Camus et al.
   
   What is so amazing, however, about these photographs is that the shots of strangers are just as intriguing and engage the viewer as much as the images of the rich and/or famous or both. For example, "Mexico" (p. 49), "Jewish ghetto, Warsaw" (p. 47), "Egypt" (p. 39), "Paris" (p. 81), "Zurich" (p. 105), and "Los Angeles" (p. 107). I for one would like to know more about this young couple.
   
   These photographs, like all great art, invite us to view them again and again. Shot in gorgeous available natural light, they remind us of just how harsh and often pedestrian flash photography can be.
   
   Sire closes her essay by saying that "an exhibition of these encounters would not only be one more tribute to his talent [Cartier-Bresson], as a photographer, but more importantly, would allow many aspects of his being to shine, like so many firefires in a field, because the gaze of these portraits is his gaze, linked by the thread of the other." Beautifully spoken.



3. As you browse the millions of photos available on Flickr and other web photo sharing sites, it is apparent that most people wielding a camera do not - cannot - aspire to the special talent of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
   
   Renowned for capturing the "decisive moment," Cartier-Bresson was also a highly skilled portraitist. Ninety-seven of his portraints appear here accompanied by one mercifully short essay by Agnes Sire and a pretentious attempt at intepretating HCB by Jean-Luc Nancy. ("What HCB gave his subjects was an air, an aura, an allure; these portraits convery a manner, a disposition, a habitus, an ethos, a mood, a grace and a favour, a gaze and a gift; the gift he has given to them.")
   
   Surprisingly, many of the portraits are formulaic, though this does not detract from their striking nature. A 1966 picture, titled simply "Zurich" embodies Cartier-Bresson's skills as a portraitist and the capturer of the "decisive moment". A wizened, old man in a three-piece suit carrying a briefcase is captured in mid-step . . . the gnome of Zurich. A portrait of Joan Miro captures, if not parodies, the stylized eye motif of his famous paintings. His portrait of Marilyn Monroe, on the other hand, simply captures a beautful woman but with none of the sensuality that Bert Stern and so many others caught. Perhaps Cartier-Bresson saw only a beautiful woman?
   
   While I browsed, I wondered how much of the effect of these portraits depended on knowing the subects (i.e., Truman Capote, Samuel Becket and others who may be increasingly forgotten today), but then I happened upon "Vicksburg," a 1970s shot of an anonymous black woman.
   
   That one shot alone establishes that Cartier-Bresson's unique photographic vision will leave on long after all of his famous subjects are forgotten.
   
   Jerry



4. I'm not a great fan of portrait photography myself but this book takes it beyond genre boundaries.



5. Never thought of HCB as a portraitist, but these are excellent images with a depth of style that is typical of his work.

No comments about Erotic X-Treme.

1 comments about Langford's Basic Photography, Eighth Edition: The guide for serious photographers (Langford).

1. Great book! If you know a bit about photography and just need something to get you over the plateau of taking okay images to taking great pictures, this is the book! It explains everything from basics to advanced. I loved it. Explanations are in normal English at first but as you read on you develop a vocabulary that this book uses.

5 comments about Adobe Camera Raw for Digital Photographers Only (For Only).

1. If like me, you have ever tried taking an adult education class at a local community college to expose yourself to a new topic, you might understand my experience with this book. The author has all the dynamism of a bottle of cold molasses. He is like the ham radio operator who somehow has landed a job teaching Introduction to Broadcasting in the local community college. He may have the passion and the knowledge, but it certainly doesn't come through. This book drags on and on without imparting the information. His style treads the borderline of being pontification. One must endure a full 100 pages of this 350 page book before getting to the meat of the subject and THEN, the author does not provide the images to work along with that first exercise. In fact, for the entire book, he has provided a total of 8 images to download and work with the text.
   
   Especially if you are an aficionado of the writing/teaching style of someone like Deke McClelland, you really need to save your money and look for another book on camera raw. I admit, i got no further with this book than page 125, and i'd sell it on Ebay if only i wouldn't feel guilty for ripping someone off by doing so. I'll donate it to the public library.



2. Without a doubt this has been the greatest photography book that I have ever read; and I have an extensive library of other titles.



3. The subject of Adobe Camera Raw is covered well. There are some typos when talking about the controls in the Basic tab. In ACR version 4.* the Shadows adjustment has been renamed to Blacks. The author makes a point of discussing the change but then proceeds to call the control by it's old name, Shadows instead of Blacks.



4. Rob Sheppard has become one of the most prolific and well-received in the now crowded field of digital imaging authors and educators. Every writer has a style, and Rob's is simple and direct, avoiding hype and always seeking to communicate in the clearest possible manner regardless of the complexity of the topic.
   
   Really learning Adobe Camera Raw is not a simple task. There are many books on the subject varying in style from ponderous and mind-numbingly detailed, to once-over-lightly treatises that are mostly pictures and little substance. This book strikes a fine balance with accurate, colloquial, understandable discussion of the often highly technical details supported by ample illustrations and images to provide a visually appealing lesson that will tend to stick in your personal data bank. If you have no other books on Camera Raw, this would be an excellent one to start with, even if you are a "visual learning" person.
   
   This edition has numerous positive attributes. Its clear, concise, easy-to-read language cuts to the heart of complex issues, keeping them as non-technical as possible. Rob also avoids absolutes, suggesting that his opinion, as informed as it is, may not be the right answer for the reader. He points out there are often several different ways to accomplish a certain goal, and one method may suit an individual photographer better than another. One minor shortcoming is that the description of a task and its paired illustration sometimes wind up on different pages; this doesn't lessen the overall value, but it does make it a little harder to assimilate.
   
   One fine point worth noting is the discussion of sharpening during the Raw conversion. Anyone familiar with Bruce Fraser, PixelGenius, and PhotoKit Sharpener will want to study this section very carefully, for the "new" Camera Raw has incorporated some new sharpening features from this highly regarded plug-in that could make a real difference in achieving your highest quality output.
   
   Conclusion. Highly recommended. If Rob Sheppard writes it, it's bound to be good, and it is. Adobe Camera Raw is a fundamental cornerstone for the highest quality digital image processing for many top photographers, and this book, if studied carefully, will unlock most of Camera Raw's secrets. If you apply what you learn, you'll be able to take your photography to an entirely new level.



5. This book is one of the reasons I have started shooting in RAW format. Another reason? Photoshop Elements and the free Camera RAW plug-in from Adobe.
   
   All in all, the text appears to cover pretty much everything you would really need to know about Camera RAW and how to use it to show your photos at their best.
   
   At times the illustrations don't clearly show the subtle changes that result from applying some of the optional settings, but that probably is more a function of the limitations of photo print reproduction in an affordable book.

5 comments about Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.

1. I didn't have to go far for the book I was looking for. The book was almost brand new when I recieved it and I got a great deal. There was not a mark on it and the price was great. I had read some of the previous reviews from other online reviews that helped me make the decision to purchase this book.



2. I think that the government did nothing good at this time(1992) and he still isn't doing anything good for us. The poor is getting poorer and the rich is still rich. We cant work because our brains are dieying with out food. This book is a wonderful but the tragic moments are very sad and disapointing. I dont think that anyone should have more power oer us no matter what. We should be exempt and work for our families in different countries. I will fight for the people in my community and it will be anarchy. I will beat the system and nobody will stop me!



3. This play offers the viewer a chance to reflect on recent history in California. It is an intelligent look at the discussion of race in America. Any chance for thoughtful self-evaluation is an opportunity to grow and learn. Anna Deavere Smith's work is grand.



4. Anna Deavere Smith truly brought out what the LA riots of 1992 were about. She shows us how blind we can all be, how an action of one person can actually cause the suffering of another for the rest of their lives. It was scary to think that this could have happened anywhere, or anytime. She showed us that sometimes, we have to open out eyes and watch was is going on around us. It was a great experience. The characters touched me deeply. I recommend it to everyone.



5. I had the extreme pleasure of sitting in two classes with Ms. Smith as she talked about Twilight. It is a wonderful work with a documentary foundation that educates you on the happenings during the infamous Los Angeles riots, from Korean shopkeepers to Black gang members to White-male politicians--Smith has made sure every reader gets the full spectrum of views. Each monologue is actually an interview Smith personally conducted; each are placed in an order that somehow manages to flow together to tell a collective story of an unfortunate occurence in recent American history and justice. It will remind you that the passions of the event had personal roots for all involved.

5 comments about One Hundred Seashells.

1. I LOVE this book!. It's a large, beautifully photographed coffee table book designed to delight the senses. I bought a second copy and framed six of the photographs for a spectacular wall display. If you love photography, seashells, or just a great coofee table book...this is a winner!!



2. I used this book as my sign in book at our wedding 2 weeks ago and everybody loved it. they loved so much that i have to order another one for a close friend who is opening a new restuarant and wants one for the table in the lounge. The rest. is beach house theme is go so well there. The photograpghs are so beatiful. thank you c.f. from ft.lauderdale



3. This is an absolutely gorgeous book. I learned of its existence at a beach wedding we attended recently where it was used as a Guest Book. People were expected to select a page and sign in on a shell with a big Sharpie pen. Naturally, when we celebrated our 25th Anniversary at the Yacht Club with a beach/shell/nautical theme last week, we used the book in the same way. People loved looking through the impressive photographs and it will be a beautiful memory maker for years to come!



4. I purchased this for my friend who has a condo on the water in Naples and it looks beautiful on her coffee table. Everyone who visits admires it. It's a very beautiful book and the perfect hostess gift. We really enjoy it!



5. Although this book has some compelling and beautiful photographs, they fall short of the high resolution photos we have all become used to. The photos (or perhaps the printing) lacks the clarity and detail that high-res photos (or printing) would have given.

No comments about On Reading.