5 comments about Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography.

1. Obviously, Michael Grecco is an accomplished photographer, his body of work speaks for itself. On the dust jacket and in the introduction, Grecco says, "...Assistants and other photographers have asked why I would want to give away my secrets in a book..." After reading this book, I would like to assure Mr. Grecco's contemporaries that his secrets still lie safe with him.
   
   Lots of allusions to celebrity and lots of high end equipment name dropping occur. There is very little discussion about development of the theme of an image. This is definitely a book for Grecco fans not for experienced photographers seeking additional insight. The title is deceptive, the chapter on Illumination is 44 pages, that's right, 44 pages.
   
   Don't bother.



2. There are a lot of pretty pictures, and a few lighting diagrams, but most of this book is Mr. Grecco recounting his favorite photo shoots with stories that don't lend much to teaching new photographers. It may be packed full of inspiration, but it's lacking on inspiration. Also, you will be hard pressed to recreate any of the images you see here, unless you have the kind of budget that would suggest you not be concerned about spending the $30 for this book anyway.



3. This book is everything I had hoped. I wanted to see how the "big guys" get such gorgeous shots. It's true that just owning an expensive dSLR does not make you a professional, it takes practice, lots of photo shoots, and, most importantly, an eye for creativity. Grecco is an extraordinary photographer. I know I'll probably never be photographing celebrities or have the budget for a clan of assistants and high price lighting equipment, but some of his techniques I can certainly adapt. This is a wonderful book with enough tips and beautiful images to inspire any photographer.



4. This is a good beginning lighting book, and it includes a helpful introduction to lighting terminology, techniques, and tools. Unlike many portraiture books, this one focuses more on editorial rather than consumer portraiture. As such, the illustrations are edgier and more conceptual. The book is pretty thin on substance, however, and rather high on ego. A good introduction, but nothing more. Hicks and Schultz's book Photographing People; Portraits, fashion, glamour has much better lighting diagrams and a lot more technical variety and instruction.



5. In this book, Grecco show us pictures and the creation ideas about them.
   The lighting set-ups is only top view, but in his text, Grecco explain how create each image, the concept and techniques.
   
   A good book for photographers that love portrait and want learn more about this photography segment.

2 comments about Our World.

1. I just loved this book. Somehow it opened an intimate window into the life of Molly Malone Cook, without ever disrespecting the sacred nature of her life. Mary Oliver does this with grace. They clearly shared their lives together, yet still kept their individuality intact. Mary Oliver remarks, towards the end of the book, on her own recognised gift for attention. She goes on to pay tribute to Molly for teaching her this: "attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openess - an empathy - was necessary is the attention was to matter." This tribute inspires me to continue the journey towards greater presence in my life.



2. Simply the name Mary Oliver causes a shift in my countenance and my being. My steps are different when I am present to who she is as a writer and human being, so it shouldn't surprise me, what happened this morning.
   
   I was minding my own business walking across my local bookstore when I heard the sound of wind rushing from my mouth. It was like the jolt happened so quickly my brain couldn't quite orient around the words, "Our World" and the names Mary Oliver and Molly Malone Cook.
   
   I had no choice. I had to stop all my other book plans and sit with this one, just be with it, soak it in, allow it to do its work on my soul as I knew intuitively it would.
   
   Last winter I became the self-appointed one woman marketing machine for Mary Oliver's "Thirst" - a collection of poetry written as she grieved the loss of her life partner, Molly Malone Cook, someone who I never knew yet felt I knew through reading Oliver's work. I stood at a bookstore crying as I read that book, sobbing, openly - aching and simultaneously being stunned by the beauty of the poetry.
   
   Now, in this volume, not only do I have words - I have Molly Malone Cook's photography.
   
   It is like being invited into the most intimate chambers of a lifetime soul-love affair. It is deeply personal, extremely intense memoir of love. That energy is on each page as Oliver builds a model of appreciation for Molly Malone Cook for us all to follow.
   
   Now, the "other" juicy stuff - photos by Molly Malone Cook that show a deep love and appreciation of books, of learning, of activism, of art and of the "faces of the world" - one of her early childhood ambitions, so it tells us in the text "was to see every face in America."
   
   Well, in these photographs "every" face is, indeed, communicated.
   
   We see photographers, playwrights, restaurateurs, activists and places the writers and artists among us dream about seeing.
   
   There are too many numerous memorable quotes to share here - and I don't want to take away your own discovery of words that speak directly to you.
   
   I know I will be forever grateful for the work of Mary Oliver and this volume amplifies that gratitude by bringing Molly Malone Cook to life for me in a more vivid way than in the past.
   
   I can only hope there will be many more opportunities for my heart and breath to be swept away, simply by seeing this author's name on a book jacket.

5 comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80 (Magic Lantern Guides).

1. I recommend the Magic Lantern Guide for Nikon D80 . I couldn't be without it now. It really is like a bible to me. Vey easy reading and user friendly . It is a permanent part of my camera bag equipment .



2. The Nikon D80 guide from Magic Lantern contains valuable information for people who want to make pictures with a Nikon D80 camera. Although the Nikon D80 camera comes with a complete user manual, the Magic Lantern guide contains very useful additional information. It not only tells what the camera does, it also explains how things are done.



3. The Magic Latern Guide for the Nikon D80 is proving to be an valuable resource. It is a straight forward guide in logical progression of information. The text simplifies the complex technology of Nikon's digital camera. I have found functions I would never have known about except through this guide. It travels with me on every photo shoot. I have assimilated information much more quickly and utilized the camera more comfortably as a result of using this guide.



4. This book was very informative and well written. It is a must have for the D80 owner as it provides information that you can't find anywhere else. You will learn about the different types of lenses and how to use them best. You will also learn about histograms in a very easy to understand fashion and how to utilize it to have better pictures. The writer teaches you about the different accessories including filters and how and when to use them, and most of all you will learn how to properly clean and care for your camera.



5. This is a great manual for your d80 everything is told with lots of detail and it will really help you learning the camera features.But I wish this book contained some field tips which can teach you how to shoot in different situations...

3 comments about Food Styling for Photographers: A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art.

1. This is the best book of FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY I ever seen! I'm a still life and food semi pro photographer and this is my perfect book.
   
   I suggest this book to all the photographers .. not only for food photographers. Everybody in the sector must have this book.
   
   It's really easy and helpful!
   Thanks to the authors to share with everybody the secrets of food photography.



2. This book is an excellent way to get started in food photography. It has chapters dedicated to meats, drinks, ice cream, garnishings, and more.
   
   Each with a shopping list of what was used for the featured photo (or photos) for that particular chapter and tips for shopping for food photography in general which I found very interesting.
   
   It does leave out something which would be nice to have, such as how to prepare beer for photograpy but, they mention this would require a full book dedicated to it which I think is fair, I wouldn't expect someone to write a book on every item of food out there.
   
   Bottom line: A very buy. Well worth the price.



3. My status as a photographer is almost professional, since for the moment i work part-time however I LOVE food photography wich is why I decided to buy this book. I just got it 2 days ago and for what I've read its a must have book. (Also very much recomended: Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna) Just to give u an idea. These r the chapter titles: 1)Intro to Food Styling. This includes simple game rules, shopping tips, planing ahead, list of supplies often used and a how to versions on how to assemble your own food styling kit. 2)Sets and Settings. This includes tips for choosing sets and surfaces for food photography, table setting tips, working fabriks on set, and tips on how to make your image POP. 3)Chilling fact on cold beverages. This includes beverage choises, frosted glass techniques, making a frozen margarita, making and placing bubbles, and more. 4)Making a Salad for the camera. This includes salad ingredient selection shopping and handling tecniques, supporting techniques, fruit salads, how to dress a salad for photography, and more.5) Pasta and Sauces. This includes perfect pasta for camera, sauces and vegetables for camera, building your pasta food additions to pasta...6) Burgers, Sandwiches, and BEYOOOOOOND. This includes prepping tips for burgers sandwiches and patties, shopping tips building tips, on the set tips, bulding a half or cut sandwich for photography.7) Meeting meat..8)veggie perfect 9) ice cream for hot light (very interesting) 10) Desserts. 11) Breakfast for the camera 12) Garnishing basics. Like i said this is to give u an idea of what u will be purchasing. Happy buying and break leg!!

5 comments about The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques.

1. This book is great. That's all there is to it really. Anyone who is interested in cinematography and making films should own it.



2. nice book, it will very help ful for me. your work also nice and great. your reponse also good.



3. It is soooo nice to have a book like this. I refer to it all the time. It covers just about everything I ever wanted to know about placing and moving and framing, or to sum it up, USING a camera to visually achieve the most emotional draw from an audience. While it doesn't have technical aspects like using a light meter, it is very technical, however it doesn't just give you a list of rules to follow that you can later learn to break. It teaches why those rules work, and how to break them. But it doesn't stop there. It explains why you can break the rules and how to apply this creativity to your film.
   
   It is full of examples that you can watch for yourself. It is pretty much a book that no one considering cinematography as a career should be without!



4. This is no doubt a very BASIC book on Cinematography from 1965 (but still applicable today)- yet if you are unfamiliar with the basic Five C's of shooting, then it is a good tool for learning these rules. I recommend it for film students new to camera work. But if you have been working with shooting for awhile, it may be a little too basic.



5. The Five C's of Cinematography is basically a rule book on the form of motion picture making as it relates to camera angles, movements and editing. This book is the "bible" or rule book of the techniques of film making, such as painting has composition rules itself. A true artist not only knows the rules, but understands the rules of why it is used. The Five C's does all that, it shows and explains the what therefores and hows. It even shows the wrongs in a clear fashion, which is amazing since this is a book of still images about a medium of moving images.
   
   The best artists knew the rules of their art, and either followed them or break them to get the effect they wanted. If one does not know the rules, one can not realize the effect they are creating by breaking the rules. That is why most modern artists of today seem muddled and unfocused and Picasso still evokes and moves one. Picasso knew the rules. This book will help one know the rules of film.
   
   The images and wording may be dated, even quaint, but once one looks past such superficial cosmetics, the information is a gold mine of a very large vein in information

5 comments about Black and White in Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Lightroom: Create stunning monochromatic images in Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Lightroom and Beyond.

1. I'm keen to further explore B&W in the digital world and thought this looked the ideal book (even though I use Photoshop Elements 6 instead of Photoshop CS3). Much of the material is thorough and well written, but some key areas I found to be lacking.
   
   While many books cover workflow, colour management etc, this book repeats these topics and covers them well. Unfortunately the B&W component is a lacking, especially in Lightroom. A substantial part of the first 80 pages is devoted to Lightroom, yet the B&W conversion process is descibed in only one page. I was hoping to get more out of this conversion process and tips of a more artistic nature to ensure the best possible image is carried across to Photoshop. Instead it basically suggests "click greyscale conversion" and open Photoshop. The art of the B&W conversion is what makes/breaks an image and I would have thought that Lightroom would be more appropiate than the channel mixer in Photoshop. With "channels" for each colour I would have liked to seen examples and how these were achieved in Lightroom
   
   Although I have not yet fully covered the photoshop part of the book, what I have read is thorough and well written.
   
   I found it difficult to rate this book - it is very good in many ways, but unfortunately did not fill the gap in which I was looking for.



2. I picked this up off of Amazon because I wanted some literature on B&W relating to CS3. After having gone through it I have to say I'm very disappointed in my purchase. I have about a dozen or so other books I've gone through in the last year and this is probably the worst. But the sad thing is, there are actually very few books out there on B&W so maybe that's why other reviewers gave it such high marks?? Save your money...she doesn't offer anything more than you can get from free ipod downloads on the subject..or various other free sources out there. Also, only about 1/3 of the book actually covers B&W topic!! The first 91 pages is basically 'fluff'..as well as the last 100 pages. Basically a big push on why you should be using Lightroom (gee...there's another $200 that probably isn't necessary)...how to best setup for quality printing...color management, etc. The same crap that we see in book after book. I know why I should be using Adobe RGB (1998) instead of sRGB...I don't need to pay another $40 for a book that devotes an entire chapter on color management..or why I should be taking my photos in RAW format instead of low quality jpeg's... Pages 91 to about 139 actually cover B&W topic. Before and after this she squeezes in topics like (1) printing (2)editing in photoshop (3)quality capture RAW (4) Lightroom crap (5) Color management. Her coverage of these topics is OK...certainly not the best I've read on them...but my point is, I wasn't expecting it in the book. Anyways, if you want to throw your $ away..buy it...I'd pass on it though..



3. This book is a good help for processing photographs in Adobe Photoshop, with specific guidelines for black and white images. It provides some detailed descriptions of steps in the software, including the flow of procedures from archiving in Adobe Lightroom and Bridge into the elaborated menus of Photoshop CS3. One of the good things is the good explanations on file types and B&W conversions, as well as the links between shooting and final processing. My main concern is the excessive personalization of the flow of procedures, as the author presents primarily his particular way of operating the software and not the full array of alternatives present. Anyway I would say that this is one of the best manuals for those, with average skills in Adobe Photoshop, interested in processing B&W images.



4. I wanted to learn to make better B&W prints and to do so with Photoshop CS3. When I searched for available books to provide guidance I was pleased to find that Leslie Alsheimer had written one. Leslie was an assistant at a course that I had taken at the Santa Fe Workshops and her teaching skills were really outstanding so I suspected that this book would be too.
   
   I agree with other reviewers who suggested that this is one of the best books available for Photoshop CS3. It goes without saying that the coverage of B&W conversion is comprehensive and exceptionally well discribed, but the sections on color management, use of the histogram in digital photography, and printing are extremely lucid and well presented. Color management has been difficult for me to understand and the discussion here is, in my opinion, the absolute best that I have encountered.
   
   Any nits to pick? Well, occasionally the sytax is a little clunky. The photos used to illustrate the text do the job well, but they don't particularly appeal to me esthetically.
   
   Congratulations to the authors. This book deserves a wide audience.



5. I recommend this book for everybody who want to learn and to apply thers knowledege over B & W photography.

No comments about San Francisco Giants: 50 Years: 50 Years.

4 comments about A Short Course in Canon Powershot G9 Photography book/ebook.

1. For $37 you can get far better books on the Canon Powershot series of digital cameras. I thought I was getting a Canon G9 specific digital camera book and was disappointed with the not only the lack of Canon G9 specific information but also the quality of the printing and binding of book. Curtin writes the same information for 90% of his books and covers a bit Canon G9 specific settings and information. If this is what you want and what nyou need there are several publishers that deliver more camera specific information and far better presentation and clarity of material for $15 to $20 less money through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
   
   The accuracy of his digital photography information is good which why I was generous enough to give him 2 stars but the printing is photocopied double sided laser jet paper and mediocre black and white photographs. I actually bought two of his books based on information from his website and was really disappointed. Several publishers put out a Canon Powershot cameras guide book much better bound and with color photos that is as good or better than this book. He uses the same boilerplate digital photography information and adds the Canon specific settings just like Magic Lantern guide books.
   
   I just wish I had gotten my money back on this turkey before my return for refund time was up.



2. Very useful and complete guide to using the G9 along with some basic instruction in photography techniques. The included cd provides the text and photos in color. The wire bound book is in black and white and this is the only reason this book gets 4 stars instead of 5.



3. and pick up this comprehensive introduction to your G9. If you're like me and it's been a while since you've operated a camera with manual functions, you'll appreciate Curtin's refresher course, provided in the context of the G9's features and their user interface. Moving beyond the technical basics found in Canon's user manual, this book clearly explains the G9's functions, offering sound advice regarding when and how modes and features of the G9 are best used. I purchased the printed version of this book, skipping the interactive version offered on CD. It's worth noting the book includes call-outs to all of the interactive features (such as PDFs, conceptual animations and spread sheets,) making cross-referencing between the printed book and CD bonus materials an apparent cinch.



4. The book includes a lot of good general information about digital photography, and does a nice job of expanding on information that has already been included in the product documentation. I purchased the CD only edition, and printed off some pages I wanted for portable reference. The author goes through every feature of the camera, converter lenses, and a little about the EX flashes too. While I appreciated the general camera information, I already have that from other books and would prefer more advanced tips and tricks specific to using the G9.

1 comments about Sports Illustrated: Athlete.

1. What great pictures, really shows what you can do when you look outside the box of normal sports photography, Walter really shows what a true pro in the field can do...

5 comments about Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography.

1. Bryan not only is a great photographer, he is gifted in teaching others what he knows. He tells you exactly how to get the results he gets. The book is very good.



2. This is the material that is ausent here, in Uruguay. I believe the reviews before published, were right!! and I'm very pleasant to recommend this book!



3. This is a book meant for YOU, the photographer who wants to invest time, time to look closely, observe and then tweak the image to the point that YOU find it acceptable. Bryan has found a good balance in text and pictures. He shows clearly what defines a successful picture and from then how to make that a winner ! Beautiful examples enrich this book, but don't neglect to read also, the text is highly informational, for both digital and analogue photographers alike.



4. This was the type of book I was looking for to upgrade my portraiture skills. Deals with technical aspects of people photography and with composition as well as with the 'softer' aspects. It really made me want to go out and try all I have learned through this book.



5. As a budding new amateur photographer I thought this book was really good. It's easy to read and follow and is full of fantastic photos. However they say you learn best from your mistakes so I would prefer to see samples of photo's that did not turn out well and an explanation of why and how to overcome them, ideally followed by the improved versions. I do hope there's an "Advanced Beyond Portraiture" version on the way, with said suggestions included.