Book Reviews

[ricktas]

Have you read a good book on Photography, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or any other photographic related matter? How about writing a short review and placing it in this thread for other members to read.

Remember to include the book title, the authors name, the publisher and the ISBN so that other members can easily order a copy if they like your review.

[Machew]

I read a great book a few months ago. It's the National Geographic Photography Field Guide written by Peter K. Burian and Robert Caputo. It was both informative and interesting and covered a huge variety of topics. It also has plenty of mini biographies on National Geographic photographers. Here's a look at the contents:
Essential Basics
Getting started with photography
Composition
Cameras
Lenses
Light
Electronic flash and accessories
Film
Exposure and metering
Gear and maintenance
A World of Subjects
Weather
Sam Abell Art and Photojournalism
Landscapes
People
Jodi Cobb Beyond the Barriers
Annie Griffiths Belt Getting Close to People
Architecture
James L. Stanfield Making History Come Alive
Festivals, Parades and Sports
Michael Yamashita Capturing the Essence
Close-up Photography
Motion - stopping it, using it
David Alan Harvey Finding the Symbol
Evening and Night
William Albert Allard The Cultural Essay
Making Photographs Under Pressure
Underwater
David Doubilet Visual Impact Underwater
Animals
Chris Johns Working on Wild Turf
Aerials
Adventure
Michael Nichols Environmental Photojournalism
Computers and Photography
Useful Information
Preparing for travel
Displaying and organising your photographs

I think I'll be reading this one again very soon.
Here are the essential details:
Name: National Geographic Photography Field Guide
Authors: Peter K. Burian and Robert Caputo
Publisher: National Geographic Society
ISBN: 0-7922-7498-9

[hoffy]

Now, this one is probably not going to mean much to most of you.

But I cannot recommend enough the following book for A100 users:

The Complete Guide to Sony's A100 by Gary L Friedman.
ISBN 0-9790196-0-5
Available as either an ebook, black & white printed or colour printed from www.FriedmanArchives.com

Now, you might be thinking "another manual by a tech house", but this is where you are wrong. Gary has lived & breathed Minolta for a very long time & he knows the system in & out (for the un-initiated, Sony bought out the Minolta SLR arm & their camera's still contain a very visible Minolta influence from the ergonomics to the A mount lens mount)

the big plus for me is the de-mistifing of the wireless flash system. Very much looking foward to getting my new flash on the 25th (hint hint Santa!)

& please also note, Gary has just released his guide on the new A700. If you are a new owner of the new Sony, take my word, it would be well worth the effort of obtaining this book

Cheers
Ashley

[Briancd]

Title: Understanding Exposure - Revised Edition
Author: Bryan Peterson
Publisher: AMPHOTO Books
ISBN: 0-8174-6300-3

This is a must have book for those learning photography. The author provides an easy to understand explanation of how to get the best exposure. With plenty of examples of the many aspect of photgraphy from landscape, portrait and macro style. He explains how to make the most of light and shows examples of the use of frontlight, backlight and sidelight.

This is a book that I read over and over again to refresh my knowledge.

[Briancd]

The manual that came with the camera that you are using.

[avian]

If you are into nature photography I could recommend:

Arthur Morris - The art of bird photography
Arthur Morris - The art of bird photography II (CD version only, no books)

His website is http://www.birdsasart.com appears to be a little full of himself when you read some of his comments and also heard from a few bird photographer friends from around the globe, but his images are enough to shut any critic up!!!!

He is my main inspiration for improving and leaerning.

[Cal]

The manual that came with the camera that you are using.

Thats soo funny... havent heard that one in a little while!

[TassieSnapper]

Landscape Photography
Peter Eastway
Lonely Planet
ISBN 1-74059-669-2

This is a cool book. It has the first few chapters on the basics of digital photography, stuff that you guys will all know about lots. But the third chapter of this book covers hints and tips for all the possible locations that you could shoot landscapes with full colour examples from Peter Eastways work and the lonely planet library. It includes the details of the shots which is also useful. I found that it is a cool book for ideas if you are stuck for something too shoot. Great book.

It covers the following landscape locations: Sunrise and sunset, skies, storms and bad weather, rainbows, lightning, mist and fog, rain, snow, mountains, deserts, the coast, forests, flora, details, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, reflections, twilight, night, silhouettes, aerials, famous places, human scale, buildings in the landscape.

There are also a few others in the lonely planet series on various topics - travel, people etc

[vetna_gal1]

the understanding exposure book how much is that n is it at libraries?

[ricktas]

the understanding exposure book how much is that n is it at libraries?

You should be able to search and find it using the info supplied above by Brian. I just went to www.dymocks.com.au and put the ISBN in, here is the result: http://www.dymocks.com.au/ProductDet...=9780817463007

[Roof]

I have "photoshop restoring and retouching" by Katrin Eisman ISBN 0789723182

Great book, It also has a website with images that are in the book so you can practise on the same samples as you have in the book http://www.digitalretouch.org/

just have a look at her website...highly recomended

[IanB]

Landscape Photography
Peter Eastway
Lonely Planet
ISBN 1-74059-669-2

Anything written by Peter Eastway is a good read. He also publishes several top mags; Better photography and better digital photography. His other mags/small books are Better photoshop techniques are really tops. Most of what I know has been learnt from these mags. Can be found at most newagents or write to po box 5455 chittaway nsw or ph 024388 6851 Newbies should try and get the first Better photoshop techniques; that one got me started.

Happy reading

[Kym]

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers - Scott Kelby 496pp
Publisher: New Riders
Pub. Date: August 2007
ISBN-13: 9780321501912

I got a copy from Amazon about a month ago. As someone coming to grips with PS CS3 this book has been great. I use it as a reference now, but just as easy to skim through and get lots of ideas.

SK has a quirky writing style, but is very readable. Make sure you read the intro (aka. Q&A). SK provides additional downloads of sample images (so you can follow his examples exactly) and extra sections for chapters from www.scottkelbybooks.com/cs3book Check these downloads to get a feel for the rest of the book.

As an IT guy I know what works in a technical document and this is a really good one. The examples are really practical and have a good balance between theory and too much detail. SK uses a illustrated step by step explanation of what and why he does things. SK often gives alternate methods.

Rating 9/10. Highly recommended.


Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
London Bridge
Bridge Essentials

CHAPTER 2
The Bridge
Advanced Bridge Techniques

CHAPTER 3
Raw Deal
Processing Your Images Using Camera Raw

CHAPTER 4
Resized
Resizing and Cropping Your Images

CHAPTER 5
Fit to Print
Step-by-Step Printing and Color Management

CHAPTER 6
Local Color
Color Correction Secrets

CHAPTER 7
Black & White World
How to Create Stunning B&W Images

CHAPTER 8
99 Problems
Dealing with Common Digital Image Problems

CHAPTER 9
Faces
Retouching Portraits

CHAPTER 10
Special Delivery
Special Effects for Photographers

CHAPTER 11
Look Sharp
Sharpening Techniques

CHAPTER 12
Best in Show
How to Show Your Work

CHAPTER 13
Working for a Livin’
My Step-by-Step Workflow

[ricktas]

I am a big Scott Kelby fan, I too like his writting style and the step-by-step instruction are easy to follow. I would recommend any book by him.

[redders64]

I have just got the "Understanding Exposure" book by Bryan Peterson and it is such a revelation. After reading it the penny has dropped on so many things, I am starting to feel in control of the final product instead of hit and miss like it was before. He makes it easy to understand and takes you through step by step. Highly Recommended!!

[tailstrike]

Two of the best wildlife photography books i have read to date and that i continually read and refer to are:

The essential guide to wildlife photography by Chris Weston and
Travel Photography: Wildlife by Andy Rouse

Both really informative and a great read they keep me inspired to get that one perfect shot

Cheers Allan

[matilda]

ok this 'understanding exposure' book has got me intrigued. Will have to get my hands on a copy.

another book that I found a god send (esp when I was doing a lot of darkroom work) was:

Ansel Adams: Basic Techniques to photography
By John P. Schaefer

A good read with loads of info, great for any beginner and also handy to have as a quick reference guide.

[Anne1958]

this is such a great topic and thankyou to all for your input of book reviews, I have taken note of the details for some of them that I would like to buy.

[edenconnell]

I just bought "Canon EOS Digital Photography" by Serge Timacheff

Looks pretty good can't wait to read it all

[kiwi]

I am a big Scott Kelby fan, I too like his writting style and the step-by-step instruction are easy to follow. I would recommend any book by him.

Me too

I think his latest Adobe Lightroom2 book is outstanding. Simple to follow and navigate (the chapters echo LR's tabs) but packed with simple and advanced advice including practical step-by-step workflows