Arts & Photography Books

The Digital Photography Book

Scott Kelby

Amazon Price: $11.99 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peachpit Press Amazon Marketplace: 68 new & used starting at $9.25

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Digital Photography
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Camera Guides
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Beginning Guides

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 477 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography--how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I'd just say, 'Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' You d say, 'OK,' and you'd get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak."

This isn't a book of theory—it isn't full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here's another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There's never been a book like it, and if you're tired of taking shots that look "OK," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Scott Kelby

Amazon Price: $14.99 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peachpit Press Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $13.18

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Digital Photography
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> How-to
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Digital Photography

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 118 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Scott Kelby, author of the groundbreaking bestseller “The Digital Photography Book, Vol. 1” is back with an entirely new book that picks up right where Vol. 1 left off. It’s more of that “Ah ha—so that’s how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip the techno jargon; packed with stuff you can really use today, that made Vol. 1 the world’s bestselling book on digital photography.

In Volume 2, Scott adds entirely new chapters packed with Plain English tips on using flash, shooting close up photography, travel photography, shooting people, and even how to build a studio from scratch, where he demystifies the process so anyone can start taking pro-quality portraits today! Plus, he's got full chapters on his most requested topics, including loads of tips for landscape photographers, wedding photographers, and there's an entire chapter devoted to sharing some of the pro's secrets for making your photos look more professional, no matter what you're shooting.

This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘When I use my flash, the background behind the person I’m shooting turns black. How do I fix that?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture on flash ratios, or start a discussion on flash synchronization and rear curtain sync. I’d just say “Lower your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. That should do it” Well, that’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

This isn’t a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly another 200 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)

Bryan Peterson

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Amphoto Books Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $12.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photo Essays
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Reference
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Equipment

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 447 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I understand Exposure now! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My three copies are worn out! When technology exist for a book to be transplanted into memory (my brain), this will be amoung the first photography books I choose to have implanted! Thanks for writing it.

Great even for experienced photograpers! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am an experienced photographer and I found this book helpful. It is written very well so that photographers of many levels can get something out of it. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in perfecting their exposure.

Editorial Review:

For serious amateur photographers who already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, here's the book to consult. More than seventy techniques, both popular and less-familiar approaches, are covered in detail, including advanced exposure, bounced flash and candlelight, infrared, multiple images, soft-focus effects, unusual vantage points, zooming, and other carefully chosen ways to enhance photographs. The A-Z format make sit easy for readers to find a specific technique, and each one is explained in jargon-free language. Top Tips for each technique help readers achieve superb results, even on the first attempt.

Canon EOS 40D Guide to Digital Photography

David D. Busch

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Course Technology PTR Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $17.89

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Digital Photography
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Camera Guides
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Information Theory

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As the new owner of Canon's most advanced intermediate digital SLR, you want to get started taking professional-looking photographs using all of the exciting features at your fingertips. "Canon EOS 40D Guide to Digital SLR Photography" is a concise introduction and guide to your camera's essential controls and functions, such as Live View, built-in dust reduction, and the blistering 6.5-frames-per-second continuous shooting mode that is an action photographer’s dream. The book provides detailed instructions showing you how, when, and why to make optimized settings with the Canon EOS 40D’s enhanced menus, which include a half-dozen versatile new custom functions. You'll learn about the camera's improved automatic focus, flash synchronization tricks, how to choose lenses that will provide the perspective and effects you want, and which exposure modes are ideal for each picture-taking opportunity. Packed with full-color images and examples that illustrate the recommended techniques and settings for your Canon EOS 40D, this book helps photographers of any skill level begin maximizing their equipment as soon as you open the cover!

The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski

Amazon Price: $29.69 List Price: $44.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Riders Press Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $26.80

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Adobe Photoshop
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Digital Photography
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Web Development -> Web Design -> Web Graphics

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Scott Kelby's Done It Again 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I first bought Kelby's guide to Photoshop Elements 4.0. I was flabbergasted at how easily I learned to do fairly complicated things with the program, and have eagerly upgraded to each new book as I upgraded my software. I whiten teeth and eyes with ease, and have even used his direction to add (or subtract!) people to or from photos.

The best thing about these books is their inclusion of EVERY step, for each technique taught. He doesn't skip steps because he assumes you know them-- it's all there.

If I had to recommend only one PSE book to someone trying to get the hang of the program, this would be it. In fact, I'm providing it as an adjuct to PSE classes I teach at my scrapbook store; it's the perfect way for my students to move beyond the basics with confidence!

Editorial Review:

Best-selling author Scott Kelby pairs up with Matt Kloskowski to deliver the definitive book on using Photoshop Elements 6 to create the best possible images. With this newest release of Photoshop Elements, Scott and Matt show readers how to work with their images like a pro, from importing to organization to correction to output. Readers will learn all they need to know about the digital photography workflow, as well as the latest secrets of the pros to help them create the best special effects, apply the most useful sharpening techniques, and avoid many of the hassles and problems that are encountered in digital photography (such as digital noise and color halos).

The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Scott Kelby

Amazon Price: $31.49 List Price: $49.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Riders Press Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $28.12

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Photography & Video -> Adobe Photoshop
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Software
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Digital Photography

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 94 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Scott Kelby was honored with Professional Photographer magazine’s highly coveted 2008 Hot One Award for The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers. Here’s what Jeff Kent, the Hot One Editor at Professional Photographer, has to say about the book: “In a how-to published by Peachpit Press, Scott Kelby, best-selling author on Adobe Photoshop, delves into CS3 to uncover the most important and useful techniques for digital photographers. Our judges liked Kelby’s direct approach with step-by-step instructions. In this new edition, Kelby shares even more secrets from the top pros.”

Shutterbug magazine chose The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers as a Top Digital Book of 2007. Here’s what Joe Farace of Shutterbug has to say about the book: “Scott Kelby’s name on a Photoshop book is like the Dodge brand on the front of a pickup truck. You know it’s built RAM—or pixel—tough. Combining his famous twisted wit with unwaveringly straight tutorials, Kelby takes you through a detailed tour of Photoshop CS3 by showing how to use the new features. No fluff; just page after page of well-illustrated tutorials showing photographers how to get the most out of the new features, commands, and effects found in the latest version of Adobe’s flagship. It will get you up to speed on CS3’s new features faster than you can all by yourself.”

Scott Kelby, the #1 best-selling Photoshop author in the world today, once again takes this book to a whole new level as he uncovers the latest, most important, and most exciting new Adobe Photoshop CS3 techniques for digital photographers. This major update to his award-winning, record-breaking book does something for digital photographers that’s never been done before–it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows you step-by-step the exact techniques used by today’s cutting-edge digital photographers, and best of all, he shows you flat-out exactly which settings to use, when to use them, and why.

That’s why the previous editions of this book are widely used as the official course study guide in photography courses at college and universities around the world, and this new edition for Photoshop CS3 exposes even more of the top pros’ most closely-guarded secrets.

Learn How The Pros Do It
Each year Scott trains thousands of professional photographers on how to use Photoshop, and almost without exception they have the same questions, the same problems, and the same challenges–and that’s exactly what he covers in this book. You’ll learn:

• The sharpening techniques the pros really use.
• The pros’ tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!
• How to get great looking prints (that actually match your screen!)
• A whole chapter on the latest, most requested Photoshop special effects!
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat.
• How to process Raw images, plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features in CS3!
• The portrait retouching secrets only the pros know about!
• How to add real automation to your work.
• How to show your work like a pro!

Plus a host of shortcuts, workarounds, and slick “insider” tricks to send your productivity through the roof! If you’re a digital photographer, and you’re ready to learn the “tricks of the trade”–the same ones that today’s leading pros use to correct, edit, sharpen, retouch, and present their work–then you’re holding the book that will do just that.

David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

David D. Busch

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Course Technology PTR Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $18.58

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> Graphic Arts -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Digital Photography
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Job Hunting & Careers -> Guides

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Have you unpacked your new Nikon D300 digital SLR camera and want to get started right away taking professional quality pictures? David Busch’s Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography will show you how, when, and why to use all the cool features, controls, and functions of your camera to take great photographs of anything. After a brief introduction to the camera to help you get your bearings, you’ll dive right into all the exciting, innovative capabilities of the D300 including the focus controls, flash synchronization options, how to choose lenses, and which exposure modes are best. Beautiful, full-color images illustrate where the essential buttons and dials are, and you’ll find tips and techniques that can be applied to any type of photography to help you take better pictures with your new digital SLR. Whether you are new to digital SLR photography or an experienced pro, David Busch’s Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography will help you maximize your camera’s capabilities.

The Art of WALL.E

Tim Hauser

Amazon Price: $26.40 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $22.41

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> Animation
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Performing Arts
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> Genre Films

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

See how Pixar works its magic 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

What a beautiful book! Thumbing through it, I was struck by how many different types of art are represented: rough pencil sketches, full-bleed background images, pen and ink, pen and marker, digital imagery, even drawings made of "charcoal and hairspray" and "marker and correction fluid." I enthusiastically recommend The Art of WALL.E for aspiring artists, movie fans and anyone wanting to see behind the curtain at the Pixar wizard's inner workings.

My teenage daughter loves it.

In the foreword, WALL.E director and writer Andrew Stanton reveals the line that inspired the movie: "What if mankind were forced to evacuate Earth and someone forgot to turn the last robot off?" This book shows the journey from that initial sentence to the completed animated movie.

Spread throughout the pages are quotes from the movie's production team. "I wanted to do 'R2-D2: The Movie,'" says Stanton. Art director Anthony Christov notes that the movie's trash world was inspired by Chernobyl. "Everything is abandoned. Everything is leveled. Nobody can live there."

Under the dust jacket is a plain yellow cover, with a logo for BnL (Buy & Large, the film's super-corporation) embossed on the front and the title in white on the spine.

Headed to the movie? Here's Amazon's page for showtimes.

Editorial Review:

Pixar Animation Studios, the innovators behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Ratatouille, has again reinvented the genre with WALL E. When a robot searching for a connection finds EVE, a sleek female probe-droid from outer space, he embarks on an adventure-filled journey across the galaxy. Inspired by classic films, and a brave venture in its own right, WALL E is set to awe audiences this summer. The Art of WALL E includes more than 250 imaginative pieces of concept art, including storyboards, full-color pastels, digital and pencil sketches, character studies, color scripts, and more. The astute text—featuring quotes from the director, artists, animators, and production team—unearths the filmmakers' historical inspirations and reveals a studio confidently pushing the limits of animation.

The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)

Joe McNally

Amazon Price: $34.64 List Price: $54.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Riders Press Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $29.77

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Lighting
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Reference
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Digital Photography

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 102 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

THE FIRST BOOK WITH ONE FOOT ON THE COFFEE TABLE, AND ONE FOOT IN THE
CLASSROOM
Joe McNally, one of the world’s top pro digital photographers, whose celebrated work has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated, Time, and National Geographic (to name a few), breaks new ground by doing something no photography book has ever done—blending the rich, stunning images and elegant layout of a coffee-table book with the invaluable training, no-nonsense insights, and photography secrets usually found only in those rare, best-of-breed educational books.

When Joe’s not on assignment for the biggest-name magazines and Fortune 500 clients, he’s in the classroom teaching location lighting, environmental portraiture, and how to “get the shot” at workshops around the world. These on-location workshops are usually reserved for a handful of photographers each year, but now you can learn the same techniques that Joe shares in his seminars and lectures in a book that brings Joe’s sessions to life.

What makes the book so unique is the “triangle of learning” where (1) Joe distills the concept down to one brief sentence. It usually starts with something like, “An editor at National Geographic once told me…” and then he shares one of those hard-earned tricks of the trade that you only get from spending a lifetime behind the lens. Then, (2) on the facing page is one of Joe’s brilliant images that perfectly illustrates the technique (you’ll recognize many of his photos from magazine covers). And (3) you get the inside story of how that shot was taken, including which equipment he used (lens, f/stop, lighting, accessories, etc.), along with the challenges that type of project brings, and how to set up a shot like that of your own.

This book also gives you something more. It inspires. It challenges. It informs. But perhaps most importantly, it will help you understand photography and the art of making great photos at a level you never thought possible. This book is packed with those “Ah ha!” moments—those clever insights that make it all come together for you. It brings you that wonderful moment when it suddenly all makes sense—that “moment it clicks.”

What It Is

Lynda Barry

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Drawn and Quarterly Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $14.78

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy
Subjects -> Comics & Graphic Novels -> Graphic Novels

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A guide on remembering 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of the most important aspects of writing anything-- memoir, fiction, poetry--is the ability to remember. Sounds simple, but we forget so much naturally and are actively encouraged to forget what doesn't suit the needs of any particular group, usually family. Lynda Barry's wonderful primer on how to being to probe the images of your life is just grand
and will doubtless serve many artists and writers as they explore their lives and the lives of others. An exercise as simple as try to recall the earliest phone number you had and try to picture that phone seem so simple, but take you to places that you'd long forgotten.

Like everything by Barry, it's humane and masterful and compassionate and smart. A wonderful addition to any artist's desk.

Editorial Review:

“Deliciously drawn (with fragments of collage worked into each page), insightful and bubbling with delight in the process of artistic creation. A+” —Salon

How do objects summon memories? What do real images feel like? For decades, these types of questions have permeated the pages of Lynda Barry’s compositions, with words attracting pictures and conjuring places through a pen that first and foremost keeps on moving. What It Is demonstrates a tried-and-true creative method that is playful, powerful, and accessible to anyone with an inquisitive wish to write or to remember. Composed of completely new material, each page of Barry’s first Drawn & Quarterly book is a full-color collage that is not only a gentle guide to this process but an invigorating example of exactly what it is: “The ordinary is extraordinary.”