General Books

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Scott Kelby

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 138 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.

Photography (9th Edition)

Barbara London, Jim Stone, John Upton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

If you are studying for the CPP test.... 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is the book! If you are studying for the CPP test this is the one. It is comprehensive to a fault. The explanations of photo concepts are complete and easy to understand. The only problem is that the book is so big that it is falling apart. Wish me luck on the test!

good textbook 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

textbook needed for photography class. Its new and arrived on time. One can also be satisfied with the older edition of the book- especially for a beginner.

Editorial Review:

A picture tells a thousand stories, but the one it doesn't tell is how the shot was made. Barbara London and John Upton's Photography is an all-inclusive look at the craft of photography. This book will help any amateur move up a few notches, and it serves as a refresher course for professionals as well. The sixth edition of this classic work (the first was published in 1976) includes a companion Web site with interactive activities, Web resources, and a learning archive. Amply illustrated with at least one photograph or diagram on almost every page, Photography is the one reference work every student of photography must have--even those who will never set foot in a classroom. --Brenda Pittsley

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

Michael Freeman

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

Editorial Review:

Design is the single most important factor in creating a successful photograph. The ability to see the potential for a strong picture and then organize the graphic elements into an effective, compelling composition has always been one of the key skills in making photographs.
Digital photography has brought a new, exciting aspect to design - first because the instant feedback from a digital camera allows immediate appraisal and improvement; and second because image-editing tools make it possible to alter and enhance the design after the shutter has been pressed. This has had a profound effect on the way digital photographers take pictures.
The Photographer's Eye shows how anyone can develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs. The book explores all the traditional approaches to composition and design, but crucially, it also addresses the new digital technique of shooting in the knowledge that a picture will later be edited, manipulated, or montaged to result in a final image that may be very different from the one seen in the viewfinder.

Features
*Covers both traditional in-camera composition and the new opportunities for picture-making made possible by digital imaging editing
*Shows how to explore situations and locations in order to find the best possible photographic possibilities
*Uses clear examples from real photographic assignments, with schematic illustrations of how and why the pictures work

Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second

Bryan Peterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Very informative 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Bryan Peterson's books have always been very interesting, and Understanding Shutter Speed definitely is his best book to date. Like his previous books, he writes very clearly and the sample photos are beautiful! I would buy this book again just for the photos. It takes photography to another level by showing the readers how easy it is to be creative using different shutter speeds. If you want to learn to take all those action filled shots that you thought only professionals can do, buy this book and discover that you can do it yourself!

Editorial Review:

The first book in the Understanding Photography series, Understanding Exposure, was a runaway best-seller, with more than 250,000 copies sold. Now author Bryan Peterson brings his signature style to another important photography topic: shutter speed. With clear, jargon-free explanations of terms and techniques, plus compelling "before-and-after" photos that pair a mediocre image (created using the wrong shutter speed) with a great image (created using the right shutter speed), this is the definitive practical guide to mastering an often-confusing subject. Topics include freezing and implying motion, panning, zooming, exposure, Bogen Super Clamps, and rendering motion effects with Photoshop, all with helpful guidance for both digital and film formats. Great for beginners and serious amateurs, Understanding Shutter Speed is the definitive handy guide to mastering shutter speed for superb results.

Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua, Fil Hunter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 89 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An amazing (and some would say magical) resource on photographic lighting that has been talked about in the community and recommended for years. This highly respected guide has been thoroughly updated and revised for content and design - it is now produced in full color! It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting so if you are starting out in photography you will learn how to predict results before setting up lights. This is not primarily a how-to book with only set examples for you to copy. Rather, Light: Science and Magic provides you with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles of light to allow you to use lighting to express your own creativity.

Numerous photographs and illustrations provide clear examples of the theories, while sidebars highlight special lighting questions. Expanded chapters on available light in portraiture, as well as new information on digital equipment and terminology make this a must have update!

*New four color art package with contemporary lighting examples
*Based on the behaviour of light
*Theory book for serious photographers

Black and White Photography, Third Revised Edition

Henry Horenstein

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent resource 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

A Basic Manual, 3rd Edit Revised is an excellent resource for the new (film) photographer. I'd also argue its not a half-bad general resource for the more experienced photographer. I used his previous version in an introductory course in black and white photography that I taught for a number of years. Of late I have been using Mastering Black and White Photography by Bernhard Suess but will now switch back to this text. Student response to both texts has been overwhelmingly positive however I feel Horenstein's writing style is easier for them to follow. The sequence, illustrations and figures of the Horenstein book seem both logical as well as well done. Particularly useful are the illustrations of common negative faults, something I had missed after moving to the Suess text. Highly recommended but please note that this is a book heavily weighted to using film cameras as well as processes and procedures in the darkroom. There are other works more suited for digital photography and for those who are looking for a reference on the "art" of photography.

Editorial Review:

One of the most popular and useful instruction manuals of its kindwhich has set the standard for nearly thirty yearsis now completely revised and updated, encompassing the latest photographic techniques, materials, and processes. Black and White Photography has sold more than 500,000 copies in its first two editions. The second edition (1982), currently in its twenty-fourth printing, still enjoys net sales of 25,000 to 30,000 copies a year. A popular, hands-on size, Black and White Photography is a bargain photographic how-to book. Past and present users of Horensteins books include the Parsons School of Design, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and MIT, in addition to continuing education classes and photography buffs who have discovered them through favorable word of mouth.

The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series)

Jim Miotke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The better photo guide to digital photography 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is for the serious photographer using the digital equipment. I was interested in learning to take better photographs, and this book made me want to go out there and do the lessons included in there.

BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you are looking to learn the basics of digital photography, whether you just want to take better vacation photos with your family - or progress into a career in photography, this book is for you. Great pictures with information on how the pictures were taken (aperture, lens used, length, etc..). The book is very informative and Jim keeps things interesting to the point that you do not get bored. I would highly suggest this for anyone looking to take better pictures.

Great photography book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This Photo book is great for advance reader it gives us many up to date features(Tips) for shooting under various conditions, digital photography has arrived and you can learn on the spot, instead of waiting after your develops return........Thanks......NA

A photo book should not be printed 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

by the cheapest Ch***se print outfit that's around. If one is trying to explain with images what effect filters or different lighting situations have on a photo, a good print quality would help.
In regards to content and explanations, it is a good book and well conceived. It helped me quite a bit. However, the author thinks, that good pictures can only be taken with DSLR cameras. Some of his own examples don't make a good point of that.

Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)

Ferrell McCollough

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Complete Guide to HDR Digital Photography Ferrell's new book is about the new and exciting techniques in HDR photography. Learn how to get started with HDR and progress into expert status with this excellent how to manual loaded with more pictures than pages making it an excellent coffee table book as well. Learn the latest technique in HDR that Ferrell has pioneered and calls Flash Merging. It's the hottest and latest technique made possible only through digital. High Dynamic Range Photography is the process of taking several pictures of a scene at various exposures, then merging them into one file. So the entire photo can look crisp and detailed, from highlights to midtones to shadows, and photographers needen't sacrifice any part of their image. And the best way to master this exciting technology is with this thorough, easy-to-follow, and visually spectacular guide. No other title does justice to these cutting-edge techniques, which actually take the viewer into worlds far beyond normal photography - sometimes even beyond normal human perception. Ferrell McCollough, a widely respected photographer, pushes the boundaries and inspires others to pursue their artistic vision, too. The amazing results simply can't be achieved any other way

Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers

Christopher Grey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Visual learner 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

To those with learning disabilities as myself, having suffered a stroke, that use visuals for their input, this book was excellent in all it's methodologies of teaching lighting techniques!

First were the photos themselves, each was shown along with the lighting ratios, and the effect of the various lighting implements used for that particular mood or style of photo being expressed.

Next was a series of photos taken with the same lighting ratio, but with different equipment, showing just how illuminating light can be, and how a Softbox, Umbrella, and what have you can change and influence just how mood and intensity are controlled.

I highly recommend this book for it's excellence in handling the subject at hand...namely Portrait Lighting!

Editorial Review:

Time-tested lighting strategies that will improve the quality of a portrait are detailed in this book for beginning photographers. Terminology used by industry pros is explained, the equipment needed to create professional results is outlined, and the unique role that each element of the lighting setup plays in the studio is explored. Photographers learn how color, direction, form, and contrast affect the final portrait. The concise text, photo examples, and lighting diagrams enable photographers to easily achieve traditional lighting styles that have been the basis of good portraiture since the advent of the art.

A Short Course in Photography: An Introduction to Photographic Technique (6th Edition)

Barbara London, Jim Stone

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

much better price than the college bookstore 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My daughter needed this book for a community college Introduction To Photography class. I got it for a much better price than the college bookstore. We are keeping this excellent book after the class if over. Thanks!

No new info 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I got this for my college class. I read the whole book in one night because there isn't much to it. There are lots of pictures which I liked to look at but I already learned everything in here from just photographing on my own. Luckily I got it new at a used price so I can sell it back to the bookstore and make some money.

Editorial Review:

This easy-to-use, inexpensive book introduces beginning picture takers and makers to the fundamentals of photography and suggests ways in which they might create photographs that have meaning. Oriented toward traditional black and white photography, the book also explores digital techniques and web photography resources, equipment, cameras and camera accessories, the exposure and development of film, and the making and finishing of prints. All aspects of the process are explained and illustrated clearly in two-page spreads, each of which addresses a self-contained topic. For people who don't know anything about photography and would like to learn, and for those who want to make better pictures than they already do.