Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual is written by Barbara Brundage (with the support of O’Reilly Media – Missing Manuals series who have enough clarity for the novice, and enough depth and detail for the power user), an expert on Elements who combines technical knowledge with her appealing, down-to-earth writing style. She clearly explains Photoshop Elements 6’s exciting array of new features, including the new Quick Edit function, Windows Vista compatibility, improved RAW conversion, a handy Quick Selection Tool, and more. Under Barbara’s intelligent tutelage, readers learn how to:
Import, organize, and fix photos quickly and easily.
Repair and restore old and damaged photos, and retouch any image.
Jazz up their pictures with dozens of filters, frames, and special effects.
Learn which tools the pros use–and finally understand how layers work!
Create collages and photo layout pages for greeting cards and other projects.
Get downloadable practice images and try new tricks right away.
“Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual” provides the best possible guidance to scrapbookers, photographers at every level, and budding graphic artists and progresses from simple to complex features. Those ready for the more sophisticated tools can easily jump around to learn specific techniques. As always, Barbara lets you know which Elements features work well, which don’t, and why (all with a bit of wit and good humor).
“Elements is wonderful software, but there’s a lot going on there. I wanted to help people find their way around and to understand some of the great things they can do with the program.†– adds Barbara.
Tags: Photoshop Elements 6, The Missing Manual, photoshop resources, photoshop books, photoshop, photoshop tutorials
>“301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers†is a comprehensive, how-to guide to high-quality digital printing that shows photographers of all levels how to make high-quality prints through detailed instructions and hundreds of full-color examples from more than 20 professional photographers and other artists.
Written by Andrew Darlow, a veteran photographer, educator, and digital imaging consultant, collected his years of experience with digital and fine art photography and inkjet printing to write the book, the book contains over 100 reproductions of photographs and other artwork, with technical info such as the camera, lens, f-stop, and exposure. In addition, paper and ink combinations are listed throughout the book. The author believes that this will help people of all skill levels to better understand which printers and papers work well together based on actual testing.
You can benefit from the tips including: how to choose a printer; how to sharpen properly; how to choose the right file size and resolution when making prints; how to save ink; how to produce impressive portfolios within virtually any budget; Photoshop tips and tricks; and much more:
• Understand the differences between inkjet printers and select the best one for your needs
• Take advantage of many Photoshop and printing techniques used by professionals
• Learn color management and how to reduce ink and paper waste
• Select the best papers and other media for your printer
• Produce and display gallery-quality prints at your home, office, or studio
“I’m extremely pleased with the guest artist selection, which makes up about half of the book and includes the tips and techniques of more than 20 photographers and other artists. I’ve known many of the guest artists for years and feel very fortunate to share the book’s pages with them.†– the author.
Also, note that the book is released under the Course Technology PTR, a division of Cengage Learning which delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world.
Tags: photography book, photo book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques, Andrew Darlow
Digital Photography Masterclass by Tom Ang is a book for which you will be encouraged to tackle a number of assignments. Your photos could be selected to illustrate the sections called ‘Critiques’. Your task is easy: read the briefs for the assignments, then take photographs or search your collection for suitable images and post them to the Flickr group Tom Ang’s Digital Photography Masterclass with tags (the assignment number) and commentary (where, when and why you took the picture, camera and lenses, special effects, and so on). Here’s the link where to post. This sounds like a good temptation for me because there’s much to learn from it so I will participate into this one. There is a wide for the number of images you can send: 2-5 shots per category. Here’s a list with the categories:
1. Camera settings – City lights and details
2. Still life – Expose with feeling
3. Landscape – exploring dynamic range
4. Stock photos – Urban nature
5. Colour: Order from disorder
6. Composition – Landmarking the famous
7. Pet portrait – Capturing the moment
8. Architecture – Explore the light
9. People – Flash lighting
10. Perfecting the image
11. Creative image manipulation
12. Advanced manipulation
13. Travel photography – A revealing angle
14. Portraiture – Capturing character
15. Documentary – A day in the life…
16. Landscape – Spirit of place
17. Sport – Essence of the action
18. Nature – Conservation message
19. Wildlife – Inspiring vision
20. Wedding – The lightness of emotion
21. Abstract with lighting effect
For details about each of above see http://www.idigitalphoto.com/masterclass/.
Successful photographers will have their images featured in the book, together with their words and a full credit, and each photographer will receive a signed copy of the book when published. Photographers retain copyright and can use the image freely for any other purpose.
Tags: Digital Photography Masterclass, photo critique, photography critique, tom ang
The Foto8 Planer is a resource of 52 spreads with 52 photographs for your weekly year ahead planning. Plus, a comprehensive listings guide to UK, European and international photographic festivals, events, competitions, grant applications and many other essential photography dates and resources for the year ahead.
It is full-opening spreads for desk display with flexi cover and convenient carry size;132 pages, 160mm x140mm, spiral bound.
Price: £11.50 – Available at www.foto8.com.
Tags: foto8, foto8 planner, 2008 photo events
Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna gives you the ingredients to cook up your own recipe for success-with professional lighting techniques, composition, food and prop styling, retouching, and tricks of the trade. The author promises to teach you in 256 pages how digital photography combines teamwork, creativity, and technology, and how to make money creating delectable works of photographic art.
Great food always elicits strong reactions-the smell of freshly baked bread, the taste of a perfectly prepared steak. The job of a food photographer is to elicit that same mouth-watering reaction, but without the benefit of scent or taste. A well-shot photograph can send crowds flocking to a new restaurant or boost the sales of a culinary magazine. Capturing the perfect image requires a trained eye, finesse, and photographic skill.
Manna’s book (explained in a concise and clear cut manner) is like going to food photography school even for experienced commercial photography shooters. Reading every chapter gives live to an entire experience: dealing with art directors, clients and food stylists….understanding complex lighting situations, camera angles, stand-ins…understanding the importance of post-production and how to digitally get the results needed.
You will also find photography tips and key ‘secrets’ on how other items are substituted or made into food. In other words, what makes this book different from others is the author’s ability to explain the intangible “art” of photography next to the actual shooting techniques. The pages are filled with step by step (and photo by photo) examples of different food photography assignments and what was needed to be done to make the perfect shot.
Tags: photography book, photo book, digital food photography, lou manna, food photography
Another book by Freeman Patterson (this time in collaboration with Andre Gallant) managed to draw my attention, basically because of the same reason: he talks about photography behind techniques and gear, he talks about creativity and how to see the picture before you take it through you eye and my not through a high performance lens. This book is called “Photo Impressionism and the Subjective Image”.
This edition features 100 stunning photographs with extended captions that include valuable technical information and personal commentary from both Freeman Patterson and acclaimed travel photographer Andr Gallant. A true collaborative effort, Photo Impressionism and the Subjective Image illustrates the superb craftsmanship behind beautiful photography.
There are two short books here under one cover, one called “Photo Impressionism” and the other “the Subjective Image”. Then each of these books is made up of relatively unrelated chapters. Each essay or chapter include several photographic examples and you would be amazed at the photos the author makes using nothing but tin foil as a subject. This book teaches presents a photography that can convey a scene or convey a mood or emotion using different techniques to switch between them. Several different techniques in subjective imagery are presented, including multiple-exposure impressionistic images (with different camera movement techniques for different effects) with good explanations, and techniques that are not difficult, although they take practice to master.
Tags: photography book, photo impressionism, subjective image, Freeman Patterson, Andre Gallant
“Photographing the World Around You, second edition, offers readers valuable information on the essential building blocks of visual design, including light, shape, line and perspective. Freeman Patterson provides clear and concise instruction on how to use this foundation to create balance, proportion and rhythm in photographs.”
This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in moving past taking snapshot and postcard type shots, into truly artistic images. It talks about basic features (exposure, depth of field, color vs. black-and-white, aperture, shutter speed, white balance) and the dangers involved in the digital process, but, behind a few technical explanations, Mr. Patterson gives you his approach and what inspired him to take each one of the photos in the book.
It opens your mind to see lines, textures and shapes around you, to balance, proportionate and find a rhythm in the surrounding objects arrangement. There are different chapters for Humans, Human Constructions and Manufactured Objects, and Nature. Freeman teaches you how to explore the environment in a seek for a subject, and, how to evaluate your pictures in order to become a better photographer with each shot.
Tags: Photographing the World Around You, photography book, Freeman Patterson
I started wondering what do I want to read, to know in the next step of my passion for photography. OK I know the basics, I don’t want any more gear, I got it with the light and all the settings, so what’s next? Am I totally ready to make stunning pictures to make anyone say WOW? No.
I saw a book promising to review the principles of composition and visual design to provide techniques and exercises for breaking away from traditional concepts. In this third edition of Photography and the Art of Seeing, Freeman Patterson says that aspiring photographers are made aware of the barriers to seeing and learn how to observe, imagine and express in a personal and creative way.
By reading this book you won’t come away with a list of rules and instructions about when to apply them and will you also not end up with a cheat sheet of camera settings that achieve particular effects. Instead, you will learn new ways to look at, think about, understand, and portray the world you see through the lens of your camera giving you the chance to become more empowered to express yourself in your photography.
As the word workshop says, you will encounter intriguing, mind-expanding exercises but also many nice photo are provided for your joy and learn.
Tags: photography book, Photography and the Art of Seeing, Freeman Patterson
Jon Cox, author of the top-selling Digital Nature Photography is an instructor at the University of Delaware. In his Digital Nature Photography Closeup he lets everyone – from amateurs to professionals – learn in deep the macro power to create truly breathtaking nature photography. Firsts, he guides you through the macro equipment – like lenses, extension tubes, teleconverters, microscopes, then uses dozens of full-color examples and clear explanations to illustrate exactly how he got that shot. Some hard topics are touched: aquarium and underwater photography, even shooting through a microscope.
What I like most about Jon Cox’s teaching style, is that he shows the photographs in duplicates of the same image, shot with different “lenses” or “field of depth” or “white balance” or “exposure” etc… so the reader instantly sees identical photographs “change” when settings are used. Of course, he first explains what all those therms mean for begginers, so the book targets a lot of people (half of the book is devoted to basic photo equipment and concepts). Overall, it’s well organized, clearly written and very attractively designed with beautiful pictures.
Tags: photography book, nature photography, digital nature photography closeup, jon cox
Rob Sheppard’s published teachings have made the object of Photoaxe.com reviews because he is a great writer and teacher of digital photographic arts (other books: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Digital Photographers Only, Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2, Adobe Camera Raw for Digital Photographers Only). His target are amateurs, digital photography beginners.
In this 207 pages Photography Book, he reveals the magic of digital nature photography by presenting invaluable insider techniques and insights: use a histogram to get the ideal exposure, or white balance to create atmospheric images; learn how to shoot crisp close-ups or awe-inspiring panoramic shots, and how to enhance pictures by using filters such as grads and polarizers. After that, see how image-editing software can turn ordinary images into extraordinary photos.
Want to look at some of the photos used in book? Here’s a link to his gallery regarding nature.
At the close of each chapter, he provides a set of tips that photographers at all levels can use to improve their pictures. He also includes portfolios and interviews by some of the great nature photographers to give you inspirational ideas and photographic culture.
Tags: the magic of digital nature photography, photography book, rob sheppard
