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For the Digital Photographer: The
Winners |
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Up To Speed by Ben Willmore
Winner of best concept is Ben Willmore for
Up To Speed.
Imagine a book that tells Photoshop CS2 users what's new and different
from the previous version. No more sifting through 500 pages explaining
stuff you already know in order to get to what's new in CS2 In other
words, this is a "good parts" version of the Manhattan phone book-sized
Photoshop books that proliferate, evidently, because authors are paid by
the pound. This slender volume has three sections: Foundation, Design,
and Photography. Don't care about Design, read Foundations (that's where
all the inside scoop on Bridge is found) and skip to the photography
section for one of the briefest yet best discussions on working with
Adobe Camera Raw you'll find anywhere. Great design and production make
Up To Speed a
best buy for 2005. |
Creative Photoshop Lighting Techniques by Barry Huggins
Digital Fashion Photography by Chris Tarantino and Ken Tan
Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers by Martin Evening
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Digital: The Art of Digital |
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The Digital Color Printing Handbook: A Photographer's Guide to Creative Color Management and Printing Techniques by Tim Daly
This book is not about how to make prints from your image files; it is
about creating photographs that can be printed. There is more
information on scanning and color management than printing; these
subjects, like everything else in the book, are covered in wonderful
detail that will help those new to digital imaging prepare images for
fine art printing, which is really the book's focus. In Color Recipes,
Tim Daly shows you the basics of converting color to monochrome but
takes it further by including tutorials on split-toning, low-key color,
and autochrome. The Special Techniques in Chapter 9 include softening
(a.k.a. creating a Holga look), the use of color toners, and a simple
way to create the effect of a polarizing filter -- no plug-ins required.
Despite its somewhat misleading title, Daly's book belongs on your
nightstand to provide inspiration before retiring for the evening. |
The Art of Photoshop by Daniel Giordan
This is the kind of book that exemplifies how photographers want to see
their work presented. The publisher (SAMS) is to be congratulated for
the lush production values in this oversized, almost coffee-table sized
book. The book's design combines elegance with enough function to make
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe smile. Most of the topics demonstrated, such as
the wonderfully titled: "It's about focus, not sharpness," fit on two
pages so you can easily soak up content and context. While juggling the
art aspects of the book with the practical, Daniel Giordan errs on the
side of artfulness, filling the pages with richly reproduced images that
made me want to run out and take pictures. |
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Digital: For the Pros |
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Photoshop CS2 Workflow by Tim Grey
"Workflow" may be the hottest buzzword for digital images but it's
hardly new. Film photographers had a workflow, although few called it
that, and all had its own devotees who pursued perfection with a
religious-like zeal. What is Adams' Zone System if not workflow? But
here Tim Grey has put together a good if somewhat overpriced book on
digital workflow. The images and design may be somewhat pedestrian, but
the book is saved by text that takes you painstakingly from downloading
and sorting through output processing. An appendix includes a checklist
that, if the book's designer hadn't been too lazy (or underpaid) to make
look like a real checklist, would have been a useful tool. |
Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Bruce Fraser
The Digital Photographer's Handbook by Michael Freeman
Total Digital Photography: The Shoot to Print Workflow Handbook by Serge Timacheff and David Karlins
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Bookends |
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A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Black & White Photography by John Clements
It's a challenge to be comprehensive in 144 pages but John Clements has
done a remarkable job. After the briefest of introductions, Clements has
you deep inside Photoshop's Channel Mixer creating monochrome images
with the best of them. He uses the same no-nonsense style combined with
excellent screen shots to show you how to do the most amazing toning
using an effect that Clements calls Sepia II. This is followed by tips
and techniques for creating faux infrared effects that have to be seen,
then tried. The subject matter through the book is varied and is
populated with wonderful images of landscapes, wildlife, portraits, and
the occasional tasteful nude. There is also a section called "The
Digital Zone System" that should make fans of Saint Ansel whoop with
delight, or cringe. I liked it. |
A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Glamour by Duncan Evans
If you're even mildly interested in glamour photography, this small book
is for you. It has a modular layout that lets you hone in on
specific camera or digital darkroom techniques that cover a few pages
each. You can read it from cover to cover (my suggestion) or jump into
sections such as "Shadow Effects" or "Small Spaces." The photographs,
created by many different and talented photographers, are stunning and
beautifully reproduced, but this is a book about glamour photography and
does contain tasteful nudity. If that bothers you, you might want to
skip it. The rest of us will find that Digital Glamour Photography is a
comprehensive course in using digital cameras -- even point-and-shoot
digicams -- to create glamour imagery. |
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Digital Techniques |
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Digital Infrared Photography by Patrick Rice
Patrick Rice's digital infrared photography is stunning and his text
will be extremely useful for image-makers who want to try this unique
pursuit. While there are a few landscape and architectural images, the
book reflects Rice's wedding and portrait photography, including an
arresting cover shot that shows how digital IR is more than just a
technique that makes tree leaves and grass white. In fact, there are no
trees or grass in the romantic and involving wedding portrait on the
cover! While many of the images were made with filters, some were made
with a camera converted specifically to make IR images; the author even
includes a one-page tutorial on how to modify a Nikon Coolpix 990 or 950
for your infrared photography. That one page alone is worth the price of
the book. Rice's
Techniques for Black & White Digital Photography
makes a wonderful companion to his infrared volume. |
Digital nature Photography: Closeup by Jon Cox
Step-by-Step Composition Techniques for Digital Photographers by Ernst Wildi
Painter IX Creativity by Jeremy Sutton
Digital Landscape Photography by Michelle Perkins
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Traditional Photography Books |
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Through the Eyes of the Gods: An Aerial Vision of Africa by Robert B. Haas
Photographer and accomplished author Robert B. Haas has an innovative
approach to photography that produces magnificent results. He literally
rises above his subjects by capturing images from helicopters and light
aircraft. This lofty point of view transforms his work in unexpected
ways by allowing you to see the rugged landscape and exotic wildlife of
Africa as if you had wings. The introduction was provided by Kuki
Gallmann, author of
I Dreamed of Africa,
and the 12 essays are based on Haas' journal entries created during this
once in a lifetime adventure. Together, the words and pictures create a
fine tapestry of delight readers of all ages.
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On This Earth: Photographs of East Africa by Nick Brandt
This gorgeous collection of 67 sepia and blue-tone photographs captures
the primal beauty of Africa's vanishing wildlife. It's apparent that these
lavish portraits were crafted with a great deal of photographic
expertise and sharp attention to detail. The forward by Alice Sebold is
expertly paired with Jane Goodall's eloquent introduction to provide a
rich voice to these lovely images, making this title a treasure you are
certain to enjoy. |
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Twentieth Century Fox: Inside the Photo Archive by Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopoulos
U2 & I: The Photographs 1982-2004 by Anton Corbin
Art of the Chopper by Tom Zimberoff
Land and Light in the American West photographs by John Ward
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White Mountain Wilderness: A Photographic Journey to New Hampshire's Most Rugged Places by Jerry and Marcy Monkman
Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio photographs by Ed Wargin
Spirt Horses by Tony Stromberg
Pantanal: South Americas Wetland Jewel by Theo Allofs
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