Book Reviews for September 2011 |
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Secrets Behind Great Macro Photography
by Jim Zuckerman
Last week Jim Zuckerman told me that he has two new books out and that he would send me copies to review. Then he let me know that they were the new ebooks, which it seems that most photographers are now doing to replace the high cost of printed ones. This is not only the first time I have reviewed an ebook, but it is also the first time that I have even looked at one. I had felt that I would have problems with this new form of publishing since you can not hold something in your hands and compare several pages to each other at the same time, but I also knew that there would probably be some good features to this kind of information, and I was right in both cases.
Jim said that I would really be surprised at the images in his book because on the monitor screen they are now back-lit and show up like nothing you have ever seen a printed book. He was sure right about that. There is one picture of a "very" large tarantula sitting on top of a flower, and when you see it you feel like you have a great need to back up real fast.
Secrets Behind Great Macro Photography has 7 chapters on 73 pages where Jim covers the equipment needed and the technical aspects of macro work, and then goes on to tell you how to find the best subjects to shoot up close. Also included is a chapter on macro lighting and even one on doing macro abstracts, and one for creating graphic designs using things like bird feathers. The macro images in this ebook are typical Zuckerman quality as you can see for yourself with this cover image of the frog in a flower.
My new impressions of ebooks now is that they are on the small side as compared to printed ones, but I did still find that this one has plenty of information in it, and best of all, at a lot less price than what a regular book cost.
You can purchase Jim's ebook for just $9.95 on his website at: http://www.jimzuckerman.com/ebooks.php. I Rate it: A++
Painting with a Lens: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Designing Artistic Images In-Camera
by Rob and Robin Deutschmann
Here is a great new book that shows you how to create dozens of special effects images right in the camera, without any need for those high priced programs, and do it with all sorts of subjects from nature close-ups to full landscape shots. By using the shutter, aperture, lens focus, camera motion, as well as a combination of them, Painting with a Lens shows and tells you how to create many award winning effects. The book is richly illustrated with the special effect samples and has easy to follow instructional text. You will be amazed at what new pieces of fine art type images you will be creating with just a few of the techniques in this book. I am going to be using it as one of my newest photo reference books for a long time to come.
This soft cover book is about 9x11 inches, with 122 pages, retails for US-$34.95 and is published by Amherst Media at: www.amherstmedia.com. I Rate it: A+
Capture
Digital Photography Essentials
by Rand, Broughton, Quintenz & Fiedler
Good images come from the proper use of the equipment that you have to create them with, and this new book shows how to use that equipment and the photo techniques it takes to create images that are more than just snapshots. Its 13 chapters cover everything about digital photography, from the basics of how digital cameras work on through how to use the cameras features to get the most out of an subject, and also how to handle and maintain your images for the long run. The book is richly illustrated, and has even more information on every topic it covers, so it is a great reference for both beginners and advanced photographers. It even covers the use and creation of HDR images. This is one very good book for any digital library.
This soft cover book is about 8x10 inches, with 248 pages, retails for US-$39.95 - and is published by RockyNook and distributed by O'Reilly Media and can be checked out at: www.oreilly.com. I Rate it: A
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Paul W. Faust is a self-taught Photographer, Writer, Digital Imaging, Photo Restoration, and Photo Stock Service professional. You can see more of his images on his web site at www.Impressions-of-Light.com plus two web galleries of his images at www.paul-w-faust.artistwebsites.com and www.redbubble.com/people/pwfiol.
