Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, Revised Edition

Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, Revised Edition Review

A classic guide to creative nature photography, now updated for the digital world.

Amateur and experienced photographers interested in taking more compelling, personal images will love this new edition of Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, now updated to address the exciting possibilities (and challenges) of digital image-making. Author Brenda Tharp’s inspiring approach has garnered fans all over the world, as she teaches that magical skill no camera can do for you: learn how to “see.” Readers expand their photographic vision and discover deep wellsprings of creativity as they learn to use light, balance, color, design, pattern, texture, composition, and many simple techniques to take a photo from ordinary to high-impact.

Featuring more than 150 stunning, all-new images, Creative Nature & Outdoor  Photography, Revised Edition is for anyone who understands the basic technical side to photography but wants to wake up their creative vision.

Improve Your Wildlife Photography (Improve Your Photography)

Improve Your Wildlife Photography (Improve Your Photography) Review

Most photographers think that being a wildlife photographer simply requires a long lens and getting close to the animals; however, their pictures lack the impact and drama of a professional wildlife photographer.

This book teaches photographers how to achieve stunning photos of animals by simply applying the tips taught in this book. Whether you enjoy shooting birds, deer, or any other type of animal, the techniques in this book will help improve the impact of your wildlife photos.

Some of the topics explained in the book include: how to increase the drama in your wildlife photography, improving your lighting, what makes a winning wildlife photo, how to get close to animals, and techniques to achieve ultra-sharp animal photos.

There are four other books in the "Improve Your Photography" series by Jim Harmer. Check out the author's other titles by searching the name of the series on Amazon.

The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes

The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes Review

This book teaches us how to fully connect with the visual richness of our ordinary, daily experience. Photography is not just a mechanical process; it requires learning how to see. As you develop your ability to look and see, you will open, more and more, to the natural inspiration of your surroundings.

Filled with practical exercises, photographic assignments, and techniques for working with texture, light, and color, this book offers a system of training that draws on both Buddhist mindfulness practice and the insights of master photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Night and Low-Light Photography Photo Workshop

Night and Low-Light Photography Photo Workshop Review

Finally! A resource that sheds light on the unique challenges of night and low-light photography

With their unique sets of challenges, night and low-light photography are often touted as some of the most difficult and frustrating genres of digital photography. This much-needed guide demystifies any murky topics provides you with all the information you need to know from choosing the right gear and camera settings to how to best edit your photos in post-production. Renowned photographer Alan Hess shares techniques and indispensable tips that he has garnered from years of experience.

Helpful projects and full-color stunning photos in each chapter serve to educate and inspire, while assignments at the end of every chapter encourage you to practice your skills and upload your photos to a website so you can share and receive critiques.

• Details best practices for taking portraits, landscapes, and action shots in night or low light
• Features specific coverage of concert photography and low-light event photography
• Answers the most frequent questions that photographers face while tackling this challenging technique

Packed with invaluable advice and instruction, Night and Low-Light Photography Photo Workshop doesn?t leave you in the dark.

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 Review

Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book, volume 1 (the world’s best-selling digital photography book of all time), is back with a follow-up to his volume 2 smash best seller, with an entirely new book that picks up right where he left off. It’s even more of that “Ah ha—so that’s how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip-the-techno-jargon stuff you can really use today to make your shots even better.

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, ‘Hey Scott, I want the light for this portrait to look really soft and flattering. How far back should I put this softbox?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture about lighting ratios, or flash modifiers. In real life, I’d just turn to you and say, ‘Move it in as close to your subject as you possibly can, without it actually showing up in the shot.’ 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 200 more 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.

Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies

Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies Review

A complete, full-color guide to all the elements of dSLR photography

If you have a digital SLR camera, you’ll find everything you need in this full-color reference to help you get the best results. Ten self-contained minibooks cover the basics of dSLR photography and address camera models from the five leading dSLR manufacturers. Topics include lenses, exposure, lighting, composition, processing and editing, a guide to manufacturers and systems, and a guide to camera settings, plus separate minibooks covering video and high dynamic range (HDR) photography.

• This full-color volume covers all the key elements essential to good photography as well as the basics of camera bodies and lenses, dSLR workflow, and advice on the best camera settings to use for different situations
• Covers lighting, composition, and exposure as well as macro and telephoto lenses
• Features minibooks on video, HDR photography, processing and editing images, and a guide to leading camera manufacturers and systems

Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies replaces an entire shelf of digital photography books and helps you get the photos you dream of.

Digital Landscape Photography

Digital Landscape Photography Review

Photographing landscape with a film camera is different than with a digital camera. There are several books on the market that cover landscape photography but few of them are specifically for the digital photographer. This book is what you are looking for!

Digital Landscape Photography covers:
* equipment such as accessories and lenses
* exposure from shutter speed and other common mistakes
* shooting
* light and its importance
* composing your perfect photo
* printing
* and a special section on specific subjects such as waterfalls and sunrises

Digital Landscape Photography, written by experts that have been shooting outdoors for decades, is a fresh look at current ways to shoot landscapes by making the most of digital format.

* the only photo book on landscape photography in a landscape format * both beautifully illustrated and instructive at the same time * Authors are well known photographers in the field: Pictures have been published in National Wildlife, Sierra, Natural History, Outdoor Photographer, and many other major publications

Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images (Voices That Matter)

Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images (Voices That Matter) Review

When looking at a photograph, too often a conversation starts–and, unfortunately, ends–with a statement such as, “I like it.” The logical next question, “Why?”, often goes unasked and unanswered. As photographers, we frequently have difficulty speaking about images because, frankly, we don’t know how to think about them. And if we don’t know how to think about a photograph and its “visual language”– how an image is constructed, how it works, and why it works–then, when we’re behind the camera, are we really making images that best communicate our vision, our original intent? Vision–crucial as it is–is not the ultimate goal of photography; expression is the goal. And to best express ourselves, it is necessary to learn and use the grammar and vocabulary of the visual language.

Photographically Speakingis about learning photography’s visual language to better speak to why and how a photograph succeeds, and in turn to consciously use that visual language in the creation of our own photographs, making us stronger photographers who are able to fully express and communicate our vision. By breaking up the visual language into two main components–“elements” make up its vocabulary, and “decisions” are its grammar–David duChemin transforms what has traditionally been esoteric and difficult subject matter into an accessible and practical discussion that photographers can immediately use to improve their craft. Elements are the “words” of the image, what we place within the frame–lines, curves, light, color, contrast. Decisions are the choices we make in assembling those elements to best express and communicate our vision–the use of framing, perspective, point of view, balance, focus, exposure.

All content within the frame has meaning, and duChemin establishes that photographers must consciously and deliberately choose the elements that go within their frame and make the decisions about how that frame is constructed and presented. In the second half of the book, duChemin applies this methodology to his own craft, as he explores the visual language in 20 of his own images, discussing how the intentional choices of elements and decisions that went into their creation contribute to their success.

Photography

Photography Review

For introductory and advanced courses in Photography. This best-selling introductory photography text teaches students how to use the medium confidently and effectively by emphasizing both technique and visual awareness. Comprehensive in scope, this book-features superb instructional illustrations and examples in its clear presentation of both black and white and color photography. London offers extensive coverage of digital imaging and the latest technological developments, such as Web page design and formatting photos on CD-ROMs.

Improve Your HDR Photography (Improve Your Photography)

Improve Your HDR Photography (Improve Your Photography) Review

There are hundreds of simple HDR tutorials online, but few tips on improving your HDR photography past the absolute basics. This book was designed to fill that void with dozens of easy-to-implement tips and techniques to create realistic-looking HDR images.

The first chapter is a quick HDR tutorial for beginners, and then the remaining chapters build on the basic knowledge with advanced techniques and dozens of tips from the pros.

This book focuses on shooting HDR in the field, and post-processing your HDR images using Photomatix software. The book is packed full of hundreds of tips from professional HDR photographers.

The edition of this book currently available on this page was published on March 8, 2011. This new version has a significantly expanded section on post-processing your HDR on the computer using Photomatix.

Jason Youn's 99c Photography Guide

Jason Youn's 99c Photography Guide Review

If you own a camera, especially an SLR or DLSR this is must read for any skill level.

Award winning photographer Jason Youn www.JasonYoun.com explains everything you need to know about photography, and he does it in a way that everyone can understand. The information is concise and the illustrations are simple and perfectly formatted for your Kindle, iPad or other eReader.

This book merges the techno science, and the art of photography. Don't care about how to control the function of a camera? Just skip to the middle and read about composition, and lighting. What to know it all? Than this book can teach that as well.

Learn all about:
What exactly is a camera?
What is Exposure and how can I control it?
Learn to use TTL.
Lean to shoot without TTL.
Find out about Histograms.
Learn how f/Stops work.
Understand and control your:
-Aperture-
-Shutter Speed-
-ISO-
-White Balance-
Become proficient with Reciprocity.
What is Color Temperature.
Find out all about Lenses.
Control your focus perfectly.

Also learn about:
The rule of thirds,
Balance,
Framing,
Color & Brightness,
Frame Within A Frame,
Leading Lines,
Leading Looks,
Backgrounds,

Even Learn:
Lighting,
Flashes,
Continuous,
Mixed Light,
Natural & Artificial Light,
Fill flash,
Key Lights,
Light Modifiers,
Multi Light Setups,


Jason Youn's book is written so that anyone can understand both the Science and the Art of photography.





"For more than a decade, Jason Youn has been shooting professional photographs for sale and hire. He developed a love for photography while camping in the Arizona wilderness with the Boy Scouts. He has sold his work in several countries, and in various shows and galleries in his home state of Arizona.
Jason is also regarded as an excellent teacher by his peers and students. After looking, and not finding a suitable guide with witch to teach his photographic lessons, Youn embarked upon his own photography guide.
"I found that there was no great photography book that could articulate the complexities of both the science and art of photography in a concise way so as to not be so cumbersome that no one would want to read it. It is for this reason that I have been prompted to write this book" ~ Youn."

Digital Photography Basics: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Great Digital Photos (2nd Edition)

Digital Photography Basics: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Great Digital Photos (2nd Edition) Review

Now featuring over 50 full color photos!

More than 3000 first edition copies sold and this edition is expanded with even more excellent material.

Have you ever wondered why things look orange when you take pictures inside? Or blue if you’re in the shade? Maybe you’ve tried to take a close up picture of beautiful flowers only to discover later that it’s all blurry and out of focus.

That’s what this book is all about: How to make better pictures, whether you have a fancy camera or not.

The first edition of this book was originally intended to help hobby photographers understand a few things about their camera. Getting to know your camera helps ease your frustration levels dramatically, because you know why the camera makes snow look grey instead of white.

Knowing why doesn’t help when you want a beautiful picture of snow however, and that’s why I included simple tips and tricks that you can easily use to make your pictures better every time.

Thousands of sales later it has been made clear to me that you, the reader, love this approach and want even more. Thu the second edition is born.

This book is still about the technique. It doesn’t dwell on all the cool cameras, lenses and gear available for any situation you can think of. Instead, it helps you learn the basics of camera operations and expands on the tips and techniques for creating better photos.

This second edition retains the basic camera use instructions so that beginners can quickly understand why their pictures turn out differently than they might expect. It also explains how you can make simple changes to get dramatic results.

The second part of this edition delves into much greater detail about different types of photography. It features numerous full color photos to explain tips, tricks and techniques that will help you improve your own photos.

Whether you want to take great pictures of flowers, people, food or pets, there are tips, examples and advice for all of those included in this book.

Second Edition, approx. 75 pgs, 12,000 words, 50+ photos

The Photographer's Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos

The Photographer's Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos Review

The source of any photograph is not the camera or even the scene viewed through the viewfinder--it is the mind of the photographer: this is where an image is created before it is committed to a memory card or film. In The Photographer's Mind, the follow-up to the international bestseller, The Photographer's Eye, photographer and author Michael Freeman unravels the mystery behind the creation of a photograph.

The nature of photography demands that the viewer constantly be intrigued and surprised by new imagery and different interpretations, more so than in any other art form. The aim of this book is to answer what makes a photograph great, and to explore the ways that top photographers achieve this goal time and time again.

As you delve deeper into this subject, The Photographer's Mind will provide you with invaluable knowledge on avoiding cliché, the cyclical nature of fashion, style and mannerism, light, and even how to handle the unexpected.

Michael Freeman is the author of the global bestseller, The Photographer's Eye. Now published in sixteen languages, The Photographer's Eye continues to speak to photographers everywhere. Reaching 100,000 copies in print in the US alone, and 300,000+ worldwide, it shows how anyone can develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs.

• Written by the author of The Photographer's Eye.
• Provides you with invaluable knowledge on avoiding cliché, the cyclical nature of fashion, style and mannerism, light and even how to handle the unexpected.
• Contains over 400 breathtaking images from real photographic assignments, with schematic illustrations of how and why the images work.

Bryan Peterson's Understanding Photography Field Guide: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

Bryan Peterson's Understanding Photography Field Guide: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera Review

Everything you need to know in one take-anywhere field guide!

This all-in-one guide from renowned photographer, instructor, and author Bryan Peterson will help you take better photos anytime, anywhere–with any camera.

Want to finally understand exposure? Interested in learning to "see" and composing your images more creatively? Ready to master the magic of light? It’s all here, the techniques every amateur photographer needs to take better nature, landscape, people, and close-up photos. You’ll even get creative techniques, like making "rain" and capturing "ghosts," and practical advice on gear, equipment, and postprocessing software. Filled with Bryan’s inspirational photographs, this is the one essential guide for every camera bag.

Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots Review

Now that you’ve bought that amazing new DSLR, you need a book that goes beyond the camera manual to teach you how to take those great shots. One key element is composition—the creative arrangement of components in the shot, and the way a viewer’s eye travels through an image.

With Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots, author and photographer Laurie Excell starts with the basics of composition and explores how the elements of color, shape, angles, and contrast work to create compelling images. Contributing photographers, John Batdorff, David Brommer, Rick Rickman, and Steve Simon, provide unique perspectives on black and white, sports, art history, and other subjects related to composition. Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time you pick up the camera.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guides, and you will learn about:

• Key camera features that affect composition, including the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed)
• Shadow and light and how to direct the viewer’s eye to your subject
• Lines and shapes that create visual paths to points of interest in your image
• The role of color—using complementary or contrasting colors—to add your own unique artistic expression
• Spatial relationship and placing your subject within the frame for portraits, action shots, or landscapes

And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your camera to get great shots at flickr.com/groups/composition_fromsnapshotstogreatshots.

Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride

Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride Review

Many semi-pro and professional wedding photographers are looking to "wake up" their style, stay current, and stimulate business. And today, that means lifestyle photography, also referred to as "fine art wedding photography." Fine art wedding photography isn't just a catchy phrase; it's a modern approach in which design is paramount. Fine art wedding images are more graphic and stylized than traditional wedding photojournalism, as if they were pulled from the pages of a glossy wedding or lifestyle magazine.

Acclaimed wedding photographer Jose Villa was a pioneer in fine art wedding photography before it became a trendy buzzword. Here, he shares his secrets for bringing a stylized sense of composition, lighting, posing, and most important, design, to your images, while still keeping them organic and narrative. You’ll learn Jose’s trademark technique of capturing the more natural moment after a pose, and tips for getting images right in-camera to avoid the need for heavy postproduction. Final chapters show you how to integrate design through the delivered product, whether an album or slideshow, and continue nurturing clients after the wedding by expanding to baby and family portraiture.

Packed with real-life examples, solid techniques, and stunning images from one of the wedding industry's brightest stars, this book will both educate and inspire photographers seeking to update their work and satisfy a new generation of brides.
 

Vivian Maier: Street Photographer

Vivian Maier: Street Photographer Review

A good street photographer must be possessed of many talents: an eye for detail, light, and composition; impeccable timing; a populist or humanitarian outlook; and a tireless ability to constantly shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot and never miss a moment. It is hard enough to find these
qualities in trained photographers with the benefit of schooling and mentors and a community of fellow artists and aficionados supporting and rewarding their efforts. It is incredibly rare to find it in someone with no formal training and no network of peers.

Yet Vivian Maier is all of these things, a professional nanny, who from the 1950s until the 1990s took over 100,000 photographs worldwide—from France to New York City to Chicago and dozens of other countries—and yet showed the results to no one. The photos are amazing both for the breadth of the work and for the high quality of the humorous, moving, beautiful, and raw images of all facets of city life in America’s post-war golden age.

It wasn’t until local historian John Maloof purchased a box of Maier’s negatives from a Chicago auction house and began collecting and championing her marvelous work just a few years ago that any of it saw the light of day. Presented here for the first time in print, Vivian Maier: Street Photographer collects the best of her incredible, unseen body of work.