Photo Inspiration, 1x.com

I found this book on Amazon by chance and first impressions from reading the reviews were not positive. It wasn't until I took a look at the 1x.com website whose owners created this book, that I decided to make the purchase.

The book follows a simple format of showing an image on one page and a description of the process used to create it on another. The processing assumes a reasonable level of familiarity and competence with image editing and only gives outline details. This is not a step by step guide but then that's not the intention.

This book is quite clearly aimed at inspiring photographers and generating ideas that they can use in their own work. And in this objective is certainly hits the mark. I found myself coming up with all sorts of ideas as I read the various descriptions.

The reason I am limiting my score to 8/10 is purely because I don't think the limited descriptions will suit everyone. Also because much of the material is already available on the 1x.com web site but again not everyone wants to read from web sites.

The book should make a good addition to most photography enthusiasts libraries providing you are happy with the idea of manipulating your images. This is not a book for purists.

Personal rating 8/10

Seasons of Landscape, Peter Watson

I had to think hard before including this review under the "Inspiration" section as the book equally fits under the "Techniques" section. In the end I decided on "Inspiration" as the book is quite reserved in its approach to instruction and quite inspirational.

This is a book about photographing the Landscape by a very experienced photographer. His work is however quite different from many of the photographs you come across today, being quite simple and understated. I have even heared some people refer to it as boring because it doesn't imediately hit you and they haven't spent the time to appreciate the images. The pictures don't shout look at me but rather allows you to reflect and become drawn into the image. It's this that I find so attractive and which appeals to me.

The book is laid out into 12 chapters, each illustrating a different month of the year and each well illustrated. The images are accompanied by a discussion of how the photography changes as the months change. On first read you might miss the information in the text but if you spend time contemplating the text and rereading each page whilst reviewing the images, thoughts start to reveal themselves to you. This is not a read it once book full of instruction but it is packed with good advice.

What I didn't like in the book was the introduction which touches briefly on equipment and to my mind is neither useful nor called for in a book of this type. Otherwise this is very well put together book and an enjoyable and informative read.

Personal rating 9/10

A Photographer at Work, Joe Cornish, Eddie Ephraums

I have to say that I had been put off buying this book initially by the comments here. I then came across a dog eared copy in a book store and started to browse. I was immediately hit by the publishing quality and the excellent printing. I started to skim a few of the chapters and found it very engaging, so much so that I bought a copy from Amazon.

I have just finished this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was easy to read and gave a great insight into a great photographer at work. It made a very nice change to the usual technique over substance books you tend to find. This is a very unique approach.

The photography is good as you would expect but it was nice to see the evolution of the photography over the course of the book. I particularly enjoyed the images shot with the compact LX3 and how the advantages of this tiny camera were used to the maximum e.g. small sensor for the extreme near/far landscapes. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Personal rating 9/10

Seeing Landscapes, Charlie Waite

For regular visitors to this site you will know that I am a particular fan of Charlie Waites work. This book is no exception. The book is crammed with fantastic images on virtually every page, each of which carries comment and technical information. The comment for each picture highlights some of the creative decisions that have been made and describes how the elements of the image have been used. The technical information, whilst difficult to use directly , does allow you to understand how the camera was used at the time the image was captured. Overall a useful addition to your bookshelves.

Personal rating 7/10

Think of England, Martin Parr

I am probably an typical analytical thinker who spends most of his time examining the process and technique of capturing images. It comes a real surprise to me that I am reviewing here a book of images from Magnum photographer Martin Parr. My daughter first showed me this book whilst out shopping in Manchester and it really stuck in my mind. In the end I had to have a copy and am delighted that I made the purchase. Flicking through the images is a delight; they are very cleverly constructed to make you do just what the title says "Think of England". Having spent a number of hours in deep review of this book it has opened my eyes to a whole new world of image making possibilities all around me.

Personal rating 10/10

Marketing Fine Art Photography, Alain Briot

As the title suggests this rather comprehensive book is all about marketing your fine art photography in order to generate an income from your work. It’s quite a large format and very comprehensive. In the past I have read other books by Alain Briot but have felt they left me a little lacking in the practical aspects of his message. This book is completely different and is very practical in its orientation.

I should also point out that I am now on my second reading of the book. The first time I read it, I didn’t really read it and at that point I would have given the book 7/10. On this reading I am taking my time to read the book slowly and think about sections. It’s taken me a few days to read the section on What Makes Fine Art Photography as I have paused to make notes, contemplate and think about my own work. The result is almost like peeling an onion. Each time I think I am going deeper there is another layer uncovered.

There are only really two downsides for me and hence the 9/10 rating. The first is that the book is geared towards working the American market. I fear the UK market is different and perhaps harder to crack with less acceptance of photography as art and everyone thinking they are a photographer because they have a camera. The other aspect is that the book presents Alain’s approach as being the only way to do it. You might like to contrast that to the approach of Brooks Jensen.

A great book for those interested in generating income from Photography.

Personal rating 9/10

Vision and Voice: Refining your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, David duChemin

This is one of those books that you wish you had read in your early years of photography but that you wouldn't have appreciated at that time. Whilst you would have been focussed on learning new techniques with your camera this chap would have been banging on about developing your vision.

This is a really good well written book that explains how a professional photographer goes about developing his vision through Lightroom. There are lots of examples that walk you through the entire editing process as well as providing RAW files that you can download and follow along with.

There is however a downside to all this and one that prevented me from marking higher. The book is exclusively for Lightroom users. Whilst the text is very valuable in helping understand the creative process, the bulk of the book is undeniably how to realise that vision within Lightroom. Great for Lightroom users such as myself but for the rest of the population not so good.

Personal rating 8/10

Digital Landscape Photography, Michael Frye

I almost didn't buy this book and have to admit to picking it up a few times in the book shop before I did. It was actually the subtitle "In the footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters" that was putting me off. I reasoned this was just another book aimed at selling what I term popular photography and not really revealing how the authors own photographs were created. I don't mind admitting I was wrong.

The author has put together a very comprehensive guide that seeks to inform even top level photographers about how he creates his work. It is however aimed at the beginning to intermediate levels so is quite accessible.

Whilst I didn't transform my own work from reading the book I did pick up a valuable insight into how this modern day master creates his images. In the course of doing this I picked up some new ideas with which to develop my own work and best of all thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's easy to to read and the photography is excellent.

The only thing that has prevented me scoring this as a 10 is that the topics are too lightly covered for my own tastes. Personally I would have liked greater depth but then again that would prevent this book from being so accessible.

Personal rating 9/10

Take your Photography to the Next Level, George Barr

At first I was struggling which catergory to place this book into as it could easily be Inspiration. In the end I settled for this one due to the practical nature of the content.

I find this book quite unique and a gem amongst rocks. Recently I have found the repetition amongst photography books a little hard to swallow. Few authors give anything new and I do find myself wondering if they are interested in helping keen photographers of just making money. Sure everyone has to earn a living but don’t do it by repeating the same old work – tell us something new. Enter George Barr and this excellent book. How many books actually describe how to work a scene in order to get the best out of it in a quite methodical way? He considers subject matter and composition but not in the dry theoretical way most books do. Instead he shows what works and what doesn’t in a very engaging and practical way. The book is also packed with great images in a quite unique style.

I find myself revisiting this text on a regular basis as it’s packed with great advice. I recommend this as an early buy for anyone getting into photography. In fact, better buy two copies in case one copy wears out as you continue to refer to it for years to come.

I am also currently reading his latest book “From Camera to Computer” which is different again and proving to be equally as good. I will post a review here once I have finished it.

Personal rating 10/10

Learning to See Creatively, Bryan Peterson

One of the essential skills to master in photography is the ability to compose an image successfully. It's very easy to get caught up in learning the latest Photoshop techniques and photographic technologies whilst ignoring the basic skills. Learning to see Creatively is an excellent resource that will repay your investment handsomely. There is however a proviso; you must set out to practice the simple techniques explained. Practice and keep practicing until they become automatic. If you can achieve this level of mastery your photography will reach a new level.

Personal rating 9/10

Teach Yourself Photography, Lee Frost

This is the book that started it for me. If you are relatively new to photography then I can't recommend this text enough although some elements are dating a little. The coverage is sufficiently wide to give grounding to those new to the subject. It's a very well written book in a style that is easy to understand. The images within the book serve as excellent examples to supplement the text and add meaning.

Personal rating 8/10

Waiting for the Light, David Noton

When I ordered this book I wasn't sure that I would really enjoy it. I thought to myself, I like David Noton's Photography but I wouldn't class it as outstanding. How wrong I was and unfortunately there wasn't even any basis for my assumptive judgment. David's work really is exceptional and this is a wonderful book. The books does a very good job of conveying to the reader how to approach photography and produce excellent Landscape images. I liked the book so much that I went on to purchase the accompanying DVD from David's web site. Ordinarily I wouldn't purchase instructional DVD's but I was now intrigued as to what this one would be like. I am so pleased that I made the purchase and it really brings the book to life in a very approachable style. Highly recommended.

Personal rating 9/10

The Photoshop Darkroom 2: Creative Digital Transformations, Harold Davis & Phillys Davis

A successor to the Photoshop Darkroom book below. This isn't a new edition but rather a completely separate book. Think of it as a volume 2 which builds on the techniques described in the first book. Whilst I am still not a fan of the books layout I do like the content. It also illustrates quite clearly that creating a stunning photograph is a time consuming business where you need to pay attention to every detail.

Personal rating 9/10

The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing, Harold Davis & Phillys Davis

A nice introductory text to some of the more advanced subjects in Photoshop. This covers subjects such as image stacking and blending multiple exposures from the same or different RAW files. The text does not assume any real knowledge of Photoshop and is easy to follow. I did find some of the layout and chapter structure a little confusing and hence this is only scoring an 8.

Personal rating 8/10

Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching, Katrin Eismann & Wayne Palmer

Another amazing book of the highest quality. Read the review on this site for Masking and Compositing by the same author – this book is of a similar standard and quality. I s hould also make it clear that I am rating these books as general Photoshop Books and not rating them against their area of specialism. If I were they would be receiving a straight 10/10 without question. Fabulous.

Personal rating 9/10

The Creative Digital Darkroom, Katrin Eismann & Sean Duggan

I have only just bought this book and started to dip into a few of the chapters but feel compelled to review it at this stage. I doubt the standard of the content will drop as I have dipped into the sections that interest me and all are to the highest standard. The techniques discussed are clearly explained and are of a very professional nature. If you can learn and apply everything in these pages you will be a very competent Photoshop artist indeed. This is a classic.

Personal rating 10/10

Masking & Compositing, Katrin Eismann

The only drawback I can find with this book is that it needs a reasonable familiarity with Photoshop and Photoshop skills in order to really benefit. This however is also its strength in that it is for serious users of Photoshop and has photographers in mind. There is a wealth of information in these pages and I would highly recommend purchasing a copy and keeping it close to hand. Whilst the title says this book is about masking and compositing images, it doesn’t make it clear just how frequently these skills are needed if you want to produce professional quality images.

Personal rating 9/10

The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, Scott Kelby

If you are going to buy one Photoshop book then this should be the one. Forget those huge volumes with hundreds or thousands of pages. Trying to extract the relevant information is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. This book focuses on the information pertinent to photographers. It's packed with valuable advice which I don't think I have seen in one place before. Forget about wading through pages of useless filter effects that you will never use. Every page is clear and easy to understand. The only criticism is one that Mr Kelby makes in the book himself - his photography is not great - but his Photoshop skills clearly are. The book shown here is the Photoshop 7 version. If you use CS or CS2 then be sure to get the right edition.

Personal rating 10/10

Photoshop LAB Color, Dan Margulis

I would say that at least 90% of Photoshop users don't know that the LAB colour space exists and the vast majority of those that do, are probably blissfully unaware of its potential. If you want to add some real punch to flat lifeless images then this is a topic you should investigate. Now the warning; the book is quite heavy going and assumes a working knowledge of Photoshop. That said the information is simply fantastic and I have not seen it elsewhere. The results you can achieve by following the first 6 chapters are alone worth the price of the book. Buy it, read it then re-read it regularly.

Personal rating 8/10

Scott Kelby's 7-point System for Photoshop CS3, Scott Kelby

This is a very accessible book for those new to Photoshop and highly recommended. It works the reader through a number of chapters or lessons in deploying 7 basic techniques and steps including such things as painting with light. Whilst some of the material is very repetitive (needed to help the lessons sink in for those less experienced) there are a few real nuggets in there as well. One word of warning is that you will need to put up with the authors humour – not always easy (sorry Scott).

Personal rating 9/10

Welcome to Oz, Vincent Versace

I like this book very much and it has a great deal to commend it, especially to someone who wants to make their photographs stand out from the rest. The techniques and their discussion are quite advanced and definitely assume a good working knowledge of Photoshop. If you can get past this (and the regular use of the Nik plug-in – some of which the book allows you to download for free) this is a great book. There are concepts shared here that I haven’t come across elsewhere and which I have started to integrate into my own work. Well worth a look and I believe there is a new version out with much new material.

Note about Welcome to Oz 2

The above book has now been republished as Welcome to Oz 2 and its much improved on the first book. Whilst there is a lot of the material still there from the first book there are over 100 pages of additional information and substantial updates to the other text. If you have read both books you can really see how te authors approach to his work has developed.

Personal rating 9/10

Camera Raw, Bruce Fraser

I am not a great fan of most books on Photoshop and sometimes question the value of books that claim to examine an element of the application in great detail. This book is however one of the few that is a must have for anyone who shoots with a digital camera and wants to get the most from their photography. Not only does this book provide detailed technical information that I haven't seen elsewhere, it's easily understood. However the book does not stop at explaining how to use Camera Raw, it also gives a great explanation of how to create a practical workflow that saves hours. A must for any serious digital photographer

Personal rating 9/10

The DAM Book, Peter Krough

In case you are wondering DAM is the abbreviation for Digital Asset Management. Okay it's not the most inspiring topic but it's vital if you become serious about photography. If you are shooting digitally you might already have come across some of the issues addressed. It's very easy to generate hundreds if not thousands of images and the more you shoot the more important it becomes to keep track of and protect your image library. This is where The DAM Book can help. You will learn a very effective workflow to help you maintain your library of images and extract the most value from it. It's aimed at professional photographers but the information is priceless to us all. Whilst there is some overlap with the information in the Camera Raw book discussed below, there is a significant volume of new material I have not seen elsewhere. Highly recommended.

Personal rating 9/10