Camera: A History of Photography, Coffee Table Book A Must Have

I’ve always been a fan of big coffee table books, but I can’t recall ever reading one from cover to cover…until now.  “Camera” from Todd Gustavson made the effort easy to accomplish.  Gustavson is the Curator of Technology at the Eastman House in Rochester, N.T., and he has put together a history of machines that have captured moments in time.  With over 350 color images and illustrations the book starts with a camera obscura from 1820 and completes with the digital Leica M8. 

I knew I was in for a treat when the first full page photo was of a Kodak No. 1 Brownie box camera owned by Ansel Adams.  The camera collector in me was thrilled.   I’ve got a No. 2 Brownie that still works.  It blows my mind that I can still take decent shots on 120 roll film with this little box camera that is over 100 years old.  Amazing.  While I love my Canon EOS 7D, I doubt it will be capturing 18MP images after a century. 

Some of the first images in the book are from Niepce, Daguerre and Talbot; names synonymous with the birth of modern photography.  The quality and clarity of the Daguerreotype images displayed in the book are a testament to this capture process.   Some of the most interesting sections cover the oddities in camera development such as the Photo-Revolver de Poche.  In 1882 the interesting idea was conceived to create a camera that looked like a handgun.  It operated like a pistol too with ten 20x20mm dry plates loaded into the cartridge and a 70mm f10 lens in the nickel-plated brass barrel.  There was no viewfinder, but as expected it did have a front sight on top of the barrel to assist with drawing a bead on your target.

This book is a must have for any camera collector or enthusiast with hundreds of cameras spanning almost two hundred years, plus historic photos, drawings, ads and plenty of informative captions and text.  Best of all it won’t damage the wallet.  

Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital

New Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book From Deke McClelland

 

New photography book release.  This is not an endorsement, I’m just passing along new release information.

Deke McClelland

Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One

Product Description from Amazon.com

Master the fundamentals of Photoshop CS5 and make all of your images come alive. With Deke McClelland's unique and effective learning system, you get step-by-step tutorials, hours of DVD-video demonstrations, and lots of hands-on projects to help you improve your knowledge and hone your skills.

- Find out everything you need to know to be productive with Photoshop CS5 right away 

- Learn at your own speed with 12 self-paced tutorials 

- Try out professional techniques with engaging, real-world projects 

- Read about a particular technique and watch the video to see how it's done 

- Follow every key step with hundreds of full-color photos, diagrams, and screen shots 

- Test your knowledge with multiple-choice quizzes in each chapter

Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One simulates a classroom environment with one-on-one attention as you proceed from lesson to lesson. Deke's expert advice is like working with a personal coach -- you'll learn Photoshop faster, more creatively, and more efficiently than you thought possible.

New Photography Book From Bryan Peterson

New photography book release.  This is not an endorsement, I’m just passing along new release information.

Bryan Peterson

Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

Product Description from Amazon.com

With more than 350,000 copies sold, Understanding Exposure has demystified the complex concepts of exposure for countless photographers. Now updated with current technologies, more than one hundred new images, and an all-new chapter, this new edition will inspire you more than ever to free yourself from “auto” and create the pictures you truly want.

In his trademark easy-to-understand style, author Bryan Peterson explains the relationship between aperture and shutter speed, including how to achieve successful exposures in seemingly difficult situations. You’ll learn:

• Which aperture gives you the greatest contrast and sharpness, and when to use it 
• Which apertures guarantee the background remains an out-of-focus tone 
• Which one aperture—when combined with the right lens—creates an area of sharpness from three feet to infinity 
• How to creatively use shutter speed to either freeze an action or imply motion 
• Where to take a meter reading when shooting a sunset, snow, or a city at dusk

With new information on white balance, flash, HDR, and more, this updated classic will inspire you to stop guessing and take control of your settings for better photos anytime, anywhere, and with any camera.

Shameless Plug For New Scott Kelby Lightroom and Photoshop CS5 Books

Scott Kelby’s “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers” is now available online and in bookstores.  I believe Kelby Training is still offering a free CD of presets if you order now.   I’m already using Lightroom 3 and have the book and presets CD on the way.  His tips and tricks make using the application within my digital workflow that much more efficient.   If you’ve never used Lightroom or use it and never utilized Kelby’s previous books on the subject, I recommend it.  This new version includes his “7-Point System” for Lightroom which allows you to obtain quality, repeatable results quickly.

Another shameless plug is for his upcoming “Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers” due out soon.  You can pre-order on the Kelby Training site and receive a free “Photoshop CS5 7-Point System for Camera Raw” DVD.  Of course both books are cheaper if you are a NAPP member. 

Some new things to learn in CS5 include:

•               Processing HDR (High Dynamic Range) images using CS5’s new Merge to HDR Pro.

•               How to master CS5’s new Content-Aware Fill.

•               How to color correct any photo in just three clicks with the included gray card.

•               How to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features to process RAW images like a pro.

•               A special bonus chapter with Scott’s own Ps CS5 workflow.

Visit Kelby Training to find out more about their available books, DVDs and on-line courses.  They have so much content it’s hard to find the time to learn it all.

NAPP Photoshop Lightroom 3 Learning Center

With the recent release announcement of Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom 3 it wasn’t long before NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) would have several resources available to Lightroom users.  NAPP has setup a new Lightroom 3 Learning Center, new Kelby Training Lightroom 3 online training courses and added a new Lightroom 3 Live! Tour which kicks off July 12^th in Florida. 

Scott Kelby has also announced the upcoming release of his new “Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers”.

NAPP Lightroom 3 Learning Center

Kelby Training Lightroom 3 Course

Scott Kelby’s “Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers”

Scott Kelby's Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book Now Available

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers from Scott Kelby is finally available on Amazon.com. If you haven't had the pleasure of utlizing any of his many instructional books, I highly suggest them. Kelby makes learning these products easy by utilizing practical,step-by-step instructions.

His first Lightroom book was great and this new edition should be no different. I still having gotten around to upgrading to Lightroom 2, but once I do, this new volume will be on the desk next to the computer.

Order the book at Amazon.com for only $26.99 or at a discount through the NAPP website for NAPP members.

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

Recent Photography Book:
Packed with incredible images and step-by-step techniques, this book is a must have for commercial, wedding, and portrait photographers working on location who want to maximize their time behind the camera and minimize their time spent hauling cumbersome lighting equipment. The tips show how to select easily portable and versatile equipment for location shoots, cutting down on the packing and porting of expensive equipment.

With techniques and information on the latest technology—including battery-powered flashes and accessories—this reference shows photographers how to work with smaller and lighter-weight lighting equipment without sacrificing quality. Whether shooting portraits, landscapes, or interiors, whether indoors or out, photographers will embrace the portable approach offered in this valuable resource. Find out more.

New Book - The Creative Digital Darkroom

Wondering what to buy with that holiday gift card? Another photography related book that will be available in a couple of days is The Creative Digital Darkroom from O'Reilly Media.

Co-authored by photographer and teacher Sean Duggan, The Creative Digital Darkroom translates skills, concepts, and nomenclature of the traditional darkroom into digital solutions for photographers who sense that, despite the newness of the technologies at hand, there remains a timeless method for learning and practicing photography the right way. This is not a Photoshop book per se, but it does focus on the photographic aspects of Photoshop, something other books claim to do but rarely have the discipline to accomplish. The Creative Digital Darkroom includes:

- Four sections that cover the black & white darkroom, the color darkroom, creative techniques, and production essentials
- Chapters that begin with a thorough foundation followed by numerous tutorial examples that apply the theory to real-world examples
- Examples and a layout that enables readers to find, understand, and apply the featured techniques quickly and easily
- The authors are both renowned photographers and Photoshop experts

The Creative Digital Darkroom

PeachPit Provides Online Lightroom Resource Center

Peachpit publishing now offers an online resource of their own for Abobe Photoshop Lightroom. Here is their invitation - If you’re a serious photographer who works with a lot of images every day, Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom software can help streamline your workflow, enabling you to get more done, faster. Whether you’re just learning Lightroom for the first time or looking for pro-level tips to help you do more, better, we’ve got the resources to help. On this page, you’ll find excerpts from our latest books as well as free articles, interviews, podcasts, and downloads from today’s leading Photoshop and Lightroom instructors.

Check out the Peachpit Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Resource Center for yourself.

Joe McNally Video On YouTube

There is a huge buzz about the upcoming book, “The Moment It Clicks” from Photographer Joe McNally. The book, due next month, combines a coffee table format of wonderful images with photography secrets, insight and training. McNally is known for his work in Sports Illustrated, National Geographic and Time magazines. A video introduction for the book has appeared on the Nikon website and now McNally has his own YouTube channel. All I can say is that McNally will be getting my $35 bucks when this book hits store shelves in February.

New 'Photoshop CS3 Raw' Book

O'Reilly Media press release:

"Raw data is the holy grail of digital photography," said award-winning photographer and best-selling author Mikkel Aaland, when his book Photoshop CS2 Raw was published two years ago. The same is still true today.

"Anyone who is serious about digital photography and wants to produce the best possible picture needs to shoot and process Raw," notes Aaland in the introduction of his new book, Photoshop CS3 Raw (O'Reilly, $34.99 U.S.).

Aaland's up-to-the-minute edition focuses on the important features of Adobe Photoshop CS3, including Camera Raw's new retouching tools, expanded controls and ramped up sharpening features. Aaland also explains how to use Camera Raw in conjunction with Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Bridge 2.0 to capture organize and optimize Raw images so you can produce the best possible digital photographs.

With a personal teaching style that illuminates and inspires, Aaland offers easy-to-follow visual instructions to demonstrate how Raw data gives you greater flexibility and control during the editing process. You learn which tools to use for each phase of your workflow, from managing shoots to perfecting photos. Once you apply these techniques to your own work, you'll understand why so many professionals turn to the Camera Raw plug-in -- and to Photoshop CS3 Raw as their guide.

Easy-to-follow instructions and beautiful illustrative graphics help you gain quick understanding of Photoshop CS3's three distinct working environments for Raw files: Camera Raw, Bridge and Photoshop itself.

With this book, you'll learn how to:

• Decide when (and when not) to shoot Raw

• Organize and manage your Raw images in Adobe Bridge

• Automate Raw capture and processing with scripts and actions

• Achieve optimal tonal control and accurate color with Adobe Camera Raw

• Sharpen Raw images smartly

• Create stunning black-and-white images from your Raw files

• Save and archive DNG files

Between the gorgeous examples that Aaland lays out and his clear writing style, you'll not only learn how to best utilize Photoshop CS3's Camera Raw, but you'll also enjoy the journey of learning these skills under Aaland's tutelage.

Andy Summers Of The Police Releases Photo Book

After the sound checks, in between the room service and before the groupies attacked, Andy Summers, the guitarist of the Police, used to sneak off into deserted America with a black Leica tucked under his arm. He'd spend hours alone wandering through Seattle, Albuquerque, Fresno — hiding in the shadows of the scenery and snapping pictures to illustrate life during the frenzied early '80s, which marked the height of success for the rock supergroup.

"When you're traveling around in a large entourage and being in a group where you're supposed to share ideas, photography was a way for me to have autonomy over my own universe," Summers said, speaking by phone from his Los Angeles home, where he was packing as the band — Summers, Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland — prepared to hit the road again for its reunion tour.

"I'll Be Watching You: Inside the Police 1980-83," is the recently released work in which Summers compiled hundreds of his pictures with dated journal entries.

Read the entire article about the book from The Honolulu Advertiser.

Scott Kelby Reference Page On Amazon.com

Being a photographer and Adobe Photoshop user it made sense to finally join the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Not only do I already own several instructional books from Scott Kelby, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), including “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers” which is essential reading for anyone using or planning to use Adobe’s awesome Lightroom application, I’ve also recently picked up Kelby’s new “7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3” book. I can’t recommend his books and blog enough.

I’ve been a member of NAPP for only a couple of weeks now, and I already have improved my Photoshop knowledge base and skills. The amount of information in the form of tips, tutorials, articles, forums, etc., from the NAPP website is overwhelming. That doesn’t even include all of the great information within the pages of the Photoshop User Magazine that is part of the NAPP membership or the optional Layers Magazine subscription.

Keep all of this in mind as I’m about to shill for Scott Kelby again (and will probably continue to do so), as Amazon.com now provides a Scott Kelby Boutique page with links and information pertaining to his many publications and short video clips about his books.

Take Your Photography To The Next Level

Press release from Rocky Nook Publishing:

Written for the photographer who strives to achieve a higher level of results in their work, Take Your Photography to the Next Level is based on a series of essays originally featured on the popular Luminous Landscape Web site. These essays were expanded upon and updated and new essays have been added.

George Barr isn't afraid to tackle some of the rarely discussed, yet essential, aspects of successful photography. Photographers will learn what is required in order to grow in their creativity and to gain a deeper understanding of their craft.

This is not a technical book: no f-stops or shutter speeds are spoken here. Instead, Barr explores the more difficult subjects; the ones that will help you to grow as a photographer. This book takes a practical approach with specific suggestions and enough ideas and exercises to keep you busy and creative for years to come.

Topics include:

• Creativity and developing an eye

• Dealing with disappointment

• Making stronger images

• What photographs well and where to go looking for the best photographic subjects

• How to approach subject material

• Dealing with failure, mind games and being stuck in a rut

• Framing, cropping and manipulating prints to create mood and transmit your message

• Knowing your level in order to improve

• How to work the scene

• Sketching to create strong compositions

• Learn by looking at great images

• Assessing image quality

• Identifying your areas that need improvement and becoming a self-aware photographer

New Photoshop Elements 6 Book

Bestselling author Barbara Brundage, whose day job is playing the harp, didn't plan on becoming an authority on Elements, one of the world's most popular photo-editing programs. Yet her newest publication Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly, $39.99) clearly secures Barbara's position as the premier Elements' expert.

"I'm a lowly musician, but if I can learn Elements anyone can," insists Barbara, the author of three previous books about Elements 3, 4 and 5. A few years back in 2001, Barbara chose Elements to create graphics for her new Web site and promo materials. She soon discovered the nifty software program also made arranging and publishing her harp music a whole lot easier. Then she got hooked on digital photography and relied on Elements to improve and organize her images.

"Fortunately, the folks at Missing Manuals know that sometimes it's easier for someone who isn't from a technical background to explain things to people who don't have a lot of technical knowledge," says Barbara about her road to authorship.

Indeed Barbara's technical knowledge combined with her appealing, down-to-earth writing style made her a perfect addition to the Missing Manual roster of authors. Founded by New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, O'Reilly's Missing Manual series specializes in producing beautifully written manuals for popular consumer software and hardware products -- the book that should have been in the box.

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual provides the best possible guidance to scrapbookers, photographers at every level, budding graphic artists -- anyone who wants to get the most out of the latest Elements upgrade. 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 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. Adds Barbara: "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."

The Life of a Storm Chasing Photographer

Jim Reed's new book on extreme weather events looks to drive public awareness of the coming climate crisis. Tiffany Meyers at popphoto.com takes a closer look at this new book titled “STORM CHASER: A Photographer's Journey.” Here is a brief excerpt.

…Crouching under a carport in Port Charlotte, Florida, award-winning photographer Jim Reed records a desperate good-bye-and-I-love-you into a rolling camera for his mother. He hopes it'll comfort her when he's gone. Around him, 140 mph winds tear homes apart -- uprooting trees and turning cars into toylike projectiles. He's been caught off-guard: What began as an assignment to document the effects of Category 2 winds on palm trees turns out to put Reed and meteorologist partner Greg Zamarripa in the eye of Hurricane Charley of 2004…

Read the entire article on popphoto.com.

Image © Jim Reed Photography

New Coffee-Table Book, John & Yoko: A New York Love Story

Photographer Allan Tannenbaum's forthcoming book reveals intimate glimpses, many previously unseen, of a renowned couple at a pivotal time. American Photo online has a sitdown with the photographer. Here is a brief excerpt.

AP: Yoko wrote the book's preface. Since advance copies arrived, have you heard her reaction to it?

AT: You know, she sent me a very sweet card with the photo of the Two Virgins album cover, saying, "This is a picture that John did" [laughs]. She didn't mention the book. But I knew, because I met with her several times to show her the layout and everything, Yoko is sort of a unique personality. And at first she was, hmm, hmm, very reserved, and then I could see her face light up as she got into it. And after our second meeting she gave me a big hug. So she liked it. I think she's got to be delighted with the result. She wrote a beautiful preface. And it's not just about John -- it's her and John, a kind of paeon to their love.

Read the entire article on popphoto.com.
Image © Allan Tannenbaum

O'Reilly Media Releases Sony Alpha Manual

O'Reilly Media has released the Sony Alpha DSLR A100: A Better Manual in .pdf form. According to O'Reilly "This unique manual is better than the manual that comes with your camera." It should at the very least assist a first-time DSLR owner who has purchased the Sony Alpha 100. Written by Ken Milburn, this 90-page document is available for download for only $9.99.

French Photographer Bettina Rheims Interview And Gallery

Popphoto.com has posted a conversation with French photographer Bettina Rheims, who offers a behind-the-scenes look at a recent photo shoot. Here is an excerpt.

… The images in the new project, with titles like "Dream," "Pride," "Desire," "Femininity, "Magnificence," and "Thirst," touch on themes that Rheims has focused on throughout her career. A former model, journalist, and art dealer, she turned to photography in 1980 with a breakthrough series on strip-tease dancers and acrobats. Her first book, "Female Trouble," a collection of portraits and nudes of actresses and models, was published in 1989. That was followed by "Modern Lovers," a series of portraits of androgynous teenagers, and in 1992 with her acclaimed book "Chambre Close," in which she turned to color to create a fictional erotic tale featuring women in hotel rooms…

Read the entire interview and view an image gallery on popphoto.com.
Image provided by popphoto.com and © Bettina Rheims

Nancy Wolff Releases Photographer's Legal Handbook

Nancy Wolff is a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property law and serves as legal council for the Picture Archive Council of America. In her new book The Professional Photographers Legal Handbook, published by Allworth Press ($24.95), Wolff answers some of the hard questions about the law and photography. Photo District News provides an excerpt from her chapter "What Photographers Need To Know About Trademark."

...Increasingly, photographers and photo libraries are complaining that their clients are receiving cease and desist letters from manufacturers of the objects depicted in photographs, sometimes alleging a violation of trademark. Trademarks are difficult to discuss with black and white rules as the nature of a trademark is not in the protection of the design or art, but in the use of the object as the identifier of the source of goods.

The design of a building does not serve as an effective trademark. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland failed to prove that it used its building design as its trademark in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum v. Gentile Prod. against photographer Chuck Gentile who sold a poster of the building. The museum had never used any particular photograph or consistent view of the building in a consistent manner to identify a source of goods. The photographer did not use the image in such a way as to indicate that the poster was authorized by the museum. The building was not a trademark, and the use by the photographer was not a trademark use. Therefore, there was no consumer confusion.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame initially sought a preliminary injunction from the District Court preventing Gentile from selling the poster, claiming that the sale of the poster violated the museum's trademark rights in the building and its name. On appeal, the decision was reversed by the Sixth Circuit, which threw out the injunction. The court's decision was strongly worded to suggest that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was unlikely to prevail after a trial on its claim that its building was used as a trademark and that the poster violated any trademarks rights...

Read the entire article on Photo District News.