The Creative Digital Darkroom

The Creative Digital Darkroom

Description:
This tutorial takes photographers beyond the quick tips and gimmicky effects of many digital photography books. Author Katrin Eismann -- an internationally acclaimed artist, bestselling author, and gifted educator -- offers high-profile work, including her own, as examples for teaching photographers how to use the digital medium to create, edit, and output images that reflect their true vision.

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
Clearly, The Creative Digital Darkroom is not your typical digital photography "how to" book. It's ideal for intermediate and advanced photographers, artists, and educators looking for clear, concise, insightful, and inspiring information and techniques on how to make their photographs shine. The language, and techniques will immediately appeal to serious students and professionals, and the original tutorial images and high-profile work will make the book an important visual resource for educators and art appreciators.


Customer Review:
Classic photo and darkroom concepts are important for using even modern digital cameras and tools - and thus a manual pairing tested photo techniques with Adobe Photoshop, which includes original photo examples with each lesson. From coverage of traditional darkroom skills and abilities and how these translate into Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom to the basics of producing initial high-quality images and understanding both black and white and color darkroom techniques, this packs in details and lessons for both artists and educators, making for an outstanding and colorful lesson plan.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Customer Review:
I love Katrin books on Photoshop and this last one is a must have, specially if you teach Photoshop, it will help you a lot to organize your classes. Beautifull edition with plenty of concise explanations. It may lack profound information on some aspects but it's still a must in your digital photography library

Customer Review:
This is an excellent resource, and one that I will use over and over. It may be sexist, but I find that women bring an invaluable dimension to photography. It is very difficult to describe, but, for me, quite real nonetheless.



Exposure Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent (Photo Workshop)

Exposure Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent (Photo Workshop)

Description:
A project-oriented workshop on exposure-in full color. Packed with 400 stunning full-color photographs of people, wildlife, and landscapes, this book offers photographers unique tips and tricks for getting just the right image quality and tone. Teaches you everything you need to know about shutter speed, aperture, white balance, lighting, flash photography and more to get your best images!



The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography - Book 1 (Ansel Adams's Guide to the Basic Techniques of Photography)

The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography - Book 1 (Ansel Adams's Guide to the Basic Techniques of Photography)

Description:
Arguably the best book yet written for those wishing to pursue photography seriously, Basic Techniques of Photography, Book 1 has been completely revised and updated in order to keep pace with fast-moving technological advances in the field.The revised edition includes more than fifty new illustrations, offering still greater clarity in presenting Ansel Adams legendary approach to photography.Since its publication in 1992, The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography, Book 1 has sold more than 100,000 copies and is used in many introductory photography courses.This revised edition offers new information on: -variable-contrast papers -digital cameras and view cameras -the Advance Photo SystemBook 1 is organized to present the principles of black-and-white and color photography to a broad range of photographersfrom the serious beginner to the advanced amateur.It draws extensively on the philosophy and techniques of Ansel Adams, the best-known writer/teacher of photography of all time, and is profusely illustrated with Adams own work as well as that of other photographers.Adams technical writings were famously difficult to understand.However, in Book 1, John Schaefer skillfully interprets Adams words, theories, and art as a foundation for a more clearly written, understandable, and actively up-to-date guide to creative photography.

Customer Review:
This book (and the second volume accompanying it) adequately covers and explains all aspects related to analogic photography, especially BW photography. Even if little attention is paid to color photography and even less to digital, everything you may learn from the book should be useful for any kind of photography.

Customer Review:
I found the Ansel Adams books on "The Print" and "The Negative" a bit on the heavy side, but John Schaefer's book is a superb addition to any aspiring photographer's library. It covers the photographic field very comprehensively and in easily understood English, and without the frills of technical jargon so loved by some authors.
Although the book deals with colour photography as well, I would thoroughly recommend this book to any aficionado of black and white photography-- it is, without doubt one of the best books on photography I have in my library!


Customer Review:
This book has everything, and then some. It will take you from not knowing anything to being a quasi-expert in a fairly short amount of time.

That said, it is pretty dry. Very textbookish in form, the book is difficult to read straight through. This is made more palatable by the extreme depth that the book goes into for each topic that it discusses.

Starting with the differences in photo gear, the author leads the reader through selecting a first camera to selecting a lens to selecting a film and finally the development of the negative and print. The book is exhausting in its depth and breadth.

Much time was spent on Adams' Zone system and its usefulness in taking beautiful photographs. This focus throughout the book really drove home the importance of exposure.

The pictures used in the book are fantastic and the personal accounts of some photos by Adams himself are very interesting.

The only thing that I felt was skimped on was the process of selecting a shot. Adams was a large-format photographer so he wasn't able to make the hundreds of shots of a scene that a 35mm photographer could make, so it was important for him to select his shots carefully. More text space devoted to Adams' method or instinct for finding shots would have been the final piece of information that would have made this a complete guide to photography.

It wasn't easy reading, but I learned a lot and was able to immediately use the information in the book to improve my own photography.



Cutting Edge Photo Cropping for Scrapbooks

Cutting Edge Photo Cropping for Scrapbooks

Description:
You asked for it and you got it! Memory Makers has outdone themselves with this sequel to their best-selling book, Creative Photo Cropping, including brand new techniques for turning photos into gorgeous works of art.

Learn innovative ideas for cropping photos into borders, quilt and stained glass designs, mosaics and collages. Discover fresh techniques for framing, slicing, weaving, cutting, punching, piercing, tearing photos and more. Plus tips on how to utilize more of your scrapbook tools to create uniquely cropped photos. Techniques run the gamut, from basic to advanced, with something new for everyone!

Customer Review:
I didn't think that Memory Makers would be able to top the original book, "Memory Makers Creative Photo Cropping for Scrapbooks", but they did with this book! Instead of presenting the first book with some slight modifications, Memory Makers generated all new cropping ideas and examples. Both of these books will be of value to anyone who scrapbooks. I guarantee that this is not the same old scrapbook publication.

Customer Review:
So many wonderful and useful cropping ideas. I've tried them and my scrapbook pages are too good to be true. These unusual crops truly made my pages a work of art.

Customer Review:
What an awesome book for a remarkably awesome price



Into Your Darkroom Step by Step

Into Your Darkroom Step by Step

Description:
A thoroughly illustrated guide for beginners, this book explains everything from setting up a darkroom to evaluating and improving final prints.


Customer Review:
Dennis Curtin's book is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step procedures handbook for the beginner in B&W darkroom work. It covers setting up a darkroom, developing B&W film using standard Kodak chemistry, and making prints and enlargements. Easy to read, easy to go back to as a reference. It does not cover color work in any way.

Customer Review:
This book is like learning your ABC's. It's a step by step guide, easy to follow, easy to understand and doesn't get too technical for the beginner. I bought other books, and they're good, but get too detailed for a impatient new comer. I just wanted to dig in, and this book walked me through it! Put my darkroom together and developed my first roll of film in nothing flat - talk about instant gratification. My 11 year old daughter was able to take this and develop her own roll of film by herself. If you're new, want fast progress and interested in the basics - get this book!

Customer Review:
This is an excellent resource for beginners. THis book gives you information on how to set up a darkroom, develop film, make proof sheets, make prints, and also gives some basic troubleshooting techniques. The layout is very convenient. Every page had black and white photos to demonstrate the technique being presented, so there are no chances to make mistakes.

If you're a advanced photographer, you probably don't need the information in this book. If you're a beginner, this book is a necessity. As for me, I'm a casual photographer and I don't have my own darkroom. I rent a darkroom about 4 times a year. When I go to the darkroom, I always review this book the night before. That way I can refresh my memory on the darkroom process. If you are such a casual photographer, I can recommend this book for that purpose. Check it out.



Polaroid Transfers: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating Image and Emulsion Transfers (Practical Photography Books)

Polaroid Transfers: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating Image and Emulsion Transfers (Practical Photography Books)

Description:
It is rare for such a perfect instructional book to come along. In this comprehensive guide, the author reveals how to create image and emulsion transfers by providing both detailed instructions and descriptive illustrations that will make you a master of this intriguing process in no time. From the basics to the most innovative techniques, everything is explained and showcased in dozens of full- color images created by the author and 20 internationally known transfer artists and photographers.

Customer Review:
This is a great book- full of artistic pieces and knowledge on how to recreate your own work! I wanted this book for a long time, found it on Amazon and paid a fraction of what I would have paid in the store!

Customer Review:
Though this book was published clear back in 1997, the information is timeless. I tend to shy away from older how-to books, but this is a great book to add to your art and craft library. I wish all how-to books were this thorough and informative. You get your money's worth here.

Customer Review:
I've been wanting both of her books for awhile now and I finally splurged and got both of them (the Polaroid Manipulations book that concentrates on the SX-70 manip process).

When I first flipped through this book I was blown away and amazed by the content. This book is the number one resource for helping you along with your Polaroid transfers and emulsion lifts. It is HIGHLY informative. The author guides you step by step and even provides some background information on how the processed were discovered. She also offers a lot of inspirational material in an advanced techniques section of the book. At the end of the book there are artist galleries with drop-dead-gorgeous work!

I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to get into the alternative processes with the Polaroid medium. Don't hesitate... get a copy today!



Polaroid Manipulations: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating SX-70, Transfer, and Digital Prints (Photography for All Levels: Intermediate)

Polaroid Manipulations: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating SX-70, Transfer, and Digital Prints (Photography for All Levels: Intermediate)

Description:
This comprehensive guide covers all experimental Polaroid techniques, including image and emulsion transfers, SX-70 manipulations and digital prints. Offers step-by-step instructions as well as an incredible gallery of 20 leading artists in this field. 192 pages 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 Softbound

Customer Review:
This book is awesome! I wanted to purchase it at a major chain and decided to look here instead. I got 4 books for the price of one! I highly reccomend this if you are interested in excelling at your transfer techniques.

Customer Review:
I've been wanting both of her books for awhile now and I finally splurged and got them both. When I first flipped through this book I was blown away and amazed by the content. This book is the number one resource for helping you along with your Polaroid SX-70 manipulations. She also provides some brief information on transfers and emulsion lifts (If you want to know more you should invest in a copy of her other book "Polaroid Transfers". It is HIGHLY informative. The author guides you step by step and even provides some background information on how the processes were discovered. She also offers a lot of inspirational material in an advanced techniques section of the book. At the end of the book there are artist galleries with drop-dead-gorgeous work!

I especially find the handcoloring section of this book to be very helpful. I wasn't really aware that I could add some color to my SX-70 manips. She goes in-depth about each medium that can be used to enhance the color (Prismacolor markers, watercolors, pastels, etc.) She also provides some useful information on how to enhance the Polaroids digitally in Photoshop.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to get into the alternative processes with the Polaroid medium. Don't hesitate... get a copy today!

Customer Review:
I have been doing SX-70 manipulations for about 4 years and to this point have been totally self taught. I have looked at some galleries online and had previously wondered how some people were able to achieve such vibrant colors with their work, had their lines squiggle to such a great extent, etc. I now have the answers to all my questions. I am so grateful to Kathleen for writing this book (thank you!).

There is so much valuable information in this book that I know I will be using it to expand my skills and experiment with new ideas for years to come. If you are a new or seasoned manipulator, this book is a MUST HAVE! 5 Stars!!!

-dave walker (tucson, az)



The Darkroom Cookbook, Second Edition

The Darkroom Cookbook, Second Edition

Description:
Written in easy-to-understand language, The Darkroom Cookbook is the one source every photographer needs for the recipes for both common and rare photographic formulas. This book shares tried-and-true techniques for the silver-based process and provides the keys to unlocking creativity through the mastery of the 'ingredients' of photography -- namely the chemicals used to develop, fix, stop and tone.
The Darkroom Cookbook, 2nd Edition offers 170 photographic formulas, 20 of which are new to this edition, that cover film developing, paper developing, toners, stop baths, fixers, negative reductions, print reductions, negative intensifiers, paper intensifiers, and more. New information has been added on pyro developer, amidol developer, monobaths, pushing film, and low contrast development. Sections on safety and darkroom planning, as well as a listing of chemical suppliers, complete this book. The comb binding allows for easy darkroom use.

*Recipes for 170 photographic formulas and their specific uses, including 20 new ones
*In-depth analysis of which formulas work best under what conditions, as well as specialized conditions, such as working in extremely cold or tropical climates
*Handy, easy-to-access information on safety, suppliers, darkroom planning, and conversion tables

Customer Review:
It's comprehensive, it's well written and it is easy to follow the chemical recipes.
It is exactly what it claims to be nothing more and nothing less.

Customer Review:
If you are a step by step learner don't buy this book also If you are not welling to spent hours daily to learn from it don't buy this book, its kind of book which requested by the teachers to there students.

Customer Review:
This book has been flipped through many times, it holds many wonderful ideas and continues to inspire me in this digital age we live in!



Memory Makers Creative Photo Cropping for Scrapbooks: Steps for Turning Your Photos into Works of Art (Memory Makers)

Memory Makers Creative Photo Cropping for Scrapbooks: Steps for Turning Your Photos into Works of Art (Memory Makers)


Customer Review:
I have been an avid scrapbooker for years and have yet to find a book that uses the pictures as the true page focal point instead of adding embellishments.... until I saw this book! There is page after page of unique ideas for cropping pictures that will guarantee that your pages will stand out from all the others.



Customer Review:
Ever hear of *SHEAR-CROPPERS* ? "Creative P.C. (Photo Cropping) for Scrapbooks" is a book crammed with examples of "creative cropping" - - including new twists & challenges. My favorites are weaving, vertical panoramas and kaleidoscope mats.

Patterns can be imitated or cleverly adapted for using your own treasured photographs. The fun is in trying out all of the different effects. Only in a "How-To" book would so many fill consecutive pages, but finished products can also be framed as gifts, &/or placed as decorative accents in homes.

The book is obviously not the work of one individual - - many have worked together to demonstrate ideas for cropping in distinctive ways that will liven the pages of scrapbooks. It is all part of a thriving industry whose many enthusiasts love to learn & share new techniques. Even in the very small (15,071) Indiana county where Reviewer mcHAIKU lives, there are two shops and one 'commercial' individual in the largest town (population: 826)!
This shows that you can get help anywhere to produce *BLUE RIBBON scrapbooks* - - and especially by using books such as "Creative Photo Cropping." (mcHaiku: 8.2.07)


Customer Review:
This book is well worth the price. It offers many unique ideas. It has the basics for your beginner scrapbookers, but is full of challenge ideas for apprentice or even seasoned scrapbookers!



Scrapbooking Digitally: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Your Memories Digitally

Scrapbooking Digitally: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Your Memories Digitally

Description:
Forget about traditional scrapbooking! Throw out the scissors and glue and save your memories in a whole new way. Scrapbooking Digitally is a complete reference book for people of all ages. A step-by-step guide, Scrapbooking Digitally takes readers through every step of the scrapbooking process--from picking the right camera to working with software to learning creative tools, like altering images, typefaces, and backgrounds. It even offers inspirational sample pages and tips on how to go beyond paper to create one-of-a-kind clothing, jewelry, and home decorations. Complete with a CD of downloadable "paper" patterns and ornaments to help replicate what's on the page, this book is just what the savvy scrapbooker interested in going digital is looking for.