Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter (Author), Steven Biver (Author), Paul Fuqua (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 12:12 AM / / 0 comments

Product Description

An amazing (and some would say magical) resource on photographic lighting that has been talked about in the community and recommended for years. This highly respected guide has been thoroughly updated and revised for content and design - it is now produced in full color! It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting so if you are starting out in photography you will learn how to predict results before setting up lights. This is not primarily a how-to book with only set examples for you to copy. Rather, Light: Science and Magic provides you with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles of light to allow you to use lighting to express your own creativity.


Numerous photographs and illustrations provide clear examples of the theories, while sidebars highlight special lighting questions. Expanded chapters on available light in portraiture, as well as new information on digital equipment and terminology make this a must have update!

*New four color art package with contemporary lighting examples
*Based on the behaviour of light
*Theory book for serious photographers



Editorial Reviews
Review
'This is the first book I have seen on photographic lighting that is worth using as a text. Light-Science and Magic is about principles, not cheap tricks or the authors' portfolio. Thanks.'---Pete Christman, Savannah College of Art and Design.

'An excellent guide to high-quality studio-style lighting, even on location.'---John Alderson, Booklist. -- Review

Review


"There truly is a lot to like about Light: Science and magic. First, it is the most complete reference to lighting that I have seen. Second, the authors, while assuming that you know little about lighting, present the topic in a nondemeaning manor, and advance the topic very quickly." -BC Books (May 2007)


"'This is the first book I have seen on photographic lighting that is worth using as a text. Light-Science and Magic is about principles, not cheap tricks or the authors' portfolio. Thanks."---Pete Christman, Savannah College of Art and Design.


From the Publisher
Although styles of photographic lighting continue to change, Light: Science and Magic does not go out of fashion because it is not based on style; rather it is based on the behavior of light. These principles will not change unless the fundamentals of physics do.

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The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series) by Jim Miotke (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 12:07 AM / / 0 comments

Product Description

Digital cameras are the hot new tech toy-but many of the millions of people who are buying the cameras aren't getting the most out of their new purchase. Mysterious icons, strange jargon, a dizzying array of imaging software and hardware...stumbling blocks quickly become tools to create great pictures with The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography. This practical, lesson-based workbook gives readers a step-by-step tutorial in getting bright, crisp, beautiful pictures from their digital cameras every time.

Learn about exposure, file formats and quality settings, low-light photography, digital filters and white balance, composition and lens choice, manipulating images, printing, and much more, all in a handy, bring-along format. Everyone who has a digital camera-or who is thinking about getting one-needs The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography



Editorial Reviews
About the Author

Jim Miotke is the founder of BetterPhoto.com, an online photography resource that receives more than three million hits each month. An online instructor for the site's course on digital photography, Jim Miotke is also a professional photographer with more than twenty years' experience. He lives in Redmond, Washington.

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On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography by Neil van Niekerk (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 12:00 AM / / 0 comments

Product Description
With this guidebook, photographers learn how to create stunning, professional images while avoiding the common pitfalls of using an on-camera flash. Techniques for using simple accessories—such as bounce cards and diffusers as well as how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing it rather than overwhelming it—show photographers how to master this challenging aspect of portraiture. For wedding and environmental portrait photographers who must work in ever-changing lighting scenarios, executing these tips to evade flat, lifeless images with harsh shadows, washed-out skin tones, cavernous black backgrounds, and other unappealing visual characteristics results in not only better images, but happier clients and more sales.



Editorial Reviews
About the Author

Neil van Niekerk is a wedding and portrait photographer. He lives in Wayne, New Jersey.

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Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC by Martin Evening

Posted by Anesia / at 11:54 PM / / 0 comments

Product Description

Martin Evening's Adobe Photoshop for Photographers titles have become classic reference sources for photographers at all skill levels. Whether you are an accomplished user or just starting out, the Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers book contains a wealth of practical advice, hints and tips to help you achieve professional-looking results. Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers begins with an overview of the Photoshop interface and the fundamentals of how to use Photoshop, followed by how to configure and optimize your computer's performance to run the program and then it dives straight into the essentials of Camera Raw image editing.


The Sharpening chapter shows how to use the Camera Raw controls to obtain optimum capture sharpening and noise reduction and the Essentials chapter outlines how to work with all the basic image adjustment tools that are in the program, some of which have been there since the very beginning.

Practical workshops show you how to master the essential techniques, such as color correction, retouching techniques, toning a black and white image, creating composite images and so on. Each technique is described in step-by-step detail, showing exactly which command to use, whether you are working with a Mac or PC computer.
The accompanying DVD contains a Photoshop for Photographers Help Guide. This is supplied in a web browser format that you can either run from the DVD or copy to your computer hard disk for off-line viewing. The Help Guide contains a complete guide to all the tools and panels in Photoshop as well as other items in the program. It is like having an off-line manual with which to learn more about what each Photoshop tool and palette does. The guide also provides 120 minutes of movie tutorials on Photoshop CS4. If you are just beginning to work with digital images or are looking for new ideas, the best techniques and ways to improve the quality of your work, this is the book for you!

* Learn Photoshop the Martin Evening way! Get up to speed fast with the essential information you need to create superb images in Photoshop CS4.
* Accompnying DVD includes the images you need to follow along as you read, with QuickTime movie tutorials for hands-on learning
* Contains over 750 professional, color images



Editorial Reviews
Review


'When it's all said and done, tools-whether hardware or software-are just tools, and it's your ideas and images that matter. You'll find that Martin knows both sides of the equation and never lets the techniques distract from the vision. I think you'll find his perspective and experience invaluable.'



John Nack, Principal Product Manager, Adobe Photoshop



'Evening's Adobe Photoshop for Photographers titles have become classic reference sources, written to deal directly with the needs of photographers and filled with a wealth of practical advice, hints and tips to help you achieve professional results.'



Professional Photographer



'Richly illustrated with photos and screen grabs, this is an invaluable guide for anyone serious about Photoshop at a very reasonable price.'



What Digital Camera



'...the bible for digital photographers. Wonderfully illustrated and incredibly detailed to help you master all aspects of the program.'



ephotozine


About the Author
Martin Evening is a professional photographer and digital imaging consultant, as well as an Alpha tester for Photoshop and key demo artist for Adobe. Based in London, UK, Martin was inducted into the legendary Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2008.

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The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 11:49 PM / / 0 comments

Product Description

Written in concert with Adobe's development of the Photoshop Lightroom 2 Beta, The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers - by #1 bestselling computer and technology author, Scott Kelby - is the most complete and concise Lightroom "how-to" book for digital photographers of all skill levels.In The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers, Scott walks readers through the basics of Lightroom use, leading them to a brilliantly devised and super efficient digital photography workflow that dramatically improves productivity and allows photographers to spend less time processing photos and more time shooting them.

Throughout the book Scott shares his personal camera and Lightroom settings, as well as the studio-tested techniques he's developed for his own photography workflow. The book is written in his trademark step-by-step, plain English style, and because he knows what really works and what doesn't, he isn't shy to tell you flat out which tools to use, which to avoid, and why. This allows digital photographers of any skill level to jump right in using Lightroom like a pro from the very start, sidestepping a lot of the frustrations that typically haunt those unfamiliar with new applications…especially those as powerful as Lightroom.

What really sets The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers apart from other Lightroom books on the market are the last two bonus chapters where Scott answers the questions, "In exactly what order am I supposed to do things in Lightoom," and "Where does Photoshop fit in to the mix?" Both chapters start with an on-location photo shoot, including full details on the equipment, camera settings, and lighting techniques. Readers then witness as he takes the photos from each shoot through the entire workflow process, to the final output of the 16"x20" prints. And, because he incorporates Photoshop seamlessly right into this workflow, you'll learn some of the latest Photoshop techniques for portrait and landscape photography as well.

If you're one of those people who learns best by actually doing the projects yourself; who learns best without all the complicated technical explanations and confusing jargon, and if you really want to start using Lightroom today to unlock the productivity secrets of "The new digital photography workflow,"---there is no faster, more "straight-to-the-point" or more fun way to learn than this groundbreaking new book, and you are absolutely going to love it!

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The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes by Joe McNally (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 11:39 PM / / 0 comments

Product Description

When it comes to photography, it’s all about the light.After spending more than thirty years behind the lens—working for National Geographic, Time, Life, and Sports Illustrated—Joe McNally knows about light. He knows how to talk about it, shape it, color it, control it, and direct it. Most importantly, he knows how to create it...using small hot shoe flashes.In The Hot Shoe Diaries, Joe brings you behind the scenes to candidly share his lighting solutions for a ton of great images.

Using Nikon Speedlights, Joe lets you in on his uncensored thought process—often funny, sometimes serious, always fascinating—to demonstrate how he makes his pictures with these small flashes. Whether he’s photographing a gymnast on the Great Wall, an alligator in a swamp, or a fire truck careening through Times Square, Joe uses these flashes to create great light that makes his pictures sing.



Editorial Reviews
About the Author

JOE McNALLY is an internationally acclaimed American photographer and longtime photojournalist. His most notable series is “Faces of Ground Zero—Portraits of the Heroes of September 11th,” a collection of giant Polaroid portraits. He also photographed “The Future of Flying,” the first all-digital story for National Geographic. His award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazines and, in 2008, Joe wrote the critically acclaimed and bestselling book The Moment It Clicks.

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Graphic Design: The New Basics by Ellen Lupton (Author), Jennifer Cole Phillips (Author)

Posted by Anesia / at 11:33 PM / / 0 comments

Product Description
How do designers get ideas? Many spend their time searching for clever combinations of forms, fonts, and colors inside the design annuals and monographs of other designers' work. For those looking to challenge the cut-and-paste mentality there are few resources that are both informative and inspirational. In Graphic Design: The New Basics, Ellen Lupton, best-selling author of such books as Thinking with Type and Design It Yourself, and design educator Jennifer Cole Phillips refocus design instruction on the study of the fundamentals of form in a critical, rigorous way informed by contemporary media, theory, and software systems.

Through visual demonstrations and concise commentary, The New Basics shows students and professionals how to build interest and complexity around simple relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency. The New Basics explains the key concepts of visual language that inform any work of design—from a logo or letterhead to a complex web site. It takes a fresh approach to design instruction by emphasizing visually intensive, form-based thinking in a manner that is in tune with the latest developments in contemporary media, theory, art, and technology. Colorful, compact, and clearly written, The New Basics is the new indispensable resource for anyone seeking a smart, inspiring introduction to graphic design and destined to become the standard reference work in design education.



Editorial Reviews
Review
"Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips introduces key concepts of visual language in graphic design." --Publishers Weekly, January 21, 2008

Review
"A tome on the basics of form. (Graphic Design:The New Basics) illuminates the gray areas between software and visual thinking, and as the introduction states, shows 'how to build richness and complexity around simple relationships.'"

Review
Design On The Verge; Diva Of D.I.Y.

"With her tousled blond hair, cheery demeanor and casual clothes, the 44-year-old Lupton looks barely older than her students. As she passes one on campus, he fixes on the book she's holding, 'Graphic Design: The New Basics.'

'Is that the only copy?' he asks excitedly.

Indeed it is. Scheduled to come out in May, Lupton says she hopes it will become the definitive textbook for the next ten years.' " -- Lisa Simeone

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