Recommended Books to get on Photography
| # | Web Link | Hits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vision and Art - The Biology of Seeing by Margaret Livingstone Neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone addresses these and many other questions in Vision and Art, a lively look at the science underlying art. She writes accessibly, but with plenty of technical depth, on such matters as the nature of light and the visible spectrum, the organization of visual-image processing, the structure of the vertebrate eye and brain, and individual and culturally conditioned perceptions of color. Using well-known works of art as case studies, she offers fascinating bits of trivia (on, for instance, how pastels are made and why purple dyes are so rare) alongside practical information for artists (for example, how high-contrast contours and evenly distributed luminance attract the eye). | 113 |
| 2 | Professional Posing Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photographers by Norman Phillips Combining two disciplines—posing and wedding portraiture—this professional resource helps photographers create flattering poses to build the best possible portraits and highest possible sales. Photographers are taught how to position the head, shoulders, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet to correct figure flaws, make a client feel relaxed, and evoke a dynamic image that tells a story or defines a relationship. The challenges of shooting on location are addressed with tips for adjusting poses in any situation. A discussion of body language and how small adjustments can change an entire mood provides photographers with the ability to help their clients convey a variety of desired messages, whether elegant, sexy, or playful. Standing, seated, and floor poses are covered along with specific techniques for photographing brides, grooms, and wedding parties. | 135 |
| 3 | The Complete Guide to Professional Wedding Photography by Damien Lovegrove Have you ever wondered why some wedding photographers succeed, when many others fail? Why some prosper, while others struggle to make a profit? Or how some can retire young, while others can never afford to stop? In this book, Damien Lovegrove shares with you the secrets of fusing art with commerce and gives you the vital tools needed for great achievement. This stunning guide by two exceptional wedding photographers at the top of their game is packed with over four hundred pictures all with their own tales to inspire and inform. It provides a simple yet profoundly powerful recipe for success, both for photographers just starting out and seasoned wedding pros alike. | 101 |
| 4 | Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios by Billy Pegram With detailed discussions and eye-catching, dynamic images, this guidebook shows professional photographers how to masterfully create beautiful images of a model to achieve any creative objective. Instructions illustrate basic poses as well as a host of subtle variations to provide photographers with an endless array of looks for editorial fashion shots, athletics, glamour or nude photography, and shots designed to show curves, reveal personality, or showcase the hands, hair, or legs. This comprehensive resource also provides expert advice on conducting a successful session, how to work with the model, how to work with a support staff of image stylists, and tips for designing a high-quality portfolio. Additional lessons provide a start-to-finish analysis of four different shooting sessions, each with a different model and a different objective. | 129 |
| 5 | Professional Business Practices in Photography, 7th Edition by The American Society of Media Photographers At last! The eagerly anticipated revised edition of the photographer’s "business bible" is here, fully updated with the last word on key business practices, industry standards, and resources. Up-to-the-minute coverage now includes digital asset management; metadata standards; the role of Internet, FTP, and e-mail technologies; the impact of media consolidation on assignment and stock photography; and much more. This indispensable guide covers the full range of business and legal questions that photographers might have, with comprehensive advice from the ASMP, the foremost authority in the field. In eleven in-depth chapters, more than two dozen industry experts explore pricing and negotiating, ethics, rights in traditional and electronic media, publishing, and much more. Business and legal forms, checklists, and an extensive cross-media bibliography make this the one reference book that deserves a place on every successful photographer’s bookshelf. | 106 |
| 6 | Michael Freeman's Perfect Exposure Clear, direct, and guaranteed, the perfect exposure method looks at the way professionals work, and lays out the decisions and sequences with absolute clarity, while incorporating the latest, powerful post-processing techniques. Chosing the exposure for a photograph is infinitely complex and one of photography's most absorbing paradoxes because it affects everything in the image and its effect on the viewer. Understanding how and why exposure works is essential, not only because it helps you to decide what is instinctively "right," but this book will give you confidence in that decision--an invaluable skill for every single photographer. Full of beautiful photographs taken by Michael Freeman, this book will arm you with the tools you need for perfect exposure of your photographs. | 97 |
| 7 | Mastering HDR Photography by Michael Freeman High dynamic range imaging, or HDR, is the latest challenge for those who are serious about digital photography. But with that challenge comes an opportunity to expand skills and repertoire into exciting new areas. HDR, originally developed for use with computer-generated images, captures the full range of tones in a scene, reproducing human perception down to the finest detail without lens flare, burnout, or underexposure. Mastering High Dynamic Range Photography explains exactly how to shoot specifically for HDR, and how to use the new software that lets the photographer combine several images into one glowingly accurate final photo. Step-by-steps and sample photographs reveal how to apply these techniques to many different genres, producing results that are part photograph, part work of art. | 91 |
| 8 | The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman "Beautifully presented with generous and helpful color illustrations, this book is a very affordable addition to the library of the serious photographer." This is not an art book, each picture was put there to illustrate a specific concept. The author has taken great care in his selection to pick images from around the world (with a focus on Asia) and often give some background information about them which is a nice touch. I also liked the fact that many versions of an image/scene are often used to illustrate a concept. Because, sometimes, pictures are stronger than words | 93 |
| 9 | Mastering Black and White Digital Photography by Michael Freeman Black and white has an enduring appeal that just keeps on growing. Above all, it's a medium for the fine print--one that benefits immeasurably from digital technology and inkjet printers. Written by a photographer well-known for his ability to explain complex digital concepts to a variety of audiences, this essential guide on the art of black and white is packed with information, hints, and tips, along with a plethora of stunning images. Discover how our colorful world translates into black and white and how to create a stunning monotone image. See how to render colors as gray tones and how to manipulate the tonality for dramatic effect. Experiment with high contrast, infrared, and pseudo non-silver looks. You won't believe the wonderful results you'll achieve. | 142 |
| 10 | The Making of 40 Photographs by Ansel Adams Each of Adams 40 photographs presented here is accompanied by an engaging narrative that explores the technical and aesthetic problems presented by the subject and includes reminiscences of the places and people involved. Ansel Adams Biography | 95 |
| 11 | In England by Don Mccullin Photographic journalist Don McCullin returns to the cities and landscape he knew as a young photographer, and a view of England where the line between wealthy and deprived is as defined as ever, but with a touch of wry humor added to his lyricism. | 86 |
| 12 | Henri Cartier-Bresson: Photographer by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Yves Bonnefoy Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of this century's leading photographers and his exciting career has profoundly influenced the field. His earliest images are of Europe in the 1930s and 40s; he later traveled throughout the world, to the United States, India, Japan, China, Mexico, the Soviet Union, to frame the world with his camera. | 84 |
| 13 | North America the Beautiful by Galen Rowell In this awe-inspiring volume, award-winning nature photographer Galen Rowell takes us on an unforgettable photographic tour of North America, instilling in us a profound appreciation for our continent's enduring natural beauty. From California to Florida, from the Yukon Territory to the Mexican Mainland, and from Greenland to Hawaii and the Caribbean Islands, Rowell's photographs evoke the remarkable diversity of this continent's varied ecosystems. When viewed through Rowell's inspired lens, the fluted walls of Antelope Canyon in Arizona reveal gorgeous abstract configurations. The full moon sinking behind craggy peaks at sunrise creates an otherworldly landscape in Sierra Nevada. An Alaskan brown bear poised to snap up an airborne salmon and a flock of California seagulls gilded by the rays of the setting sun are just some of the unforgettable images in this book. Galen Rowell photographs convey not only his remarkable accomplishments as a photographer, but his supreme passion for his subject. Throughout the book, his often lyrical, always informative text provides fascinating insight into the landscapes that are unique to North America. | 87 |
| 14 | Joshuar Cooper Ramo Joshua Cooper Ramo is Managing Director at Kissinger Associates, a strategic advisory firm. He is the youngest Managing Director in the history of the firm. Prior to entering the advisory business, Ramo was a journalist. He was the youngest Senior Editor and Foreign Editor in the history of TIME Magazine. Among his nearly two-dozen time cover stories were the 1997 Man of the Year profile of Andy Grove and an award-winning profile of Kofi Annan. Ramo, a Mandarin speaker, divides his time between Beijing and New York City. The World Economic Forum has called him “one of China’s leading foreign-born scholars.” His papers have been widely distributed in China and abroad. Trained as an economist, Ramo was raised in Los Ranchos, New Mexico. He has been, among other things, a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Asia21 Leaders Program, a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and Global Leaders for Tomorrow, an advisory board member of the Leaders Project and co‐founder of the US‐China Young Leaders Forum. He has spent two sabbaticals working at AIDS hospices in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. An avid pilot, Ramo has written a book, No Visible Horizon, about his experiences as a competitive aerobatic pilot. Ramo holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and a masters degree from New York University. His forthcoming book of geo-strategy will be published in seven languages in 2009. | 96 |
Hi There, I'm Rick Miller from Comprehensive Photography. I'm very pleased to see almost
50,000 visits since my site was started on
January 29th 2009 (about 215 per day).
PLEASE CHECK OUT SOME GREAT PHOTOS, ARTISTIC NUDES, via link NUDE ART — MY BLOG AND SOME VERY NICE MOVIES!
While you visit and navigate through my site, next to the home tab, there is now a BUY menu item, that will link you to my gallery of pictures for sale — all High Resolution and top quality. So clicking on 'BUY' simply directs you to a new page to view and shop at your leisure; with the understanding that you are not committing yourself to a purchase. I've put some nice music on this new page as well, you can manage this in the upper right hand quadrant if you would rather have silence.
If you have been to Amazon.Com, or any other online store, the procedure for purchasing my work is equally as easy thanks to PayPal.
Some may remember posing for an "impromptu" photo opportunity during every family gathering. You stood there frozen, with cemented smiles as you wondered if Aunt Thelma would ever take the photograph. Cheese...... then Bam! You were blinded by the bright flash bulb. Auntie had the right idea. She wanted to memorialize every event. It didn't matter if the developed film never made it out of the card board envelopes. What was important is that she enjoyed taking photos.
Amateur photographers everywhere are still snapping pictures as a favorite pastime. Photography is a good means to chronicle someone's life. A picture tells a thousand words, so what an excellent way to document special moments, highlights and milestones.
Over time, our memory isn't as iron-clad as it once was. With photographs you can still recall the special moment even when the memory fades. Photography is good for your well being. Reflect on all the studies that talk about how beneficial laughter is to your health. Now consider your emotions when you see photos of a new baby, or a wedding, or any of the other adorable photos that are found in email in-boxes on a daily basis. They make you happy! Photos elicit positive emotions. Think about the people who were in south Texas during the winter of 2004. I'm sure they were happy to be down there when they had snow for the first time in over 100 years. There were people outside taking pictures at midnight; what an opportunity!
Have you ever seen deer on the side of the road? Not too many bucks will stop long enough to be photographed. If you're fortunate enough to see sitting deer, you better hope to have a camera with you; as they likely won't be sitting there waiting for you the next time you drive by.
While some people still prefer film cameras, digital cameras now come in any size or budget. For the novice photographer who merely enjoys taking photographs as a way to relax or capture those one of a kind moments, suitable digital cameras are available for under $100. Some people are still using 1.3 mega pixel digital cameras. By today's standard, that is considered a dinosaur. However it would still work if the photographer just wanted to take an occasional photo to list items for sale on eBay. Today many amateur photographers are using digital cameras with 4-6 mega pixels. As a rule of thumb, the higher the mega pixel, the higher the price tag. Notwithstanding, higher mega pixel cameras also come with more bells and whistles and have a higher resolution. Most all digital cameras also have a timer and ability to make very small movie clips. Many also have zoom lens features.
With digital photography it is fun to play around with new technology. Create a screen saver of your best photo with Image Box from CoolUtils. If you came back from Hawaii and have lots of great photos that you want not to just show to your friends but amaze them - make an astonishing slideshow. Imagine all pictures will be shown one by one with different effects, accompanied by music and your comments. With ImageBox every photo stops being a snapshot but becomes a living part of the presentation. Your friends will be amazed! Don't think about how difficult it is – you will create your first slideshow in 6 minutes. There are software programs that allow you to make digital images look better than real life by removing unwanted blemishes, moles, or wrinkles. Experiment with the software to add or remove people or objects from the photo. New technology provides the ability to alter a photograph so that it looks like an oil painting, pencil sketch, negative, sepia, black and white, charcoal drawing and a plethora of other options.
While it is possible to make a living as a photographer, the majority of camera users simply take photos because they enjoy it. It's true that time will not stand still. The taunting school aged children had it right when they responded to stares, "Take a picture why don't you – it'll last longer!" Now you do the same - stop reading and go take a picture... it'll last longer! REGISTER
Thank all of you so much for helping me to do something I love and enjoy. Please REGISTER and tell me what you think of the site.
While you visit and navigate through my site, next to the home tab, there is now a BUY menu item, that will link you to my gallery of pictures for sale — all High Resolution and top quality. So clicking on 'BUY' simply directs you to a new page to view and shop at your leisure; with the understanding that you are not committing yourself to a purchase. I've put some nice music on this new page as well, you can manage this in the upper right hand quadrant if you would rather have silence.
If you have been to Amazon.Com, or any other online store, the procedure for purchasing my work is equally as easy thanks to PayPal.
A NICE THOUGHT
Photos
Why do we take them?
By Mary Banas
Jan 22nd 2007
Some may remember posing for an "impromptu" photo opportunity during every family gathering. You stood there frozen, with cemented smiles as you wondered if Aunt Thelma would ever take the photograph. Cheese...... then Bam! You were blinded by the bright flash bulb. Auntie had the right idea. She wanted to memorialize every event. It didn't matter if the developed film never made it out of the card board envelopes. What was important is that she enjoyed taking photos.
Amateur photographers everywhere are still snapping pictures as a favorite pastime. Photography is a good means to chronicle someone's life. A picture tells a thousand words, so what an excellent way to document special moments, highlights and milestones.
Over time, our memory isn't as iron-clad as it once was. With photographs you can still recall the special moment even when the memory fades. Photography is good for your well being. Reflect on all the studies that talk about how beneficial laughter is to your health. Now consider your emotions when you see photos of a new baby, or a wedding, or any of the other adorable photos that are found in email in-boxes on a daily basis. They make you happy! Photos elicit positive emotions. Think about the people who were in south Texas during the winter of 2004. I'm sure they were happy to be down there when they had snow for the first time in over 100 years. There were people outside taking pictures at midnight; what an opportunity!
Have you ever seen deer on the side of the road? Not too many bucks will stop long enough to be photographed. If you're fortunate enough to see sitting deer, you better hope to have a camera with you; as they likely won't be sitting there waiting for you the next time you drive by.
While some people still prefer film cameras, digital cameras now come in any size or budget. For the novice photographer who merely enjoys taking photographs as a way to relax or capture those one of a kind moments, suitable digital cameras are available for under $100. Some people are still using 1.3 mega pixel digital cameras. By today's standard, that is considered a dinosaur. However it would still work if the photographer just wanted to take an occasional photo to list items for sale on eBay. Today many amateur photographers are using digital cameras with 4-6 mega pixels. As a rule of thumb, the higher the mega pixel, the higher the price tag. Notwithstanding, higher mega pixel cameras also come with more bells and whistles and have a higher resolution. Most all digital cameras also have a timer and ability to make very small movie clips. Many also have zoom lens features.
With digital photography it is fun to play around with new technology. Create a screen saver of your best photo with Image Box from CoolUtils. If you came back from Hawaii and have lots of great photos that you want not to just show to your friends but amaze them - make an astonishing slideshow. Imagine all pictures will be shown one by one with different effects, accompanied by music and your comments. With ImageBox every photo stops being a snapshot but becomes a living part of the presentation. Your friends will be amazed! Don't think about how difficult it is – you will create your first slideshow in 6 minutes. There are software programs that allow you to make digital images look better than real life by removing unwanted blemishes, moles, or wrinkles. Experiment with the software to add or remove people or objects from the photo. New technology provides the ability to alter a photograph so that it looks like an oil painting, pencil sketch, negative, sepia, black and white, charcoal drawing and a plethora of other options.
While it is possible to make a living as a photographer, the majority of camera users simply take photos because they enjoy it. It's true that time will not stand still. The taunting school aged children had it right when they responded to stares, "Take a picture why don't you – it'll last longer!" Now you do the same - stop reading and go take a picture... it'll last longer! REGISTER
Thank all of you so much for helping me to do something I love and enjoy. Please REGISTER and tell me what you think of the site.
Sincerely
Rick Miller