MBR: The Photography Shelf
Midwest Book Review
Bill Zorn
Flat Edge Press
178 Butler Lake Drive, Saint Simons Island, Georgia, 31522
0972427902 $50.00 www.billzorn.com
Three Gorges is a coffee table book of black-and-white photography
capturing the land, the people, and the natural beauty of the Three
Gorges on the Yangtze River in central China. All images were taken
between 2001 and 2003; in the summer of 2003, the construction of the
world's largest hydroelectric project, the Three Gorges Dam, created
the largest reservoir in history and changed the lives of the
inhabitants forever as the water levels rose and submerged much of the
land. A few poems in both English and Chinese intersperse the images,
but the majority of Three Gorges allows the images of people conducting
their daily lives to speak for themselves. A profound and powerful
glimpse through time to a land on the cusp of drastic change, highly
recommended.
Singular Image
Sophie Howarth, editor
Aperture
547 W. 27th Street, New York NY 10013
1597110175 $19.95 www.aperture.org
Singular Images: Essays On Remarkable Photographs covers well over 150
years of photography, from Talbot's first negative to the latest
changes in photographic art. Essays collect analysis of individual
photos however, not the genre as a whole, focusing on a single image's
achievements and exploring artist intention, technical and historical
background, and the artistic community's response. Black and white
photos blend with in-depth analysis to show what makes an achievement
exceptional in the photography field.
Marilyn Monroe
Bert Stern
Schirmer Art Books/Prestel FPublishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, NY, NY 10003
www.schirmer-mosel.com
38888141915 $120.00 1-888-463-6110
Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) is perhaps America's most famous "sex
goddess", a young woman whose life and death have taken on mythic
qualities as having been a woman of beauty and sex appeal. Bert Stern
is the fashion photographer who was the last to be granted a sitting by
Marilyn Monroe six weeks before she died. The photography 3-day
sessions was arranged by Vogue magazine and took place at the Los
Angeles Bel-Air Hotel. The sessions produces a total of 2,571
photographs (375 in color) and included fashion, portrait, and nude
studies from which only twenty went on to publication in Vogue
magazine. Now all 2,571 photographs have been collected under one cover
in Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting (originally published in
1992 but until now having long been out of print) and are available for
Marilyn Monroe fans in this unaltered compendium showcasing Marilyn
Monroe at the height of her all too tragically shortened career.
Amherst Media
PO Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
www.AmherstMedia.com
Michelle Perskins' Beginner's Guide To Adobe Photoshop, 3rd Edition
(1584281-871, $34.95) provides an excellent basic set of structured
lessons to help beginners with photography background enter the digital
world of Photoshop editing. Here are foundation lessons on everything
from rendering and resolution to file formats and working with image
enhancements. Combine these with basics on how to remove dust, dirt and
scratches from a picture and you have an excellent primer. Norman
Phillips' Advanced Studio Lighting Techniques For Digital Portrait
Photographers (1584281863, $34.95) tells how to go beyond the basics to
understand and see unusual portrait-lighting opportunities as they
arise. Accent lighting, catchlights, backdrops, and sculpting the face
are only some of the professional touches discussed, with plenty of
color photo embellishment for each step. Bill Hurter's Best Of
Professional Digital Photography (158428188X, $34.95) surveys the finer
art of digital capture and how to purchase and use a digital SLR system
for maximum professional results. From understanding how file formats
work and how to use them to using RAW formats, The Best Of Professional
Digital Photography pairs polished results with techniques for
achieving them. Stephen A. Dantzig's Master Lighting Techniques For
Outdoor And Location Digital Portrait Photography (1584281855, $34.95)
tells how to use outdoor light to produce stunning results. From
different colors and qualities of natural light to using modifiers to
produce better results and using Photoshop to repair common flaws, this
harnesses the best of natural light and technological repair options
and assures polished results. Adobe Photoshop For Underwater
Photographers by Jack and Sue Drafahl (158-4281898, $39.95) is a pick
for any underwater photographer who would use Photoshop to solve image
problems commonly faced by underwater photographers. From using levels
and curves to correct color to removing distracting image elements and
creating keyboard shortcuts for high-speed underwater photography,
everything is covered here even using RAW file images for quality and
control. Michelle Perkins' Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques
And Images From Master Photographers (1584281901, $34.95) examines
lighting techniques used by top photographers techniques which can
translate well to fashion, business or family portrait photography
ventures. From designing creative lighting for unique images to getting
the best on-location results, Professional Portrait Lighting is a real
winner, packed with savvy tips, creative solutions and plenty of color
photo examples.
Lasting Light
Stephen Trimble
Northland Publishing
2900 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
0873588940 $40.00 northlandbooks.com
The Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed natural areas on the
planet, so one might wonder at the need for another book on it but
Lasting Light 125 Years Of Grand Canyon Photography gathers the most
striking visual works of over twenty Canyon specialist photographers
who share their personal narratives on how they captured the Canyon's
unique light. Stephen Trimble is himself a photographer whose approach
lends powerful artistic insights to a compilation which is a 'must' for
any comprehensive Arizona, Canyon or photography library.
Visual Verse
John Parkinson
Synergy Books
2100 Kramer Ln, #300, Austin, TX 78758
1933538376 $29.95 www.bookpros.com
Nationally published photographer of 35 years' experience John
Parkinson presents Visual Verse, a breathtaking gallery of images of
the natural world - from glaciers to islands, to time-exposure of
constellations rising in the desert. Half of Visual Verse displays the
wondrous photographs alongside selected classic short poems from a
variety of authors; a subsequent commentary section offers a paragraph
of insight into the selection and capturing of each unique snapshot.
Visual Verse is a singularly gorgeous coffee-table book which is
especially recommended as a gift for nature and natural photography
enthusiasts.
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