| Reader’s Corner
Travels in an American Imagination
Author: Lee Foster
Reviewed by Robert Ankrum
After many years as a travel photographer and journalist, Lee Foster has journeyed inward to give us Travels in an American Imagination.
His collection of observations explores some of the most wondrous and horrific aspects of life in our modern times. He ponders how we humans can invent marvelous machines (airplanes that can transport us to the corners of the globe) while polluting the very environment on which we depend for life.
Like many of us living during these complex times, Lee is also searching for a sense of community and belonging. He weaves together his adventures traveling the world—and his hometown of Berkeley, California—with the importance of family, friendships, and relationships.
Lee’s observations are both varied and thought provoking. Some of them you can relate to right away and others are a bit of a stretch. But then that’s why we travel—to expand our minds. And Lee is a wonderful tour guide.
Lee Foster’s book is available through his website at www.fostertravel.com.
Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS2
Author: Bruce Fraser
Reviewed by John Jerney
Shooting RAW is de-rigueur for maximum control over your digital photos. However, capturing the image is only the first step. The real challenge comes when it's time to "develop" your photos using RAW processing software.
Adobe's Camera RAW plug-in, bundled with Photoshop CS2, is perhaps the most popular RAW workflow system and, arguably, possibly the least well understood. Fraser guides us masterfully through every aspect of this powerful tool, emphasizing the importance of doing as much as possible during the camera RAW capture phase.
At all times, Fraser remains firmly focused on the practical. For example, he provides concrete examples of how to maintain and recover highlight detail, as well as how to limit data loss during adjustments. His description of critical RAW image concepts related to exposure, linear data capture, and gamma-corrected space are the best I've read anywhere.
Fraser describes every camera RAW control in detail, and provides an in-depth explanation of how to optimize your workflow using Adobe Bridge, metadata, and Photoshop automation. If you are shooting RAW (as you should), this book is indispensable.
Real World Color Management, Second Edition
Authors: Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting
Reviewed by John Jerney
Color management is a subject that every professional photographer should know about, understand, and dutifully practice. In fact, proper color can often spell the difference between competent photography and stunning images. However, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technical information and shifting industry practice.
Color management becomes necessary when you need to match data and perform conversions between multiple input and output devices. Color management systems use a clever scheme known as a profile to serve as an intermediary representation, and describe the color reproduction behavior of a system using a device profile.
Color management is obviously a huge topic, but Fraser and company keep it real by providing just enough background and conceptual information to help you make sense of the available options at any time. Having said that, the book goes into considerable detail describing how to build, evaluate, and edit input and output profiles, as well as how to optimize your color management workflow.
Written in an accessible style without unnecessary intruding jargon, this book will make you an expert at color management.
Professional Techniques for Black and White Digital Photography
Author: Patrick Rice
Reviewed by John Jerney
In a world of super-saturated colors, many still believe that black and white offers the most direct photographic experience, removing unwelcome distractions and capturing the essence of a composition. Rice and his fellow contributors are definitely in this camp, and set out to show us how to "produce digital black & white photographs that rival those made by the finest film photographers and printmakers."
Rice begins by introducing the basics of digital technology, competently covering the major topics at a beginner's level. The next few chapters explain key concepts related to exposure, lighting, composition, and subject selection, focusing on general photographic technique interspersed with some digital-specific information.
It's at the middle of the book that Rice jumps squarely into digital, guiding us through the most popular techniques for converting from color to B&W. The explanations are basic; but, you will definitely get an idea of the range of options available. Rice also offers an in-depth introduction to infrared digital photography, followed by techniques for hand coloring B&W photos for dramatic effect.
Interesting without being overwhelming, the book is well suited for beginner to intermediate level photographers.
John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide
Author: John Shaw
Reviewed by John Jerney
Shaw writes that during his workshops, the most often-asked question from students is "What is there to photograph?" Shaw proposes that we instead ask ourselves, "What is there to discover?" He continues, "Only after we have let our minds and eyes deal intimately with the abundance of natural marvels around us should we attempt to photograph them."
It's clear that Shaw is in awe of nature, and his pictures demonstrate the value of thinking about nature photography as an avenue for exploration, learning, and appreciation. Shaw uses this philosophy as the backdrop to clearly describe all aspects of photography in the field from determining correct exposure to finding the most appealing composition for a specific setting.
At the same time, as a self-described "equipment junkie," Shaw spends a lot of time talking about equipment, sharing minute details about his experiences with a range of gear. Shaw writes in a thoroughly conversational style to good effect, offering an excellent balance between useful technical information and practical everyday advice. The result is a very readable and informative book. |
