Review: Mastering the Nikon D800 by Darrell Young

Mastering the Nikon D800_ Darrell Young_ Amazon.com_ Kindle Store

Darrell Young has written the definitive book on the Nikon D800. If it isn’t covered in this book, you probably don’t need it. Seriously, this book is a long look inside the digital candy box for Nikon geeks and other photographers who actually (gasp!) read the manual. Unfortunately for me, reading the manual sometimes leaves a little to be desired. Darrell explains what the manual really is trying to say... and even provides the page numbers for the content in the Nikon manual. That’s … [Read more...]

Review: Tabletop Photography Using Compact Flashes and Low-Cost Tricks to Create Professional-Looking Studio Shots

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Cyrill Harnischmacher's new book "Tabletop Photography" is a further sign of the digital revolution in photography... virtually all of the techniques he teaches in this new book are techniques that will only work with digital. I'm not a digital native, but I got here as quick as I could; my experimentation with digital imaging began in the mid-1990's. The flash techniques I learned relied on an antiquated system known as "Polaroid" - using a sheet or pack Polaroid holder on the medium or large … [Read more...]

Review: Create Your Own Photo Book by Petra Vogt

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Several times I've thought about making a photo book. Since I've been in numerous countries across the world in the last fifteen years and assembled several terrabytes—well, many more than several—of saved images it seems like I would be a prime candidate to produce more than one photo book. But the moment never seemed to be right, and I couldn't bring myself to do the research into the procedures and techniques of producing a good book. I'd see the ads for companies that made books and even … [Read more...]

Review: Cracking Camera Raw by Michael N. Roach

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Cracking Camera Raw: The Illustrated Guide To Working With Raw Images in Adobe Photoshop CS5by Michael N. Roach I've just read and appreciated this new work by Dr. Roach on Camera RAW. I was an early adopter of RAW files. After seeing what I could do, even with early versions of Photoshop, I was sold. I learned just enough to actually use the basic features, and got good results (mostly) with my methodology. Adobe CS5 is a game-changer. The Creative Suite's fifth version is bullet-proof on … [Read more...]

Review: Architectural Photography by Adrian Schulz

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Rocky Nook's new book Architectural Photography by Adrian Schulz provides a comprehensive update to architectural photography techniques in a digital age. My original introduction to this subject was a book by Norman McGrath called Photographing Buildings Inside and Out. Norman in years past had reservations about calling his craft "architectural photography" - but not Schulz. His 2nd Edition (2012) of his original 2009 printing of Architectural Photography leaves no one in doubt that he has … [Read more...]

Review: The Art of Photographic Lighting By Eib Eibelshaeuser

Rocky Nook - The Art of Photogrpahic Lighting

Rocky Nook Press recently sent me a review copy of Eib Eibelshaeuser's new book, The Art of Photographic Lighting.  It took me a little longer to write this review than it normally does for two reasons: I kept re-reading paragraphs that seemed particularly significant, and I found myself taking notes.  Both of these slowed me down as I am usually a fast reader. I think I was expecting a book with drawings of how to arrange lights, but instead I found that it was much more involved than that. … [Read more...]

Review: Marketing Fine Art Photography By Alain Briot

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Rocky Nook Press Press sent me a review copy of Alain Briot’s new book, Marketing Fine Art Photography, and I was delighted for two reasons. First, Rocky Nook’s volumes are beautifully bound and printed on acid-free paper and are a delight to hold and work from because they stay flat and open as you read or work from them. The second reason is that Alain Briot is a learned and articulate photographer and writer who shares his expertise in a relaxed and candid manner as though his reader is a … [Read more...]

Review: THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY: An Approach to Personal Expression

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I always enjoy receiving a review copy of any book from Rocky Nook Press because I know two things about it in advance: (1) the book itself will be printed on Acid-Free paper, and will still show its illustrations with brilliance and clarity for years to come, and (2) the book will be bound in such a manner that it will behave itself and lie open beside my computer without the necessity of putting weights on each side of the open volume in order to make it lie down quietly and allow me to enjoy … [Read more...]

Review- Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3: A Photographer’s Handbook

Amazon.com_ Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3_ A Photographer_s Handbook (9781933952673)_ Stephen Laskevitch_ Books

I recently received a review copy of Rocky Nook's Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3: A Photographer's Handbook by Stephen Laskevitch. I always enjoy receiving a book from Rocky Nook to review because they print their books on acid-free paper and the reproduction quality is as outstanding as the content. As a workshop teacher I am always interested in another teacher's approach and quite admire the methodical, logical, and easily-understood approach that Stephen Laskevitch uses in Photoshop CS5 … [Read more...]

Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity by Michael E. Stern

Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity - Rocky Nook

Rocky Nook Press recently sent me a review copy of Michael E. Stern's new book Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity, and since I am always interested in the creative process (especially when it involves disciplined thought), I was happy to sit down with it for some quality time. I gravitate towards that word "disciplined" because I am an analytical and systematic individual. My trusty Mac computer dictionary provided the following: With that in mind, I have … [Read more...]

Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style by Alain Briot

For those of you who follow The Luminous Landscape web site, Alain Briot's name will be a familiar one from his informative and insightful writings for the photographer. If you are new to his writings you will be in for a treat in his second book published by Rocky Nook (his first was Mastering Landscape Photography). Rocky Nook produces beautiful volumes printed on acid-free paper that reproduce the dynamic tonalities of the fine-art prints that they showcase, and the long-term … [Read more...]

PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES by Juergen Gulbins & Rainer Gulbins

I've been neglecting a new book that's been on my desk for a month.  When I first glanced at Juergen Gulbins and Rainer Gulbins new book PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES  I realized that several of the techniques discussed involved the new Adobe Photoshop CS4, and at the time I hadn't upgraded yet.  I put PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES aside until I had upgraded to Photoshop CS4 and become comfortable with the new interface and some of the new tools. Now I've … [Read more...]