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 to add I also like insights into the actual step-by-step thoughts in the designing process for a photographer, and I look for good illustrations and well-written tutorials done by an enthusiastic photographer. All of these are well covered in Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach to Creativity. Add a DVD with additional images, 360 degree panoramas of studio shots in progress, some short videos of photographic sessions, references, and tutorials and you have a concise and worthwhile package.

Mr. Stern writes in an easy-going style that makes the reader feel that they are in the presence of an out-going teacher who enjoys sharing his techniques and learning experiences‚ both the good and the bad‚ and he is not ashamed to admit to mistakes made in that they provide part of the lessons learned that he would share with the student. It is no wonder that he has had a wide and varied teaching career in addition to his studio work. Among the places that he has taught are Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Art Center College of Design, Glendale Community College, Burbank Unified School District, Julia Dean Photographic Workshops, Studio Arts, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and Brooks Institute.

Mr. Stern’s professional career involves some seventeen years working for the Disney Studios, extensive architectural, product, and portrait photography. He cites a deeply committed relationship to Adobe Photoshop and its importance to the digital studio of today.

Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity (ISBN: 978-1-933952-18-5, US $34.95 CAN $41.95) covers four major areas.

The first is environmental portraiture, and in it he delves deeply into the process of designing the portrait and how to load the image’s environment with telling clues that give insight to the depth of the personality of the subject. Along with that he gives serious tips about controlling and predicting color output. Workflows on the computer with an emphasis on organization (remember that word “Disciplined” in the book title?) are considered in depth as well.

The second major area that Mr. Stern discusses is involved in compositing techniques using the computer and Adobe Photoshop. How to light and shoot a myriad of different images and to bring them together in a final composite is painsakingly described with a variety of tutorial screen shots showing the multiple layers and layer masks necessary to produce the final image result.

The third area that is discussed gives lessons on using the scanner in place of the camera and takes a trip into personal style and creativity. It attempts to open up the student to looking at shape and form in the small world in order to sharpen the student’s design skills and to realize that not all images have to come via the camera lens.

The final section of the book looks at product photography and how to light a product in such a way that it is easy to vary background and key colors and to composite separate product images into final images.

Throughout the entire book several ideas continue to travel side by side with the craft and techniques of both photography and Adobe Photoshop as skills. One of those ideas is that the photographer must sell himself or herself continually to the client. This is necessary because there are many photographers who are skillful as photographers but who do not maintain a pleasant working relationship with the client. The job of the photographer is to satisfy the client with both the product and a pleasant personal working relationship. A photographer walks a thin line as he or she trys to promote their own ideas and creativity, and at the same time to deal with the preconceived ideas that the client may bring to the conference table. Satisfying the client in part means that the client must feel that they have contributed to the design concept greatly even if the photographer has promoted his or her own creative design successfully. Each photographer must know when to listen and when to speak (and how to do it tactfully) as the photographer and client come to terms with the final design.

Dealt with indirectly, but explained well, is the difficulty in dealing with the chain of command in large organizations. The filtering process between the ultimate client in the chain and the photographer is a delicate one because each individual in the chain of command feels the necessity of placing their own mark on the final product‚ else they cannot justify their own position in the hierachy. Putting it bluntly, this is hell on the creative process and can lead to difficulties.

I found Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity a good read; it will provide a great deal of insight to the creative process and the day-to-day managerial skills and personality  necessary. Definitely a must read for the aspiring photographer who feels that mastering photographic and computer skills are all there is to the photography business.

His book has been published by Rocky Nook Press. Their books are printed on acid-free paper and the color in their books will survive long after the technical skills described in each volume will be replaced by the advances in our technology. Sometimes we get so caught up in the latest information that we forget how we receive that information. The “how” in this case is also important and should be acknowledged.

Build A Better Photograph: A Disciplined Approach To Creativity
by Michael E. Stern
ISBN: 978-1-933952-18-5
US $34.95 CAN $41.95

Michael Stern around the web:
His website CyberStern.com
His blog is  DigitalBeast.Wordpress.com
Find some excellent tutorials are at  SlideShare.net/Mr_Pixel
Michael Stern at The Brooks Insititute

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 viability of their volumes mean that they will be as visually dynamic a number of years from now as they are today. This is particularly valuable when examining Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style because the beauty of this book almost makes it a coffee-table volume as well as a thought-provoking intellectual examination of the mind of the creative photographer. This is a blending of art and technique in that the artistic concepts more often used in the discussion of paintings are combined with the technology and craft of the camera, lens, and printing processes.

Briot says it best:

"…you can control the colors in your photographs as if you were a painter in contol of your color palette rather than a photographer at the mercy of the camera."

It is the point where the photographer has added his style, viewpoint, and emotion to a photograph that the photograph moves from merely factual to artistic. An artistic photograph is actually more about the photographer and their viewpoint than it is about the actual subject of the photograph.

An examination of the way Briot has arranged the book will give you insight into his thought process and his philosophy of art.

He begins with the differences between what we see and what the camera sees. In order to understand how he produces art with his camera you first have to learn that the camera has limitations as a tool and it is the control of those limitations that separates forensic or scientific photography from Art photography. What the camera sees is a version of reality, not necessarily the exact reality. That reality is certainly not the emotional state that comes from the photographer who shapes reality into Art though the use of the camera as only one of their tools. The other tools are composition in both color and in shape; in other words the selective and designing eye that first "sees" and selects and then manipulates color and value to load the composition with emotion, and not simply to accept what the camera saw as a machine subject to the limitations of the sensor and lens.

Briot discusses the differences between composing with light, composing with color, and composing in black and white. He considers the elements of a strong composition and the creative process, and he gives us insight into finding inspiration. By examining a series of images he leads us through exercises in creativity and developing a unique vision for each individual photographer. That vision becomes a personal style.

A well-developed personal style is a saleable commodity if the photographer analyzes their audience and matches their style and the audience. How to deal with the practical aspects of print numbering, presenting images, and the art show circuit are considered.

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Finally, Briot gives us a technical and creative checklist that will help develop a skill level that defines the difference between a good photographer and an Artist. This comes about when technical competence has reached a level that allows the photographer to devote most of their energy to design and creativy and the technical is merely a palette that the Artist draws upon to produce an emotional translation of what they saw when they first approached the subject of their photograph. The technical takes place in the field and should result in shooting to the photographer's hearts' content. Then, in the studio at the computer, comes the analytical time where images are selected, comtemplated and modified. Early on, Briot suggested that the photographer keep a written notebook with both technical, compositional, and emotional descriptions of the scenes being photographed. In the studio the photographer can then attempt to modify the image that the camera made within the limitations of lens and sensor to bring to life what the photographer "saw" at the moment the photograph was made.

I, personally, sometimes wonder when looking at files what it was that I saw when I shot an image? Written notes would alleviate that sense of negative wonderment that comes in the studio days or weeks after a particular exposure was made. Briot has explained some pithy things about color, camera sensors, the printing device, the human eye, and the creative process that have given me some serious thoughts on the creative process as it applies to myself. While the goal of every photographer is to get out and shoot images, simply shooting without thinking seriously about the technology limitations and the goal of the images is a waste of time. I consider the time spent reading Alain Briot's Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativy, and Personal Style as being time very well spent to improve a photographer's understanding of both themselves and their technology. It is this understanding that allows the development of the full potential of any image, and that full potential is the difference between mere representation and Art.

Alain Briot
Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Personal Style
Rocky Nook
ISBN: 978-1-933952-22-2
352 pages, paperback
US $44.95, CAN $ 53.95.
This volume was provided for review by Rocky Nook, Inc.
Read (PDF) Excerpts:
- TOC
- Sample Chapter
- Preface

I've always felt that there were two kinds of information that I find relevant.  One of those is information that I know so well that I can quote pages verbatim and live with everyday.  The second type is reference that I know where to find and I can refer to when needed, and that I have on hand for the moment I need it.  This second type is the sort of thing that interests me on occasion and I have need of for special moments.  I want it available, concise, coherent—and comprehensive. All of those requirements are met in PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES, and for long-term use without a loss of picture quality I love to see the notice that the book is printed on acid-free paper.  That means that the beautifully reproduced sample images will still look fine even a number of years from now.

Multiimage techniques are not new.  A number of photographers as early as Henry Peach Robinson (1830-1901) and Oscar Rejlander (1813-1875) began to produce composite images in the 1850's made from several different images.  Rejlander's THE TWO WAYS OF LIFE" in 1857 combined over 30 negatives into one compositon with remarkable realism. The inability of daguerreotypes, wet plate processes, and early films to record the long dynamic range of both sky and subject produced the necessity of combing sky and subject images into one image until the 1930's. A multitude of photographers mastered this process.

However, it has been the advent of digital imaging and the computer's role in post processing the image(s) that has brought the possibilities of (relatively easily) using multishot techniques into everyday photograhy.  Though still requiring careful and meticulous work, it is not uncommon to daily see photographs that have been produced through multishot techniques.

The most common multishot techniques are:

1. high dynamic range images that produce detail in both the highlights and the shadows far beyond the range of common films,
2. super-resolution images consisting of thousands of megabytes—or even gigabytes–of data when contrasted to normal digital images that consist of perhaps 50 to 100 maximum megabytes of data,
3. extended depth of field which defys to laws of optics when compared to the results of normal photography, and finally
4. stitching images together to take pictures (often panoramas) that cannot be produced by conventional means.

Juergen Gulbins and Rainer Gulpins should be familiar to the readers of Rocky Nook books in that Juergen was the co-author with Uwe Steinmuller of FINE ART PRINTING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, and the author of DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE GROUND UP. Rainer Gulpins is a well-known photographer whose work has ranged from the Sahara to the Canadian wilderness as he has illustrated his travels. He has translated photography books for German publishers and acts as a consultant for many photographic projects.

What we have with PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES is a careful explanation of the theories behind making miltishot images and the step-by-step processes by which we use the currently relevant software programs (both PC and Mac) that are available.  The step-by-step procedures contain settings that can only have been arrived at by copius amounts of hands-on experimentation.  There are lots of little asides and commentary that could only be produed by experience, and paying attention to them will help the photographer to avoid a world of inconvenience and frustration.

Some of the software described and given as step-by-step procedures are:

• Photoshop "Merge to HDR" and "PhotoMerge" commands;
• PhotoAcute;
• FDR Tools;
• Photomatix Pro;
• Combine ZM;
• Helicon Focus; and
• DOP Detail Extractor.

Following the tutorials (most of the software is available for download as free limited-time or limited-functionality versions which allow you to try them out) will make the photographer familiar with the strengths and limits of each software.

Super resolution and how to prepare to take and finally make the images is the first multishot technique that is described.  Focus Stacking is the next technique described.  This allows the photographer to produce an image with deeper depth of field than that which can be captured with conventional camera and lenses.  Stitching, which increases image coverage, is followed by HDRI, high-dynamic-range-imaging, where the finished images shows detail in both the highlight and shadow areas far beyond what can be captured with either conventional film or digital imaging sensors. Finally, Enhancing Microcontrast is defined and examined.

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Actually, there is one more aspect that follows Microcontrast; actually it is the post processing that follows all of the techniques previously given.

It's all together in one neat package: Juergen Gulbins and Rainer Gulpins, PHOTOGRAPHIC MULTISHOT TECHNIQUES, Rocky Nook, ISBN:978-1-933952-38-3, US $34.95 CAN $34.95.  Oh yes, it's paperback, 227 beautifully printed pages in a book that actually stays open when I'm following the techniques on my own computer in a step-by-step manner.  I highly recommend it to any photographers whether just beginning or experienced, who are interested in any of the forms of multishot photography.

The book that made the difference is Mike Hagen's THE NIKON CREATIVE LIGHTING SYSTEM: USING THE SB-600, SB-800, SB-900, AND R1C1 FLASHES.

If you are a Nikon Camera user then you are familiar with Mike Hagen from the Nikonians website or if you've had an opportunity you may have participated in one of Mike's workshops. His workshops range from African safaris to Montana game ranches and to Hawaiian trips. In between his workshops he somehow writes books and articles. Good ones!

THE NIKON CREATIVE LIGHTING SYSTEM, as a manual, shines in that it is a step-by-step HOW TO manual that takes each of Nikon's SB series flash units, matches the unit with a particular camera or cameras and spells out the step-by-step sequences necessary to make the units (notice the plural) work together wirelessly. Along the way, he teaches you everything you need to know about Nikon's iTTL flash system.

He does it by listing the steps one at a time in such a way that I fired up my copier and copied each set-up as he described them and then laminated the sheets into cards that will slip into my camera bag. I did this for the Nikon D2x, D300, and the wife's D80 so that I could refresh my memory after a spell of not shooting family pictures—and yes, I've begun to shoot some of my architecture interiors and products with flash as well.

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Mike starts with the SB-600 and moves on to the SB-800 and Nikon's newest SB-900 and R1C1 flashes as well. The book is set up so that he repeats himself where necessary regarding each flash so that you do not have to jump ahead or back to find something that is already taken for granted.

I have to mention Rocky Nook's book quality at least in passing. It pleases me so much to see on an inside page of the book the information that tells me that the book is printed on archival paper. That means that the pictures won't fade and the manual will be vibrant for years to come. I still have a couple of film Nikons (F2's) and manual lenses that are still operational after 30 years; so why can't I expect a book to last equally well and continue to perform as well? This one will.

As luck would have it, a new book from Rocky Nook fortuitously appeared just in the nick of time. Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon D300 is a 219 page  paperback that takes the pain out of setting up your new Nikon in a friendly and informative manner, that, to quote the  book blurb, "…makes the reader feel as if a friend dropped in to  share his experience and knowledge while explaining the hows and whys  in simple terminology." I have to agree with the blurb. That's exactly the way it reads. I just wish that the engineers who write Nikon's camera manuals would write for photographers instead of other engineers, and try produce a readable camera manual.

And speaking of camera manuals, how about a manual that would remain open on my desktop when I put it down? Such a simple request. The manual that comes with a Nikon (and just about everyone else's cameras as well) is bound tighter than a virgin in a volcano and barely stays open with a brick simutaneously placed on each opposing page.

While Rocky Nook's books won't quite stay open by themselves, they  have come a bit closer toward that goal, having only to anchor down  one side of the dual pages while you handle the camera. (How they managed that I'll never quite understand.) It always pleases me to open one of Rocky Nook's books and see the line "printed on acid-free paper" somewhere around the introduction or  table-of-contents pages.  It gives me a feeling that the book is an  investment for continued use and enjoyment rather than an expendable pile of paper that will fade and crack and become birdcage liner. My wife and  I both retain most of our books. The shelves in our house  overflow with volumes that, like true friends, remain long after their initial  introductions have past. Colleagues often come to me to when they seek outdated reference volumes that still contain just the information that they need to  know. I have a feeling that this volume will attain that status in a  few years, but right now it will prove invaluable to the new owner of  a Nikon D300.

Darrell Young (that's Digital Darrell if you hang around  www.Nikonians.org) presents you with not only the what when setting  up your D300, but also the why and how behind the information. He  does it in nine well-organized chapters, beginning with

• Chapter 1,  Using the Nikon D300, in which he gives us the background on the Nikon  D100, D200, and finally the third generation—the camera that  interests us—the D300. 

• Chapter 2 – Exposure Metering, Exposure Modes, and Histogram  gives us the background on both the photographic techniques involved  and the way the camera delivers, and at the same time tells us what  we can expect from the system that drives the D300.

• Chapter 3 – Multi-CAM 3500DX Autofocus explains how the focus  works in the Nikon D300 and the various ways it can be configured to  work for the photographer.

• Chapter 4 – White Balance begins with the explanation of what  white balance really is and how it effects photograpic images and  then continues with the ways to control white balance in everyday  shooting.

• Chapter 5 – Shooting Menu Banks explains the variety of ways  that the camera can be customized to perform exactly what the  photographer wants under a variety of conditions.

• Chapter 6 – Custom Setting Banks gives us the ability to program  the camera to respond in different ways by simply switching from one  of five preprogrammed banks to another. This makes it easy to have  settings stored and ready to access for a number of potentially  changing shooting environments.

• Chapter 7 – Playback Menu allows you to control the way(s) that  images can be previewed, hidden, deleted, rotated, shown as a slide  show, or sent to a printer.

• Chapter 8 – Setup Menu, Retouch Menu, and My Menu covers how the  look and the feel of the camera can be controlled.  Formatting the  compact flash card, setting LCD brightness, controlling the loudness  of the camera "beep" and the time and language your computer uses as  well as other functions are controlled by the setup menu.  The amount  of in-camera retouching can be controlled via menu choices as well.   Finally, menus that need to be changed often can be grouped in a  readilly available spot in the My Menu category.

• Chapter 9 – Nikon Creative Lighting System, the last chapter,  while not directly D300 controls oriented, is rather about what the  D300 can do when it is teamed up with additonal accessories such as  the Nikon SB-600 and SB-800 speedlights and the SU-800 Wireless  Speedlight Commander Unit.

Tips and tricks are not given a chapter all to themselves but are  spread nicely throughout the volume when appropriate. One of the real  advantages of  Darrell Young's approach to writing is that as he  discusses each characteristic of the menus and settings he gives you  the relevant pages in the Nikon manual itself. This way, you can  check Nikon's version against Darrell's explanations. When you do  this I think you will find Darrell Young's version as the better of  the two.

Since I had previously set up my Nikon D2x and it uses a similar menu  system I thought I would have minimal changes to implement; however,  Darrell Young's explanations and tips caused me to rethink a few of  my settings. The improvement in my image exposures proves this out.

For me, the bonus in the book was the chaper on Nikon's Creative  Lighting System. I had a Nikon SB-800 flash unit, but on the advice  of another photographer friend of mine, I purchased two more to make  up a rather complete system of SB-800s.

My usual shooting is with available light or around continuous  lighting situations such as is found in film and television work. The  only real flash work I have needed to do is with on-camera flash or  an off-camera hand-held unit attached via a remote cord. In the case  of the continuous lighting—"hot light" as it is sometimes called, the only real adjustments that I've needed to make were with the color  balance of the light and proper exposure.

With the new wireless set up and the three Nikon SB-800 flash units,  I first checked out Nikon's manuals that accompanied the SB-800 flash  units and found that they were apparently written by the same people  that did Nikon camera manuals.  That meant that they were quite close  to being incomprehensible, as usual.  It's a case of, way more information  than you need, spread over too many different sections of the manual.

Back to Darrell Young's chapter on the Nikon Creative Lighting System  and I found clear, concise, and precise set up instructions to get  the SB-800s into the configurations that I wanted.  So off I went to  my wife's work studio to set up some test shots with a few figure  manequins, some drapes, and a wig or two that are all items in her  vast repository of art items.  It's going to take a little work to  get this all figured out, but it's too cold to go outside and I have  time and a good mentor in Mastering the Nikon D300.

Rocky Nook and Darrell Young ("Digital Darrell") have produced a well- written and helpful book for the new owner of a Nikon D300.  I find  that I have several dozens of paper tags attached to pages that I  want to be able to find easily again.  It's a reference that will go  in the bag with the camera (I forgot to tell you they physical size  is such that it will fit down the back slot of any medium or larger  camera bag).  In paperback, and 219 pages, and at 6" x 9" in size  it's bigger than the manuals that come with the camera or flash, but  not the full 8.5" x 11" or larger that comes with the usual full-size  book.

If you have a new Nikon D300 and are pondering over the accompanying  manuals you need Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon D300.

Mastering the Nikon D300 by Darrell Young, Rocky Nook Press, ISBN:  978-1-933952-34-5, US $39.95 CAN $39.95.

HDRI photography (high dynamic range photography) is a growing phenomenon of interest in the photography field.  Simply put, it is a method by which the photographer produces an image that has more dynamic range than that which is possible with normal film or digital processes.  In extreme, it produces a surreal image; however, used judiciously it opens up the shadows and recovers highlight detail in an image.  Briefly, the process involves taking a series of images at varying exposures while keeping the f-stop and focus constant and varying only the shutter speeds.  This procedure produces a range of exposures that at some point expose correctly for the shadows but not the highlights, a “normal” exposure, and at another point exposures for detail in the highlights but not the shadows.  Once done, the selected software chooses the correct exposure for each area in the image and mixes the areas to produce an image that has a wider dynamic range than is possible with a single exposure. Finally, tone-mapping pulls the assorted areas back into a luminance range our eyes and our perceptions consider to be more normal.

Obviously, this normally involves using a tripod and having a stationary subject, as any movement between each exposure can only contribute to blurring and the failure of the image.  Surrealism is easily achieved in HDRI photography through a number of software and procedural choices.  Making the photograph look “right” with tone-mapping is where a discerning eye and more than a bit of art comes in.

Getting a new book from Rocky Nook Press is always a joy to me because of the high quality of the reproduction of images in their volumes.  As a photographer, the quality with which a book image is reproduced is extremely important to me.  First comes the quality of the original reproduction, and then I’m concerned with the lifespan of the paper it is printed on.  With these volumes printed on acid-free paper I am comforted by the thought that if I return to one of their publications in a year or three or more I can expect to see and handle pages and images that will be as fresh in reproduction as they were on my first look.

Jack Howard begins by explaining that on our regular computer screen or on the printed pages of a book, we cannot actually see the full scope of high dynamic range imaging.  Very few individuals possess the quality of computer screen to actually take advantage of the total product of HDRI; instead, we view a tone-mapped version that attempts to cram or compress all the brightness (luminance) into a smaller space that can be managed by either the screen or the printed image.

With that in mind he explains that even with the most basic DSLR equipment it is possible to do HDRI work.  Even basic DSLR’s have the manual capability to set exposure in such a way that the f-stop and focus can remain fixed while adjusting the shutter speed which provides the variables in the exposure range from under to over exposure of the subject.  Most point-and-shoot cameras lack this capability.  In addition, because the process of HDRI photography depends upon several images being in the same position or focus, then a tripod becomes a necessity, and bracketing burst capability in the DSLR a highly desirable function.

With the tools explained and in hand, he devotes a bit of time to the basics of photographic composition, and then discusses the best lens types for HDRI work.  Each lens type produces a distinct “look” to the photographic image and choosing that “look” can very well be part of the developing style of the photographer.

The subject of whether to shoot in RAW or .jpeg is covered. Each has it’s advantages and disadvantages, so the basic recommendation is that if the photographer’s camera has the capability, the basic images in the exposure bracket should be made with both simultaneously.  Metering for an HDRI bracket can be tricky and Jack Howard discusses the various methods of metering and the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

Download sites for a number of HDRI software programs are given, but the programs are not included as a CD with the book.  The reasoning is that based on the length of time it usually takes to produce a book, the software will have been revised during the production period.  Having the photographer download the software guarantees that the latest version is what the photographer works with.  A number of software types are mentioned and demonstrated. They include Photoshop CS3, Photomatix Pro 3.0, FDRTools Advanced 2.2, and Dynamic Photo HDR 3.x.  Not all of these are available in both Mac and PC versions, so the appropriate software should be chosen to match the photographer’s computer platform.

Once the photographer has created an HDRI version of their selected image, then tone-mapping should be applied to their product.  This is necessary to make it possible to handle the image with conventional viewing and printing media because the image will otherwise have problems with over-saturation, hyper-vividness, and out-of-gamut warnings.

Of particular interest to me were the set-up procedures for Photoshop, Bridge, and Adobe Camera Raw as the easiest methods for correcting tone-mapped images that have an initial flat appearance and lack either a real black point starting or white point ending.  This legitimatized the process I had worked out for myself while using an earlier version of PhotoMatix Pro while previously experimenting with HDRI photography.  It also encouraged me to update my PhotoMatix Pro 2.4.1 to version 3.0.3.

If you are looking for a straightforward introduction to HDRI photography–and can do it without the necessity of a precise-step-by-step procedure where both you and the instructor have identical sets of variably exposed copies of the same image to work with–then Jack Howard’s book is an excellent choice. As an author, Jack Howard seldom applies an aesthetic judgmental qualification to the result of a decision you might make in the adjustments of the software.  Rather, his approach is that “if you do A, then B is going to happen, and that may or may not be what you want.”  He demonstrates HDRI techniques on a multitude of different images producing results from surreal to extended-normal.  He allows the photographer to decide which approaches best fit their philosophy of imaging. He encourages the photographer to experiment and to apply his or her own aesthetic judgment to the product.  This volume is 170 pages, well illustrated, beautifully printed, and is in paperback format; it is a good addition to the bookshelf of both the beginning and intermediate photographer.

But a new book crossed my desk.  It is Digital Infrared Photography by Cyrill Harnischmacher,published by Rocky Nook Press.

The author, (as I quote the book cover) is Cyrill Harnischmacher a photographer and designer who lives and works in southern Germany.  His first book, “lowbudgetshooting” won the prestigious Fotobuch-award of the German Booksellers Association in 2005.  He is a studio photographer by profession and a nature and infrared photographer by passion.

It has been my previous experience that picking up a book from Rocky Nook press is to experience a book-lovers joy.  Digital Infrared Photography is printed on acid-free paper and laid out with clean, uncluttered, linear design and printed with wonderful concern for the accuracy of color and the depth of the black and white illustrations, so it certainly does not disappoint. 

While the volume is attractive enough to simply be a small coffee-table book; its content filled me in on the state of the art with modern digital cameras and had enough theory to refresh my memory and probably enough to satisfy the casual reader. Mr. Harnischmacher begins with the basic theory of infrared photography and then discusses the specialty cameras that make the process of digital infrared photography possible.

He introduces us to modified cameras that have had their infrared cut-off filters removed and to cameras like the Canon 20D and Fuji SLR S3Pro UVIR models which are specifically designed for areas such as scientific use by astrophotographers.

The clip filter system for the Canon EOS system cameras is quite interesting in that in selected EOS models (300D, 350D, 400D, 10D, 20D, and 30D) which have had their IR filters removed, a clip filter can be inserted into the camera body to enable the body to perform specific scientific functions.  The insert filters are manufactured by Astronomik (www.astronomik.com).

The Sigma SD14 camera is capable of infrared photography right out of the box but has some specialized problems of its own.

Astrophotography is a field with its unique problems, specialized equipment, and equally unique rewards if the reader is willing to commit to the learning experience.

The practical aspects of infrared photography are discussed through the introduction of While Balance, Exposure, and Settings.  This is followed by some very practical thoughts on Composing and Setting up shots.

Tabletop and Still Life photography as well as the use of an infrared lightbrush (suitable flashlight) can produce suitable images in infrared when patience and experimentation are utilized.  Macro photography and the suitable filters for infrared as well as using on board camera flash and external flash units are discussed briefly.

The Digital Darkroom is the key to the processing of digital infrared images because it is extremely seldom that digital infrared images do not require specialized post-processing.  Photoshop or similar processing software is needed. One of the techniques described in converting infrared into a black and white image is through the use of the LAB color space. Grayscale conversion via the channel mixer is also demonstrated. 

I think the book examples for adjusting the color levels with gradient curves produce some of the richest and most striking images in the book.  The use of layers and layer masks, techniques that should be familiar to the usual Photoshop artist, are of real use for infrared photography. Partial Colorization with the Channel Mixer, Color Effects via the Channel Mixer, Channel Swap Variations, Colorization, Duotone Effects, and Soft Lens Effects round out the offerings.

A last page gives you access to the sources for information to modify digital cameras for infrared work, where to find infrared filter information, and the Clip filter system.

While almost any of these effects are worth prolonged study by the interested digital infrared photographer, the brief overview presented by Mr. Harnischmacher will get the viewer started and provide the basis for understanding the possibilities of these effects.  At 105 pages, it’s not a large book, but the information is good, the illustrations are rich and varied. This book is a nice addition to the photographers’ bookshelf and a good introduction to digital infrared photography.

I like physical books.  By that I mean I like a book I can hold in my hand, feel the texture, and maybe even revel in the smell of the paper and the ink.  I like to consume well-done images that inspire or instruct.  I like books that open themselves flat and allow me to look at them without having to hold down both sides of the tight binding of a signature in the book without being afraid that the book would snap closed if I turned lose with one or both hands.

But then I have to say that there is a “but” that goes with all of that.  The bigger a book gets the less likely I am to have it along when I want it.  Big books in heavy bindings don’t fit easily into the weight requirements of modern-day air travel.  They’re, well, “big” and “big” and “ease of travel” are oxymorons.  They just don’t work interchangeably.

Enter the book on CD or DVD and some aspects of taking a book with you change.  In my case, my laptop computer (which happens to be a 17” MacBook Pro) is almost always with me.  I put up with the inconvenience of the larger, 17” model for the “Wow” factor when I show images to a client—the bigger screen does make a difference.  But, having my laptop along means that I can load it up with books that I didn’t want to leave at home.  The kinds of books I want along consist of about 75% technical manuals—usually camera manuals—and the latter 25% is light reading for when I have time to kill.

I recently carried a new-to-me camera for a trip.  I’d acquired a Nikon D300 to play with after Van Redin did a story for DigitalAppleJuice about the high ISO capabilities of the D300, so I wanted to play with one.  I needed a manual that was more comprehensive or perhaps easier to read than the reference manual that is packed with the camera—though I had that manual too in the side of my camera bag.

The Nikon D300 camera is not new, as it appeared a number of months ago and already Nikon has released the D3 and the D700 among others.  But the D300 was new to me since I had stuck with my older Nikon D2x through all the turmoil of the release of new models.  Yes, its operation was similar to my D2x, but similar was not identical.

I’ve always wished that Nikon hired a better team of writers when they put together their manuals. The manual that comes with one of their cameras requires you to read information on dozens of separate and separated pages to follow one idea from beginning to end. Thom Hogan instead follows one idea from start to finish on consecutive pages most of the time.

Frankly, I wish Nikon would hire Thom Hogan to write their manuals. I did the next best thing: I bought The Complete Guide To The D300 by Thom Hogan. It’s an excellent review/manual combination sold as an electronic book delivered on CD.  In the case of the  guide to the D300, it actually also contains a written and printed supplementary book that accompanies the CD.  The eBook weighs in at 151.7 megabytes, with all the included instructions about “read me’s” and copyright and other notices. You can further reduce the "weight" by  stripping out the training movies and related materials, leaving only 31.6 megabytes to carry around. I should tell you that the eBook guide to the D300 is 776 pages compared to the printed Nikon manual of 421 pages.

Upon receipt, I immediately recorded Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide To The D300 to my laptop hard drive.  Adobe Acrobat will read it.

I think just because I could and I might want it otherwise, I recorded it to the four GB thumb drive I carry around my neck as I travel between my regular laptop computer and other computers I might use.  As long as I have access to a computer, I can read the material.  That thumb drive carries a number of other manuals (including Thom Hogan’s D2x eBook) and a large number of fiction books for reading when the opportunity arises, and losing it, if that should happen, will not compromise my business or personal information.

One of the joys of the layout of Thom’s electronic books is the running combination Table of Contents/Index that runs down the left hand side of the page.  Called Bookmarks this arrangement allows you to spring to a topic instantly. The chances are if you can put a name to the concept, you can find it. There’s a search function block at the top right of the Acrobat page that allows you to type a work or phrase to activate a search it.  The page springs to the first example. Hitting the “return” key will move to the next example.  Continual hits to the “return” key will eventually move you through the entire eBook and find every example of your search word or phrase.

I’m one of those people that if I don’t use a particular setting or configuration on a camera for a while, then some things simply slip my mind.  When confronted with a radically new situation that I didn’t anticipate, then I need some help.  It doesn’t happen often, but I hate being blindsided when a camera manufacturer moves a command or menu item to a new and different location from my expectations based on a previous camera model. All this is to get you, the reader, to realize that I find Thom Hogan’s writing superb and his organization of material outstanding.

So, what if it’s not a D300 that you need a manual for?  For a lot of the Nikon line he’s has already completed manuals and they are available as eBooks.  The titles include:

For the Digital SLR Complete Guide eBooks:

• Nikon D40 and D40x 
• Nikon D50 
• Nikon D70/D70s, 2nd Edition
• Nikon D1 Series, 3rd Edition
• Nikon D200
• Nikon D2h/D2hs, 2nd Edition
• Nikon D2x/D2xs, 2nd Edition
• Fujifilm S2 Pro
• Fujifilm S5 Pro

In the Digital SLR Complete Guide + To Go Guide there are:

• Completed Guide to Nikon D80
• Complete Guide to Nikon D300
• Complete Guide to the Nikon D700 (coming)
• Complete Guide to the Nikon D3

And for 35mm Film SLR eBooks:

• Complete Guide to the Nikon N65
• Complete Guide to the Nikon N75
• Complete Guide to the Nikon N80
• Complete Guide to the Nikon F100
• Complete Guide to the Nikon F5
• Complete Guide the Nikon F6

If you are interested in Thom Hogan’s eBooks check out his website. In addition to the eBooks that you can purchase, you will notice that on the left side of the introductory page he has twenty-six reviews, any one of which will provide some interesting and relevant information to the Nikon photographer.

Oh, and just for the record, I buy my eBooks online just like you will if you decide you need one. We don’t receive "reviewer’s copies".  I’ve written this commentary because I think any Nikon user will profit by Thom’s approach to the writing of manuals.  Simply put in my opinion, Nikon camera manual writers should follow Thom’s example and writing style. I think it would make a lot of camera users a lot happier and better informed.

In my professional life I have attended many seminars and workshops. Some of those seminars or workshops have been funded by my employer, and others I have paid for myself. Looking back over some forty plus years of classes—let’s go ahead and call these seminars and workshops that—I think that the average price of any of these half day classes has to have averaged at least a hundred dollars per session; perhaps it has been even more. In some cases, it has been definitely more.
 
What is a good seminar or class worth if you really need the information? Would you consider 205 minutes—that’s about three hours and twenty-five minutes—a good morning or afternoon—of vital information worth about $75 or $80 dollars if there was a guarantee that you could "retake" the class at a later date at no charge? You can do that here easily enough, and I consider it a dirt-cheap price for the product.

What I am discussing is an excellent training DVD aimed specifically at Digital Photographers who are just getting their feet wet with Adobe Photoshop and are a bit intimidated by all the information that doesn’t seem, at the moment, to be pertaining to their specific interest in digital photography. After all, Photoshop can do a great deal more than just allow retouching.
 
Photoshop has replaced the darkroom in the workflow process of the current photographers who have embraced digital photography. When I started Photoshop back somewhere around version 3 or 4, the process was a pretty much hit-or-miss learning affair and I would have given a lot to have someone take me through the specifics of what I wanted to know.
 
That’s why I’m quite pleased with the DVD Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Digital Photographers featuring Scott Kelby and produced by Kelby Training. If you have had the pleasure to actually attend a Scott Kelby training lecture you will find him outgoing, personable, articulate and with a really excellent ability to communicate. This training DVD takes you through those techniques of retouching that most benefit the digital photographer. That other stuff you can leave until later.
 
As an aside, someone may question why I have been reviewing so many Photoshop books lately. There are actually several reasons. It’s so hot in this part of Texas at this time that being outside at any time other than early morning or late evening seems to happen only for sufficient financial remuneration or absolute necessity. Otherwise, it’s stay indoors and work or read, and since I’m working up a list of supplementary teaching materials for fall, I’m doing quite a bit of reading and evaluating. I’m building up my list of books and DVD’s that I will either depend on myself or suggest as supplementary or reference material. And that brings us back to Scott Kelby and Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Digital Photographers.
 
Let’s take a look at the DVD content. Oh, if you don’t have Shockwave software installed already on your computer, you are going to need to add it in order to run the content, and the DVD won’t run on a TV set; it only runs on your computer. It’s for both Mac and PC.
 
Lessons:
 

• Opening from Bridge
• White Balance Part 1
• White Balance Part 2
• Exposure and Recovery
• Blacks and Brightness
• Fill Light and Previews
• Vibrance and Clarity
• Point Cure for Contrast
• What We’ve Learned Part 1
• What We’ve Learned Part 2
• Sharpening in Raw
• Curves Preferences
• Previous
• All About Curves Part 1
• All About Curves Part 2
• All About Curves Part 3
• Sharpening Part 1
• Sharpening Part 2
• Shadow and Highlight
• Double Processing Raw
• All About Printing Part 1
• All About Printing Part 2
• All About Printing Part 3
• Work Flow Part 1
• Work Flow Part 2
• Work Flow Part 3
• Shooting Tethered
• Closing Comments

 
For me, the whole DVD was interesting. Though I have used Photoshop for many years I am always open to either reinforcement or reeducation. As I have reviewed a number of new books and DVD’s in the past few months I have tightened my workflow in a number of areas and completely revised it in a few other parts. As the kind of person who learns better from seeing than I do from reading, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the learning process via Scott Kelby’s DVD. He makes things clear, describes processes in plain language and does not talk down to the viewer. In short, for me, he maintains an excellent balance in his presentation manner. I recommend this DVD to the digital photographer in particular, and anyone interested in Photoshop retouching in general.
 

Some almost 50 years ago when I was a beginning college student I always avoided classes taught by "staff" or "to be announced" if there was an option, and when there was a name listed for a course I got out my college catalogue and looked up the faculty member teaching the course and tried to find out as much about them as possible before I committed myself and my hard-earned tuition money to their care.

Now it’s easy; just crank up your laptop and Google the author’s name, and since bookstores so often have a wireless connection, now you can do it right from the bookshelf while holding the book in your hands.  But to save your having to break off and Google Matt Kloskowski’s name right now, I’ll go ahead and fill you in on his background.  I’ll give you a brief quote off the middle of the page from the first Google entry:

"Matt Kloskowski is the Education and Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He has authored and co-authored 3 books on Photoshop or Illustrator and teaches an advanced Photoshop course for Sessions.edu. In addition to being an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop, Matt is a regular contributor to Photoshop User Magazine and writes weekly columns for several digital imaging websites".

He is one of the co-hosts for Photoshop User TV where with Scott Kelby and Dave Cross  he teaches Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom.  Their easy-going, informative, and sometimes humorous teaching methods makes learning easy.

That ought to tell you enough to take him seriously, especially if you are a reader of PHOTOSHOP USER magazine because then you will already be familiar with his name and teaching methods, and you will be ready to commit yourself to his care for a couple of days while you do some serious learning.  While the book is written primarily for Photoshop CS3 a number of the techniques and steps work equally well in Photoshop CS2.

First of all, here’s where to locate the images to follow along with the lessons; I put them in just in case you’re the type not to read the introduction where Matt tells you about them, and without them you’re lost.

Now let’s look at the chapters and the material each contains.  This list will take you through a thorough understanding of layers from the beginning to the powerful professional image correcting steps of the Photoshop user professional.
 

Chapter 1.    Layer Basics; Using Multiple Layers; Everything Else About Layers; Summary.

Chapter 2.    Blending Layers; The Three Blend Modes You Need Most; (Multiply Blend Mode; Screen Blend Mode; Soft Light Blend Mode); A Closer Look At Blend Mode; Layer Blend Modes for Photographers; Advanced Layer Blending; Summary.

Chapter 3.    Adjustment Layers; Adjustment Layer Basics; Making Selective Adjustments; Super Flexible Adjustments; Some More Adjustment Layer Ideas; Fix One Photo-Fix ‘Em All; The Adjustment Layer Blend Mode Trick; Summary.

Chapter 4.    Layer Masks; (read this intro Matt says, even if you don’t read any other-  I’ve warned you); Layer Mask Basics; Automatically Creating Layer Masks; The Only Layer Mask "Gotcha"; Combining Multiple Images; A Deeper Look Into Layer Masks; Making One Layer Fit Into Another; Summary.

Chapter 5.    Type and Shape Layers; All About Shape Layers; Summary.

Chapter 6.    Enhancing Photos With Layers; Combining Multiple Exposures; Painting With Light; Selective Sharpening; Dodging and Burning Done Right; Boosting Specific Colors; Enhancing Depth of Field; Creating Soft Focus; Summary

Chapter 7.    Retouching With Layers; Removing Blemishes and Wrinkles; Smoothing and Enhancing Skin; Making Eyes and Teeth Whiter; Removing Distractions; How Do I…

Chapter 8.    Layer Styles; Designing With Layer Styles; Creating a Watermark; Creating Reusable Photo Effects; Some More Layer Style Ideas; How Do I…

Chapter 9.    Smart Layers; Four Reasons Why Smart Objects Rock!; Designing Templates With Smart Objects; Layers and the Creative Suite; How Do I Learn More From Matt?; How Do I…

There you have nine chapters in 248 pages of well written and easy to follow tutorials.  Matt tells you in the beginning that you can open the book and start anywhere.  If you discover you are in over your head you can back up a chapter or two and start again and see if you are up to speed.

As a photographer, Chapters 6, 7, and 8 were of particular interest to me and either confirmed my own working procedures or suggested an alternate method that I’ll have to experiment with a bit to see if that method might replace what I have been doing.  I’m never too old to learn; that’s why I bought the book.

One of the things I particularly liked about the book was that each chapter ended with either a summary or a page answering specific questions related to the procedures that had been covered in that chapter.  I like this approach very much because it provides a review when I come back to the book after a period of time and need to review to get up to speed again.  Let’s face it, seldom does an individual sit down a go through a book from the front to the back in one sitting; dealing with chapters is more like it where in our busy lives we manage to fit in one or two chapters at a time.  We all need review and summary pages.

A couple of the chapters covered subjects that I have never previously had the need to work with, but were nonetheless interesting.  I tend to put small, colored, plastic tags on pages in any book I intend to keep so that I can return to the pertinent pages at a later time.  I’ve tagged up a number of pages in Matt Kloskowski’s book so that it will be easy to return to the specific tutorials if the need arises.  Knowing the state of the photography business and the part post-production plays in the field today, I suspect I will have to update my techniques and work-flow to later accommodate some subjects or techniques that I have previously not needed to know.

When that time comes, my well stocked, and well-marked bookshelf will be there to provide the refresher I need.

I recommend  Matt Kloskowski’s Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature to the beginner and intermediate Photoshop user with a nod to a couple of chapters that might be useful to the very advanced Photoshop user.  It explains in plain and simple language and in specific step-by-step illustrations a thorough feeling for the use of layers as an extremely powerful tool in Photoshop CS3.