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| Book Reviews
When I picked up this book I expected to hate it. There are several series of books out there aimed at dummies, idiots, and beginners. I've even recommended one or two on computer topics, but for some reason I expected that this one would fall flat. I was wrong. Steve Greenberg has created a surprisingly useful book for the aspiring digital photographer. He starts by outlining some basics of photography and exposure, composition, and lighting. Good solid advice that would help many photographers no matter what their medium. I was really surprised at the color insert pages that demonstrate the techniques in the text. After covering the basics of getting the image into the camera he tackles digital basics such as resolution, color, image editing, emailing, and printing. What surprised me was how thoroughly he covers Adobe's PhotoDeluxe software. I must confess that with a bevy of more powerful packages on my hard drive I've always looked down on PhotoDeluxe as a freebie - not worthy of serious exploration. Greenberg, however, dives in with both feet since most digital cameras are bundled with this software. Frankly it's amazing how much he's able to get out of this little package. I'm not ready go give up PhotoShop yet, but for newcomers to digital photography this book will prove to be a great resource.
David Muench and his son Marc are photographers of considerable talent. The American West has been a recurring theme in David's books and he is among the best at revealing it's beauty. This is a large coffee table book, full of striking images. What's easy to miss on a first quick pass through is how much information is here. In this book the Muenchs' examine the forces that shape the landscape, the effects of wind, water, and the movement of the earth itself. There is a considerable amount of well written information with the photographs here that help to put them into a larger context. If you're not already a Muench fan this is a good book to introduce you to his work. If you're already a fan then you've probably already added this book to your collection. If you're a landscape photographer, especially one interested in Americas western national parks, you should buy this book just to soak in the images as some are truly wonderful.
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text and photography copyright © 2001 Vivid Light Publishing |
