Book Description
Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking is a complete view of a creative project from the artist's perspective. Julieanne Kost, a Photoshop and creative thinking expert, has taken her own experience shooting images out of commercial airplane windows to create a unique creative seminar.
The first section of the book, The Art of Creative Thinking: The Principles, outlines Julieanne's method for staying creative in an increasingly complicated world. In her personal stories, advice, and philosophies, you'll find inspiration if you're stuck or just can't get started. You may recognize some of your own less-than-productive thought processes as she describes her own struggle to let go of the everyday flotsam of life to find a quiet mental space in which she can think, dream, and create.
The second part of the book, Window Seat: The Portfolio, is a collection of images culled from over 3000 photographs Julieanne shot from commercial airplane windows over a period of five years. The photographs are accompanied by brief commentaries addressing various aspects of the process, from the original inspiration to issues of control, subject matter, image selection, and manipulation.
The Appendix contains technical information: a discussion of the equipment and media Julieanne used to shoot the photos; how she processed the photographs using Adobe Camera Raw; the Photoshop techniques she employed to correct, retouch, and manipulate the images; her personal file management system; and how she prepares her files for printing.
This book is essential reading for photographers and artists looking for ways to stay creatively awake, aware, and alive.
Customer Reviews:
Wrong book for me........2007-09-20
I love aviation and photography yet lack any professional training in either field. I had hoped this book would be at a level I could gain something from--I was wrong.
For cloud lovers only............2007-09-15
I was really disappointed by this book. It should have been entitled `Interesting Clouds'.
Out of the first 121 pages only 11 and a half contain text, the rest are pictures of rivers, cornfields and clouds. This limited text is mostly fluff, with the author wondering why passengers would rather watch the in flight movie than marvel at what's outside their windows. The only creative thinking involved is that if you have to travel for work a lot, you might as well take pictures out of the window. The most technical advice is to not sit over the wing, and be sure to get a window seat (duh!), and let's not forget to be careful in the post 9/11 world, using a camera may be a suspicious activity.
The appendix (about 25 pages) is devoted to how to improve your pictures of clouds using Photoshop. I'm sure everyone has to have knowledge of how to remove tints and glare from airplane windows.
Save your money, go outside on a cloudy day with your camera and have a ball! Personally, I'm going to burn this book and take photos of the clouds of smoke, so that I'll get at least some use out of it.
very helpful.......2007-09-13
I have learned a new consepts in showing what is important in the picture. Great book and learning tool.
I love this book!.......2007-08-28
I absolutely love this book!
I found every image, every page to be filled with breathtaking beauty.
Even the most simple photos of clouds, Julieanne Kost has managed to create images the likes I have never seen before.
She has managed to take something that I had always taken for granted, the view from a plane window, and created a whole new vision for me to enjoy. Maybe that is the best way to describe it, her work is the difference between simply seeing and true vision.
I flip through this book whenever I am in need of inspiration.
I have bought 5 copies now and given 4 as gifts.
Everyone whom I gave these to, genuinely loved them as much as I do.
I suggest you buy your 5 now ;-)
Lovely to Look At.......2007-06-23
Window Seat (The Art of Digital Photography & Creative Thinking) by Julieanne Kost
Reviewed by Diane Williams, member of the Eureka Photoshop Users Group, 6/20/07
Window Seat is 90% coffee table photo book and 10% self-help and imaging techniques work flow book.
This 147 page book is a beautiful visual memory of those sights you see when you gaze out the window of a plane. I know I have tried to capture what I see out the window of a plane and have been very disappointed by the images. I may be able to make something of them now with this work flow.
Kost shows us sample original images captured by her and we see the final image after she has applied image corrections in Photoshop. Her instructions are brief. This is not a step-by-step tutorial giving all the input numbers. It is a general overview of the work flow what may be necessary, how you get there by pointing to the tools, and what they can do for you.
The self-help part of the book lists Julieanne's 18 self help and creative thinking hints. Here they are:
Master your tools.
Listen to what your life is trying to tell you.
Be open to whatever comes your way.
Share what you know and learn from others.
Collaborate with other creative people, especially the quiet ones.
Be flexible. Learn to negotiate.
Fix whatever you complain about most.
View every challenge as a possible discovery.
Take 15 minutes for yourself everyday.
Figure out what you need to do to reach your zero point.
Integrate work and Art; both will benefit.
Take up an interest in something you know nothing about.
Look at new stuff- and what you already know- with fresh perspective.
Keep a journal.
Visualize first, Photoshop second.
Replace your thoughts with intuition
Play! Play! Play!
Know when you're done.
This book is worth a look even if it is just to vicariously have the window seat. It will not teach anyone much about Photoshop.
Book Description
Written by one of Britain's best-known landscape photographers, this superbly illustrated volume offers unique insights into the sources of photographic inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
For the Photographer's Mind.......2005-08-31
Even though this book has weaknesses, I feel that it's an important book for any advanced landscape photographer to read, and perhaps other advanced photographers as well.
The book has two different parts that are only vaguely related. One part is a collection of Ward's landscape photographs. The other is a philosophical examination of creativity and vision in landscape photography. It is this series of essays that I find most intriguing.
The author initially discusses the nature of photographs; that they are not real and that they capture time. He suggest that while most landscape photographers are interested in the grand vistas, most might be better served by concentrating on the intimate landscape because there are more opportunities there for discovery. He also suggest that one of the best procedures one can follow in landscape photography is to go slowly and delay taking the photograph as long as possible to let your vision crystallize. Eventually the author takes a semiotic approach to landscape photography. (Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols as means of communication.) Ward notes the importance of realizing both the connotation and denotation of photographs as signs or symbols. Along the way, Ward provides a history of landscape photography, with particular emphasis on developments relating to creativity and vision.
One of the main problems of Ward's essays is that they never do reveal to us what the nature of photographic vision and creativity is. That may be because this is something unknowable and ineffable. Yet thinking around the edges of these profound ideas may help the photographer to develop them, and that makes this book worth reading.
It's a sign of the difficulty of the subject that I often felt Ward had not made the right choices in the design of his book such as leaving the discussion of how we perceive things to the last rather then presenting it in the beginning of the book.
Turning to Ward's pictures, which are scattered throughout the book, they are terrific. They demonstrate a vision and beauty we could all emulate. I have said elsewhere that editors feel that books of great pictures do not sell, and so they ask great photographers to write "how to" books. That conclusion was too focused. Books of great pictures do sell, provided that the pictures tell a story, or that there is a synergistic effect in the way that the pictures are presented. But Ward seems to reject that approach. Although quotes from the text appear alongside his pictures, the pictures do not illustrate the text, except in the broadest possible way. And Ward refuses to provide technical data on his pictures, saying this is a "why book", not a "how to book". He seems to be challenging the reader to construct his or her own book!
The bottom line on this book is that there seems to be no silver bullet for creativity and vision. Perhaps the author should have called this a workbook, because even after reading the stimulating ideas, one will have to do plenty of psychological and, dare I say, spiritual work to develop the landscape within.
Book Description
Combining inspiration, experience, and technique, this guide to landscape photography goes beyond traditional realistic landscapes and teaches photographers to create their own impressionistic images of the natural world. Instructions are provided for such camera techniques as lens movement, lighting, filtration, and creative exposure, so that photographers can manipulate their images to have dreamlike qualities. Techniques such as sandwiching negatives, controlling contrast and grain, and color control can be used on their own or with the camera techniques to yield spectacular results.
Customer Reviews:
Photographing Creative Landscapes by Michael Orton.......2007-01-09
I found the book very interesting and helpful. It challenges and motivates the reader to be creative when indulging in photography, thus rising above the level of record-type shotmaking. It is not a technical "how-to" book although many technical guide lines are given, often succintly.
However, the book is somewhat dated in as much as it refers extensively to Orton's slide sandwiching techniques. More examples and discussion of digital photographic techniques would be welcome.
Overall it is a book that should be of value to any amateur landscape photographer.
Great Book.......2006-08-14
This is a super book for the advanced photographer. I doesn't teach you nuts and bolts, but makes you think outside the box of normal photography. It teaches you the creative side of it. If you love photography this is a must have....
Enthusiastically recommended for students of photography.......2001-10-09
In Photographing Creative Landscapes: Simple Tools For Artistic Images And Enhanced Creativity, professional landscape photographer Michael Orton shows how to expand one's creativity and learn to photograph artistic images drawn from the world that surrounds us. He shows how to develop a more artistic approach to photography, expand options for photographing the landscape, how to apply creative photographic controls to any image, as well as find sources of creative inspiration and using them to improve photographic works. Orton also draws upon his many years of expertise and experience to show how to use color to capture mood and emotion; add motion for dynamic images; capture subtle details; the dramatic use of natural light; adding flash for artistic effects; incorporation multiple exposures and sandwiched images for a "painterly" look. Photographing Creative Landscapes is enthusiastically recommended for students of photography in general, and photography buffs seeking to improve their images of natural landscapes in particular.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book - not for beginners.......2006-03-17
No need to write a full review here Conrad J. Obregon has said it all perfectly in his review below.
This is not a book for beginners, if you do not have some experience with Landscape Photography the value of this book will be lost on you. However, if you do have some experience this book is an absolute joy. If you wish for your photo's to convey the 'feeling' of the landscape, this is the book for you.
As for the the negative and silly comments in other reviews .... ignorance is bliss !
Pleasant and thoughtful........2002-06-27
I like this book, but I don't feel inspired by it. Benvie's photographs and text tend to be low-key and thoughtful, but they don't send me out in the field to make my own.
Boring!!.......2002-06-08
It's just plane boring!! Very little, if any information on photographing landscapes; it just seems to ramble. No mention of what cameras or camera sizes used, just rambles on about nothing. No technical information and the photographs are made in europe. What little hard information there is, is in the metric system...all in all, not nearly worth the cost of the book.
A Great Book, But Not for Everyone.......2002-02-09
Creative Landscape Photography is an excellent book, with a specific audience that does not include the rank beginner or even someone who is just comfortable with the controls on a single lens reflex camera. If you fall into that category I suggest you read John Shaw's Landscape Photography or, if you want something a little more up-to-date and covering almost the same ground, Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide. Benvie presumes you know about technique and tries to develop your creative side so that you can put your opinions, beliefs and experiences into your landscape pictures. He believes that while great pictures can be found, many others must be intended.
The first things he examines are some of the concepts that are critical to understanding what can be influenced to convey your vision: exposure, space, light and darkness. For example in his discussion of light he talks about the nature of fog and some of its different forms and how this can be used by the photographer in creating his image.
He next examines the environments of landscape: wilderness, land dominated by people, city and garden and what he calls the intimate landscape, that is, the detailed view or close-ups. In discussing the city he talks about both iconic scenes and the incongruous. His views of each of these environments in terms of photographic vision reflect his feeling about man's relationship to the landscape. Benvie say "I have merely recounted my own response to environments and suggested that we should think about what we are looking at, rather than taking it at face value."
Benvie discusses the hardware that he uses for landscape photography in a chapter that seemed to say, "my editor said I have to talk about equipment". Although I'm sure, for a committed professional, a one-yard square softbox may be essential, most readers will not be inspired to make such an investment.
A chapter I particularly liked was devoted to digital finishing. Few photography authors acknowledge that the digital darkroom is rapidly replacing its chemical predecessor. Benvie takes several photographs and shows how he adjusted them in Photoshop. This in no way constitutes Photoshop instruction (for that, I'd recommend Barry Haynes' Photoshop 6 Artistry to both novice and experienced photographers). But it is interesting to see how a particular artist approaches his work and uses his photographic intentions to select digital tools.
This book operates in the overlap between photography and philosophy. Ultimately the question the reading photographer must ask is whether he (or she) is at the stage where he needs to develop his photographic vision. If one is, there is no clear or easy path to that development. Benvie may or may not work for you. You might benefit from Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography. Or you might need to look afield to something like Simon Schama's Landscape and Memory. I believe that this is the most difficult step for a committed photographer and that it takes a combination of many different tools to develop vision. Some tools will be more helpful for a particular individual. But I think that Creative Landscape Photography is well worth the try.
Book Description
This book is a complete guide to photographing, developing, and creatively printing images of the landscape. Eddie Ephraums, an acclaimed photographer and printer, describes in detail the techniques he uses to create fine-art prints. A full guide to equipment, darkroom set-up, film processing, printing, and toning is included together with many examples and step-by-step instructions from the negative to the finished print.
Landscape photography is not a passive process. It is a creative process, an opportunity to express ourselves in the form of an individually crafted print-utilizing the creative elements of photography.
Also Recommended: "Beyond Monochrome," "The Complete Photographer."
Customer Reviews:
Superb, if a little daunting, an aspiring volume.......2002-03-15
I come at this book as someone who wishes to improve their darkroom technique beyond the obvious burn-in-the-sky and dodge-the-face level. I also come at this from someone wishing to exploit at least some, if not most of the advantages of the Zone System, where in most guides the idea is to minimise print manipulation.
There is no doubting that the work in this book is outstanding, if not a little stylised. It takes you from a basic proof print, to an image representing more artwork than photograph, and if that is the school that you wish to follow, then this is simple the best book for you. A decent knowledge of darkroom techniques is required to get the best out of this book, I would disagree if someone said it was for the beginner, it is simply not. Also when trying out the processes in the darkroom for yourself, it requires skill already gained and an experienced eye that a beginner simply would not have, the art of working out what the Author is trying to accomplish, and then applying that to your own work takes time and effort and skill, you aren't given a copy of the Authors negatives to practise his technique! It also requires some hefty equipment, most noticably a highly accurate and programmable Enlarger timer, a switch and a stopwatch are not sufficient, and so it should be, as beginner printers need to move beyond that on their way to becoming master printers.
Useful as well is the breakdown by image is the technical section. A very valuable resource but can be found in several other books.
The way I find this book to be most useful is when judging my own work. Having a proof print, and then referring to the book for similar aspects in the Authors work, and imagining, and trying, to implement the techniques.
This is not a book to read and admire, but to take time, be that months or even years, and learn from, but beware not to copy, but to find a level of manipulation that suits your style.
Getting the most out of smaller negatives........2001-09-02
Getting the most out of smaller negatives.
One of the problems that the small format (35mm) photographer faces when using faster film (ASA 400) is that the subsequent loss of detail makes truly representative imagery difficult to accomplish. Used to the techniques of large format specialists such as Ansel Adams or John Sexton, we have come to expect big prints with breathtaking depth and detail. In addition, large format negatives permit fine manipulations of contrast and perspective. This often convinces the 35mm SLR owner that good black and white landscape work is beyond his or her reach.
Fortunately, this is not true. Eddie Ephraums fine volume on landscape printmaking is a study in using the characteristics of the smaller camera as stepping off points instead of limitations. Ephraums' moody stylings, full of burning in, contrast manipulation, and toning are exciting images that actually benefit from the presence of grain and softness. He takes twenty images and presents complete details on both the thought process and the darkroom work needed to produce the final result. These alone are a gold mine of creative information.
The remainder of the book is a technical section that covers everything from darkroom setup to print finishing. Each subject is lucidly presented, with excellent photographs. Although an experience darkroom worker I still found much food for thought. I especially liked the sections on image and print assessment, as well as his coverage of toning. The last part of the book a formulary and a good section of tables and charts.
While the book is well enough written for the beginner to use, I think someone with a modicum of experience taking and making pictures will benefit the most. This is not a read it once and forget it kind of book. You will find yourself returning to it often when you are faced with the puzzle of how to get down on paper what you saw in your mind.
Excellent.......2001-05-02
Step by step technical data for each image in the book is included. There are notes on each image from its original creation, film used, developing, lighting all the way to printing and toning data. The first straight print is included alongside the final print, so yo uare able to see how the results of careful and creative darkroom work. Charts on the areas dodged and burned, bleached and toned are included to walk you through to the creation of the final image. The appendix includes several toner recipes all of which are very good.
Average customer rating:
|
Creative Photoshop Landscape Techniques, revised & updated (A Lark Photography Book)
Les Meehan
Manufacturer: Lark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Nature & Wildlife
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Digital Photography
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Adobe Photoshop
| Digital Photography & Video
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Digital Photography
| Digital Photography & Video
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1600590845 |
Book Description
There's no limit to what Photoshop® enthusiasts can achieve with the right knowledge at hand—and that’s exactly what this revised companion to Creative Photoshop Lighting Techniques offers. It’s updated for Adobe® Photoshop® CS3, the latest version on the market and a major program change that users will want to know all about. Les Meehan is back to guide them through an array of exciting techniques for producing realistic, artistic, or even dreamlike landscapes. Whether photographers want to convert a lackluster color shot into a monochrome masterpiece; make compelling montages from several pictures; or alter the weather in a photo to add atmosphere, Meehan explains how. A straightforward introduction presents Photoshop's most useful features; easy-to-follow tutorials teach both simple image enhancements, such as producing shadows and reflections, along with more complex techniques. Packed with information about Photoshop® filters and third party plug-ins, and all the new features, this is a must-have for Adobe® Photoshop® users.
Book Description
Photograph beautiful and powerful landscapes in evocative black-and-white with the help of 16 masters of the art. Filled with breathtaking images, this magnificent volume offers far more than just technical guidance. It provides inspiring glimpses into the eyes, minds, and visions of serious landscape photographers. Captivating photographs are accompanied by the photographers' thoughts on their subjects, inspirations, techniques, and insights. See how to best use composition, mood, tone, texture, and contrast and learn to present your images for exhibition. From crashing waterfalls to barren deserts, from lush foliage to bare winter trees, the wide variety of styles and subjects presented will help you discover new, creative ways to capture the majesty of nature on film.
Customer Reviews:
For every landscape photographer.......2002-03-27
This is an excellent book. The quality of the paper is very good. Every photo is outstanding. Since there are so many photographers in the book, the style of photos vary a great deal which means that anyone can get something out of this book.
The every photo has a caption with camera, exposure and film details as well as a helpful, short description. Also, a great extra bonus is the two tips. that come with the photots. The tips vary between the chapters, depending on the theme, but they are great tips.
If you appreciate outdoor photography or you are a outdoor photography, this is a great collection for your library.
Beautiful book to own...........2002-02-12
....with photographs of landscapes from around the world, contributed by 16 photographers. Each photo is accompanied by techinical notes and the thoughts that goes behind each photograph. Definitely worth owning it, even if you are not a serious landscape photographer, just the quality of the photos inside is worth it.
Breathtakingly Beautiful!.......2000-06-25
This book is a wonderful showcase of landscapes through the perceptive eyes of the photographers in their own creative way. The images seem to pull you in to the beauty of our world and how we can forget to take time from our busy lives to really enjoy and take notice of nature around us. How it's changing and how we're changing it. I was especially impressed with the images of Florida taken by Bob Hudak. It was nice to see a deviation from the usual "sunset on the beach" or "theme park" image that is so common to people's idea of the state. His images makes me want to explore the beautiful remote areas of the state. (I'm a nature lover who's never been to Florida.) This is a great reference to anyone interested in landscape photography.
Customer Reviews:
Wow!.......2000-03-06
For people who kow how to produce black and white prints in the darkroom. The book shows the creative process that STARTS once a satisfactory print is made. His treatment of prints by various toning methods is astounding. Illustrates a striaght print and then shows how to modify it using toning, dodge and burn, etc. A section is devoted to making your own chemicals. Personal experience is also listed as a side note when making the original exposures. I am humbled by the fact he uses an old Nikon manual camera with a 50mm lens @ f:/11 for almost all lanscape exposures; he says your money is better spent on film, and the experience gained -- along with extensive darkroom work of course.
Just what I was looking for!.......1999-12-15
This book is exactly what I have been searching for. It describes many techinques of B/W landscape darkroom work. Many images are included, not just the final product. Most describe a first shot, the final shot and many of the intermediate steps including photos, diagrams of zone and/or exposure analysis and thoughts about the process as a whole.
There are also section in the back of the book that give summary but useful information on exposure tables, exposure adjustment, chemical recipies and more.
Buy this book.
Learn from a master!.......1999-07-05
Shows various printing methods in a step-by-step manner so you may immediately give them a try yourself. This book is for black and white printing only, although the side information relating to making the initial exposures may be a help to anyone. The book shows clear examples along with simple explanations; in the back is some very good technical information including home brews for toners, developers, etc. The book assumes the reaader already knows how to make an ordinary black and white print
Unprecedented Piece of Work on Darkroom Techniques.......1998-04-22
This is a "must have" book for anyone who takes their black and white darkroom work seriously. Definitely not for the casual beginner. I have only just begun darkroom work myself, but have found that the book has allowed me to leap ahead by an unknown amount of time. Mr Epphraums includes all the information that he considers when he clicks the shutter as well as how he chooses the right frame to print in the darkroom. He spends vast amounts of energy explaining all of his different recipes for printing and toning. If you take your printing seriously, this is a book you shouldn't be without.
Excellent practicum on the art of imaging and developing.......1997-10-15
This is an excellent source of creative insight. I found this book helped me see more creative posibilities. I have tried many of the techniques, especially toning, outlined in this book and found the results very gratifying. In fact, by using the processing technique outlined in this book one of my images won a juried competition. This isn't a book for a beginner in the darkroom, but if you have experience and you are looking for more artistic insights, this is the book to buy.
Books:
- Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Fifth Edition
- 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss
- A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive
- A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005
- A Taste of My Own Medicine: When the Doctor Is the Patient
- Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)
- Afterglow
- Afterimage: Film, Trauma, and the Holocaust (Emerging Media: History, Theory, Narrative)
- Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings (Alfred Stieglitz)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life
- The Open Mind: Exploring the 6 Patterns of Intelligence
- Strange Heaven: The Virgin Mary As Woman, Mother, Disciple And Advocate
- Rocky Mountain Gardener's Guide
- Statistics Hacks: Tips & Tools for Measuring the World and Beating the Odds
- Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls
- Weather Proverbs: How 600 Proverbs, Sayings and Poems Accurately Explain Our Weather
- Of Permanent Value The Story of Warren Buffett 1998 Edition
- As I Recall: A Marines Personal Story
Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (VOICES)
George DeWolfe's Digital Photography Fine Print Workshop
Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 (Real World)
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers
