Book Description
Learn the secrets of fine art digital photography
Produce captivating and high-quality photographs easily and consistently with help from this invaluable guide, based on renowned photographer George DeWolfe’s most popular workshop. Inside, you will learn his “16-bit workflow” technique for mastering the craft of printing fine art photographs. You will also discover how to set up a successful “closed loop” environment--one in which you handle the entire photographic process yourself, sending nothing out for processing, manipulating, or development. Learning the qualities and techniques essential to creating a digital fine print with light, substance, and presence requires skill, experience, time, and vision. George DeWolfe’s Digital Photography Fine Print Workshop puts all of this expertise at your fingertips.
Customer Reviews:
Don't Waste Your Money.......2007-04-16
Firstly, I never write reviews, but I felt I had to for this one. Before I start I feel I should give my credentials. I have spent the last three years working as an assistant to a fine art printer working on traditional print projects for numerous big name photographers.
I bought this book after seeing that Mr Dewolfe teaches up at the Cone Workshops and after reading the good reviews on Amazon. That was a big mistake!! This is the reason why it is good to check books out in a store before you purchase.
The book is very weak. I had read "Real World Photoshop CS2" prior to this, so I had a very good benchmark. RWP CS2 is a truly excellent book on using photoshop. Dewolfe's book is poorly laid out, repetitious (very), contradictory and gives limited examples of valuable technique. I gained nothing from reading the book and bored quickly of his preachy style. Here is an example:
"The print has another dimension that I call presence. It has almost nothing to do with the technical side, but it is a matter of craft, that careful blend of aesthetic judgment and technical skill."
Now tell me if that is not a contradiction. Who edited this?
Another thing that bugged me is that the book feels like an advert for the line of Optipix plug-ins that he is associated with. He mentions them almost constantly (there is an advert on the last page if you missed the hundreds of references throughout the book).
Please, please, check this out in a bookstore before you make up your mind.
Comprehensive coverage of digital photography.......2007-03-09
Reviewed by Bruce Herman
Member of the Alaskan Apple User's Group
Anchorage, Alaska
George DeWolfe's Digital Photography Fine Print Workshop is a significant departure from any of the other digital darkroom books that I've read. It was easily the most challenging because it presented so many new ideas in such a short book (255 pp.). Most other books rely heavily on global corrections that emphasize curves whereas DeWolfe relies more on levels, even for color corrections. Other authors apply local corrections with masks, but DeWolfe prefers to brush on corrections using the History Brush. Digital Fine Print Workshop was one of the most rewarding books about print making because it made me think about my photographs in new ways. This book grew out of the workshop that DeWolfe teaches
DeWolfe begins with an overview of what constitutes a digital fine print. He defines the terms brightness, color, contrast and so on, and then introduces the workflow that will be the central focus of the book. He gives a series of examples that provide the reader with a basis of distinguishing the good from the not so good for each of the qualities just defined. DeWolfe says that he has had a lifetime of developing his own appreciation of these characteristics. So it's a bit of a leap for a reader to expect to come up to speed by viewing a handful of photographs reproduced in a book. Here DeWolfe might have referenced some photographs on the Internet to give the student a bit more background.
Two aspects of DeWolfe's overall approach that set his book apart from most other digital print making books are his emphasis on separating the mid-tones and his concern for the quality of light in the print. I think that understanding these factors alone are likely to lead to vastly improved prints.
The second part of the book, titled "The Workshop," constitutes the core of the book. It is in this section that DeWolfe explains and illustrates in detail his personal vision of achieving the fine art print from a digital photograph. The workshop focuses on digital photography beginning with bringing the digital files from the camera into the computer and ends with making the print. DeWolfe covers techniques for dealing with both RAW and jpeg image files as they come off the camera. He does not mention scanning, although one could reasonably follow the workflow for jpeg images. In any case, he works with 16 bit files, which he claims allows him to use levels in Photoshop without encountering the gaps that arise when working with 8 bit files. My personal experience was that 16 bit files did not entirely preclude gapping, but it was not as bad as it would be with 8 bit files.
DeWolfe performs his artistry in two phases. He begins with global changes and then fine tunes the resulting photograph with local changes. One of the tools that DeWolfe uses is a plugin called Optipix. Although he discusses some techniques that substitute for Optipix, I found that using Optipix often made a step more likely to work as described. I would recommend purchase of this plugin ($139) if you wish to carefully follow DeWolfe's workflow.
It was in the application of the local corrections that I found the most difficulty in DeWolfe's approach. DeWolfe uses the history brush to make local corrections to almost all parameters of the photograph. He eschews masks as tools for graphic artists, preferring the history brush because it forces an artist to commit in order to move forward. Each reader of this book will have to make his or her own assessment of this view.
The Fine Print Workshop concludes with a brief description of what is required for a digital darkroom, including setting the preferences in Photoshop. This part of the book seems to be an attempt to broaden the appeal of the book to beginning digital photographers. Considering the level of complexity in executing the steps in the workshop, this almost seems out of place. That portion that deals with the software and hardware will be out of date long before the techniques described in the workshop pass into irrelevance.
DeWolfe's book grew out of the week long workshop by the same name that he teaches. Reading the book is not likely to be as good as taking the workshop, but it's far, far better than just reading the generic Photoshop how-to book. Despite the fact that I don't necessarily agree with all aspects of DeWolfe's workflow, I highly recommend this book. Just be sure to leave a reasonable amount of time to absorb the material and give it a fair appraisal.
Is this Ansels Adam's 'The Print' for the modern era........2007-02-10
Before you waste one more sheet of printing paper, before you waste another minute with scanning and color management, before you waste another second with a bad workflow ... get this book. You will save the price of it in one week just in paper and ink alone. And maybe you will keep your sanity. This is bedtime reading, coffee shop reading, and "lightroom" reading. It is well written, well printed, and straightforward. I have followed George DeWolfe's suggested workflow to the letter, and it works! Don't buy another book until you have this one, and have read it two or three times.
Digital Workflow made easy.......2007-01-21
I have found this book to be really excellent in showing how to set up a workflow in PS. From input, maximising your Raw file before putting into PS, to non destructive methods of manipulation. Simple use of layers, all easily explained, Levels, Curves, Brushes, Sharpening, and much more. All this is done in a non complicated way and is easily understood.
A Master who knows his trade and can also teach simply. (not many of those around)
George DeWolfe's Digital Photography Fine Print Workshop.......2006-08-09
Excellent book. I have many books on digital photography and this book ranks very high. Excellent work flow recommendations and clearly written. This book will also be used as a reference text in a photography course I will be taking. I have almost completed reading the entire book and making notes.
Book Description
This popular book presents creative darkroom techniques in a step-by-step format. It includes multiple printing, montage, toning, reticulation, infrared film, high contrast, combination coloring, dye transfer, liquid emulsions, Sabattier, and much more. Darkroom Dynamics has the information and photographs to expand the the reader's awareness of the sophisticated images which are possible in photography today.
Darkroom Dynamics has been written to be easily comprehensible to the novice
photographer attempting experimental photography for the first time. It serves not only as a forum for the serious display of experimental and manipulated photographs but also as a comprehensive source on how to make these images.
Presents creative darkroom techniques in an easy to follow format.
Simple enough for the novice photographer to understand.
Shows experimental and manipulated photographs and describes how to make them.
Customer Reviews:
Great book of creative dakroom techniques.......2000-09-21
This book is packed full of step-by-step instructions for alternative creative darkroom techniques. The instructions are easy to follow and the photo illustrations are well placed to enhance the readers understanding. Each technique is presented by a photographer who is an expert in its application, so the information comes across comprehensive yet it is still easy to understand. This is a great book. I am glad to have it as a part of my personal photo library. It will be well used.
Book Description
Digital Negatives: Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative
Process Printing bridges the world of traditional photographic printing with digital technology. A digital negative, prepared in Photoshop, allows you to skip the dark room time developing the negativesgetting straight to a variety of printing processes including silver, platinum, and a host of other alternative processes. You will see this as an opportunity to mix technology with traditional photo processes resulting in more time for your art! In the recent past, photographers that wanted digital negatives had to take their business to labs. Now all of you Photoshop users can incorporate this practice into your workflow of choice.
*Easy, quick start recommendations for specific supplies and instructions for making your first print quickly without all the details of calibrating digital negatives.
·Offers expert instruction for the more advanced; much of the book will be focused on how to calibrate digital negatives, configure a digital darkroom, and fine tune prints from digital negatives
·Adventurous, experimental techniques take printing using alternative processes into new options including toning, multiple printing, printing with ink and platinum, plus others.
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended to all photographic printmakers!.......2007-06-14
Dan Burkholder gets the credit for introducing digital negatives for contact printing processes several years ago, but it is Ron Reeder and Brad Hinkle who have finally worked out a system that produces extremely repeatable results. Now photographers everywhere can easily harness the power of Photoshop to create stunning prints using just about any contact printing process available. I have personally used this book to create salted-paper prints, van dykes, cyanotypes, and silver gelatin prints with pleasing results.
I teach alternative processes year round in Denver, Colorado, and as any instructor knows, the easiest way to hook a student on something new is the accessibility of the process. Even my darkroom shy students are taking notice of the work a small handful of pioneering students are experimenting with at our school using this excellent text. One student exclaimed to me just last week "this book will save the darkroom".
If you are looking for a system to harness the power of Photoshop with the beauty of a hand-crafted print, this is the best resource available!
AT LAST! a book about digitnal negative making... that is about making digital negatives........2007-05-29
This book has been a long time coming. after spending countless hours on my own, then experimenting with another well known book by dan burkholder (who has some good ideas but ultimately is outdated and there are really only a few pages that deal with 'inkjet negative' making.) this book has answered many of my long standing questions of how to create your own curve for output and then be able to check your work for accuracy. to many resources tell you to buy one specific printer (which by the time the book is printed has been discontinued), one specific ink, and one specific printing media (OHP was discontinued by its manufacturer), and if you do not then their cookie cutter curve will not work exaclty correct.
so thank the authors for sharing this information in a very down to earth way. it has opened a new door in photo printing for the masses.
No website .......2007-05-16
The website is not accessible, last two days. There is no contact info to resolve this major issue. To obtain critical information and instuctions thoughout the book the website is the only source. I am inclined to give a 4-5 star rating for the book if it had information that was advertised.
From .......2007-04-02
The last few years have seen alternative photographic processes grow in use. From the street studios in Providence to the booming gallery scene in Chelsea, hand-coated emulsions are a popular counter to the photographic digital revolution.
Brad Henkel and Ron Reeder have deftly organized the work flow necessary to produce the high quality large format negtaives necessary for many of these processes. Their "Digital Negatives.." provides clear simple instructions (along with PhotoShop curves and calibration step wedges at their [...]) for the artist who wants to launch quickly with minimal theory. The book also has excellent detail for those who seek more (The Quadtone RIP profile instruction is top quality).
I found their explanation of calibrating PhotoShop curves to print media very clear and easy to practice. The two authors have expanded on the groundbreaking work of Dan Burkholder (Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing) and Mark I. Nelson's "Precision Digital Negatives", but have kept their processes open and very approachable. Key screen flows are presented for both the Mac and PC environments.
The book also includes a number of fine art and practical process illustrations (How about a Becquerel contact Daguerreotype from a D1x RAW file!). I would strongly recommend this book for the alternative process artist who is ready to move from litho film and pyro developer to digtial contact negative production.
In addition to your computer, you will need a scanner and good quality inkjet printer, as well as Photoshop CS, to get started.
NWG 3-31-07
digital negatives.......2007-02-21
I found the book very helpful and easy to follow! I particularly like the fact that you can go to chapter four and start printing really great negatives. I made some platinum prints and after a little trial and error on my mixture and exposing time I was able to get pretty nice prints. I am a bigginer and found the book easy to understand. Hope it helps!
Book Description
The Print is the third and final book in The Ansel Adams Photography Series--the seminal guides fully revised by Ansel Adams shortly before his death in 1984. The Print, now available in paperback like the other volumes in the series, belongs on every photographer's shelf. It covers the entire printmaking process, from designing and furnishing a darkroom and experimenting with your first print, to mastering advanced techniques such as developer modifications, toning, and bleaching, and burning and dodging. This thorough guide is filled with indispensable darkroom techniques and tips, and amply illustrated with photographs and technical drawings. It is an indispensable tool for mastering the complex art of photographic printmaking.
Customer Reviews:
with great knowledge comes great responsibility.......2007-06-27
Ansel Adams is the master of photography, black and white, but still photographic principles and concepts have been throughly tried and tested by him and he teaches you so much in his series starting with "The Camera" and ending up with this book which focuses more on the final piece. The 2nd book in the series is also so very crucial because it outlines and describes his "Zone System" in great detail. A must have for any avid photographer and a great shelf reference for any professional. Now go out and shoot.. waste some film for crying out loud and get some awesome shots :)
A great reference book for almost any photographer.......2007-06-19
In this third part of Adams' technical writings, you'll find a guide to go from what a camera recorded (it talks about a negative, but can be well applied to a digital raw file) to a fine print delivering "what you saw and felt" to the viewer.
Even if it applies to B&W, I find that much of the content can be applied to color work if you think a bit more about it - mostly now, in the digital age with separated luminance and chrominance controls.
You'll also read some good ol' kitchen recipes about developers and toning... These will be less and less useful, but can bring back the smell of the darkroom to your memory ;o)... And quite often, the principle that based the recipe can be applied to another media.
A reference, whether shooting film, digital or glass plates (and of invaluable interest for the two former).
content excellent, one little remark for the publisher........2007-04-24
The book is excellent. Although these techniques are not widely applied today, with appropriate experience and thinking this knowledge can be applied and transferred to modern software like Adobe Photoshop. It can help relate modern and classic photography printing processes (traditional vs computerized).
One little remark would be for the publisher. The paper the book is printed is gloss with quite a high reflectance index. This results in making reading the book at certain angles quite impossible for your eyes.
This is great book.......2004-06-14
In this book, Adams said Expression is more important than reality, idea more important than fact, the print more important than its subject. For it is only in the print that such magnificence can be unfailingly orchestrated. Those words made me think that what is good photograph. The book opens with a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit brief, history of photography before getting down to explain printing techniques.
The majority of the text concentrates it's efforts in educating the reader in the art of B&W photography. This book tells readers that what are good prints making techniques. After reading this book you will feel like that your printing skills are very improved. The reader will see many wonderful pictures as examples, that will surely create a better impression as to what type of pictures Adams takes.
Excellent Book for any Serious B&W Photographer.......2003-12-25
This is one of a few books in this Ansel Adams series. He discusses a number of aspects of the print, it's limitations, and many techniques that can be used to exploit print characteristics. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at all serious about B&W photography whether developing your own prints or not.
Product Description
This comprehensive technical resource explores every aspect of alternative photography. Each chapter introduces the history of a technique, reviews its chemistry and provides practical guidance in how to make it work. Processes include Van Dyke, cyanotype, Kallitype, gum bichromate, platinum and more. 386 pages 8 1/2 x 10 1/4 Softbound
Amazon.com
Pssst, wanna make a weird photograph? How about a moody blue cyanotype or a Kallitype? Or maybe a ziatype, anthotype, or Ambrotype? Or perhaps you'd just like to know more about image transfer processes or how to make a pinhole camera. Imagine knowing a really cool guy who casually tells you lots of valuable stuff about the history and science of photography while you're working in his experimental darkroom, and you've got the essence of the unusual and delightful Book of Alternative Photographic Processes. Christopher James, a photographer and former Harvard University professor, leads you carefully through the chemistry and use of materials for each process. He offers numerous ways to make negatives and prepare the printing paper, and he coaches you in understanding and accepting the enormously variable effects of each method. Seven useful appendices deal with such topics as safety considerations and resources on the Web. Unlike the narrowly task-oriented approach of average how-to guide, this one points you to a much bigger world. Even the illustrations include a generous assortment of contemporary prints--among them James's own inventive images--as well as work by 19th- and early-20th-century photographers. They were the ones who pioneered most of the techniques that are now considered "alternative."
The fun of this book--even for someone unlikely ever to set foot in a darkroom--lies in the author's fascinating excursions into the wide world of knowledge, from the workings of 3-D to Charles Babbage's steam-driven punch-card systems. Equally compelling are the author's sense of humor and his utter lack of dogmatism. "In gum printing," he writes, "there are very few absolutely correct ways to do anything." --Cathy Curtis
Customer Reviews:
Best book I have found so far..........2006-03-23
This book is great. It has nearly every process I was interested in, and steps you through each of them with: easy to follow instructions, checklists of chemicals, and useful/helpful pictures.
Theres enough here to interest both the amateur photographer as well as the seasoned professional who is interested in these techniques.
Check it out, I don't think you'll regret it.
one of the best.......2006-03-20
this book is excellent if you're interested in alternative photographic tech's. it is very thourough and offers MANY different processes.
The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (Book of Alternative Photographic Processes).......2006-02-27
This book is great for someone who has a little experience, or for those who may have a lot. It gives a lot of great ideas for new ways of creating and working on images, and provides a lot of information on how to go about the processes. Some info is pretty technical, but there are plenty of processes that are novice-friendly.
I especially enjoyed the illustrations the book used, because they give you an idea of just what the processes can do--that way you aren't going into it totally blind.
Good Book.......2006-02-25
This book is very informative, and the processes I have done are easy to follow from the book. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in doing alternative photographic processes.
Excellent Book On Alternative Processes.......2006-02-24
This is an outstanding book for both novice and professional. It is packed with good advice, explicit instructions for many different processes to try, and some wonderful illustrations and examples that provide ample inspiration. I have several books on the subject, and this is one of the most comprehensive.
Product Description
From Daguerreotype to digital, this book is an essential reference that opens up new worlds of creative expression. Laid out in an accessible manner, each section offers step-by-step instructions and illustrations by internationally renowned experts. 352 pages 8 1/2 x 9 1/4 Softbound
Customer Reviews:
JUST TO SAY..........2007-05-13
A WELL ILLUSTRATED AND INSPIRING COLLECTION FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN ALTERNATIVE PROCESSING. NICE LAYOUT AND EASY READING.STIRS UP THE CREATIVE SIDE AND APPROPRIATE FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFFESSIONALS ALIKE
Coming Into Focus.......2005-10-13
This is a wonderful book that tells you everything you want to know about alternative printing processes. I used to have "Keepers of Light" but lost it, so I ordered this as a replacement. It contains everything the other book did, plus information on using digital technology. A real resource for any serious photographer who is a purest at heart and wants to keep the old traditions alive.
Suzanne Ludlum-Loose
Great book.......2005-03-25
The author tells you everything you would reasonably want to know about the wide spectrum of non-traditional photographic methods. But not only does he talk about these alternate processes, he explains in step-by-step detail how to actually DO these techniques yourself. Great content, very well written.
An Excellent, Well Written Book.......2002-05-28
I whole-heartedly recommend this book. I also have "The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes" by Christopher James, another good book, but I always go back to "Coming into Focus". This book is laid out in a very accessible manner, each section is written clearly and concisely, and the processes are described so that you understand and can start experimenting almost immediately (once you acquire the necessary materials for the relevant process). Again, this book is a very useful one, and a handy reference to have around.
A nice addition to any alt-photo library.......2000-09-13
A compelling blend of traditional processes takes on new life with new, improved chemical formats and digital techniques. Any artist working in alternative processes arrives, sooner or later, at their own individual methods and unique combinations of techniques. This book provides many examples of working formulas that build upon and further develope the traditional standard favorites. The "recipes" are clearly detailed in an easy-to-follow textbook format, with such new processes as the Fredrick Temperaprint (a tricolor system based on gum dichromate) and the Argyrotype (an iron-silver process similar to Van Dyke). It also seamlessly incorporates the digital technology we rely on more and more.
It's given me a wealth of new ideas and projects to try out, and is sure to become an invaluable resource in my own darkroom.
Average customer rating:
- From Hydroquinone to Photo
|
The Theory of the Photographic Process
James
Manufacturer: Macmillan Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Customer Reviews:
From Hydroquinone to Photo.......2001-11-29
If you need more accurate and deep information about the chemical process of photography this is THE book to you.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful guide.......2007-09-01
This book is a wonderful guide to those experienced photographers who are looking for something "new" to try. As mentioned, it is not an exacting process; there's a lot of trial and error involved. It is also important to note that the chemicals (ammonium or potassium dichromate) are dangerous. They can be ordered through The Photographer's Formulary. Mr. Scopick's directions are not overly scientific but will help you on your way to understanding this relatively simple non-silver process. When done correctly, these prints are totally archival.
It is a gorgeous printing process. You won't get the tonal scale of a platinum print, but you can choose any pigment color you want, which is great. You can also do multiple prints of the same neg using different colors for a polychromatic print. It's a fun and rewarding process for anyone rediscovering the Pictoralist look.
Excellent book on an interesting photo printing technique.......2001-02-15
I've had this book for quite a few years. It's a really good reference and instructional book on how to do gum bichromate printing for black and white negatives.
Normal photographic printing is done on silver bromide paper; the photosensitive silver crystals make the black of the print. In gum bichromate printing, chromate is used in a gum emulsion mixed with colored pigments to harden under light exposure. (I'm trying to stay away from the chemistry here.) After making a negative to use for contact printing, the negative and coated paper are exposed to light. Where light penetrates your negative, the gum-chromate-pigment mixture hardens and stays on the paper. Where not exposed to light, the solution washes away.
This isn't an easy technique, but is a very lovely one, and even more interesting when mixed with other techniques like cyanotype. It's also possible now to use laser printer to produce some of the contact negatives you need.
The only caveat I must add is that chromium compounds are TOXIC. So if you are not experienced at handling chemicals, this technique is NOT for you and your home darkroom. However, if you have experience in good lab technique and know your way around a darkroom, this is a very alluring technique to make some wonderfully, almost hand-colored looking prints. This fits in especially well with the current interest people have in handmade books and journals.
Book Description
A renowned Washington, DC–based psychoanalyst examines George W. Bush's public persona–and asks serious questions about whether he is fit for the office he holds.
In Bush On the Couch, Dr. Justin Frank, a renowned Washington, DC–based psychoanalyst, assembles a comprehensive psychological profile of President George W. Bush. Using the principles of Applied Psychoanalysis, the discipline of psychoanalysing public and historical figure pioneered by Freud, Frank fearlessly builds his case, which concludes with a most disturbing diagnosis. With an eye for the subtleties of human behaviour sharpened through thirty years of clinical practice, Dr. Frank traces the development of Bush's character from childhood to present day, identifying and analysing Bush's patterns of thought, behaviour and communication. A thorough and authoritative examination of Bush's public appearances and speeches, along with historical, biographical, and journalistic records, Bush On the Couch is a compelling portrait of George W. Bush, filled with controversial and disturbing revelations about our nation's leader:
. the scion of a powerful family that failed to nurture its first–born son even as it instilled within him a sense of omnipotence
. an individual in the grip of anxieties that require a monumental effort to manage
. an untreated alcoholic supported by a nation of enablers
. a rigid thinker with a perilously simplistic worldview
. and a megalomaniacal leader driven to invent adversaries so he can destroy them
Insightful and accessible, courageous and controversial, Bush On the Couch sheds startling new light on the Bush psyche and its impact on the way he governs, tackling head–on the question no one seems willing to ask: Is the president psychologically fit to run the country?
Customer Reviews:
It doesn't take a book.......2007-10-02
Although the author who clearly has impeccable credientials makes excellent points about the President and the entire Bush dynasty regarding the psychological motivations for all of their behaviors, particularly W's, this could have all been covered in a long article. The author did offer very intersting biographical information to flesh out the story but the end result was still very repetitious.
Oedipus Wrecks.......2007-09-12
Like some Grimm's Fairy Tale, you know not to open the door - but you do anyway. And what you find behind it confirms your worst suspicions. To sum the book in one sentence: We, the United States of America, are George W Bush's extended family and we are getting the fatherhood from him that he got from his biological father. (Bush's father was never home and his mother was a cold disciplinarian.)
Bush on the Couch is a well-written nicely paced read. The book could easily descend to becoming a hit piece, but it appears to retain a clinical objectivity throughout. While mildly ponderous with Freudian theory, for anyone unfamiliar with basic Freudian concepts that is a plus. The presence of such theory makes it plain, page after page, that Dr Frank is avoiding flights of imagination as far as possible and sticking close to theory and the facts at hand. The facts at hand are seven years of televised speeches, interviews, press conferences, and as much of the Bush family's biography as is known.
The dramatis personae playing upon the psyche of the world's most powerful man, according to Dr Frank, read like a Who's Who from the Seven Deadly Vices of some medieval morality play: Lust (for power), Envy (due to lack of nurturing), Sloth (woeful academic and professional performance), Gluttony (alcoholism), Pride (political power combined with amoral behavior), Anger (sadism), and Greed. For good measure, ADHD, Religious Inflation, and False Witness make cameo appearances. Meantime, the brain that these Vices inhabit works out its childhood traumas on a global stage.
"His behavior is what psychoanalysts call ego-syntonic, meaning that his actions - the lies he tells and the harm he inflicts on others - don't appear to cause him much conscious anxiety" (page 232).
Dr Frank suggests that this steaming cauldron of psychological witch's brew overspills its edges in Bush's repeated Freudian slips: "I am a person who recognized the fallacy of humans".
A good read that pulls together everything you ever wondered about the president - and leaves you wanting no more of it. Recommended.
Life long Republican - USMC veteran.......2007-09-09
I couldn't agree more with this books apparent conclusions. Most of the things I suspected now are clearer to me about our president. he simply seems incapable of doing the right thing ever. Almost like a contrarian. Seemingly just happy being an obstacle to just about anything positive. This book explains it clearly, the guy is a psycopath, you know it, i know it, hell only another wacko couldn't see it. I am as conservative as the come but i can spot a wolf in sheep's clothing a hundred miles away.
Nation now on the couch.......2007-08-18
I would have given a higher rating if the author interviewed Bush. But the analysis of Bush's thinking (or lack of) and his simplified all or nothing way of looking at the world along with a heavy dose of narcissism beginning in his formative years shows the reader why we are in the mess we find ourselves in. I would have liked to have more information about his relationship with his wife Barbara. Overall, an interersting book about the worst president to date.
A brave assessment.......2007-08-16
An example of what it can be done and it is in powerful goverments at - a distance analysis, regardind political personality profile and political behaviour assessments. A brave work.
Customer Reviews:
Photography Creative Guidance.......2007-06-27
All of John Shaws books are thoughtfull, well written and aesthetically valuable. This one is specifically oriented towards Shaws photographic values, i.e. what is his view of how to photograph nature. What I took away from reading "Focus on Nature" was the abstract sense of how Shaw dedicates his techniques to achieving high quality photographs. This book does not teach creativity however. That is up to the individual.
Not Impressed.......2006-07-25
I was not impressed with this book.
Very little technical data, no data on many of the excellent images in the book.
The writting was flowery and arty rather than concise with information to convey.
If your looking for a book to teach you something, I would not recommend this book.
John Shaw's Nature Photography book is, however, outstanding.
Focus on nature indeed.......2006-07-06
This book has everything you expect in a John Shaw book and more.
While there are beautiful shots and a detailed descriptions of the equipment, location and the time of that the photos where taken. The book is really more about the thought process that goes into the shot, the hardware involved, lighting, lens focusing, filters types, framing and composition.
The book also details the environment weather it's a desert conditions or lush landscape, time of day and time of season and how to handle lighting, exposure and what types of filters to use based on this.
He reminds us that sometimes there will be a good shot but patience will turn it into a great shot if you a willing to wait for light conditions to change. Look at your framing and composition and deciding what elements to emphasize and what to leave out or minimize. Practicing good stewardship of the environment and making sure to leave things as you found them.
The photography in Focus on nature is breath taking as always. While the book pre-dates digital media it does not detract in any from the book because with the exception of the discussion of film everything else is applicable to the digital and film photographer.
The book cover to cover is hi-gloss paper and all photos are in color and oh-so vibrant.
I own several of Johns books and I would have to say that alll are outstanding and this is no exception.
5 stars and then some.
Exactly what I had in mind........2006-03-25
This is one those truly "good" books.
I was looking for help in "seeing", or recognition of a great photo, rather than for help in photography technique. John Shaw communicates precisely this in a very lucid and concise manner. It predates digital cameras so some of the photography equipment mentioned is now obsolete. But the real point of the book is about "seeing" and capturing a great photo and that is much easier to do with digital equipment.
I almost made the mistake of buying a more inferior treatment of the subject by a different author because I had skimmed a copy and it looked helpful. I am glad I took time to read the reviews before making my purchase. When I read the reviews on that book I found positive mention of John Shaw's Focus on Nature. When I checked the reviews of his book I realized that this was probably a better choice. It is! I am delighted with this book!
John Shaw's Focus on Nature.......2005-08-18
I found this publication extremely helpful. Basic information delivered in a user friendly manner with terrific examples.
Books:
- Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Hawaii the Big Island Revealed)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder
- Hunting Dinosaurs
- In Another Man's Bed
- Infectious Diseases of Wild Mammals
- Interactive TV Standards: A Guide to MHP, OCAP, and JavaTV
- Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes
Books Index
Books Home
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- I'm Wild Again: Snippets from My Life and a Few Brazen Thoughts
- A Life in School: What the Teacher Learned
- Murder Cases of the Twentieth Century: Biographies and Bibliographies of 280 Convicted or Accused Ki
Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (VOICES)
Fine Art Printing for Photographers: Exhibition Quality Prints with Inkjet Printers
Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking
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Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 (Real World)
