Not only does Brenda Tharp have excellent and inspiring photographs in her book but she also has a very effective way of explaining things providing all of the useful details without any extra fluff. This book was outstanding and I would highly recommend it to every photographer, expirienced to beginner.
Good, but not quite the standard of John Shaw's book / / 2010-06-14
This revised version of the book is good, but I was expecting more on creative side of the photography, specially on photography on different outdoor lighting condition. I will not rate this book to the standard of John Shaw's books on nature photography.
Refresher / / 2010-06-10
This is a well produced book that would do any library proud. However, my brand new book stuck in several places near the spine & though the pages did come apart without tearing, there is an unsightly grey fuzz running vertically down several pages near the spine.
But that has nothing to do with Ms. Tharpe. Picked it up on Ken Rockwell's suggestion & am glad I did.
Concepts are clearly explained & the accompanying photographs are very appropriate & helpful.
The questions she suggests a photographer ask of himself & composition is very helpful, coming back to photography after a long hiatus.
The style of writing is interesting & not at all pedantic, though there is a lot of information in these 10 chapters.
The chapter on Light is comprehensive as it not only talks about its colour, direction & how the camera sees it with very helpful boxes like: How to read a historgram?; HDR, and White Balance.
All chapters have this great mix of general comprehensive presentation along with tips.
Chapter 8, Artistic Interpretations have different Techniques & there is a small segment on Lensbabies.
I would have loved to have read this when I was sixteen & starting out learining the craft. But better late than never.
All in all, an excellent & beautiful book that I would reccomend & readily gift to friends & family interested in the Art.
INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHY! / / 2010-06-05
If you think photography isn't art, then you've never seen the images created Ms Tharp. This is one of the best photography books published and my personal favorite. Wow!!!
Review of Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography / / 2010-03-29
Every year I try to read several books on outdoor and nature photography to gain new ideas and see other people's technique. This book is well done. The photography is excellant. It is written in a manner that is thought provoking. This is a book that will earn a permanent place on my shelves and I will return to it regularly.
It's been almost ten years since Niall Benvie released a book. I've always thought of him as the thinking person's outdoor photographer, more concerned with vision than technique. Now, at last, he has written a book for the digital age, "Outdoor Photography Master Class".
The book takes a strange form, as if it were a three-day long workshop. (Occasionally it seemed as if it might have been taken from a transcript of such a workshop.) Each of the chapters is on a different subject, often unrelated, from simple matters, like using the histogram to determine the right exposure, to esoteric subjects, like whether nature photography is art. There is no consistent development of a single theme other than the broad subject of outdoor photography. Many of the chapters, which may have been derived from articles, are more thought provoking about the nature of photography than they are about technique, although some, like the article on what Benvie calls the field studio (a method of shooting in the field with artificial backgrounds and lighting), are about technique in the service of vision.
The skill levels to which these subjects will appeal varies. The chapter on the development module in Lightroom is so elementary that it will at most simply be a refresher for those just getting into the software. The chapter entitled "How shall we critique outdoor photography" may be useful and thought provoking for the more advanced outdoor photographer.
Benvie is a bit of an iconoclast, suggesting, for example, that in the age of fast, low noise ISO's there is less need for tripods. He also appears to be almost distant from some technical aspects of post processing as when he states that the contact sheet facility once found in Photoshop is no longer available (it's available for Photoshop CS5 as a downloadable optional plug-in) or when he fails to make the distinction between input and output sharpening, so brilliantly articulated in Lightroom.
Although the book is nicely illustrated, many of the screen shots of Photoshop and Lightroom screens are so small as to be almost useless, and often the accompanying description is too cursory.
Yet despite my criticism's, for the outdoor photographer who has gone beyond the fundamentals, many of the articles will prove provocative enough to make the reader reexamine the way he or she is working and perhaps even try some changes in their photographic process.
Written by a photographer for photographers who want to make prints. Pixel peeping geeks look elsewhere. / / 2008-07-20
To me, Rob Sheppard is the voice of reason. I always read his columns whether it's in Outdoor Photographer or Digital Photo Pro. Not surprisingly this book remains my favourite Photoshop book and I still use it even though I have since upgraded to CS3. The lessons he presents here are still useful even with newer versions. Honestly, I feel I got my money's worth for his sharpening tips alone. It's the only method that truly works for me. Sure, you could bury yourself in Bruce Fraser's sharpening book, but as far as I'm concerned his photographic work was lackluster, so why should I listen to him? Rob Sheppard's book walks you through the basics. Some of you have massive egos and may think you know a thing or two about Photoshop, and maybe you do, but I would suggest you read this book cover to cover, especially the part about setting black & white points. When I bought the book, I thought I knew a thing or two about Curves, Layers, etc but I realize now I was doing it all wrong. Rob not only tells you the best way to do things (and he doesn't hesitate to admit it's just what works for him, he doesn't say it's right or wrong - he encourages you to screw around with settings) but he also tells you why you should do this or that. I'm a little surprised his name isn't more well known. People always name drop Scott Kelby but I find this book way more useful to me because I am a landscape photographer. This book is geared towards people who are interested in taking pictures, and making prints. Plain and simple. If you've ever looked through one of Kelby's books, it can get pretty annoying. He tries to keep it light and fluffy with his zany humour, but it gets grating after awhile and many times he fails to explain why you should do something. He just says "trust me on this one" but for me, that is not enough. For example, Kelby says "Just use Adobe 1998 and forget about it." He doesn't mention that perhaps there are times why you shouldn't use it, or how it can effect web images, etc. Or that flipping back and forth between colour spaces can have a detrimental effect on your Tiffs. Rob doesn't try to dazzle you with Rock N Roll references and weird semi-private jokes obviously geared towards his "buddies." He just wants you to make the best pictures you can without forcing you to weed through crap.
If you do what Rob he does in the book, your pictures will turn out great. If not, then, it's probably your pictures!
Landscape & Nature Photography / / 2008-06-29
Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 (Outdoor Photographers)
I foud this book to be extremely helpful, full of good hints and an excellent reference book. The only down side is that it is a pity it has not been published for CS3. But that is only a very small thing.
Excellent Book
Must Have / / 2008-06-17
Well i've never liked the idea of photoshop to my nature pics but then i cud never get the result i used to get with Velvia. So i started using photoshop & i came across this book, & it has changed my whole prespective bout photoshop!
Rob explains everything with such ease & prespective from an nature photographer that it really gets intresting with every page.
I've learned a lot from this book & strongly recommend it to nature photographers.
Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop® CS2 By Robe Sheppard / / 2007-10-17
Outdoor Photographer's Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 (Outdoor Photographers)Finally a publication that helps the nature photographer and other novices with Photoshop® CS2 in a language they can understand. I found this book a pretty easy to read and use with it's navigational tools in performing the task it explains so clearly. Many of the methods that are demonstrated could be carried over and used in Photoshop® Elements I believe also. I have already highly recommended this publication to our nature photography club in thier newsletter because I have such confidence in it being able to help our members.
When starting out in Photoshop® CS2 you need to have a workflow and this book clearly gets you started on this endeavor in a simplistic way that can later be explored and used in more depth if you need or care to. Again I have no reservations in recommending this book to anyone getting started or who considers themselves advanced in the use of Photoshop® CS2 not only for landscape and nature photography but many other applications in their photography editing.
Mr. Bob Walker
excellent , practical, logical how to book on Photoshop / / 2007-06-26
I have used many Photoshop "how to" books and while many are helpful, some get so complex in their explanations that your eyes glass over. As any photoshop user knows there are many ways to do the same thing in photoshop. This book however seems to have found the easier and logical way in most instances. He uses layers and fills extensively and burns back what is not wanted. By the end of the book I was comfortable assessing the pictures and guessing how he would do the changes. While he sticks with outdoor photography most tips are applicable to any photography. "Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography" is A PHOTOGRAPHER'S GUIDE to photoshop not a photoshop guru's guide to photoshop applications to photography. The Pro Tips through out were an extra
I heard about this book from a show by Martha Stewart which peaked my interest.. However, the book lacks more interesting photographs by which we could appreciate stone art. It failed to capture what I thought it contained. The best photo in this book is the the front cover. Not worth buying the book.
apreciating craftsmanship / / 2008-06-30
A vey complete account of the life and work of this craftsman whose work stands today scattered over the southwest. Excellent research and good photography--well done!
A Visionary Artist from Mexico / / 2008-04-12
Like author Patsy Light, I was intrigued when I moved to San Antonio, Texas by the strange concrete false-wood constructions that dot the city: a jungle hut bus stop on Broadway, an arbor footbridge in Brackenridge Park, a 125-foot long rail fence at the Alamo Cement Company's headquarters. Who, I thought, would do something like this? Architectual historian Light has now provided the answer in this well-researched book illustrated with beautiful color pgotographs. They are the work of Dionicio Rodriguez, a master craftsman trained in Mexico who came to San Antonio in 1924 and went on to create visionary environments all over the United States until his death in 1955. Rodriguez left no papers or plans, and Light spent 10 years tracking down men and women who worked with him to gather material for this book. The person who emerges from her interviews is a dapper and secretive man who worked in overalls pulled on over a three-piece suit and mixed his colors in the trunk of his car so that his helpers could not learn his secrets. He was prosperous enough to buy a new car every year during the Depression, and he and his crew travelled from San Antonio all over the country to create such wonders as a grotto lined with conch shells in Port Arthur, Texas, a 19th-century mill with a 10,000-pound concrete waterwheel in North Little Rock, Arkanas, and a cemetery ornamented with Biblical landmarks in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rodriguez's skill with concrete and color enabled him to create unique environments in the 19th-century rustic tradition that rank with Sam Rodia's Watts Towers and Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain. This wonderful book will appeal to anyone interested in rustic architecture, folk art, visionary environments, or just plain whackiness.
Going Beyond the Ordinary in Nature Photography / / 2000-09-28
George Lepp knows nature photography. As the tech guru for OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER magazine and the editor of THE NATURAL IMAGE, he is also a skilled communicator. For those who know their way around a camera and understand the basics, this book is an excellent reference for going out and doing something photographically unique. Lepp's writing style is clear and his photographic illustrations are excellent. Want to try acquarium photography? Photograph mammals in the field? Work with controlled animals? Do something unique with photographic design elements? Try aerial landscapes? Learn how to photograph flying birds? Or make the most of fall colors? All this and more is here. After exploring the excellent techniques in this book, you can try your hand at more great photo topics in Lepp's first volume. The chapters stand independently of each other, so you can read them in any order, or read volume two before the original volume. The same clear teaching techniques that come across in Lepp's seminars and workshops are also in both of these books. Highly recommended.
I wrote this book with priorities in mind. First I should let you know that I was a full time emergency medical services provider (EMT, Paramedic and related instructor) for over 20 years and have been a law enforcement officer for over 15 years. I now work full time as a conservation officer. Hobbies have included flying, camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing and photography. The photography expanded to a business that now includes writing. With all of that mentioned to give something about my background, I will mention that my first priority with this book is to save lives. The most important life saving skills and preventative measures are basic. This book covers them.
The reader should have, upon completion of reading this book, a knowledge of what to do or what not to do to prevent "situations" from happening and if they do happen, how to correct them.
Other priorities I had when writing this book were to inform the reader how to choose equipment germane to nature photography and protect it as well as make the photographer safe and comfortable. I have included information on supports, bags and vests, clothing, "gadgets," safety issues, survival skills, and emergency medical care and much more.
Other issues discussed are how to find and get close to wildlife and how to use resources that are out there.
Thank you for considering the purchase of my book.
Some of the skills in this book I hope you will use freqently and some I hope you will never have to....Ralph LaPlant
I am the author of this book / / 2000-10-05
I wrote this book with priorities in mind. First I should let you know that I was a full time emergency medical services provider (EMT, Paramedic and related instructor) for over 20 years and have been a law enforcement officer for over 15 years. I now work full time as a conservation officer. Hobbies have included flying, camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing and photography. The photography expanded to a business that now includes writing. With all of that mentioned to give something about my background, I will mention that my first priority with this book is to save lives. The most important life saving skills and preventative measures are basic. This book covers them.
The reader should have, upon completion of reading this book, a knowledge of what to do or what not to do to prevent "situations" from happening and if they do happen, how to correct them.
Other priorities I had when writing this book were to inform the reader how to choose equipment germane to nature photography and protect it as well as make the photographer safe and comfortable. I have included information on supports, bags and vests, clothing, "gadgets," safety issues, survival skills, and emergency medical care and much more.
Other issues discussed are how to find and get close to wildlife and how to use resources that are out there.
Thank you for considering the purchase of my book.
Some of the skills in this book I hope you will use freqently and some I hope you will never have to.
Ralph LaPlant
Help Has Arrived / / 2000-06-05
Where was this book when I needed it? While photographing outdoors, I have had hypothermia, heat stroke and dehydration. Twice I have been hopelessly lost. This book does an excellent job of zeroing in on issues for outdoor photographers -- and that means a combination of outdoor photography and survival skills. The authors clearly are very knowledgeable about their subject. The book is well-organized and well-written. It even gave me new ideas to try and included other helpful resources. Don't leave the paved trail without this book!
This slim volume includes brief and elementary advice on equipment and film, composition, and exposure. Despite its title, it includes very little advice about dealing with nature as a subject.
The 114-page book includes 38 full-page or near-full-page photographs along with the photographs on most other pages. This reader would have been happy with more smaller photographs and much more useful text. Also, while there are some fine images in the book, there are many surprisingly weak ones which seem more than artistically or subjectively out of range - they look like amateur snapshots.
In its favour, this book offers a simple and accessible introduction to the elementary basics of composition. It also offers more examples than many better books do of a few of the topics being discussed. For example, a discussion of eliminating clutter from a frame has three large photographs of the same subject illustrating the topic.
However in the end I can't recommend this to anyone other than rank beginners in photography. Many of the elementary ideas in the book are found other beginner's guides and magazine or web articles. The purported subject of this book - nature photography - is far better introduced and illuminated in books by John Shaw and Tim Fitzharris, and in stunningly-beautiful books by Niall Benvie. Many of these books, too, offer much of the basic advice found in this book, and are a smarter buy.
A Beautiful, Insightful Photography Book for All Levels! / / 2000-08-29
Judy is a magnificent and insightful photographer and teacher. One of the world's foremost outdoor photographers and certainly the best woman in her field. Her images are beautiful and her dignified teaching methodology is understandable, down-to-earth, and inspiring to amateurs and experts alike. There is something here for everyone. Her powerfully beautiful animal portraits and landscape images by themselves are worth the the price of the book--the descriptions of how each image was made is the frosting on the cake. Enjoy!
Really inspirational for either film or digital shooters / / 2010-09-09
I bought this a few years ago and loved it - still do. He really knows how to make the art and the creative part of photography come alive. The way he writes makes you realize that he loves his photography and he tells you how to add life to your own photos. Really inspirational. I just got his newest Boyd Norton's Outdoor Digital Photography Handbook and it's equally good, but in a different way. (His tips on digital work in the field are great with some information I had never thought of.) The two books compliment each other. I'm a fan - can't wait for his next one.
how to book for photographers / / 2009-11-14
This book is a film based book, and while there is some solid information, it is outdated in this digital age.
For beginners, not advanced amateurs and professionals / / 2004-06-13
The sub-title of the book says "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional." Hardly. This is simply one of many generalist photography books geared to beginners and "non-advanced" amateurs. Don't expect to find anything that isn't in dozens of similar books. The photos are average, and aren't helped by the lacklustre quality of the printing.
Great book / / 2003-11-26
Great book that teaches a lot about "outdoor photography". Equipment, interesting technigues, locations, and many other topics are explained with many examples. I am mostly interested in landscape photography and found many advices very usefull. Highly recomended.
Great book - very helpful / / 2003-01-13
This is the most helpful photo book I have ever seen! The illustrations are superb, with helpful captions. Moreover, it's good for beginning levels despite what the subtitle says. I highly recommend it. Worth every penny. Also a great gift for other photographer friends.
/ 2010-06-14
/ 2009-04-07
/ 2001-09-24
