Photography Books

I bought this as a gift for my borther-in-law and it was a huge hit. The photographs are staggeringly beautiful.

If you are not familiar with Franz Lanting's work this is an amazing first book to buy. It is full of stunning photos of a close approximation of the earth as it once was.

As has been said it makes a great coffee table book but is also a great addition to any library. For all the nature and photography enthusiasts out there, here is a great intro!

This book is very interesting. The pictures offer a very special vision of our planet.

This is a wonderful book! The photographs are simply stunning and the layout of the book is great. This is an excellent sample of Lanting's work.

Having followed Lanting's photo career since the origin of Nature Photographers of North America, we anxiously awaited his Life book and were not disappointed. Here is represented the beginnings of earth, after the Big Bang, and the geological results.

Excellent reading! Great explanation of lighting and exposure. Pictures were explicit in info. Love the book. Im a beginner and understand the writing well. Thanks!!!!

Love this series of books, having a lesson if you will, followed by an assignment. All of the books that I have seen give you a good level of detail to describe the underlying details without getting too technical and very well written.

Chris Bucher's Lighting-Photoworkshop book is a great guide for any photographer looking to learn understanding and controlling lighting in photography. It starts you off with the very basics of lighting and works you in to more advanced techniques. Anyone can take a picture, but understanding where your light is coming from and how to use it separates the good from the bad.
This book starts you off with the technical side of lighting so you can fully understand what you are doing. It then explains almost every lighting situation (a bright sunny day, an overcast day or even artificial lighting) you can encounter and how to use certain things to your advantage. It also explains specific examples from anything to nature to people photography. I found myself excited to try the assignments and apply them towards my photography.
As a graduate from the Brooks Institute of Photography, this book was a great refresher course in a lot of the lighting techniques I have learned. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to take their photography to the next level.

I own this book and "Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson". Both books are outstanding with regards to emphasis on Basic Exposure Techniques. Chris Bucher has provided plenty of illustrations, and wherever applicable he has commented on camera technique and ability of post processing to fix incorrect exposures. Plenty of systematic exercises to practice technique. Book is well-priced, and every enthusiast will benefit from a few tips. Very well priced. Must have for an amatuer...

Chris Bucher's LIGHTING PHOTO WORKSHOP tells how to use the camera to capture atmosphere and images through a better understanding of light's properties and how the camera works to incorporate it into special effects. From working with natural light to creating mood with artificial light, chapters use plenty of color photo examples - packing nearly every page - as they explain how light can be mastered. The author's commercial photography work lends a business approach to a guide recommended for any general photography collection.

This book is a wonderful "visit" to Abania. We visited there last year and fell in love with the people there. I highly recommend it.Very interesting!

Albania is a third-world European nation with dismal gray communist block buildings littering the cities, and more than 600,000 concrete pill boxes land studding its countryside and beaches. For the past fifty years, under the tyrannical dictatorship of the communist leader Enver Hoxha and his isolation from the rest of the world, the people of Albania have languished. After 50 years of no contact with the outside world what must the Albanians have thought when they awoke in 1991 to the fast-paced, competitive world of the 21st century?

Northern Albania (High Albania) is a totally different land than the South. High Albania is an intriguing part of the country that retains separate customs and identity. Marjorie Senechal interviewed scores of ordinary men and women with the intent of discovering who these people are, what have they been through, and what does the future look like to them. She invites the common people of Albania to talk candidly - and talk they do. Without the past fears of being beaten, jailed, or even killed for expressing their thoughts they now talk openly about their children, their work, their problems, their fears and even their dreams. Each interview is accompanied by portrait style photos. Stan Sherer has chosen B&W photography to capture the soul of this suffering country. Sherer does a commendable job in discovering both the ethos of these people and the beauty of this part of the country. His photos reveal a balance between the despair and backwardness of Albania, and the strength of will and hospitality that are found in its people .

The harmonious marriage of text and photos is divided into four chapters: ancient history, the past 100 years, the emerging present, and the hope for the future. In Albania it remains a daily struggle just to survive. Yet despite these difficulties, the traditional Albania toast - "Long life to your children" - is a cry for the future, a future of dreams fulfilled.

This book talks about life in Albania from an outsiders view, however it also introduces you to many citizens of the country, doctors, lawyers, farmers, students, etc. and allows them to speak to you in their own words. I found this very refreshing since many other books don't give you that personal connection to a country. The book is also filled with great pictures. Many Albanians are frustrated that the West has decried communism for so many years, yet now that that these countries have embraced democracy, they feel lost, they need help and don't feel that the international community has done enough. After reading this book, I am sure you will agree that a "Marshall Plan" should be implemented in the Balkans. I know this was mentioned during and after the bombing of Kosova.

A very well written and organized book. It describes this amazing country and its people in a very original and pleasant way. A must read.

This book is a definte highlight and must have for anyone intested in Ghegeria (North ALbania). Long Life to your children is an excellent book with fantastic literary content about the culture and way of live for many Malesores (Higlanders) of North Albania. Anyone interested in Gheg clan culture and the typical life of many North ALbanians will find this book of valuable isight. There are also many wonderful photographs throughout the book to accomapny the text and provide a picture of what the North of The Land of The Eagle looks like. Shume i Mire (Very Good). A definite item to have in your collection of Albania.

This superb collection shows now-gone buildings and architectural treasures of our beloved city's past. These remarkable black-and-white photos show famous vanished bridges, churches, buildings and arenas, including the Colesium (nominating site of four Presidents). The City's downtown and surrounding areas were rebuildt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, in the largest building boom in U.S. history. Wood gave way to brick, steel, and concrete - the fire led to strict building codes - and many structures rose as the city expanded from 320,000 people in 1871 to 3.4 million by 1930. Readers learn about our city's history, plus the valuable contributions from world-famous architects and planners like Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Miles Van De Roh, Mortimer Adler, and Daniel Burham. Today, many call Chicago the nation's architectural marvel - yet we also lost many famous structures as this superb book shows.

I'd have liked more photos of rail structures (Chicago was and probably remains the world's railroad capital), but it's a minor flaw. This is a superb book about a great city and its architectural past.

The well written story and photos of Chicago are great. It was amazing the number of outstanding architectural building that were built and torn down in such a short number of years.
Having grown up in Chicagoland during the 40' & 50's, I found myself depressed to see such destruction - only to be replaced by glass and aluminum boxes. Even efforts to save the outstanding and much beloved main lobby at the Chicago and Northwestern station failed in the name of the almighty dollar!

First of all...Mr. Lowe obviously has a deep rooted love for our wonderful city of Chicago. Most importantly...he is ensuring future generations and historians the ability to reference so many facts. This simply said...is an incredible work of love and a dedicated effort.
Thank You Mr. Lowe...my children's children will know what an important part that Chicago has played as our nation grew and prospered.

L. Curt Erler Author of "Southside Kid"

Stunning photos of a beautiful city. This book is truly a step back to a time when buildings were built to withstand centuries, although tragically these examples did not. Chicago has some of the most impressive examples of architecture in the country and this book is a powerful archive of not only what the city was, but what it is today. I wish there was a similar book on the buildings of Detroit, many of which are sadly slipping into oblivion.

There is much to enjoy here even if one does not have a special interest in architecture. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I especially liked the photo of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (p. 79) which occurs in the formerly Polish neighborhood that I grew up in. I also enjoyed the old maps of the Chicago area from the 1600's.

I bought this book for my brother as a gift and he was thrilled! He loves the artwork of Roger Dean and owns another book of his art, which is falling apart. Thanks for the great service and good condition of the book!

great collection of Roger Dean's artwork... if yer a Roger Dean art fan this book is a must have if you can still find one for sale.

I met artist Roger Dean after being invited to an exhibition of his art in San Francisco, 1991. I had long admired, no, worshipped his art in the release of "VIEWS", the 1st collected work devoted solely to the Dean brothers, Roger and Martyn. The color schemes combined with the visions of alternate landscapes of exploded planets and truly wondrous terrains have become iconic landmarks in the art world. It is a vision so deep, it is often hard to fathom, and evokes the seldom used Japanese phrase, Yugen! The work is unmatched anywhere else. The artist is as warm and human as anyone I've ever met, and one hopes for their continued success. He is currently designing communities in his vision in the UK named "Willowwater", and has done much art for the Prog scene in Penn; "Nearfest", if you are looking for other printed examples of his work.

Magnetic Strom continues the record started in "Views," documenting the ongoing work of Roger and Martyn Dean. There's lots of Roger's famous artwork, album covers for Yes, Asia, and others. This also features the stage sets for Yes tours - amazing fantasy constructions, even more amazing for the rigorous demands imposed by the need for easy transportation and setup. It even shows some of the Deans' experiments in biomorphic architecture. There are also some covers from books that the Deans' Paper Tiger published, including some that I still enjoy.

This collection appeals to anyone who remembers those times, who enjoys fantasy art, or who likes to see the breadth that creative minds can span. Enjoy!

//wiredweird

The Dean brothers are 2 of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. Roger has designed many of Yes and Asia's album covers (Drama, Yesshows, Asia, and Alpha are all featured in this book!), designed tour posters and booklets for other major rock bands and contributed on the Album Cover Album books. His brother Martyn has designed many of Yes' stage sets (Topographic Oceans, Drama, and Relayer) and has acted as Yes' photographer both for album shots and on tour. Together and seperately, Roger and Martyn have also worked on animation, video games, architecture, and an invention of Martyn's which is called a retreat pod (sort of like a futuristic sleeping bag with the options of an entertainment center!). I'd like to see this gem back in print and see a 3rd volume where Roger and Martyn have left off since this was published.

the first
a visual street photography book of new york city
my winnogrand's work set the standard
this is a great coffee table book

I recently took a class in street photography at New York's ICP and Winogrand's work is something I could never even hope to approach. Some of his images are startling, you feel like the crowd is STILL headed right at you and that you must somehow get out of the way. He was fearless in the street and this collection proves it.

Gary Winogrand was the type of photographer who had a very itchy camera trigger finger. When he died he left behind around 10,000 rolls of undeveloped film. If it moved he photographed it. Did he shoot so many good pictures simply because he took such an unbelievably large number of them, i.e. if you take a million shots aren't you bound statistically to get at least a thousand good ones? Good question, yet GW is one of my favorite people. If you like street photography with insight and humor he is almost unbeatable. These are candid portraits that catch people gawking, staring, laughing, having fun, showing pain, and often being oblivious to everything around them. Gary was not shy; he thrust his camera right into people's faces, and caught them in off guard moments. A man crawls along a sidewalk unnoticed by a group of American Legionnaires. Another man walks nude through a crowd without attracting much attention at all. Another man walks through a crowd carrying an immense poster of the Beatles. Why is he doing this; where is he going? A man with a bandaged nose stares strangely at his female passenger as he drives along. Is he angry with her or is he perhaps lusting after her. You decide.

It takes you forever to get through this book as you sit and look at each picture for a long, long time. How revealing are the faces, the postures, and the gestures; each shot prompts you to weave a story around the captured event. Winogrand seems to be made up of equal portions of Elliott Erwitt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, and Andre Kertesz (if you are unfamiliar with any of these folks, and you like Winogrand, you had better check them out). The saddest thing is that almost all of Winogrand's books are out of print. This is a breathtaking collection of his work.

As far as I know, this is the only in-print book of Winogrand's photography available. For me, relatively young and new to photography, I am thankful for the opportunity to see some of his photos. They are a revelation. Even a cursory first glance through the book, I was struck at the complexity of the scenes photographed. These photos speak volumes, though I'm not sure what it is they say. In fact, the attraction of these photos lie in their mystery. Repeat viewings will reveal more nuances...so many layers emerge that interpretations will get lost in themselves. Well, that is TRUTH.

Regretfully, the printing quality of this book stinks. The duotone curve they used for this book is all messed up. Many photos end up looking like sepia prints rather than a black and white print. There are few pure, deep, dark blacks in the book. Instead you get this black-brown color which is really ugly and does a disservice to GW's work. True, Winogrand himself said "anyone who can print a photo can print my work" downplaying the importance of the printing process. And while the poor reproductions in this book does not take away from the strength of the photos, I still find it annoying and most of all...UGLY. All I can hope for is another book of Winogrand's work to be published. With all his millions of negatives, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

This book is worth reading by every person loving cities, not just photograph-lovers. A book so real, you feel you are walking through a cith while flipping the pages!

This is an awesome book for any Marilyn Monroe fan - hundreds of amazing art images, most rarely seen. There was a time in the 20s and 30s when movie stars were not photographed for magazine covers but drawn by artists. MM missed that period during her life but she is now probably the subject of the work of more artists than any movie star before or since - many of these art works are to be found in this lavishly illustrated volume. Highly recommended!

Anyone who loves the image of Marylin Monroe will enjoy its rendition by various artists in this book.

I am an artist in this book and recommend it to the fullest! Check out page 164.

Marilyn Monroe was an icon of our time. It is hard to believe that if she had lived she would have just had her eightieth birthday. And it's hard to believe that she has been dead for forty four years. She was only 36 when she died.

This book, MARILYN IN ART is a beautiful collection of drawings made of her by a wide variety of artists. In some cases she is cartoon like, others more like classical photographs. Each seems to manage to capture some essense of the woman. The art is combined with short quotes from a wide range of people who knew her, worked with her, photographed her or had some kind of relationship with her.

The book doesn't attempt to answer any of the questions about her death, it doesn't go into a psychological analysis of the likelihood of suicide. Instead it is a tribute to her, to her work, to the times she helped to create. And in this it is a great book. Perhaps the art shows more of the inside of Marilyn than photographs could. It's a book hard to put down, even after you've been through it once.

The book has finally reached me and waiting for it was well worth it. What a great feeling to see some of my art work in it! A lot of the art works published in it is truly beautiful and there is everything to fit all tastes! What a pleasure it is to see some friends' paintings: William Davies, Albert Leonard, Mary Belzunce, Frederic Cabanas... Thank you to Roger Taylor for compiling such a superb book.A must for all fans!
Marc Gélis

I never dreamed a book about gardening could be so profoundly inspiring. The photographs are award winning quality but it is Amy Goldman's inspiring text that makes this book so remarkable. Your heartbeat will quicken as you search her seed sources for these little known melons. It will be hard to wait until next spring when you can "spring into action". The French will no longen be the only ones to enjoy the delights of these culinary treasures.

I planted Charentais cantaloupe seeds this summer and grew a dozen or so fruits along with the Moon and Stars watermelon. Both of these melons are antique varieties, so you won't find either in most supermarkets. My grand children told me the Moon and Stars watermelon were "sweeter than the `big ones'", meaning those purchased by the side of the road or their local grocery store.

One photograph in MELONS by Amy Goldman shows the Charentais filled with port wine and looking scrumptious. Goldman describes the melon as not very sweet. I ate the Charentais melons myself and found them quite rich, but not terribly sweet.

The photo of a Charentais cantaloupe half filled with port wine pretty much informs you about the content of this book -- which is a pretty picture-book, not a gardening book. Don't get me wrong, I like lovely photos as much as the next person, and this book has plenty of them. However, I was looking for a gardening book and this book is not a "how-to" grow melons as far as I am concerned, but more of a "what to do with them after you have them in hand" (including looking at them). What I know about cantaloupe growing I have learned through trial and error and from other sources such as neighbors.

The one thing you may learn from this book is that most US consumers are aware of the existence of only a very few melons. Goldman wants you to know the world contains a diversity of these fruit. Some look like gourds, some like pumpkins and some like spaghetti squash. Goldman has included much anecdotal information about each of her featured melons. Even though it won't help me become a better melon grower, I am glad I bought the book, because it contains a wealth of information about a favorite fruit. BTW if you want gardening information about growing antique melons, get the Seeds of Change catalogue through their web site.

I'm a watermelon lover. I was drawn to the book by the cover photograph which teased of more melons to come. Each page is a feast for the eye and the palette. The photographs jump off the page. The writing conveys each melons' individual personality. I want to know more.

And, the recipes are spectacular. Especially the pickled watermelon rind.

if your into melons this book is well worth the money,the pictures or beautiful and the information is very informative but
to the point.

I bought the book in hopes of learning about various hard to find melons. This book has an amazing variety of melons but I fond it to be rather light on the amount of information provided to the inexperienced new grower.
You get several pages of tips on growing and harvesting (I don't think it's quite detailed enough for the novice), a page on saving seeds, two on hand pollination (these were interesting), and a couple of pages of recipes to use your harvest in.
The main part of the book is sort of art book like to me with a few pages of type histries and several pages of artistic photos of various melons. Each of the melon pictures is identified as figure#1-100, you'll find a corresponding section in the back of the book giving info on size, weight and so on. At the end of the book there's a source listing for places to get the seeds of some, not all, of what is shown in the book.

"Kristen Bjorn was born in London, England on 12 October 1957. He grew up in Washington DC and at the age of eighteen he left the USA, and lived in numerous different countries over the following seventeen years. Kristen started his career as a Falcon [Studios] model in 1981, and within two years later he became one of the foremost photographers of the male nude for several international publications. In 1989, Kristen released his first gay erotic video CARNIVAL IN RIO, which was filmed at his home base in Brazil. Over the past 10 years, Kristen has toured the globe, and has created some of the world's best gay erotic video in such diverse locations as Brazil, The Dominican Republic, USA, French Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Hungary, Cuba, and Costa Rica. His work can also be seen on his website www.kristenbjorn.com."--from Men of Kristen Bjorn (Paperback), ISBN 3-86187-676-0, © 2004 Bruno Gmünder Verlag (Editor & Publisher); photographs © Kristen Bjorn (Photographer), U.S.A., 2000

I innitially had difficulty to get this desirable item from Amazon through the custom (not to mention that they also lawlessly retained my TITAN MEN and KARL LAGERFELD BODYDANCE & WATERWAVE) but then... thanks to BOOKAZINE store chains in Bangkok and Pattaya! Fans of Bruno Gmunder Verlag books from Malaysia and Singapore can now enjoy a "delicious" selection in wide open display.

MEN OF KRISTEN BJORN is a satisfactory male photography collection to any worshipper of those dark, brooding looking GODs on earth. Every single precious page is lusciously printed and an upclose revealing to some of Bjorn's famous video stars. Seductive eyes. Deep, ethnic coloured hair and polished-like skin. Voluptuous arms and forechest. Thick, veiny and uncircumsized (plus a horse sized model) that is enough to leave you mouth wet.

Unpretentiously erotic, don't miss this noteworthy collectible print of goodness. (Also look up to the new, equally fascinating TASTE OF ITALY.)

Some of you may think that this book is a bit pricey.Well,let me dispel this notion for you.It is an excellent hardcover edition:120 full-color pages of thick,superb-quality paper,that is almost impossible to stain.My guess is that the paper could withstand several sloppy kisses without even the slightest damage.And there is no doubt in my mind that you WILL get the urge to kiss the pictures!If you are familiar with Kristen Bjorn's spectacular work and already love his choice of men,you will simply go crazy about this book!But even if you've never heard Kristen's name before (highly unlikely) or you are not very fond of latin men,the book will still leave you mesmerized.The men featured in this collection are all creatures of unparalleled beauty and masculinity.They are mainly South Americans with mixed ethnical origin (there is even an African American with blue eyes!),something that gives them a unique charm.(There are of course some of Kristen's Eastern European models as well.)But no matter their ancestry,the majority of them is tanned by the tropical sun in the most pleasing manner.And their exquisite bodies are the epitome of fitness and virility.From their big watery eyes and fleshy lips to their large pectorals and enticing nipples and down to their...sizeable genitals (mmm!),only one word can describe them:perfection!The overall atmosphere is enhanced by the spectacular tropical scenery in exterior shots or by the luxurious and aristocratic decor in indoor photos.One could think that the images are a bit "tame" compared to Bjorn's overwhelmingly arousing movies.But the photos in this book are not just stills from a movie.They stand as separate works and are very exciting on their own.So,if you like real men depicted in all their splendor and don't mind spending money for your passions,you should,by no means,miss this book!

These images of non-American men seethe with sensuality and vitality. If you let your imagine run wild, as it should, you should be able to flood your mind with fantasies that will satisfy for years. Woof.

In the depths of a dark, dank winter evening, these photographs of beautiful, swarthy men will bring you summer sunshine. When I see Kristen Bjorn models, I always wonder where he found them. Neither I nor anyone I have ever known has ever had a sighting of one of these gods in the flesh. If they were paintings instead of photographs, I'd swear they came from the artist's imagination.

For those familiar with Bjorn's books and erotic videos, this is just much more of a very good thing. Even if you prefer blonds-- and gentlemen do-- you'll change your mind after a run-through of these models ready for action. There's only one man here who could be classified as a blond. But there are lots of Latinos and black men-- and a few with that unique combination of black hair and blue eyes.

The models are posed at the beach, on mountains, on leather sofas, in the jungle, and the hooty cover shot with purple irises. My favorite photo is of two nude men with a view of Rio I believe in the background. All the photos are flawlessly composed and in glowing color. Several of the shots have 3 or 4 or 5 buffed men in them, all the same height, in keeping with Bjorn's vision of perfection.

A Falcon model, himself, before he went to the other side of the camera, Bjorn reminds of that and includes a color photo of himself, along with a short bio at the end of the book. He's every bit as handsome as the men he photographs.

this is a great book of photos. i have the original first addition big version of this book which has more pages and is bigger in size, so get the big one if you can. if you can't, get this small one because it has so many beautiful photos.

OK. This book is really magnificent. Alone the cover and the back cover are to frame. The Black Sitting is indeed breathtaking and belong on billboards.
However you want to be aware that there are different editions of this book. This one is a tiny hardcover edition, very small. I don't know why it was made. The regular one was a regular sized coffee table book, of around 10 inches height. It looks as though this may be out of print.

Simply put, Milton Greene's photographs, as a group, place him first among equals of the group of Marilyn photographers,some now dead and a fair number still alive (as of this date),whose work-along with, of course, her theatrical motion pictures-are all we have of this enigmatic and emotionally compelling figure, dead 42 years now.

This book is available both in a small pocket edition and in a larger coffee-table version, and each has its purpose, although most will prefer the bigger one.

Greene's relationship with Monroe differed from others in that he was also her business partner in Marilyn Monroe Productions, the company they formed that was one of the first serious assaults on the then-reigning Hollywood studio system. It gave MM the contractual withal to have much more control over the types of films she did, and the standards to which they would be made, and discretion over her actual work (an example being the provision that she did not have to film while periodic) than was generally the case at that time.

This also provided Greene with insight as to Monroe's thought processes and a great deal of interaction with her personal life, which photographers not so affiliated wouldn't have.

While there are many fine portfolios of Monroe by many very fine photographers-George Barris,Eve Arnold, Richard Avedon-Greene's,as a whole, stand out as capturing the Marilyn Monroe essence. No one image of his is iconic in and of itself-it's only in the aggregate that his work dominates. If you are only allowed one volume of Monroe, this clearly is the one to get.

We've seen enough pictures of Marilyn Morone, but this book unveils some of the rarely-seen backstage and real life pictures of Marilyn taken by her favorite photographer Miller Grenne. In addition to her normal sexy appearence, Marilyn looked natural, stunning and relaxed in these pictures. A must buy for Marilyn fans!

As the previous reviewers commented, I found this book to be a superlative photo album of one of America's foremost photographers. Mr. Green truly captured Marilyn Monroe's candid beauty. Green brought forth Monroe's innocence as well as her sensual and goddess like images through the lens of his camera. You see her playfully swimming and frolicking in a pool. You see her riding atop an elephant in Madison Square Garden, NY to help benefit Children's Charity. The closing photos in the book of her portrayal of Elsie Marina, in the Prince and The Showgirl and "Cherie" the "Chanteuse" in her first movie production of "Bus Stop" are memorable as well. I truly recommend this magnificent work for anyone who enjoys seeing a creative master photographer and the beautiful legendary Monroe.