Rangefinder Magazine
December 2005

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Holiday Books to Give & to Get Editorial Staff
Topics From Technique to Technical to Beautiful

BEST OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING Bill Hurter (ISBN 1-58428-168-5, Amherst Media, $29.95, 128 pages) In this book, Rangefinder editor Bill Hurter shows you how the industry’s most acclaimed professionals design lighting that makes the most of every scene or subject. Packed with practical tips and truly dazzling images, this book will inform and inspire.

From the book’s introduction: “Light is the key raw ingredient of photography. ‘Photography’ comes from the Greek words ‘photos’ (light) and ‘graphien’ (to draw—to draw with light). As important as a keen eye or artistic sensibility, a well developed knowledge of how lighting works and how best to exploit light accounts more for the consistent ability to produce fine photography than any other factor.” (www.amherstmedia.com and www.billhurter.com)

WIDE ANGLE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GREATEST PLACES (ISBN 0-7922-3913-X, National Geographic Books, $30, 504 pages) Capturing a dazzling variety of scenes from every corner of the planet, this book is as panoramic as its title suggests—a superb collection of landscapes, cityscapes, familiar views and remote or unknown vistas. Delving deeply into a picture archive that houses over 10 million images, many being published for the first time, this new book—the third and final in the “greatest photographs” series—presents the world’s amazingly diverse places with epic grandeur, unparalleled intimacy, romantic beauty, and gritty realism. The photos showcase the work of 120 photographers spanning more than 11 decades.

Each chapter depicts a unique geography and is introduced by award-winning cultural writer and critic Ferdinand Protzman. (www.nationalgeographic.com/books/)

DIGITAL IMAGING FOR THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER by Jack and Sue Drafahl (ISBN 1-58428-167-7, Amherst Media, $39.95, 224 pages) Learn how to perfect your underwater digital images with Adobe Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) and share them with friends around the world

Jack Drafahl and Sue Drafahl are a husband and wife team of professional undersea journalists, lecturers and multimedia producers. They have written over 500 articles, which have appeared in, amongst others, Petersen’s PhotoGraphic, Rangefinder, Photo Lab Management, Outdoor Photographer, and National Geographic. Sue holds a BA in Photographic Communication; Jack holds a Masters degree in Photographic Education. They have patented two inventions related to underwater photography. Both Jack and Sue teach seminars worldwide on all aspects of photography, both on land and underwater. (www.amherstmedia.com)

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 ONE-ONONE by Deke McClelland (ISBN 0-596-10096-5, O’Reilly Media, $39.95, includes DVD-ROM, 475 pages) As digital cameras become increasingly accessible, the need to enhance and manage digital photos grows—sparking a growing generation of digital darkroom enthusiasts. “Folks can do so much more with their digital photos than they think possible,” states author Deke McClelland. “Happily, the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, CS2, is the best upgrade I’ve seen in the past five years. The possibilities are endless.” In this book McClelland applies his winning formula for learning new techniques.

Each lesson begins on the DVD-ROM with a 10- to 15-minute high-definition video clip introducing key concepts. Readers will be inspired as they work through self-paced tutorials learning new techniques to transform and reshape personal projects. (www.oreilly.com and www.dekemc.com)

PHOTOSHOP RETOUCHING COOKBOOK FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS by Barry Huggins (ISBN 0-596-10030-2, O’Reilly Media, $29.95, 174 pages) Photoshop is the digital artist and photographer’s premier choice for editing and manipulating digital photos. With the mounting interest in digital photography, the demand for practical guidance and expert techniques, tips and solutions—recipes for success, if you will—continues to grow. O’Reilly delivers all of this in its beautifully designed, visually stunning series, the Photoshop Digital Studio Cookbooks. Packed with images and information, the books provide everything the reader needs to retouch, create effects and more. With the books in this collection, the digital artist or photographer doesn’t need to be a Photoshop expert to succeed. (www.oreilly.com)

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY: ESSENTIAL SKILLS (3rd Ed.) by John Child (ISBN 0-240-51979-5, Elsevier, Focal Press, $29.95, 206 pages) This well-established title in the Essential Skills series has been updated to cover the latest photographic technologies, techniques and teaching styles. Offering a comprehensive foundation to studio photography, it also looks at digital capture in relation to film. An extended chapter is devoted to specific studio techniques with a section covering lighting interiors and exteriors on location.

Through a clearly structured learning approach, you will stimulate and express creative ideas using a wide variety of activities. The emphasis is highly practical and focuses on technique and design in the areas of still life, advertising illustration, portraiture and fashion. This successful guide is an essential tool for those working in a controlled environment. (www.photographyessentialskills. com and www.elsevier.com)

ADOBE CAMERA RAW FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY by Rob Sheppard (ISBN 0-7645-9683-7, Wiley, $39.99, 345 pages) For Only is the series for creative professionals written by creative professionals. This, the first book, covers the cuttingedge Camera Raw file format and Adobe Camera Raw toolset, which allows serious digital photographers to achieve a tremendous level of control and creativity not possible with other file formats. Camera Raw provides unprecedented power over white balance, exposure adjustment, and sharpening after the photo is taken.This book brings a photographer’s perspective to working with Camera Raw, ensuring that every technical aspect will stay grounded in photographer’s terms. Written by Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer and PC Photo magazines, this book uses realworld, solutions-based techniques to illustrate color adjustment, noise removal, sharpening and more. (www.wiley.com)

APPROACHING PHOTOGRAPHY by Paul Hill (foreword by Roger Taylor) (ISBN 1-86108-323-8, Guild of Master Craftsman, Sterling Publishing, $29.95, 168 pages) Paul Hill’s seminal book of photojournalism is back, now revised to cover the most contemporary issues in photography, and more beautiful than ever, with bronze panels and lettering on the cover. The focus is on the images themselves, with abundant examples by some of the world’s finest practitioners.

The exquisitely designed pages feature Hill’s own works, of course, and also those of such greats as Victor Burgin, Fay Godwin, Emmett Godwin, Duane Michals, and Jo Spence. Hill tackles such basic but important topics as how the camera sees photographs and how to read them, and also analyzes contemporary attitudes to photography and the different approaches taken by a variety of photographers to a range of subjects. (www.gmcbooks. com and www.sterlingpub.com)

THE ANDES: AS THE CONDOR FLIES by Tui de Roy (ISBN 1-55407-070-8, Firefly Books, $35, 160 pages) Award-winning writer/photographer Tui De Roy was brought up in the Galapagos Islands and has traveled the Andes since she was a teenager. In this book she combines a poetic writing style and breathtaking photographs to give readers an intimate look at the diverse splendors of the world’s longest mountain range.

The Andes are geologically dynamic, still in the throes of formation and beset by sudden earthquakes and fiery volcanoes. Extending down the west coast of South America, they begin on the shores of the Caribbean and end amidst the storms and fogs of Tierra del Fuego. Gathered by De Roy over 25 years of travel, the photographs in this book capture the exceptional diversity of the Andes. (www.fireflybooks.com)

MOONAGE DAYDREAM: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND TIMES OF ZIGGY STARDUST by David Bowie (photographs by Mick Rock) ISBN 0-7893-1350-2, Universe Publishing, Rizzoli, $50, 314 pages) In 1972 David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars LP, catapulting him to rock stardom. It gave him a platform to present a fascinating stage persona, Ziggy Stardust. At that time, Bowie befriended famed rock photographer, Mick Rock, who documented Ziggy’s evolution. Bowie claims Mick Rock as the one photographer who saw him as he saw himself.

In Moonage Daydream, Bowie provides a fascinating personal account of his Ziggy era. Accompanied by the finest of Mick Rock’s vast collection of photographs of Ziggy, Moonage Daydream features many never-before-seen images. Equally intimate and sweeping, Moonage Daydream is a rock and roll tour-de-force and a monument to the phenomenon that is David Bowie. (www.rizzoliusa.com and www.mickrock.com)

BOTANICA by Howard Schatz (ISBN 0-8212-6173-8, Bulfinch Press, $60, 156 pages) In Botanica, award-winning photographer Howard Schatz puts an entirely new twist on the age-old tradition of depicting flowers in art. The flowers in Botanica emanate colors and textures so rich that you’ll be tempted to lift them off the page. Some of the close-up images are eye-popping in their extreme detail, while others are kaleidoscopic compositions of color.

From the exotic to the familiar, the flowers Schatz photographs have never looked quite like this. Their natural beauty shines on every page of this sumptuous, oversize volume. Schatz’s unique presentation and photographic style make this a compelling gift for both flower lovers and connoisseurs of fine photography. (www.twbookmark.com/arts and www.howardschatz.com)

LIFE ACCORDING TO MAUDE by John Lund and THE WISDOM OF IGGY by Bruce Curtis (photography by Sherry Brosnahan) (Maude ISBN 0-7407-5142-5, Iggy ISBN 0-7407- 5017-8, Andrews McMeel Publishing, $9.95 each) Paris Hilton isn’t the only shopoholic vanity queen turning heads this year. Meet Maude, the chocolate-loving, gossip-mongering, manicured cat in John Lund’s Life According to Maude. Befitted in earrings, hats, and pearls, this feisty feline prances through spas, salons, and bakeries while giving advice on how to get what you want and feel gorgeous. This cat is never afraid to tell it like it is!

Are difficult life decisions right ahead, and do you feel out on a limb? Take advice from the world’s only self-help reptile—relax and enjoy the view! Bruce Curtis and Sherry Brosnahan share a compilation of incredible photographs and sage advice in The Wisdom of Iggy. No other reptile has ever had so much fun! (www.andrewsmcmeel.com and www.johnlund.com)