paul bousquet photography

Making The Print: Printing Techniques for the Digital Photographer by Martin Bailey

Martin Bailey, THANK YOU! This is the book I have been waiting for a long time. Many of the the previous discussions or technical posts I have seen on printing in my opinion have been overly complicated and simply have left me with the feeling of never wanting to go down that path. The result was that I avoided buying a printer and sent my prints to one of the popular processing labs. But I have always felt I was missing part of the creative process of producing a piece of art that could be held, hung up or passed around. Part of this feeling of artistic emptiness traces back to my admiration of watching a video of Ansel Adams in his dark room manipulating his prints with the chemical process and dodging and burning technique that goes along with it. I never really experienced the film and print development process first hand, my limited film related skills were confined to loading and unloading loading film and then sending it off to a lab.

But something finally pushed me to buy my first printer and this makes the timing of the eBook release of Making The Print downright spooky. As I begin the review of Making The Print, my first printer, an Epson Stylus Photo R2000 is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. So I guess I ignored Martin’s first piece of advice of not buying a printer until after reading the book. That’s okay, I feel like I have overcome an obstacle of avoiding printing at all cost by finally pulling the rigger on a printer purchase. I will just have to utilize the rest of the book’s advice to get be going in the right direction as I move forward.

The first part of the book is devoted to getting on the road to printing very quickly with some basic foundations that will hopefully improve the look of your images right out of the box, or at least if you are just starting, to get you comfortable with a basic process. Martin shares some tips on selecting your first printer or upgrading from what you currently have and also provides some basics on paper selection.

Martin has plenty of quick tips for folks who are just getting started in the process of printing including basics such as setting your monitor’s brightness appropriately and how to take advantage of the software you currently have to make sure the settings will provide you with the greatest chance of getting a good print out of your printer. Examples are provided with Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop to help you better get a handle on such things as shadow and highlight adjustment, sharpening and printing profiles to name a few.

Part two of Making The Print is about going deeper into the details of gaining success with your printing. Here Martin talks about getting into the nitty gritty details of color management including performing your own color calibration throughout the entire process (monitor and printer/paper combinations). This is not for the feint of heart and I think Martin has cleared this process up a bit with a clear description of steps to be performed with a couple of alternative devices he recommends for the process. He also touches upon the camera calibration as well for the ultimate complete color managed loop for your workflow. Color proofing is also demonstrated with a walk through and in fact Martin mentions in a note the fact that the latest Lightroom beta 4.0 includes this capability.

Next Martin provides a clear discussion on paper type and what to look for in choosing fine art paper and also why you may want to start smaller before going for that large format printer.

This next section is probably my favorite of the book: Gallery Wraps. Martin goes into depth on how to take advantage of your printer to create beautiful gallery wraps yourself. This includes getting the print made just right with respect to dealing with borders, resizing and sharpening. Martin also provides details with illustrations on how to handle the canvas and mount it properly using the stretcher bars. This section I find is one I will definitely attempt since I have spent a great deal of money on procuring canvas wraps in the past.

There is also a nice section to help you prepare for an exhibit and what techniques you could use to perhaps make the process of producing a set of prints more efficiently and economically.

I mentioned Ansel Adams earlier as an inspiration which has always driven me to print my own work and Martin has a nice quote that wraps this review up for me, “Ansel Adams would have loved what is available to us now and it’s just going to get better and better!”

You can save $1 off the price of Making The Print by using the PRINT4 code at checkout or use PRINT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 + PDF eBooks from the Craft and Vision Collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm(PST) on January 21, 2012.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to get $1 off while picking up a copy of Making The Print.

Essentially this is a very well done packaging of blog posts (plus some new content) from throughout the year at The Pixelated Image, David duChemin’s well visited and nicely informative site. It is also a great place to get involved with discussions centering around improving your photographic vision and thus making better photos. This ebook is a great opportunity for those of you not familiar with David’s work to get caught up on his writings for the year and learn more about his efforts to help us focus on photographic vision rather than gear.

You can save $1 off the price of Vision Is Better II by using the VIB4 at checkout or buy the Vision Is Better Bundle which includes the original Vision Is Better book and Vision Is Better II by using VIB7 saving $3. These codes expire on December 21 at 11:59pm (PST).

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of Vision Is Better II

Making Light Advanced Use of Off-Camera Flash by Piet Van den Eynde

Where Making Light left off, Making Light II picks up nicely and continues the journey to mastering the concepts of off camera flash. Piet quickly takes you beyond sync speed and introduces the concept of high-speed sync, Hypersync and working with multiple flashes. What I found extremely interesting were the many example images with various configurations and setups and the resultant image.

Whenever I hear the use of Elinchrom units, I have immediately skipped the conversation thinking these units and their use are strictly for the pros. But with the availability of rentals and the clear explanation in this book, advanced amateurs are clearly able to conquer this fear.

Along with the topic of gear that produces the light, Piet also covers in depth the modification of light by the description of modifiers such as grids, snoots and softboxes to name a few.

There are some really good tricks in this book too. But the best part of the book in my opinion are the ten case studies that take all of the tips and gear described in the first part of the book and Making Light I and put them to use in ten situations where flash will make the image stand out.

And if all of this is not enough, Peit also provides interviews with four Belgian Photographers who share their thoughts and some of their images to highlight what flash management can do for your images.

Enough said, this is a very good follow up to the frist off camera flash book and is highly recommended.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code MAKINGLIGHT4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Making Light II for only $4 OR use the code MAKINGLIGHT20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST October 24, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of Making Light II.

The Inspired Eye, Volume 3 by David duChemin

Well for this ebook I am doing something different & risky. Rather than write some verbose review of the the Inspired Eye, Volume 3 I will take some risk and use a Wordle to hopefully drive home what this book is all about. If you want a book discussing which gear to buy or what plug-in to purchase for your software tool, then move along this is not it. However, if you want to think about and learn what excites you and inspires you about your photography, then grab the book. Okay, here is my first Wordle ebook review:

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code EYETHREE4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Inspired Eye, Volume 3 for only $4 OR use the code EYETHREE20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST September 24, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of The Inspired Eye, Volume 3 or any Craft & Vision ebook.

Making Light by Piet Van den Eynde

Finally a book that will help me understand the basics of off-camera flash. I have tried to dabble in plussing up my capabilities with respect to using flash in the past, but with little to no positive results.

Examples show you clearly what a difference and improvement to your images can be gained by adding just one off-camera flash into your technical toolbox. References are made to both Canon and Nikon flash units as well as suggestion on what features and accessories to look for in a basic flash setup without breaking the bank.

I have only read thru this book once, but already I feel some mental blocks regarding flash photography have been broken down for me. I do think this book will require multiple readings to not only grasp the basics as outlined, but to also put into practice and experiment with what works for you.

I am glad to see that Craft & Vision is delving a bit more into the technical aspects of photography, especially one that I feel is challenging to many photographers. I don’t necessarily want to this to be the sole focus of the Craft & Vision books, but I think it is important to cover since it can really make a difference in image quality.

I’ve never been tempted to print out one of the Craft and Vision books, but this may be the first. While I rely on using my iPad to refer to my photography books, I can see a hardcopy of Making Light as a nice reference tool to put in you camera bag when needing a refresher for those times when needing to make those flash enhanced shots.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code LIGHT4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Making Light for only $4 OR use the code LIGHT20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 21, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of Making Light.

Andes by Andrew S. Gibson
THE PRINT AND THE PROCESS SERIES

Andes is a photographic journey that tells a story which is something I truly appreciate. The story may be different for each person who reads the book, but I’m sure Andrew Gibson does not mind that. We all take away different lessons or nuggets of information when we read a story or watch a movie.

This story revolves around Andrew’s travels in the Andes and presents many interesting images from those travels. Backing up those images, Andrew reflects on his interactions and observations visiting foreign lands and also provides some useful travel tips as well.

It is also interesting to see within this story, Andrew’s transition from film to digital cameras as he talks about that change and his use of prime lenses. For kicks, I decided I would try to see if I could tell which photos were taken with film and which with digital. GIve it a shot before you read the details in the process section.

Andrew says he wrote the book for dreamers and hoped it would inspire people go out and live those dreams, experience life where you live it and where others live it and make your own story. I would say that Andrew has succeeded here in providing that inspiration to others.

One tiny gripe I have with the book is the small text in the newer layout (NOTE: This probably has more to do with my aging eyes than anything else). While the layout is attractive, I find the text a bit tool small to read on my iPad with a full screen view, but is perfectly readable on my laptop. Fortunately, Goodreader, my preferred PDF reader of choice for the iPad does have a feature that allows you to set a crop area enabling zoomed in viewing mode for easier reading, although it does ruin the beautiful layout including some of the images which extend to the edge of the page. That tiny gripe aside, I highly recommend Andes.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ANDES4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Andes for only $4 OR use the code ANDES20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 6, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy of Andes.

A Deeper Frame by David duChemin
CREATING DEEPER PHOTOGRAPHS & MORE ENGAGING EXPERIENCES

A Deeper Frame not only talks about depth, but also delves further into applying technique to improve your craft and making your images more interesting. In previous books by David duChemin, he has stressed the importance of vision in creating our art. This book builds upon that by taking the topic of depth and shows how we can use it to express the vision we are trying to create.

While this book may be shorter in length than some recent Craft and Vision releases, it provides much more material for the reader to contemplate and put into action. I liken this book more as a mini-workshop or course in that David provides the reader with the concept of depth and challenges the reader to put some effort into making their own images with more depth.

David explains what is meant by depth and provides examples of shooting a scene flat and with depth. His discussion touches upon perspective, optics, focus, color, light, and emotions and how each one of these can provide the image with depth thus making it more engaging to those looking at. He also illustrates how thinking about depth while using the rule of thirds can be beneficial and illustrates this.

Photography is a craft and requires us to continuously improve and this book certainly does that. Within the book David provides some creative exercises for us to not only grasp the concept of depth, but also how we can practice it while creating an image both in our heads and through our cameras.

Not only do I recommended this book, but I HIGHLY recommend you check out the fantastic offer being made on a 12 Craft and Vision books with a super discount code being offered. This is a fantastic way to stock up for your summer reading and help with improving your skills as a photographer.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code DEEP4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of A Deeper Frame for only $4 OR use the code DEEP20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection.

“The DEEPER” Blow-out Offer
Craft and Vision is offering their deepest discount ever! 12 eBooks for $40. That’s about 34% off the already ridiculous price. That’s $3.33/book! Fill your shopping cart with 12 ebooks and use discount code DEEPER12 to get $20 off! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST July 2, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy or use DEEPER12 for $20 off a 12 pack.

1/18/2011

Winter in the Canadian Rockies - Print & Process by Darwin Wiggett

Whether you are going to the Canadian rockies or your local sate park this book will provide you with useful information in preparation for your trip. I recenly went to the one of our local state parks in Massachusetts and I must say I had wished I had read this book earlier. Venturing out in the cold weather can hamper your photography if you have not equipped yourself with the necessary tools to stay warm, comfortable and safe. Darwin walks through his routine to prepare for such trips and mentions what works for him in dealing with the cold temperatures.

Some of my favorite photographs from this book really bring home the technique of including a foreground in your landscape photos. Not just any foregrounds, but beautiful winter settings including ice like I have never seen before. Darwin takes you through some of his techniques and describes what gear he uses in the field to get an image as correct as possible without the need of much post processing.

Here is a description from the folks at Craft And Vision:

Winter in the Canadian Rockies by Darwin Wiggett is the newest ebook to the Craft & Vision library and the latest in the Print & Process series. Darwin captures the spirit of Canada’s most striking mountain range in this monograph of breath-taking landscapes. Photographers of all levels, and geographic persuasion, will find inspiration and insight in this beautiful body of work, and the accompanying discussions, that spans nearly 3 decades.

Darwin discusses in detail the joys and difficulties of working in the cold to capture the abstract and artistic beauty of this magical place. What could be better during these winter months than a great photographer and teacher like Darwin sharing his warm fondness for the coolness of winter?

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ROCKIES4  when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Winter in the Canadian Rockies for only $4 OR use the code ROCKIES20  to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 22, 2011.

Click here to visit the Craft and Vision bookstore to pick up a copy