By Joe Dolittle
In this all-new book review shootout, we put two books to the test. Read on to learn how Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition by Arnaud Frich, and The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow by Torsten Andreas Hoffmann stand up to our editorial review.
Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition
It has never been easier to make panoramas--both in terms of the new lightweight equipment and the spectacular quality of the final image output. New vistas concerning this unique way to see the world and express oneself abound in Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition.
Written by one of the world's pre-eminent panoramic photographers, the author, Arnaud Frich, the book provides diagrams to explain the technical details involved in various shots. Long on inspiration, you will find beautiful images by the author, as well as by Benot Ancelot, Franois-Xavier Bouchart, Franck Charel, Macduff Everton, David J. Osborn, and many others. Camera equipment examples and a list of suppliers make this book a valuable resource for all panoramic photographers. Inside you will find all the information you need to create your perfect panorama!
Connected Photographer's evaluation
This is another in the long series of exceptional beautiful photography books from Focal Press. Although the book provides many techniques, and a limited discussion of the gear, we longed for more specific cookbook examples and panoramic photo tricks, especially since a lot of panoramic photography is about the tools. The book also seemed to lack discussion of some of the newer high-tech algorithmic tools for creating panos, but it's still a wonderfully lovely book.
Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition by Arnaud Frich, published by Focal Press, is 184 pages and has a retail price of $29.95. We give Panoramic Photography: From Composition and Exposure to Final Exhibition a rating of 4 out of 5.
RATING: 4 STARSThe Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow
Over the last few years, most books on photography emphasized explaining the new breed of cameras and how to master the digital imaging workflow. In The Art of Black and White Photography, Torsten Andreas Hoffmann takes a different approach, as he focuses on image composition and image capture, with an emphasis on the creative aspects of black and white photography, rather than on the digital workflow.
After introducing the ground rules of composition, the author illustrates their applications with various photographic genres such as architecture, street photography, portraiture, and surreal photography with his own stunning black and white images. In the second part of the book, Hofmann illustrates the elements of a photographic language , which distinguishes creative photography from random shooting. The final part of the book is dedicated to post-processing techniques, mostly in Photoshop (CS3), emphasizing the functions that are necessary for creating outstanding black and white images.
Connected Photographer's evaluation
Rocky Nook has blasted out of nowhere to become one of our favorite photography book publishers. This is no exception. This is a beautiful book, but some of the prints within the book appeared slightly blurred, like the book's printing process couldn't keep up with the dynamic range of the photographs featured inside. Still worth your money and a great addition to your photo library.
The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow by Torsten Andreas Hoffmann, published by Rocky Nook, is 272 pages and has a retail price of $44.95. We give The Art of Black and White Photography: Techniques for Creating Superb Images in a Digital Workflow a rating of 4 out of 5.
RATING: 4 STARS