41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Needs extensive revision..., February 26, 2005
This review is from: Adobe Photoshop cs: The Art of Photographing Women (Paperback)
First and foremost, this book is MUCH more confusing and difficult than it needs to be. I've been using Photoshop for ten years, dolling up model photography for about three, and have read extensively on the topics, so I'm far from a novice. But many of the step-by-steps in this book literally give me headaches after constant re-reads of trying to sort them out. The narrative is frequently simply unclear.
All due respect to the parties involved, but it needs a severe editorial pass from an objective eye. And perhaps a different "voice," that markets the book as "this is how Kevin Ames does it" rather than "this is how YOU ought to do it." I.e., the "Ames way," rather than "the BEST way." Because it really reflects how he's taught himself to work, moreso than surefire methods.
That said, the book is far from worthless. There ARE some good tips and tricks, and the narrow subject matter makes it refreshing (and even lovely) on a crowded shelf that tends toward redundancy. There's a good chapter on how to composite multiple shots into one portrait. (I had just finished a similar project of my own, so it WAS interesting to read someone else's take on it, and I found no flaw with his advice.) And some of the general workflow stuff is good reference/food for thought.
Perhaps that's the balance of this book in a nutshell: good when it's general, but frequently maddening in its specific long exercises. And I blame that on language, not the steps themselves. There's lots that's right about the book, but it reads too much like a first draft. For instance, the numbered steps would benefit hugely from headlines and parallelism. I.e., clearly delineate between "do this" and "here's why," rather than muddle the steps and explanations together broken up only by numbers.
BTW, just to get it off my chest, but there should be a LAW against featuring an example on the back of the book that is not illustrated within. There's a chapter on the "nostalgia pinup look" that's only barely relevant to the pinup shot on the back cover. Nothing at all about "nostalgia coloring," for example.
In a list of recommended reading, this would qualify as a "might read," but not yet a "must read." As this first edition, it probably has more unqualified value in its photography tips than the Photoshop guidance itself. If a second edition were to be proofed more objectively, it'd probably become a more solid and useful addition to the canon.
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62 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
visually appealing, but not the best tips, June 11, 2004
This review is from: Adobe Photoshop cs: The Art of Photographing Women (Paperback)
I almost bought this book at a book store after flipping its pages. It has great formating - good combination of diagrams, colored pages and filled with beautiful pictures of women.
BUT, if you read in detail and try to follow its tips, you'll find it go through many laborious steps to do simple things. There's a section on archiving that barely talks about how to archive efficently. THere is also a section detailing how you can retouch photo of a bikini clad girl to look like barbie doll. I find the final picture appauling.
There are also sections on how to trim thighs, remove facial blemishes etc. However, there is another book I owned called "Photoshop Restoration and Retouching" - by Katrin Eismann, that does a better job on retouching. I strongly recommend Katrin's book if you're a serious photographer. That book has a much wider range of tips and the steps are easier to follow.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly wonderful experience...., April 3, 2004
This review is from: Adobe Photoshop cs: The Art of Photographing Women (Paperback)
I wanted to write this note to thank you for your book "Adobe Photoshop CS - The Art of Photographing Women". It is phenomenal!
I have followed your writings in Photoshop User magazine, and have admired, and adopted, many of your techniques for retouching that Scott Kelby had included in his book on Photoshop for Digital Photographers. I have been looking forward to the release of your book and I have to say that the wait has been well worth it. I especially like the information you put forth on archiving the image files, your pre-postproduction and color correction actions. Your chapter on lighting, though, really inspired me. I was amazed at how much I learned from this chapter, even though I have been a photographer for the past 34 years. Your explanation, and illustration, of the process you went through in lighting the fashion photo was by far the best, and most informative I have ever come across. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of seeing light. I have to add that I have only begun to focus on fashion, portrait, and beauty photography the last couple of years; I have primarily been a nature photographer since I was 12 years old. Thank you so much for this book. I truly believe that it will help me move to the next level with my photography.
I look forward to putting your suggestions into practice, and continuing this incredible journey that is being a photographer.
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