Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book! Lots of Digital B/W techniques! Great for Beginners!, May 31, 2010
This review is from: Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques (Paperback)
I love this book!
Since the advent of digital, B/W has become a "choice" rather than a limitation. As a result a lot of creative thought has to go into making great B/W photographs.
As a beginner in this area of photography (especially in digital post-processing), I found this book was perfect in two aspects.
First, Harold Davis has a great way of explaining the intricacies of this art-form. It is easy to understand and follow things like
a) why would a particular picture be best converted to b/w
b) why would a particular composition work best in b/w
c) what are the various types of b/w compositions and which one would work best for a given object/person to be photographed etc
d) how to do HDR in B/W via multi-raw processing
It is a sign of a great master of an art that (s)he can convey his/her knowledge in a simple and easy to understand way. Harold accomplishes this in the book.
The second great aspect of the book are the photoshop steps. For a photoshop newbie like me, this book is a godsend as far as digital b/w is concerned.
Overall, I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to start their journey in, or enhance their understanding of Digital B/W.
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Weston Made Digital, May 10, 2010
This review is from: Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques (Paperback)
If you know beauty of the great black and white photographers of the twentieth century, Mr. Davis has for the first time made their vision available to the digital photographers of the twenty-first. As Weston said, "The camera should be used for ... rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh." As color photography is representational, black and white is "as it is." Mr. Davis knows the difference and explains how their vision might be yours.
Digital photography has always suffered in the realm of black and white. The most sophisticated digital sensors do not have the dynamic range of the photographic print. That is, the sensors are unable to detect at the same time the whitest of whites, the blackest of blacks, and the grays between. The classical photographers could tease out those variations with experimental photographic papers, homemade concoctions of chemicals, and innovative lab techniques. Only recently has digital post-processing equaled those same results.
In this seminal work, Mr. Davis explains, in a step-by-step, fully illustrated, style how the photographer with basic knowledge of post-processing programs is capable of obtaining those results. From ACR or Lightroom or Photoshop or specialized programs the perfection of the black and white image is explained. From simple procedures to the most sophisticated.
As the cherry on top, Mr. Davis finishes with specialized techniques such as high-key, low-key, toning, duotoning, solarization, and much more.
Black and white photography, as in those famous words, "try it, you'll like it."
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A primer on creative black and white - from conception to completion, June 4, 2010
This review is from: Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques (Paperback)
If you've seen some of Harold's long-exposure night images, you know the high level of expertise and creativity this West Coast photographer and educator brings to his work. This book is an extension of all that and a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in black and white digital photography. Beautifully illustrated, well-organized, and clearly presented, it allows the reader to follow a logical progression--from concept to creation to postproduction. I loved (and would even like to see more of) those examples where the reader is allowed to get inside the author's head (and heart) as a scene or challenge presents itself. He talks about creating abstractions out of elements or combinations of commonplace items by seeing behind preconceptions and focusing on things like shape and texture. Technical aspects of shoots are carefully noted, along with step-by-step instructions on how to pull the most out of these images through Photoshop and other specialized software. While he pays his respects here and there to black and white masters such as Adams and Weston, the book is more for converts who have already been mesmerized by the range of tones and singular beauty of classic black and white. One thing I might have wanted to see is at least some discussion about digital printing. High-quality, affordable inkjet printers have made the printing process a key element of the creative process for any serious digital photographer. Paper choices alone can dramatically impact the look and overall feel of an image. But Harold no doubt has all of that on a back burner for another book, which I anxiously look forward to reading.
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