Digital Photography for Creative Professionals: From Photo Shoot to Image Output [Paperback]

Lee Varis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

These pages are packed with solutions for integrating digital photography in all types of creative workflow - from compelling visuals that walk you through digitally executed projects to the pros and cons of each solution presented. Author Le Varis presents sure-fire ways to produce flawless images instantly.

Digital Photography for Creative Professionals is the first book to address the special concerns and challenges involved with shifting to the digital zone when clients are relying on you to deliver flawless imagery on time. Throughout this essential handbook, you'll find real-life solutions and expert advice from the pros who have been working digitally for years. They have broken down their processes for managing digital techniques in ways that assure a smooth workflow and top-end results your clients will love.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lee Varis is a photo illustrator, an expert in digital image technology, and owner and founder of Varis PhotoMedia. Involved in commercial photography for more than twenty-five years, his work has been featured in National Geographic, Fortune, and numerous trade publications. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction: The Changing Face Of Photography

Designers and photographers are currently facing the most significant enhancement to creative collaboration since the advent of Polaroids. Digital imaging technology is radically transforming commercial photography in ways that will have a profound impact on the work that designers and photographers produce and the methods by which that work is done. Designers have generally been more familiar with computers than photographers but that is rapidly changing as more photographers embrace digital technology in their work. The computer brings the disciplines of photography, design, and print production into a fluid amalgam of visual communication; the borders have blurred considerably.

The photographer must now be part designer, part separator, and part printer as well as part web developer. It is the same for the designer who faces a greater challenge in integrating the many diverse elements of a project in ways that satisfy the increasingly time- and cost-sensitive client. Direct digital image capture offers a way to achieve image quality faster and, in the long run, cheaper than traditional film-based photography. We have seen digital-capture applied in a ‘photo factory’ setting (catalog production, etc.) for at least the last five years. The resulting production benefits are widely acknowledged, but the new creative techniques that become available to designers on the photo shoot are perhaps the biggest incentive to adopt digital-capture.

Recently, the quality and resolution of digitally captured photography have made a big jump and the adoption of the technology by a new generation of creative artists has brought digital photography new respect as a creative tool. There is now a broader awareness of the benefits of digital-capture over traditional film-based photography, especially with businesses expanding into E-commerce and advertising on the Internet. Now, more than ever, it seems that you will ‘go digital or go home’! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564969762
• ISBN-13: 978-1564969767
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lee Varis is a photo-illustrator working in Hollywood. He has been involved in commercial photography for the last 30 years. He started working with computer imaging about 20 years ago and currently works with digital as well as conventional photography in conjunction with computer graphics to create images for use in print advertising.

Lee's work has been featured on movie posters, video box covers, CD covers, numerous brochures and catalogs. His creative imaging has been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek and Fortune magazines as well as trade journals like PDN, New Media, Micro Publishing News, PC Photo, Studio Photography, Rangefinder and Photo Electronic Imaging. Most of Lee's work starts off as photography that is manipulated in the computer using a wide variety of imaging software. Images are often re-combined with digital painting and effects or with additional photo elements to create digital images that transcend the original source materials.
Clients, art directors and fellow artists look for inspiration at Lee's web site:

http://www.varis.com

There he displays imaging work and a "Methods" section with practical imaging information.

Lee has also been involved with consulting and training activities for numerous corporate clients. He did two series of imaging seminars for Apple Computers that took him around the country to most of the major metropolitan areas and is currently active in seminar programs with PPA, APA and Julia Dean Photographic Workshops as well as a monthly "Photoshop for Photographers" workshop in Los Angeles.

Lee's latest book is 'Skin : The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies' with Sybex. This is a professional level how-to guide to all aspects of digital photography of people. The work offers intermediate and advanced Photoshop techniques as well as digital-specific photo techniques for digital photographers looking for the next level in expertise.

Lee wrote "Digital Photography for Creative Professionals" with Rockport Publishers in 2003. This is an examination of professional applications of digital photography for commercial graphic artists and art directors concentrating on workflow issues and creative solutions for graphics workgroups. He has also written articles for Design Graphics, PEI, PC Photo, Rangefinder and Digital Photo Pro.

As a fine artist, Lee has been working on a series of images based on the Tarot. Current progress on this project is on display at:

http://www.newmillenniumtarot.com

The future of imaging, and specifically photography, is clearly digital. Lee has a firm command of both traditional and digital techniques, giving him a clear advantage over the computer technician who is not equipped to make creative judgments and the conventional artist who lacks the skills necessary to realize the digital future.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overview of Professional Digital Photography Practice, December 2, 2001

By 

Lee Varis (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Photography for Graphic Designers: From Photo Shoots to Image Output (Paperback)

Just so there's no confusion, I am the author of this book. This book is written for the graphic industry professional. It is not a how-to book for the layman, though there are sections that outline specific techniques. The focus of the book is on professional applications of digital photography and how digital capture impacts the workflow of the professional graphic artist and art director. Digital photography affords a more collaborative environment for art directors, photographers and graphic artists in a commercial environment but there are many pitfalls due to the lack of the tangible point of reference that a physical piece of film provides. This book provides an overview of the types of professional digital cameras- their strengths and weaknesses. It examines resolution requirements for modern reproduction and gives details for the best practices in color control and communication between photographer, designer, prepress and printer. Real world examples from leading digital photographers from around the world highlight solutions that digital capture provides in commercial work. There is a special chapter on the "Politics of Color" that examines the potential problems in utilizing digital images with workgroups that incorporate separate professional agendas. Designers need this book to stay on top of the latest developments in digital photo methodology. Photographers need this book to get an overview of how digital photography integrates into a complete graphics workflow (many are buying copies of the book for their clients). Art directors need this book to learn about various creative applications that digital capture makes possible. Anyone considering a career in the graphic arts will want to read this book to learn about the future direction of photography in graphic design.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for designers, December 11, 2001

By 

David Bishop "A Happy Dad" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Photography for Graphic Designers: From Photo Shoots to Image Output (Paperback)

Even though there are many books as there are about digital imaging, none discuss in detail the relationship of designers and art directors with the process (and people) involved with creating digital images.
This book covers a great many of the complexities of digital imaging with a clear, casual style that does a great deal towards clearing up many misconceptions people have about digital photography. Not only does it cover that, but the book goes further into aspects such as pre-press, proofing, editing and printing, and and does so with a very enjoyable, non-technical narrative. Anecdotal writing, along with supporting photography (beautifully printed) helps lend creedence to this book. A necessary text for anyone in graphic design and/or advertising.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Digital Photography for Graphic Designers, December 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Digital Photography for Graphic Designers: From Photo Shoots to Image Output (Paperback)

This is a must have book for designers and photographers, especially designers of the old school who have been more then a little afraid of going digital and there are many out there. For the beginer designer, this book puts on the page what they will be told about the digital work flow as it exists today.
Lee Varis takes the reader on a digital ride explaining more then enough to get the reader to appreciate the digital workflow.