Customer Reviews

Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 (Outdoor Photographers)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most photographers will acknowledge that Ansel Adams was one of the greatest outdoor photographers ever. Many familiar with his theories and Photoshop will see a link between the Zone System and Levels and Curves. Now Rob Sheppard shows that Ansel's method of making adjustments to his photographs in the dark room was a forerunner of Photoshop Layers. Not only did Sheppard convince me of this, but he also convinced me that I ought to be using techniques that will adjust my pictures in the same way that Adams did, and Sheppard showed me how.

This book is a step beyond most Photoshop books. Very little time is spent teaching basic Photoshop tools and techniques. For that a photographer can go to many excellent books like "Photoshop for Nature Photographers" by Ellen Anon and Tim Grey. Instead, Sheppard concentrates on showing the user how to make subtle adjustments to good pictures to make them better. For example, he talks about adjusting the tones in a picture so that a background will be distract less from a main subject, or brightening a color to draw attention to it. He uses the modern equivalents of Adams' burning and dodging by using layers and layer masks. Moreover he places these techniques within a workflow that will be familiar to most Photoshop users.

Many of these adjustments are very subtle, but they will help to improve a good picture. Sometimes when you look at before and after reproductions of photographs in the book you may wonder if the printer made a mistake and printed the same picture for before and after. But close examination will show that subtle adjustments have been made that make the picture stronger. Moreover, while showing you the techniques, Sheppard also provides you with examples of the aesthetics of these adjustments that can serve as an inspiration for the reader's work.

Sheppard is no doctrinaire photographer. For example, he doesn't believe in setting levels in accordance with some rigid rule. Instead, he believes that the photographer should use levels to create a picture that will help to realize the photographer's vision. Or, as another example, he doesn't believe that once you've saved a master image that you've adjusted on a monitor, you can just send it to print for a good hard copy. Instead he believes that the image will probably require further adjustment when it gets on paper. And Sheppard is quick to say that there are many tools in Photoshop for which the photographer will have no use, and which may safely be ignored.

I can't emphasize enough that this is not a book for a Photoshop beginner. Instead it's aimed at photographers who know how to use Photoshop and want to go beyond a picture that is technically correct. And even though it's entitled "Landscape and Nature Photography" and draws its examples from those fields, photographers of other subjects will also find it useful.

If you are one of those photographers who believe there is only one true picture then this book is probably not for you. But if you realize that there is no such thing as a "true" picture; that the very act of transferring three dimensions into two makes the word "true" an anomaly; that as Picasso said "Art is lies that tell us the truth" than you will benefit from this book.

I have been using photoshop for several years, mostly to improve landscape and nature photographs. I have read and learned from numerous photoshop books. But applying the "techniques" of photoshop to the art of landscape and nature photography has been a process of trial and error. It has required using my eyes and artistic sense to figure out when different adjustments were appropriate and when they were not. But I have felt that a bit of guidance, a blueprint, would be useful. Not as a substitute for the artistic process, but to help facilitate it. This book provides that direction.

No book that I have read has spelled out the workflow, typical adjustments, and cautions-as they apply to nature and landscape photography- as well as this book does. No book that I have read about photoshop relates it to the roots of landscape photography and photography as an art form as well as this book did. This book tells you what typically needs to be adjusted in nature and landscape photographs and tells you how to do it. The approach was refreshing and useful.

Yes other photoshop books go into some photoshop techniques in more depth, but not as they apply to nature and landscape photography specifically. This book may not be a substitute for what other books can provide, but it provides many things that no other book I have read has. Now I know what areas to study further, and to experiment with more, because this book provides a map. It also describes clearly exactly how to do things that need to be done to bring out the best in a nature or landscape photograph. It tells you what to do early in the process and what to do later. Many of the changes made to an image can be subtle, but each contributes to the final product. Rob Sheppard appreciates this.

For the nature and landscape photographer who uses photoshop I found this to be an excellent book. I found Rob Sheppard's approach and philosophy relevant to the photographer in me and even inspiring. It puts photography first, then describes what a wonderful tool photoshop can be in maximizing an image's potential. This is a very different approach from many books that describe everything photoshop can do without addressing the context for it's use.

Sheppard works through a series of photographs showing when, why and how to use the various Photoshop tools. Unlike most other Photoshop books, this one focuses on establishing a workflow.

The best explanations I have ever seen regarding adjustment layers and layer masks.

I would have given this book five stars but the printing is pretty poor and often it is hard to discern differences from one photo to the next in the sequence. Also, the illustrations are too small and are generally on a following page.

Editorially, this book is a five star gem -- kudos to Rob. As far as production goes, if there is a next edition, it should be printed at 8.5 x 11 inches, with larger illustrations and much better pagination. Yes, it will cost more. But it would be worth it.

I really wanted this book to be better. I got this book after reading an excerpt from it in Outdoor Photographer magazine.

After reading the book I must say that I am a bit dissapointed. The problem is that the book tries to be all things to all people and really does not do a good job at anything.

For example the first half of the book deals with basic Photoshop 101 stuff. Things like levels, curves, crop, layers, selections etc. The only problem is that moderate to experienced Photoshop users (like myself) will find this a total waste of space, (which I could live with) but the problem is it is all presented at such a high level that novice users will find it totally useless.

The biggest issue however is that they did a VERY poor job with the layout of the book. The book has a lot of screen shots to show you various PS menus and workspaces and none of them are on the pages where they talk about it. You constantly have to flip ahead 2-3 pages to see the example. There are also many before and after shots of pictures processed with PS. It wouls have been really nice if they were on the same page, but once again you have to flip between pages.

The second half of the book does get a bit better, but I found I really wanted more.

If you get this book and you have at least a basic working knowledge of Photoshop you will probably learn a trick or two that will help you with your photography and it is really not all that expensive here on Amazon.

If you are new to photoshop you would be much better served elsewhere, like the many great books by Scoot Kelby

A refreshing change from tips and tricks to fix up poor images or special effects wizardry. A comprehensive, methodical approach to getting the very best out of a photograph. Valuable insights rather than a respin of Help. A focus on the tools you need not every possible tool and technique. Superb photographs ilustrate how small changes can make a big impact. Highly recommended even if you're not primarily a landscape and nature photographer

Overall I'm quite satisfied with this book. I like the way the author compares working in Photoshop with the way Ansel Adams worked in the darkroom. I had always considered 'Photoshopping' a picture in a negative light, and the descriptions and examples in this book completely changed my opinion. The techniques described are really nothing more than the digital equivalent of what master photographers have done with film for years. The book has excellent examples of how to get the most out of any digital image.

As a professional wildlife photographer I have always shied away from spending too much time correcting my images on Photoshop because a) I don't have the time and b) the books are too geeky and boring. That is until I got hold of Rob Sheppard's book. For the first time I have understood the benefits of complex tools like adjustment layers and Rob's workflow style approach has really had an effect on my workflow.

In my humble opinion this book is a must have for all levels of nature photographer and is always my first point of reference. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

Andy Rouse
www.andyrouse.co.uk

Our studio has purchased two high end SLR digital cameras. Both have given us fits because of the quality of the photographs we were getting. For many years we have been using fine Hassleblad cameras that provided excellent quality. This book has helped me understand our digital cameras and improving the quality of our work. I have studied Ansel Adams books and work for years. Rob's equating digital to Ansel Adams' work was a great help. This is a great book for one who is going from film to digital photography.

Dave

Very helpful book if you already know the basics of CS2. If you're just starting into the program in terms of photo editing, I'd recommend Scott Kelby's guide instead. One thing that Kelby's book lacks however, is a suggested workflow which is covered nicely in this book. If you are new to the software (or new to photo editing), you may find Sheppard's example pictures a little hard to interpret, in fact many of the "before and after" photos look so similar that you may have a hard time telling them apart! In reality, his examples are good, however. The book isn't aimed at people trying to fix heinous pictures and make them "ok," rather it is about using the power of the software to really bring out the best in an already technically good photograph. It has a good section on Camera RAW as well, especially if this is the first time you'd be using it. I actually got both books at once and find myself using this one to help establish a routine, and Kelby's to help with all of the individual situations that come up that may need some work. They are both good, it is just a matter of asking yourself which you need the most help with.

I really like this book and even though I have a dozen books and references for Photoshop CS2 this one it the bible for me. It takes more than a little while to plough through this book, but if you are serious about your digital photography, this will do the trick. If your looking for the "quick and dirty" solution, this isn't it. He really spends his time talking to the photographer in you.