Photographing the Southwest, Vol. 2: A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of Arizona & New Mexico [Paperback]

Laurent Martres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2002

A must for everyone with a Passion for the Southwest!

Have you ever wanted to see with your own eyes all the beautiful locations found in coffee table books, posters and travel magazines?
Do you want to see the most photogenic spots in our national parks and monuments?
Do you want to visit spectacular "off the beaten track" locations outside the parks?
Are you are interested in rock art and early Native American dwellings?

Photographing the Southwest is the result of over twenty years of experience in exploring and photographing the natural landmarks of the Southwest. This guide has all the information you need to make your trip richer and more rewarding.

- Volume 2 covers Arizona & New Mexico
- 220+ pages of great information for everyone; no need to be a photographer
- Hundreds of locations, including the best spots and how to get there
- All the major national parks, monuments and state parks
- Clear and precise indications provided for hard-to-find sites
- Lots of travel tips not usually found in traditional guidebooks
- Where, when and how to get the best shots
- Valuable tips on composition, exposure and hard-to-shoot scenery
- 120+ high-quality B&W photographs
- companion CD-ROM "Images of the Southwest-Vol. 2" to pre-visualize the sites
The photography as well as the reproduction quality of the B&W images make these new guidebooks very unique. Eleven photographers, all pros and advanced amateurs, contributed their talent to illustrate the sites.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

It took almost 3 years to produce these guidebooks (Volume 1 & 2), building on the success of highly-praised "Land of the Canyons". Almost all previous locations have been revisited and a very large amount of new locations have been added, many of them "off the beaten track" and not found in other guidebooks. The sheer amount of information necessitated a split into two separate volumes. Even so, each book "feels" very substantial and a glance at the inside immediately reveals the depth of the material. People immediately recognize that they are holding a work of substance that was thoroughly researched.

The photography as well as the reproduction quality of the images also make these guidebooks very unique. Eleven photographers, all pros and advanced amateurs, contributed their talent to illustrate the sites. Preface by Master Photographer Tom Till.

We strongly encourage readers to purchase the "Images of the Southwest" companion CD-ROMs to pre-visualize the sites. Those who see the CD-ROMs can’t quit raving about them: outstanding photography, optimized color correction and sharpness, convenient 1024x768 wallpaper format. Together, both CDs represent more than 500 images covering a remarkable diversity of sites, many of which are little-known jewels. But don’t be alarmed, we’ve included two great navigation tools for Windows and Macintosh computers that will get you browsing through the libraries in seconds. At only $19.95 per Volume, these CD-ROMs are a steal, compared to so-called screen savers, offering a meager 20 images.

From the Author

With "Photographing the Southwest", my goal was to give readers the best practical information to visit, photograph and simply enjoy the Southwest. May it bring you a slew of new ideas for your creative photography.

If you like the book, I hope you’ll contribute to spread the word among your friends, the photography community and all aficionados of the Southwest. The only way to compete as an independent author is by giving readers a quality product with great information. This takes an incredible amount of time and resources. Help me make Photographing the Southwest a success so I can bring out Volume 3 (Southern California & Nevada).

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Graphie Intl (March 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916189090
• ISBN-13: 978-0916189099
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable guide for photographers of the Southwest, May 18, 2003

By 

Bob Simari (Baldwin, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Photographing the Southwest, Vol. 2: A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of Arizona & New Mexico (Paperback)

This book, combined with Photographing the Southwest: Volume 1, which covers Colorado and Utah, is an absolutely essential tool for serious photographers who are looking to spend time photographing some of the most spectacular natural sights of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
I own both books, together with the accompanying cd roms, and I can honestly say, as a serious advanced photographer, I have never made a better investment. Since aquiring these guides, I have returned to the Southwest three times in three years, and each time have returned home with memories and photographic images that I had never known existed. These books are well written with great attention to details and chock full of black and white photos which excite the imagination. The cd roms provide hundreds more photos of these and nearby areas in vivid color. Together, this is a must have collection.
These books are not mere travel guides; they are an indispensable aid to photographers looking for the most photogenic spots in any given area of the Southwest. After spending hours enjoying these volumes, you will learn exactly how to get to each of these awesome spots, the best time of the year to travel to them, the preferred time of day to arrive for ideal lighting, suggested lenses and equipment and even the best spots (literally) to stand for ideal camera angles. Laurent Martres pretty much does it all for you; however, you will have to put on your own hiking boots and do your own walking, climbing, scrambling and whatever else it may take to get you to some of these hidden and often out of the way places. The rewards are great for those willing to follow his suggestions which will often include getting up well before dawn, hiking a few minutes or a few hours in some cases and a few days in others, scrambling over bolders or squeezing thru narrow canyons, wading thru waist high water or four-wheeling over back roads that will challenge the most adventureous among us.

Since getting hold of these books I have done all of the above and have always come home with more than my share of wonderful memories and prizewinning photos. I have discovered spots that I must return to over and over again because I just can't get enough of their jaw dropping beauty. I have spent time in locations you won't find in travel books or just about anywhere else for that matter. Many of these are places you would drive right by, never realizing their existence were it not for these books. A good number of the places featured in these books are generally not well publicized or often written about.
If you have interest in photographing or seriously exploring the lesser known and less often visited scenic wonders of America's Southwest, then I can't recommend both of these books and their accompanying cd roms enough. They should be on the bookshelves and in the backpacks of all serious lovers of the Southwest. They are invaluable in planning my photo trips; before I leave home, I pretty much know where I'll be going each day and what I can anticipate along the way. I have yet to be disappointed in any of the places I've spent time hiking to; quite the contrary since I am most often overwhelmed upon experiencing these spots in person. I expect to spend many future years searching out and exploring the great number of wonderful places Laurent Martres brings to our attention in both of these volumes. Thanks, Laurent; I'm looking forward to your future works.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best!!, December 15, 2002

By 

Karsten Rau (Bayreuth, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Photographing the Southwest, Vol. 2: A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of Arizona & New Mexico (Paperback)

Laurent Martres' Volume II has been the most valuable and most helpful guide book for me during my last trip to Arizona in November 2002. He describes all those locations and viewpoints, I was always looking for, and never found in any other travel book. In addition, he gives tons of detailed advice about shooting professional photos. I also recommend his separately sold Comparison CD Rom with hundreds of Martres best photos in high resolution. They are a great source of inspiration, too. While viewing the pics on my PC, I could "pre-visit" the locations and choose my personal favorites.
Karsten

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best buy - exploring "The Southwest"!!!, April 8, 2003

By 

Petra (Cologne-Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Photographing the Southwest, Vol. 2: A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of Arizona & New Mexico (Paperback)

Have you ever been in "The Southwest" without looking at Laurent Martres two guide books Vol. 2 and Vol. 1, than you really have to visit the place again.
If you see landscape-pictures in magazines, calenders, on postcards or posters and you think: "Whow, this is something I want to see with my own eyes.", than you will surely find it in Martres' two books "Photographing the Southwest".
He not only shows beautiful pictures from things you have never seen before and I'm sure you like to, no, additional he gives very good way descriptions (including needed time) and a lot of tips how to take the best pictures and at which time of the day.
I visited the area and the National Parks (and the visiting tourists) in more than one vacation. Laurent Martres was able to lead me to the places I ever dreamed of, "behind the tourists".
Planning your next trip? Best buy!!!