Customer Reviews

Photoshop for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book

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Although there are many pieces of software that will let a computer user manipulate digital images, Photoshop has become the standard. Using the techniques of the tool, "Photoshop for Nature Photographers" covers the digital photography process from the moment of setting the defaults in a digital camera to the final production of a digital output, whether to a printer or a monitor. It presents basic concepts that will prove useful to the digital beginner, but also includes tips that may be new to the experienced Photoshop user. It also provides an excellent refresher to the individual upgrading from an earlier version of Photoshop to Photoshop CS2. Although the examples are drawn from nature photography, the book should be of use to all digital photographers.

It spends its earliest pages discussing some fundamental concepts applicable to the time of capture that will effect the ultimate product, like RAW versus JPEG, white balance and histograms. Because Photoshop offers a number of setup preferences that will effect the use of the software, the authors recommend particular selections. They then explain the basic tools of Photoshop, like Adobe Bridge (although strangely there is no mention of using Bridge to import files from your memory card to your computer), Camera Raw and cropping and move on to exposure and color adjustments. All of this is easily understandable and can help the new user learn how to process digital images and can suggest ways to improve the workflow of the more experienced user.

The experienced user will probably find something useful in the chapter on composites where the authors discuss how to create panoramas, expanding dynamic range and depth of field and combining elements from several pictures. It was here that I discovered several techniques, like a "cookbook" approach to expanding latitude that I had never encountered before.

The end of the book includes a discussion of creative techniques like montage, outputs and the Photoshop facilities for mass processing: actions and batch processing.

The workbook aspect of the text takes the form of a CD full of images that are specially selected to let the user practice a technique. While a photographer could use his own images as well, taking the offered images and following the step by step procedure described by the authors will prove useful where the reader doesn't quite comprehend the process presented.

Photoshop often offers several different approaches to manipulating a picture and occasionally the author's preferences vary and each presents his and her approach.

Although the book was quite comprehensive, and indeed offered techniques I had never encountered before, it was not all encompassing. As an example Grey, in another book, "Color Confidence" provides a method of setting target black and white values, to ensure that shadow details can be seen. He has not included the procedure in this book.

If you want to learn to use Photoshop in a linear fashion, with understandable instruction, presented in a logical workflow, this is as fine a text as you will find. On the other hand, if you like tutorials that start with a single image and develop that image using many tools and require you to actually manipulate the image, and then use other images the same way, to make different points, then I would recommend Barry Hanes "Photoshop Artistry" which is updated for each new version of Photoshop.

If you know Photoshop, you probably will learn something new if you go through the book. But you might benefit as much by picking up one of the other Sybex books by Tim Grey and his associates, like " Color Confidence" or "Photoshop CS2 Workflow" or Jon Canfield's "Raw 101".

This book is highly recommended for the photographer who wants to maximize time in the field instead of in front of a computer. The book is not designed as a photoshop reference book but is accurately described by the subtitle of "A Workshop In A Book" as it lays out an orderly workflow for the photographer to process an image. The book clearly and concisely explains each topic without overloading the reader with excessive detail on every possible way to do something with photoshop.

The book starts out by making the critical point of getting the reader to think as a digital photographer. After making sure that the photoshop environment is properly set up and a review of basic tools, the book methodically works through Camera Raw conversions, image clean up, exposure adjustments, and color adjustments. The book has two especially good chapters on making composite images and creative techniques (B+W, filters, montages, and multiple exposures). A chapter on output explains sharpening and noise reduction. The final chapter deals with automation (actions/batch processing) and assorted topics including borders, greeting cards, and making business cards.

The book comes with a CD of sample images from each chapter to allow the reader to practice each subject as it is explained in the text. I also liked the hints from many noted photographers including (but not limited to) Michael Reichman, Charles Glatzer, Greg Downing, Darrel Gulin, John Shaw, and Arthur Morris who personal tips on assorted topics throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book to any nature photographer who wants to learn how to do things right in photoshop with as little hassle as possible. The CD is an excellent touch. This book is the equivalent of a workshop with the added bonus that you can work at your own pace.

I am a little disappointed with this book. It contains exactly the best plan right on the cover and in the Introduction - that what is needed for a reader involved with natural world photography is a specialized, workshop-type tutorial. Better still, there's a short but practical philosophical point made right up-front, on the advantages of pre-visualizing the image output opportunities that Photoshop can provide whilst actually taking/making the original photographs. But, thereafter, specialization and pre-visualization disappear almost completely for a good long while. To the point that only at p. 107 (of 297 pages in total) can the authors exclaim: "At last we're in Photoshop itself!". So, by then, about a third of the volume has been consumed with a preamble; a valuable one perhaps for the Photoshop beginner, but - equally well - covering material which is already available from numerous of the mainstream Photoshop guides. Moreover, the preamble itself is based entirely on digital capture in-camera (i.e., none of it covers converting conventional film-based images to digital files, even though many nature photographers still choose to shoot on film and/or have archives of excellent work on slides). Overall, the guts of the book, containing valuable workshop material for (say) a wildlife photographer, is just chapters 5 through 8 (though the last two of these are "Composites" and "Creative Effects", which will not appeal to everyone, at least not for a while yet...). And as to whether there might be different or better options in image correction and optimization for say floral close-ups as distinct from landscapes, or yet for those opportunistic wildlife shots where the exposure is definitely wayward; well, we still do not know. Perhaps the book (plus CD) will be the most useful for a photographer who has just transferred to "shooting digital" and is also a newcomer to Photoshop's digital darkroom.

I find "Photoshop ® for Nature Photographers : A Workshop in a Book" to be a great book to add to your PhotoShop library. It adds some great insight by several of the world's best known nature photographers. Any book that has instructional information from John Shaw, Arthur Morris, Charles Glatzer, and Joe McDonald is well worth the investment.

One of the most difficult aspects of PhotoShop for me has been the effective use of curves. Tim and Ellen do a much better job at helping with this complex matter than any other book I have read.

The effective utilization of PhotoShop requires as much of an artistic approach as it does as workflow approach. Tim and Ellen do a very good job of fully developing a great workflow while introducing their own artistic approach.

No one book can every include all the aspects of PhotoShop that you will every need. However, "Photoshop for Nature Photographers : A Workshop in a Book" does a great job of specilizing for nature photographers. As with any workshop, it does require the student to do some work to get the most out of the class.

I recommend this book to any nature photographer who would like to improve their utilization and knowledge of PhotoShop.

I am not sure what part Tim Grey plays in creating this book but if you are purchasing the book do it because of what Ellen Anon is contributing to the book. I Think Tim Grey is a fantastic Photoshop and P.C. Guru - and a great writer in his element. If Tim contributed to the Photoshop techniques of this book that is good. Tim Grey has some great books out - Color Confidence and Photoshop CS2 are two of them. Buy those two books before this one if you want some of Tim's best writings on Photoshop. Photo Finish is another book that Tim Grey co-authored and it also a So-so book. There are tons of good Photoshop books. If you need a starter try the Adobe Photoshop Classroom in A Book series for whichever version of Photoshop you are using. Use the Adobe Photoshop Tutorials on their web site - they are great and free. Print these tutorial out in color and put them in a binder and you have a great Photoshop book with little or no cost to you. John Shaw has an excellent e-book, "John Shaw's Photoshop Field Guide", about 208 pages. A great source for nature photographers with some Photoshop experience. No 'down-&-dirty' tricks in his e-book. It is straight forward Photoshop information for a nature photographer of all levels of experience. It does not cover Photshop CS2 but you can figure everything out. Cost is $30 US. http://www.johnshawphoto.com/ebook.htm. Two other books to consider if you don't already have them are Adobe Photoshop, by David Blatner & Bruce Fraser and Digital Photography, by Eismann (a great photographer & writer), Duggan, and Tim Grey. (since Grey is at the end of the line here I can only assume his part is small in this book). Purchase some of these other books before spending money on Photoshop For Nature Photographers.

I should be clear up front - I'm lucky enough to know Ellen and Tim personally but that has no impact on my thoughts about this book.
Ellen and Tim have done a great job of explaining Photoshop from the nature/landscape photographer's point of view. The additional comments from other pro photographer's gives the reader insight into how a working pro uses the software and the included CD with sample files is great for working through the examples on your own.
If you're looking for a book on how to get results from Photoshop you'll have to look long and hard to find one that matches Photoshop for Nature Photographers.

Excellent resource. This book should be on everyone's shelf who uses Photoshop for nature photography. Authors (there really are two of them regardless of how it's listed here) know their stuff and explain it very well. CD accompanying the book is very helpful too.

This is a terrific book. It gave me step-by-step instruction. Used in conjunction with the CD, I found it easy to use and understand. Any one who is a photographer should have this book. Just as an example, I am working in black and white now and the section on "Converting to Black and White via the Channel Mixer" was extremely helpful. I especially liked the hint about the Snapshot button.

This book is a must have for any digital nature photographer. Great step by step how to's and very well laid out.

This a great book by the finest Photoshop teachers in the country. It has excerpts from Who-is-Who in the photographic world.
Ellen and Tim guide the reader with simple how-to examples of their images and the pertinent Photoshop windows.
The book is a must tool for professional and serious amateur nature and wildlife photographers.