Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking (Paperback)

by Julieanne Kost (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking is a complete view of a creative project from the artist's perspective. Julieanne Kost, a Photoshop and creative thinking expert, has taken her own experience shooting images out of commercial airplane windows to create a unique creative seminar.

The first section of the book, The Art of Creative Thinking: The Principles, outlines Julieanne's method for staying creative in an increasingly complicated world. In her personal stories, advice, and philosophies, you'll find inspiration if you're stuck or just can't get started. You may recognize some of your own less-than-productive thought processes as she describes her own struggle to let go of the everyday flotsam of life to find a quiet mental space in which she can think, dream, and create.

The second part of the book, Window Seat: The Portfolio, is a collection of images culled from over 3000 photographs Julieanne shot from commercial airplane windows over a period of five years. The photographs are accompanied by brief commentaries addressing various aspects of the process, from the original inspiration to issues of control, subject matter, image selection, and manipulation.

The Appendix contains technical information: a discussion of the equipment and media Julieanne used to shoot the photos; how she processed the photographs using Adobe Camera Raw; the Photoshop techniques she employed to correct, retouch, and manipulate the images; her personal file management system; and how she prepares her files for printing.

This book is essential reading for photographers and artists looking for ways to stay creatively awake, aware, and alive.

About the Author
Julieanne Kost's foray into Photoshop began in 1993 when she joined Adobe Systems in a technical support role for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere. Two years later, she took on an in-house design role creating educational content for several of Adobe's products, including user guides, tutorials, and the "Classroom in a Book" series. She now serves as the Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist at Adobe, educating designers, photographers, teachers, and fine artists. A passionate photographer herself, Julieanne lectures on creativity and Photoshop topics at prominent industry events, fine art and photography schools, and numerous conferences around the world. She is the guiding force behind the Photoshop Fundamentals and Advanced Photoshop Techniques training DVDs published by Software Cinema and is the cofounder, with her husband Daniel Brown, of www.adobeevangelists.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc. (February 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596100833
• ISBN-13: 978-0596100834
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #383,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely loved it!, February 20, 2006

By	Scott Kelby (Tampa Bay, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've always been a fan of Julieanne's work, and I had already seen some of her evocative images from 33,000 feet, but I must admit, when I saw Window Seat, I was absolutely blown away!

The author has created something very special here because although her amazing photography is definitely the star of the show, at the same time her insights into how she processed and edited these photos using Adobe Photoshop make the book have great crossover appeal.

The layout of the book is just beautifully done with a clean look throughout and nicely crafted typography. Together they do a great job of supporting her fascinating photography, while not getting in the way of her message. This beautiful layout gives the book a real fine art feel and it's the kind of book that's so engaging, you'll definitely want to share it with others.

I love books that make you want to run out and start shooting, and this is surely among them, but perhaps best of all, you'll never look out your window seat again without thinking of her work and smiling.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves great photography, who admires a very clever eye, who appreciates great design, and doesn't mind learning a little Photoshop along the way. Well done, Julieanne.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOOKOUT!, June 12, 2006

By	Richard D. Zakia (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Look out an airplane window again, for the first time, and study the ever changing cloud formations and the variety of patterns of earth. "Window Seat..." is an invitation to ignore the TV and DVDs in the plane and to marvel at what can be seen from the window. The book has many gorgeous color photographs taken out the window and encourages one to do likewise.
This book now has me not only looking out of airplane windows with a new view in mind but it also has done something else. Instead of watching TV the other night during a lightning storm, I decided to turn off the TV, turn off the lights, look out my window and simple watch the the bright dancing patterns of lightning against a black sky. I even took a few photos out the window. Windows have now taken on a new meaning for me.
Richard D. Zakia
North Carolina

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exception, March 20, 2006

By	Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am convinced that the publishers and/or authors of photography books believe that there is a greater market for how-to books than for books of photographs only, so that they try to force every collection of pictures into the mold of an instructional manual. Usually this leads to a book organized around teaching points rather than subject matter and often this leads to a poor-quality instructional manual rather then a first-class book of photographs. "Window Seat" may have been a book that someone tried to put into such a mold. Fortunately, the pictures are so good that they can't be harmed. Or maybe, someone really had a feeling about developing photographic creativity and decided to give in to his or her soul.

The photographs presented were all taken by the photographer while flying from one place to another. There are pictures of clouds, and foothills, and riverbeds and agricultural fields. There is nothing new about taking pictures of clouds. Alfred Stieglitz made many photographs of clouds, which he called "Equivalents", in the early part of the 20th century. It appears that he wanted to treat the clouds as some sort of abstract form.

I don't believe that is Kost's goal. Instead I believe that like the best photographers she wants to force the viewer to look at the ordinary, pared down to its most basic components. Certainly, I've seen almost the same views out the window when I've flown, but I never really looked the way I do when presented with these carefully crafted pictures. Now, one might think, "Clouds are clouds", but as the photographer says, when you undertake a long term project like this, you begin to see trends, and to organize the landscape into patterns. The feat of Kost is that she makes the viewer see this same organization so that the pictures present an organized, synergistic whole.

As an instructional manual, the pictures are book-ended by a section entitled "The Art of Creative Thinking" and an appendix called "Imaging Techniques". The former is a list of 18 principles ranging from "Listen to what your life is trying to tell you" through "Visualize first, Photoshop second", to "Know when you are done". Some of these principles give Kost an excuse for telling how her life story led to these pictures, while others are little rules for how one should structure one's day for creativity. The appendix will not teach anyone Photoshop techniques, but will show the reader how one creative artist adopted those techniques to her own vision. There are also brief commentaries throughout the picture section that continue the Zen-like quality of instruction. For example, she emphasizes the importance of control in photography, and says she would like to be able to control the plane, but that there are advantages to being a passenger and just seeing whatever passes by the window.

There is a Zen principal that says if you seek enlightenment, you will not be able to find it, but that if you just let things come, enlightenment will also come. Don't read this book looking to develop your creativity. Instead, look at the pictures, slowly and carefully, and enjoy them. Read what the author has to say but don't try to mine the words. To your surprise, you might enjoy the pictures. And when you are finished you just might find you've tweaked your creativity.