Photofocus

This isn’t really a review per se. It’s more of a heads up. It’s about photo-related books and DVDs that I am checking out. I have opinions about these things but they are just first-blush impressions.

First up – Welcome to Oz 2.0: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter). Mr. Versace has created an amazing resource for those who are interested in perfecting their image in Photoshop. If you are interested in how he does his magic during capture at the camera, skip this book. It’s all about post. Versace shows that he is more than a guy who takes pictures. I don’t consider myself an artist. Versace DOES consider himself an artist and I believe he is. This book will show you a bit about how and to a lesser extent why he does what he does.

Next on the list is Jeremy Cowart’s Lifefinder. Jeremy needs no introduction. He’s on the A-List which is remarkable given his short career. If you’re under 40, like to photograph bands, or love the idea of Help Portrait – you’re going to love this DVD. I have to admit that I am probably too out of touch with the cool kids to really be the target of this DVD, but most of you reading my post are not. There’s no denying Jeremy has a natural gift. His portraits are very compelling. This DVD will no doubt give you some insight into how he works. He put his heart and soul into it. For me, it’s a bit jumbled. There’s no linear progression. It just feels like a bunch of random bits assembled in one place. I don’t think that’s necessarily bad, but wanted to share it so that if you’re the kind of person who needs structure you might want to carefully think about whether this is right for you. I suspect almost everyone buying this will feel like it’s worth the $249 price. It’s four hours of material.

Last on the list is Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Getting Great Results with Minimal Equipment. Joe is a senior contributor to Photofocus.com and a regular on the podcast, so I really tried to read this book as if I didn’t know him. So with that disclaimer made I’ll make it simple. If you have read and liked any of Joe’s other 32 books, or his articles in Shutterbug, you’ll probably love this book. Joe is a very nice, down-to-earth fellow. And that shows in the text of this book. It’s designed for beginners. It shows you how to interact with models and my favorite section is all about seeing the light.

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This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store