For starters it is detail heavy. Every article is meticulously explained and has several examples and often explanatory diagrams of the more important aspects of the subject. In fact, the featured articles in each edition read more like a series of mini-guides. For example, in the most recent edition (number 5), there is an article on lens distortion along with 38 explanatory images, diagrams and tables spread across 21 pages of detailed content on that topic! The section on 3D shooting is 31 pages with almost 50 images and diagrams to demonstrate the information! These guys don’t do their topics by halves.

The beauty of that approach is that even veteran shooters will probably learn something or at least be reminded of some important aspects of the particular subject being covered. These are photography articles for information junkies.

Why is c’t Different?

And that’s what sets this magazine apart from a lot of the other offerings in the crowded photography magazine space. While a lot of photography magazines emphasise flashy graphics and beautiful design (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), c’t Photography emphasises hard core, actionable information about the technique and theory of various facets of photography. It has its fair share of great photography too.

In fact, the portfolio section of the magazine features an individual photographer and various examples of their work. While that’s a great little addition to the magazine and nicely put together, it’s really the articles where this magazine shines.

Each magazine that I have seen has also included a CD of interviews, software and plugins etc. Not uncommon among magazines in the photography space, but a nice touch nonetheless.

Reflecting the hardcore content focus of the magazine is the fact that it actually carries very little advertising. That means it’s a bit more expensive than others, because the content is subsidised by subscriptions rather than ads.

Who Is This For?

To be honest, we think this magazine will suit hard core shooters who are looking to really understand the topics covered. These are as detail rich as we have seen in any magazine and give a very solid grounding. That being said, a lot of the meatier articles will probably be too specific or in depth for the general reader – for example, the 6 page explanation of bit depth in issue 5 along with 7 explanatory images is great for advanced amateurs and professionals, but probably of limited use to beginners.

For those who are generally interested in learning why their camera works the way it does as well as how to control and achieve certain outcomes with their photographs, this magazine is a very solid start.

Where Can You Find c’t Digital Photography?

Website: http://www.ct-digiphoto.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ctdigiphoto

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Last week we were lucky enough to be sent a review copy of Sophie Goldsworthy’s new book – The Rough Guide to Digital Photography. Now if you’re into travel (as a huge amount of photographers are) then you are probably already familiar with Rough Guides – they make a huge range of travel guidebooks. This is their first major foray into photography.

What Does the Book Cover?

As their first photography guide, it starts right where it should – by explaining the basics with a lot of visual examples to help.

Your Camera – Starting where is probably should, the guide goes through the different types of cameras from compact, bridge cameras up to DSLRs. The pros and cons of each type are discussed and it’s a fine introduction to the topic and not too technical.

Kit – Tripods, printers, bags – a lot of the extra kit that we all have is covered and what is suitable for different situations.

The Settings and What They Do – This is a technical explanation of what the different camera settings and how they affect the outcome of your images. There’s a solid and simple explanation for people who are unfamiliar with what their camera is actually capable of and how to control it.

Rules of Composition – The general rules are covered here. It’s somewhat prescriptive (something we have been guilty of here at Light Stalking in the past), but it also offers a good starting point for folks who are not sure where to begin. There are also a lot of perfectly selected images that demonstrate the various principles of composition (framing, negative space etc). This sections also goes into the basics of colour theory, texture in photography and other compositional elements. A solid introductory rundown.

Genres – This section is more of an inspirational section, with plenty of examples of the different genres (street, portrait, wildlife etc). There are a few technical tips and there’s a nice little collection of inspirational websites with great photography at the end of each genre section. Going through the great websites will kill a few hours and it’s clear that Sophie spent a lot of time finding some great photographers for this.

Post Processing – This section divides the software and post-processing options up into free, entry level and pro and covers most of the major players. It’s a good rundown, but is necessarily brief (it would be a whole book to cover all of the cool options for post-processing). There are also good introductory explanations of plugins, workflow and storage options. There is also a solid rundown of the major editing tools that most post-processing software offers (levels, dodge and burn, curves etc). The major ones are all well illustrated with examples too.

Photography Online – This section goes into some of the bigger online photography communities and (perhaps more importantly) how to use them to their potential. There are also a few good tips for minimising theft of your online images. To the book and author’s credit, a great site called Light Stalking gets a prominent mention and image on page 182 – clearly Sophie knows a good site when she sees it!

Going Further – There are also sections on creating an online portfolio and starting a photography blog which are a good introduction to some of the options. This is really for folks who want to really get their photography out there. There is also a brief section about shooting stock or selling your work via other means. It serves more to make you aware of the possibilities rather than go into the issue involved in any of those (huge) tasks, but it’s a nice rundown.

Film – There is a brief chapter on the resurgence of film in photography though the rest of the book is heavily skewed to digital. It covers the various niche film cameras that are popular at the moment with reference to a few websites. (Holga, Lomography etc).

Resources – As somebody who is already familiar with the basics covered in the rest of the book, I have to say that this was one of my favourite parts. There is a well curated collection of online blogs, sites and courses. Many of them I wasn’t aware of which is great because I thought I had already found most of them! This section alone will keep you busy looking up great things on the internet and give a lot of places to continue learning about photography. Combine it with the online resources in the rest of the book, and it will keep you busy with reading for weeks.

So Who Is the Guide For?

Rough Guides obviously wanted to have some crossover with their existing audience of travellers for this guide. And this is a perfect guide for folks like that who are travelling and want to know the basics of what they need to get great shots. This book will take a new photographer from clueless to clued in 246 pages to the point where they will know what gear is best for their own situation and how to get respectable images from their chosen kit. They’ll also be aware of some of the ways they can take their photography a little further online, and share it with a larger audience.

Who Is The Guide Not For?

Advanced amateurs or professional photographers will already be familiar with a lot of the information in the guide – the camera, gear, composition and post processing information will probably be fairly basic for most people at those levels. On the other hand, the explanation of photography online is probably worth a read by many who struggle in that area. As mentioned, the resources sections can also keep anybody busy a long time.

The Verdict

This is the type of book I would give to somebody who asked me “How do I take better photographs?”

For the audience it is going after, it’s a great introduction to the entire life-cycle of a photograph from selection of gear through to printing and selling it. For somebody looking to buy their first DSLR or take a series of great photographs on their trip, this is a fine place to start reading.

This was the logical place for Rough Guides to start their foray into photography and will serve their existing fans very well. Hopefully, it is the basis one which they will allow photographers like Sophie Goldsworthy to explore more in-depth, the topics which this book covers in their basic form.

You can get The Rough Guide to Photography on Amazon for $16.99

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

If you’re not familiar with layers or how they can benefit your photography workflow, consider the following:

Layers are reversible. When you duplicate your image layer, you’re making edits onto an entirely independent copy, allowing you to reverse what you did at any point by deleting that layer and reverting to the one below – even after you save and close.

Not only is this great for composite images (as seen below), but this also works well for any kind of editing you want to apply but may have to reverse later on down the line.

Clonal pluralization of the self by eqqman, on Flickr

Layers can be transparent. The ability to adjust the opacity (transparency) of your layer is a huge asset to photographers. Not only can you adjust the visibility of your entire layer, you can poke holes in it with your masking brush, allowing only a certain part of your top layer to show with varying degrees of transparency.

For example, let’s say you want to increase the contrast of a photo with a shallow depth of field, but only apply it to the area in focus. With Perfect Layers, you can use your masking brush and paint where you want your contrast to go. This feature is incredibly versatile, and one of the biggest attractions to the more expensive Photoshop.

Exposure blending. Another fantastic benefit that Perfect Layers gives to you is the ability to blend exposures – which is something that I use often in my own work and advocate strongly for. The ability to replicate the effects of a GND filter and blend different exposures in your darkroom is an invaluable addition to any photographer’s tool belt.

Photo by Christopher O’Donnell

Exposure blending is not just good for landscapes, but can find a place in any style of photography as it can be used to recover blown highlights and blocked shadows.

As I said, I’ve only recently discovered Perfect Layers and don’t have much experience with the program, but am quite impressed with what I’ve seen so far. With that in mind, I decided to ask a veteran onOne Software customer who’s been using Perfect Layers since the beta stages to see what his thoughts are.

Peter James Zielinski, Broadway photographer of countless celebrities and an HDR enthusiast, was kind enough to share his experience with using Perfect Layers:

“Be it a red carpet, curtain call, or even brackets for an HDR image, Lightroom is the centerpiece of my workflow. Adding layer functionality to that along with features like blend modes, opacity, and masking …it turns an application that was already powerhouse into one that I honestly can’t live without. “

Photo by Peter James Zielinski

Photo by Peter James Zielinski

For more fantastic examples of Peter’s work, you can visit his portfolio or follow him on Google+.

There are many other benefits to Perfect Layers that I can’t possibly get into here – such as blending modes, photo filters, etc. If you want a bit more information on what Perfect Layers can do for you, head on over to their How To section for some great tutorial videos that cover much more on the versatility of this program.

I don’t advocate many programs, but Perfect Layers is one of the best examples Ive seen of when talented photographers collaborate with computer programmers to create a stand-out product. While Perfect Layers doesn’t replace every functionality of layers that Photoshop offers, it does incorporate the most popular among photographers. This can benefit many who don’t want to go all-out and purchase Photoshop, or who just enjoy the sleek workflow of Lightroom and Aperture.

You can download a 30-day free trial of Perfect Layers by visiting their website – make sure to view all of the helpful tutorial videos to get a full grasp as to what Perfect Layers can bring to your photography workflow.

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Read more great articles by Christopher O’Donnell on his website or follow him on Google+ and Facebook. You can also find him on Twitter and 500px.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Andrew starts off with a wonderful collection of his stunning images – not just of the incredible vistas, but he turns his camera onto the locals and how they lead their daily lives. The portraits are as powerful as the scenery – full of emotion and drama, and also a sense of intimacy not often captured. It’s a visual treat and a fantastic way to inspire before absorbing the technical side of things.

The process section is fantastic as it deals with both sides of the definition – the technical details and the events leading up to the images being captured. It’s full of valuable information that even the most experienced photographer would benefit from. The ultimate goal in learning photography is to develop your own sense of style and creativity – not recycle the work of others. With that being said, learning how certain photos were captured is an invaluable learning tool that is often overlooked in photography ebooks. Being able to pair each image to specific technical details is a huge asset for any photographer.

However, there’s much more information here than the technical breakdown of each image – there’s an entire section dedicated to traveling in South America, which answers many potential questions a traveling photographer would have. This is what sets Andrew’s guide apart from the collection of travel blogs you’ll find on the internet – he writes from the perspective of a photographer. He knows what we care about, and addresses it in a consise, straightforward manner – no unnecessary fluff. He also addresses the not-so-sunny side of traveling to a foreign country – not to scare you off, but to prepare you for your journey in an honest way without any sugarcoating.
Andrew breaks up the photography education with personal stories of his time in South America, which read like a travel magazine – full of detail and perspectives only attainable by those who have visited themselves. The stories alone are interesting enough to purchase the ebook.

The fact that this ebook is only $5 is unreal. The amount of candid information you receive can save you months of trial-and-error frustration in the field. Better yet, it’ll help you avoid missed photography opportunites which, to me, are priceless.

You can preview and purchase Andrew’s book by clicking here. Don’t forget to check out his ebooks, which cover a vast array of photography subjects.

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Read more great articles by Christopher O’Donnell on his website or follow him on Google+ and Facebook. You can also find him on Twitter and 500px.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

If you travel with a bit of gear, you’d want a bag that promises durability and protection, security, convenience, and the ability to hold all your gear.

Durability

The Think Tank Airport International Version 2 roller bag delivered on durability. It accompanied me on 10 flights for the past few weeks, four regional flights in Asia, two domestic flights in Asia, two intercontinental flights, and two domestic flights in the United States. The bag rolled over rocks, sand, gravel, and concrete as well as airport hallways and airplane aisles, and not once did the wheels snag or get damaged. Apart from surface scratches, the wheels are fine.

Did I have to worry that the jiggling from all the different surfaces would damage the equipment inside? Disembarking in Los Angeles, the handle slipped from my hand, and the bag fell to the floor with a bang. But I wasn’t worried; ThinkTank makes firm molding, and the four lenses, the two camera bodies and the backup viewer hard drive were fine inside. For surfaces where I really didn’t want to roll the bag over because they were too rough or had too much drag, the handles on the side, bottom and top ensured I had a good grip while carrying the bag over my head.

Size Convenience

The Airport International is a great choice for someone who travels intercontinentally, especially when there are domestic flights involved. Domestic flights are usually on smaller aircraft, and although the cabin bag size regulation is only slightly different, the aircraft storage sizes for passenger bags differ. The different aircraft used on domestic flights have different overhead bin sizes. On the 32-seater Dornier 328, where the overhead bins are shallow, there is no way you can fit the Airport International’s 33 x 47 x 16.5–19.1 cm dimensions inside the overhead lockers. In the Dornier, I had to ask the flight attendant to store the bag where the crew stored their cabin bags. The best thing about the Airport International when I had to ‘part’ with it was that there is a security system that comes with the bag. A TSA combination lock secures the main zipper sliders. A front cable and a lock secures a laptop case if you store your laptop in the front stretch pocket. Finally, there’s another cable and lock that you can use to chain your entire bag to an immovable object.

Another domestic flight I took used a 74-seater Bombadier Q400. This slightly larger domestic aircraft had slightly deeper cabin lockers, and I was able to store the Airport International inside the overhead bin. On intercontinental flights and regional flights that use Airbus or Boeing jets, the cabin storage bins are roomy and the Airport International fits perfectly in the overhead bin.

Gear and Fit

For both assignments I worked on at this time of travel, I had to bring my 15.6 inch laptop. At first I thought the laptop would fit in the elastic pocket outside the bag; the laptop can be inserted slightly more than halfway into the pocket; but I didn’t feel that it was that secure, and certainly part of the laptop hanging out didn’t give me confidence to leave it in the pocket while it was riding in the overhead bins. So I had to bring a backpack laptop case in addition to the Airport International. ThinkTank does have a product called the Low Divider set, so you can fit the laptop in a sleeve inside the bag, but this is sold separately and I did not have it while traveling.

On the last leg of my trip, I picked up an iPad 2, and it seems to fit well in the outside elastic pocket. Again, the soft quality of the material used for the pocket doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in putting the iPad there, so I carry it with the laptop in the separate backpack. I can foresee the convenience of traveling with the laptop or iPad tucked into the elastic pocket though, for the security check when you have to separately scan your mobile computing device; having it in the pocket makes it easy to take it out during security checks.

I like the space inside the bag. It holds four lenses, one of them a long telephoto, and two camera bodies. I’ve also already used this bag for an editorial fashion ad assignment, and it was a great bag for two camera bodies, 50mm and 85mm lenses, and three portable flash units. The inside of the bag cover has some convenient pockets for CF cards, remote control, wireless triggers, and cords, etc.

The bag has a built-in pocket at the top below the handle that stores a passport, and the front zipped pocket is perfect for storing pens, small notebook or camera manual, an iPod, printout of e-ticket, and other small bits.

Other features I like

• The Airport International V2 comes with its own waterproof cover that stores in a corner of the bag and is easy to slip over the bag when you need it.
• The handle is extendable for tall folks and has a first tier for short folks.
• It’s relatively light, around 4.3–5.2 kg, so it’s easy to lift even with equipment inside. Of course, if it were lighter that would be a plus, especially if you are carrying more than one camera body and more than two lenses.

Value

ThinkTank gave me this bag to review, but if I had to buy it, I probably would. The U$369 price tag is reasonable for a bag that carries as much as it does, provides security and is a durable bag with convenience features.

I have to say that were it offered with the Low Divider Set at the current price or slightly higher, it would be an even better bargain and would definitely be the bag I would recommend to photographers who travel a lot.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

The Art of Self-Portraiture by Anna Gay is a fantastic resource for one looking to explore this vast area.

At first glance, you’ll notice that Anna’s obvious talent for self-portraits is clear in her work. Nothing is more disappointing than purchasing a photography guide written by someone who can’t produce what they speak of. Anna not only delivers an easy-to-follow guide to portraiture (that is laid out beautifully by the way), she can back it up with her stunning images.

While the focus is on self-portraiture, you can gather a lot of valuable information on the basics of portraits in general – in other words, don’t let the title fool you if you’re a bit camera shy as you can apply these techniques to any kind of portrait.

The categories are very straightforward and well laid out, transitioning well from one step to the next. One of the most important steps to photographing a successful – and original – portrait is to focus on the composition. Anna goes over this thoroughly and provides many ways for a novice photographer to create their own composition successfully by encouraging creative, independent thought vs. repetition and mimicking.

Anna stresses using baby steps if you’re a beginner to portraiture which is great to see. Novice photographers in this area will want to produce the beautiful portraits in Anna’s portfolio after the first read, but in reality it will take many trial shoots to get to that stage. The goal here is to learn one new thing from each shoot – if you can achieve this, you’re well on your way to becoming a professional portrait photographer.

What I like most about Anna’s approach to her book is that not only is it full of valuable information, but her unique style of portrait photography is refreshing when compared to the stale, repetitive, sit-down portraits taken in a studio. She asks the reader to step out of the box and realize that the environment and world can be a portrait studio – not just a white room in the back of your house.

Anna also stresses learning the fundamentals of portrait photography first by using natural light….I agree with this method as off-camera lighting is a very confusing subject, both from a compositional and a technological viewpoint.

While there is plenty of great information in Anna’s book, you should know that this is not a tutorial on the use of artificial lighting. Many of her images use it, but the fundamental knowledge is not covered thoroughly. If you’re in the market for a beginner class on using strobes, you won’t find it here.

There are, however, many free online resources for flash that can supplement Anna’s book. The Strobist community is widely considered as the all-knowing source for strobe lighting – their 101 series is one of the most popular (free) guides available.

Also, Neil van Niekerk offers what many photographers do not – a step by step tutorial on how he achieves dramatic lighting in a variety of situations. He does a thorough job of explaining the ins and outs of flash wedding photography (although the techniques can be applied to any kind of portrait) in a way that everyone can comprehend.

Although Anna touches on the very basics of photography, it would be best if you had some idea prior to jumping into her book – otherwise you may find yourself overwhelmed. If you don’t know what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are – and how they affect each other – you should read up a bit as it will help you to absorb the information on the first go.

Anna’s book is one you can refer to again and again, taking one new idea each time and applying it to your portrait techniques. When complimented with the flash photography tutorials mentioned above, you have all the knowledge and inspiration needed at your disposal to create true works of art in portrait photography.

Click Here for The Art of Self-Portraiture

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Read more great articles by Christopher O’Donnell on his website or follow him on Facebook.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

It was really only a matter of time before he started to compile some of his expertise into a book or guide and the result is “Home Studio Photography: Your Complete Guide to Building a Photography Studio at Home.”

Udi was kind enough to send us a copy for review a few weeks back, and as long time fans, we were only too happy to check it out.

So What’s It All About?

As the title suggests, this is a guide about building photography studio equipment yourself.

The book has 23 different “projects” that take the most common and important photography studio gear and show you how to make each one from much cheaper materials that you probably already have easy access to.

The projects include:

* The Easiest Softbox In The World

* DIY Strip Light

* The Best Softbox Ever

* Continuous Light Softbox

* Turkey Pan Beauty Dish

* Foamboard Reflector

* V Cards

* PVC Diffusion Screen

* The ‘Oh So Famous’ Cereal Snoot

* Coroplast Gridspot

* Black Straws Grid

* PVC Light Stand

* Pony Clamp Stand

* Stick In A Can

* Light Tent

* Underlight With A Cardboard Box

As with any DIY project, the quality of the build is largely dependent on how much care and effort you put into the construction. The instructions to get you to that point are like any recipe – they lay out the required materials and a logical fashion in which to put them together with accompanying photographic depictions of each step. Simple enough and well written.

What Do You Need to Get Started?

The projects in this guide are primarily about altering lighting conditions which can be done nicely with a huge variety of common items.

There is a short list of the most commonly used materials for the projects in this guide. Tape, glue and scissors feature very prominently and a few of the projects require heavier tools like a hammer and drill. Other materials for the equipment include gaffa tape, aluminium foil (light reflector), ripstop nylon (light diffuser) and a small selection of other materials that can be easily found at a supermarket, hardware store or art shop. There are also several potential alternatives to each of the actual light modifying materials that are listed.

Most are readily and easily available. Again, it’s quite easy.

Who is This Guide Really For?

If you’re starting to get serious with your photography, but are still operating on a budget, this guide offers a happy intermediate step between going without equipment and getting the top of the line gear. It enables you to build a working interim piece of equipment that allows you to find out how (and how often) you would use it on a day to day basis. That puts you in a far better position from which to make a decision about more expensive and permanent gear options.

Alternatively, if you’re somebody who loves experimenting with different lighting setups without any real intent to use them more often, this guide will be a godsend for your back pocket. Again, it also allows you to do the experimentation before deciding which pieces of more expensive gear will suit you too.

And finally, it might help folks at the top end of the spectrum who are already masters of lighting to the point where you are putting together their own light modifiers to suit their particular tastes and needs. The guide offers handy plans that can easily be modified for your tastes (in fact, the author recommends it!).

What are the Draw Backs?

The real issues here will be obvious to most. The quality of a DIY built piece of gear is only as good as the person putting it together. If you take time and ensure precision, you can have some very workable and solid pieces of photography equipment. But it is difficult to imagine that a photographer who is doing product shots every day is going to get more than a few week’s use out of a softbox made of a cardboard box (for example). On the other hand, if you only use a softbox occasionally, then a cardboard box DIY one will probably do just fine (I have had a DIY softbox very similar to the one in this guide for well over 18 months and it still works just fine). Horses for courses.

The other thing to consider is simply how good you are at putting things together. If Ikea sends you into fits, then this may not be a great option for you. While the majority of people will probably have no problem with the construction of projects in this guide, a few will.

What are Others Saying?

This book is on the famous Strobist’s list of must have photography books. That is huge props for this guide that comes from one of the best known photographers around who has built his reputation on knowing about lighting. As such it is very hard to ignore.

The folks over at Digital Photography School also gave the guide a thumbs up in their short review.

And finally, the community at Flickr built around this book are basically obsessed, with over 10,000 members, hundreds of discussion threads about DIY projects and over 16,000 uploaded photographs! Certainly a lot of happy folks over there ready to answer questions and offer solutions to your DIY woes.

Light Stalking Special

As with any product we feature on Light Stalking, we put the hard word on Udi to do something special for Light Stalking readers. Kindly, he agreed to offer a 25% discount for folks from this site! It is only for a week so make sure you get in now to secure your discount before the guide goes back to its normal price. Just use the code LSDIYP25 to get your discount.

You can check it out here.

Udi also kindly offered to share the proceeds of this with Light Stalking so we can continue to bring you great free photography content and articles.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Who Are These Guys?

Many of you will be familiar with the work of Mitchell Kanashakavich and his great guides that we have reviewed before on lighting and post production in photography. Many of you will also know of or read Darren Rowse’s great site over at Digital Photography School. Well these guys got together (Mitchell as author and Darren as publisher) to produce “Transcending Travel: A Guide to Captivating Travel Photography“.

Mitchell is a travel photographer by trade – he shoots for Getty Images and his photography has appeared in a heap of magazines as well as on book covers and billboards. He also wrote several guides (mentioned earlier) that went on to sell thousands. In short, the guy knows what he’s doing! DPS knows how to pick talent when they see it.

What’s So Good About The Guide?

As for the book itself, visually it’s exactly what you would expect from these guys – gorgeous, with lots of great photographs and examples. One reason we really love Mitchell’s stuff is that he virtually gives away the whole playbook when he uses examples. All of the images have the data such as ISO, aperture etc and most have extra information demonstrating the point he is trying to make about travel photography.

What’s Inside?

There are four main sections to the guide – Preparation, Composition, Light and Making Photos.

As anybody who has travelled with a camera knows, preparation is invaluable – it can be the difference between average shots and a print that can proudly go on your wall. Mitchell covers this subject by going through his own process of researching shooting conditions before he even buys a ticket. This encompasses gear selection too and is centrally important to good travel photography.

The composition section is a great little rundown of most of the various rules of photographic composition aswell as when to break them. It’s a good introduction for beginners and reminder for more experienced togs.

The lighting chapters of the book are also a great introduction. Judging from both this section of the book as well as Mitchell’s other guides, lighting seems to be where he really has a passion. His explanations of directing light and how to get the right type of light for shots are great.

The final section on the photographic process takes us through how a travel photographer goes about getting a great shot – from conceptualising the image through to planning, waiting and shooting. There are also chapters on the most common types of images for travel – landscapes, buildings, interiors and people.

It’s the sections on people that makes this book stand out. It is clear from the photos that Mitchell gets access to people that the rest of us struggle to emulate. But again, he tells exactly how he goes about it – whether it involves learning a few words of the local language, hiring a guide or simply getting lost in the hills on a motorcycle. To somebody who loves both travel and photography, this is the real gold of the book. Getting access to interesting people in their own environment is tough, but this is the guide that will show you how it’s done. To be honest, I would have loved some more examples of the ethics and psychology of photographing people – it really is an area of photography with not enough written (though I will admit I am a total travel junkie).

All up, this is a fine guide to travel photography and a great complement to Mitchell’s other more technical guides.

Part photography technique, part travel guide, part psychology – this book deserves a place in the collection of anybody who wants to improve their travel photos or get a handle on how to approach a tough area of photography.

What Next?

Now, Digital Photography School is a lot bigger than Light Stalking, but we still managed to convince Darren that it would be a good idea if DPS would offer Light Stalking readers a discount for this guide. He agreed, but only for a week.

So if you use the discount code “25lightstalker” you will get 25% off the advertised price of the guide if you get in this week.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

We were excited to find out then that one of our favorite photography websites has just launched a new guide to black and white photography – The Magic of Black and White (Part II – Craft) by Andrew S Gibson – a follow up to the successful first part (Vision).

Who Made the Guide?

This guide (and the previous one in the series) are published by David DuChemin who many of you might already be familiar with – he runs the fine website at www.CraftAndVision.com and publishes many great guides to photography as well as a very cool blog.

The author, Andrew S Gibson is no slouch himself (check out the images below to see what we mean). He also writers for EOS Magazine and has been in a bunch of other photography publications you probably know (Practical Photography and Photoshop Creative to name a couple).

So What’s It All About?

David was kind enough to give us a sneak preview of this follow up guide. To be honest, he set such a high standard with his other books, that we were expecting a lot.

The first thing that is striking about The Magic of Black and White is its visual appeal. Like all Craft And Vision publications, it is absolutely gorgeous to look at – this time due to the fantastic photographic skills of Gibson. Check it out:

The guide itself has three main messages (with great examples) on how to achieve various aspects of producing a stunning image in black and white. The focus of this one is the actual technical craft (making it the logical follow up to the first guide which was about vision).

Conversion - Several Techniques for taking a basic digital image and converting it to black and white properly. Remember though, as the guide states, you still need a decent color photo to get a decent black and white conversion!

Toning – Various methods of toning including a detailed look at split toning which involves adding two colors rather than one as in sepia toning.

Textures – Gibson shares a very cool technique (albeit relatively popular) for adding textures to photos by combining a texture layer into the black and white image. The resulting examples are quire stunning.

The guide goes into enough detail on each point (with specific software settings for Photoshop and Elements which are relatively easy to emulate in most photography software) that it can practically be used to emulate the results of the photo examples. That makes it solid basis for folks looking to learn the craft.

As with most Craft and Vision published guides, perhaps the main criticism is that it leaves you wanting more and asking when the next one is coming out. The guide itself is great – we just want more of it! The eye candy is spectacular and the lessons are solid.

But that is the kicker. These short guides solve a specific problem for many photographers and they do it succinctly and well. With them being priced at an incredibly cheap $5 it’s difficult to not want to snap up all of them.

The Magic of Black and White – Part II – Craft is well worth a look and at these prices, very difficult to ignore.

And, as David has kindly informed us:

For the first few days only, if buyers use the promotional code MAGIC4 when they checkout, they can have the latest ebook for only $4 OR they can use the code MAGIC20 to get 20% off when they buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST June 1, 2010.

Check it out by Clicking here.

David has kindly agreed to share the proceeds of any sales via this site with Light Stalking so we can continue to bring you great photography content.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.