I thought one of the things I might do, is write a bit about photography related books. Partly because if I'm not spending my money on kit, I'm spending it on books.
While the internet is a great place to find information, its harder for me to snuggle down with, plus I usually have a better idea where a technique is in a book as opposed to the world wide web.
I thought therefore, I might write a bit here on this ol' blog about books I've found useful. Also, I got my latest order delivered today, and I'm eager to share details with you.
The book I'm going to write about today is called Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing and Retouching Faces and Bodies, by Lee Varis. Now, despite only having it today, the reason I know I can write about it is because I've borrowed it from the college library (numerous times) and decided to invest and buy my own copy.
Rather than being a textbook, I found this a good book to dip and out of. It starts with the usual information about how to make the best out of your computer and digital camera, in terms of calibration, workflow, colour management, and all those things that are very important but not as exciting. The reason for this, is to help you get the most out of your software and kit, and to make sure that what you see on screen is the same thing you get when you print off your final image. There is nothing worse, afterall, than getting a print back only to find it's a little too warm or cool in temperature, or lighter or darker than you thought it looked on screen. It also comes with a CD, which includes tutorials and sample pictures.
Then we get stuck into the interesting things. Varis has a range of photographs with diagrams to show how the lighting effects were achieved, from simple reflectors, to intricate lighting sets for what looks like a Lara Croft emerging from the water shot. It's extremely well illustrated with photographs of more complex sets from different angles, and includes things like Rembrandt lighting effects - something that seems to be very much in fashion now.
The book then moves on to discussing how to get the optimal colour of skin tone and how to work that in Photoshop. Then we move on to more step-by-step how to pieces. This includes getting a great black and white photo, without just hitting the greyscale button. It shows you how to enhance and make images pop out and add a bit of glow to the picture. There's also information about toning. Most people will be familiar with sepia toning, and there's a piece which explains all of that, but also how to make it look good rather than mobile-phone-cheesy.
Then we get to the bit I really wanted - retouching. Having experimented a lot with retouching, I'm always interested in finding techniques that are more professional and easier. There's the before-after shots, and this chapter deals with reducing the visibility of all those things we see first in the mirror: blotchy skin; deep-set wrinkles (courtesy of Andie Macdowell), and the favourite of women's glossy mags - how to slim people down. The chapter also considers how retouching should be modified to different people - for example, while my 80 year old grandmother might appreciate me giving her skin like a 20 year old, it probably won't look right. So Varis has included examples where techniques are used a little more sparingly.
The next chapter is probably one I'd like to avoid, but I'm sure there will be some trigger-happy photoshoppers who'll love the methods he's included. These come under the title of "special effects" - such as soft focus, wacky colours, and grain effects. If I'm honest, I think this is a chapter that in a few years from now will date the book. I've looked through books in college, from the eighties, when special effects were managed in the darkroom, and they were very much of the time. The truth is, a lot of "special effects" used today (particularly on Flickr, complete usually with what my tutor refers to as 80's Ferrari fonts with people's names on them proudly proclaiming themselves as the artist) will look horrible and dated. The only difference being, that in five or ten years time, unlike the pre-digital era, most of these images will disappear when people realise how cheesy they are and delete them. That in itself is a bit of a shame, as we really do need these things to mark shifts in trends in photography, even if they do make me cringe even now.
The next chapter focuses on printing and preparing for print. This is one of those chapters that you either know already; think you know already but probably don't; or you don't know and you don't care about, although really you should. It's all about final tweaks, and avoiding common problems such as over sharpening and getting nasty halo effects. It shows you how to do interesting borders, if you want your picture to look a little rough round the edges.
The final chapter basically summarises what's been discussed and also gives information about what's included in the accompanying CD.
Overall, I do like this book a lot - it's probably one of the most useful technique books I've bought particularly given the number of times I renewed my loan of the library copy. The only downside I would say is that the photos do have a noughties cheesiness about them and wouldn't look out of place in a picture library. But then, considering the target market isn't a specific group of people involved in photography but a wide demographic of photographers - whether pro, student, enthusiast or amateur, they aren't really out of place. I don't think all the lessons will apply to everyone, but this it is extremely comprehensive without being dry or boring, and the information is relevant to the current trends in photography.
Having read the reviews on Amazon, I was quite interested in the mix of responses, particularly the more negative reviews. In my opinion, if you really want to know more and become an expert in retouching and skin tones, your best bet would be to enroll in an advanced Adobe Photoshop course at your local college or university.
Definitely one for the bookshelf, and if you don't feel like supporting your local economy and buying it from your local bookshop, then you can get a heavily discounted version on Amazon.
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