First and foremost, this book is MUCH more confusing and difficult than it needs to be. I've been using Photoshop for ten years, dolling up model photography for about three, and have read extensively on the topics, so I'm far from a novice. But many of the step-by-steps in this book literally give me headaches after constant re-reads of trying to sort them out. The narrative is frequently simply unclear.
All due respect to the parties involved, but it needs a severe editorial pass from an objective eye. And perhaps a different "voice," that markets the book as "this is how Kevin Ames does it" rather than "this is how YOU ought to do it." I.e., the "Ames way," rather than "the BEST way." Because it really reflects how he's taught himself to work, moreso than surefire methods.
That said, the book is far from worthless. There ARE some good tips and tricks, and the narrow subject matter makes it refreshing (and even lovely) on a crowded shelf that tends toward redundancy. There's a good chapter on how to composite multiple shots into one portrait. (I had just finished a similar project of my own, so it WAS interesting to read someone else's take on it, and I found no flaw with his advice.) And some of the general workflow stuff is good reference/food for thought.
Perhaps that's the balance of this book in a nutshell: good when it's general, but frequently maddening in its specific long exercises. And I blame that on language, not the steps themselves. There's lots that's right about the book, but it reads too much like a first draft. For instance, the numbered steps would benefit hugely from headlines and parallelism. I.e., clearly delineate between "do this" and "here's why," rather than muddle the steps and explanations together broken up only by numbers.
BTW, just to get it off my chest, but there should be a LAW against featuring an example on the back of the book that is not illustrated within. There's a chapter on the "nostalgia pinup look" that's only barely relevant to the pinup shot on the back cover. Nothing at all about "nostalgia coloring," for example.
In a list of recommended reading, this would qualify as a "might read," but not yet a "must read." As this first edition, it probably has more unqualified value in its photography tips than the Photoshop guidance itself. If a second edition were to be proofed more objectively, it'd probably become a more solid and useful addition to the canon.
