Amazon.co.uk
John Paul Caponigro specialises in compositional landscape photomontages which he creates in Photoshop, superimposing rocks and stones, cloud forms, water and lighting effects with landscape backdrops. His compositions are executed with a high degree of technical competence and in
Adobe Photoshop Master Class he describes his methods.
There is a basic introduction to technical concepts at the beginning of the book and each chapter provides specific instruction on how to achieve a particular effect. But the bulk of the book is devoted to Caponigro's thoughts on "visual problem solving". At their most practical, these deal with techniques for converting colour images to black and white, extending dynamic range, creating duotones and digitally simulating alternative photographic processes.
Caponigro then attempts to explain the purpose of his compositions. If you're a fan, these are the parts of the book you will find most illuminating; others may find the tone a touch precious.
Caponigro on technique is fine--"Never forget light. If you photograph an object from many angles without rotating the object ... the direction of light in the separate images will not be cast from a consistent angle ... the separate images will no longer share a single reality".
Caponigro on his own work--"The land encloses the figure. The figure encloses the land. Who's pregnant with whom? The earth with the woman, or the woman with the earth? A portion of us is made of earth. A portion of the earth is made of us. One gives voice to the other". Excruciating. --Ken McMahon
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
Amazon.com
The author (the son of Paul Caponigro, a photographer in the tradition of Minor White and Ansel Adams) of
Adobe Photoshop Master Class is a skilled art photographer who specializes in intriguing naturescapes that often employ compositing and mirroring. In this book, he shares the photographic wisdom and Photoshop methods that helped create these colorful, mysterious images.
The title is appropriate: the book is modeled after master classes with performance artists; for example, operatic training with Maria Callas. The readers get to see, in detail, Caponigro's techniques and read his philosophies. This demonstration includes Photoshop basics that apply to all types of digital imaging, including calibration, adjustment layers, variations, levels, and curves. It also covers visual principles that are essential to photography in general, like proportion, scale, light, and shadows (including Ansel Adams's Zone system), and--important in the author's own work--reflection and tessellation.
The images, which are generally devoid of the human form, have an otherworldly stillness. Their quiet intensity translates well into book form: the typography and layout resemble a museum catalog, with widely leaded, delicate lines of type. Readers who prefer skimming through how-to books for quick results will be daunted by the level of in-depth attention that this book demands. On the other hand, those who hope to use Photoshop for high-end digital imaging (not just preparing JPEGs for the Web or 600-dpi images for print) will be rewarded by the author's extensive experience and painstaking attention to detail.
Most chapters discuss different issues (e.g., color or shadows) and use Caponigro's images as examples. The discussion is in a narrative form, with quotes and references to artists of all kinds, from Matisse to Goethe. It's like gaining admission to the most competitive graduate seminar, hosted by a renowned artist-in-residence. --Angelynn Grant
Topics covered:
Techniques for using Photoshop (version 5 or higher) on fine digital imaging, including:
- Monitor calibration
- Image resolution
- Applying levels and curves to the Zone system
- Output to print or film
And photographic issues and Photoshop methods used in the author's work, including:
- Photomontage
- Proportion
- Contrast
- Color
- Multiple exposure
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
