dpreview articles: Book Reviews

In this fifth edition of his well-regarded book Chris Johnson adds new material and explains why the Zone System, developed as paradigm for film shooters, can also be easily applied in the digital age.

Masterclass, a handsome new book of images made by Arnold Newman, the first published since his death in 2006, contains familiar works as well as several previously unpublished pictures. For fans of portraiture 'Masterclass' is definitely worth a look.

A mixture of personal anecdote and practical advice, 'Envisioning Family: A Photographer's Guide to Making Meaningful Portraits of the Modern Family' by Tamara Lackey should be of interest to anyone who wants to add a little something extra to their family portraits. Adam Kaplan takes a look.

A superstar in the editorial photography and photo-education worlds, bestselling author McNally (The Moment It Clicks and The Hotshoe Diaries) has written another accessible, entertaining book - this time about methods for creating and shaping light using all manner of strobes.

David Nightingale’s overview of the techniques and tools of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography takes beginners through the general principles and specific techniques of achieving looks that ranges from ultra-realistic to dreamlike.

This handsome collection brings together Joel Sternfeld’s early color photography and includes many compelling images that have not been widely seen. First Pictures contains many captivating pictures and provides insight into the development of one of America’s true masters of color photography

As Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent Laforet transitions away from still photography and more towards film and video, he looks back at his photojournalistic and commercial career in this engaging book. Adam Koplan takes a look.

When Vivian Maier died in obscurity in 2009 she left behind a huge collection of photographs, taken over several decades. Barnaby Britton, dpreview reviews editor takes a look at a new collection of her work, 'Vivian Maier, Street Photographer'.

Published in conjunction with the 125th year after Edward Weston’s birth, this large, lavish book reproduces a generous selection of the most important work of this wonderful and canonical photographer.

In the early 1980’s, Barbara Crane attended crowded summer festivals and fairs in the parks of Chicago. The resulting series, now handsomely published by Aperture Press as a book entitled Private Views, is a well-executed and wonderfully idiosyncratic body of work.

Adam Koplan takes a closer look at Steve Simon's captivating book, The Passionate Photographer. In it, Simon aims to help shooters address two important dilemmas: 'Why aren't my pictures as good as I want them to be?' and the immediate follow-up, 'What can I do about it?'

In a follow-up to his widely regarded book, The Photographer's Eye, documentary photographer Michael Freeman has published a fascinating text that aims to help photographers to be more thoughtful in their picture-making.

'Walker Evans: Cuba' is a striking collection of photographs taken during a visit by the young photographer in 1933. Although not as polished as Evans' later work, the images in this collection provide a fascinating insight into a unique moment in time and a nascent photographic genius.

Adam Koplan reviews Syl Arena's Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites. This handbook explains and demonstrates techniques for the use of small flashes with particular attention paid to the Canon system of Speedlites.

Thames & Hudson’s Photofile series - a sort of Reader’s Digest of coffee table books - offers well-produced paperbacks containing approximately 60 decent reproductions. Most titles in the series are worthwhile, and the concept of these affordable and small packages is fantastic.

A coffee table book that features a diverse collection of high quality work from contemporary South African photographers.

Poor posing can make people shots appear 'unprofessional'. Yet posing is an often overlooked area in mainstream photographic education. Comprised almost entirely of images, this useful if sometimes cheesy book, aptly subtitled a 'visual sourcebook', provides hundreds of examples of female portraits.

As Adobe releases new versions of Photoshop, Scott Kelby rewrites his manual to the program to address relevant changes and upgrades. Adam Koplan has had a look at the latest edition of this popular book for us.