Gift Idea: The Complete Photographer

Do you have a photog in your life? This might be the perfect gift for him/her!

Taking the successful thematic approach of How to Photograph Absolutely Everything and combining it with the practical tools and genre tutorials of Digital Photography Masterclass, The Complete Photographer encourages photographers to explore every discipline and experiment with different approaches, to hone their skills, and find their own personal style. Unlike other books, which tend to cover the principles of photography in a general way, The Complete Photographer is based around tutorials on ten different genres-Portraits, Landscape and Nature, Fashion, Wildlife, Sport, Documentary, Events, Travel, Architecture, and Fine Art-and shows in step-by-step detail how an idea progresses from concept stage to final image.

Guest Review by my husband Doug (our resident photographer)

This book is big.  Almost 400 pages of material.  Tom Ang writes about photography at a different level.  Many books I’ve read that are instructional in nature spend time talking about photography basics.  Aperture, shutter speeds, how to focus, equipment, all of this takes a back seat.  In this book he talks about subjects.  How to capture moments.  How to direct models. Where to find inspiration.  


Portrait
Landscape
Fashion and nude
Wildlife and Nature
Sports
Documentary
Event and milestone
Travel
Architecture
Fine Art


In each section there is a discussion of the genre and some considerations for it.  He includes an interview and a behind the scenes view of a shoot in that genre with several established photographers in that style.  There are tutorial pieces throughout the book that challenge you to stretch beyond what you might normally do if tackling that style.  

There are also “image analysis” breakdowns of photos that discuss why things in the example photo were done the way there were.  Identifying different elements and what the purpose of those elements are.


I enjoyed this book, or rather I am enjoying this book, it’s got so much stuff in it that I am working my way through this book and going back as I tackle different projects and photos that I come across.  It has become a resource for me.  I particularly enjoyed the step by step behind the scenes way that show how established photographers tackled various photos.  The interviews look at motivations behind photos and photography in general.  I found these to be a great way to get my mind thinking more about images and my approach to photography.    


Highly recommended for the photographer who is looking for a book about more then just f-stops and how to use a camera.

Thanks so much to DK Canada for sending me a copy of this book to review. 

Gift Idea: The Lego Book

The Lego Book

- information taken from the DK Canada website

Reveal, explore, and celebrate the fascinating LEGO® story in The LEGO® Book. From its beginnings in a carpenter's workshop and the development of the first plastic brick, to the group's current position as an international brand, a timeline highlights key moments in LEGO® history. 

Fascinating facts on every significant LEGO® product line, theme park, video game, artwork, competition, club, collectible and more combine with images from the LEGO Group's photo archives-many seen here for the first time-and inspiring ideas on how to make a variety of things from just a few bricks. Packaged in a beautiful slip case with cutting-edge design, this two-volume set also features Standing Small-a 96-page book celebrating the minifigure. 

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick configuration and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2009 The LEGO Group.

OUR REVIEW

Our whole family thinks the Lego Book is unbelievably cool... but my son Aiden positively adores it. Aiden (age 8) is a Lego-fanatic and he was over the moon when it arrived at our house. He has spent hours pouring over the pages, he keeps it beside his bed at night, he has taken it to school  show his friends... he really loves it. Owen (age 7) was especially impressed with Standing Small. He loves going through and reading the names of each little Lego character. 


The Lego Book is incredibly informative- I've learned a ton and I enjoyed the look back at Lego's from when I was a kid. My husband said reading it was like a walk down memory lane because he had some of the sets in the book when he was a kid. He thought that was really cool. The photography is excellent as well. I think this is the perfect gift for the Lego fans in your life!



Thanks so much to DK Canada for sending me this book to review!