The Moment It Clicks

Picture this. You meet one of the world's great photographers in a bar. He has a stack of pictures with him from his portfolio. As you go through the pictures, he talks about them, about the people in the photographs, and how he made each of them. About a third of the way through you realize that when he talks about the technical details he talks mostly about the lighting, and you are sorry you didn't pick up on that right from the beginning, but now you listen avidly to try to learn his lighting techniques.

Then, about two-thirds of the way through, he stops talking about the lighting, and starts meandering about the photo editors he knew, and how he may have sacrificed some of his family life to be a photographer, and how he came up through the ranks, and that's interesting too.

When Joe McNally talks about lighting a picture of James Brown, or Sophia Loren, or Larry Tisch, the techniques he uses seem to be ones you could use. But when he talks about getting a bunch of masks from the Smithsonian to shoot Michelle Pfeiffer, or five full length mirrors set up on the field for a picture of shortstop Ozzie Smith, or using 10 or 15 2400 watt lights to light fielder Eric Davis, you may hope that you can at least get inspiration because you are never going to have that kind of equipment, or if you are, then to quote McNally, "you don't need my advice". And don't take a peek at McNally's equipment until you come to that page in normal reading or you may decide the book is not for you.

If you are looking for instruction, it's here amongst the stories, even if it's delivered in a non-structured sort of way. I haven't invested in a dozen Speedotrons, but after reading this book, I did decide to upgrade my umbrella to a couple of softboxes. On the other hand if you are interested in looking at a portfolio of great pictures, McNally has them. And if you like to listen to photographers tell stories about photography, often at their own expense, you'll probably love this book.

Other then the lighting there is little of a technical nature here. There's nothing about exposure, or depth of field or Photoshop. I am certain that the people that talked the author into writing this book loved the stories and the way they were told and how they related back occasionally to transforming a vision into an image by using equipment. McNally's personality comes through. Whether this is the way for you to learn some lighting tricks will depend on what you feel about winnowing them out of the stories and pictures. On the other hand, Joe McNally is a great guy to have a drink with.

Learning to See Creatively

Learning to be a photographer is about more than focusing and exposure. One of the most important and difficult things is learning what to take a picture of, and then designing an image that expresses something about its subject. Many authors of photography books talk about teaching the photographer to see. I think of that as being the process of selecting a subject and then deciding how it should look to capture the photographer's vision of it. Bryan Patterson promises to teach that in the revised edition of "Learning to See Creatively". Unfortunately, he doesn't keep his promise.

It's not that this is a poor book. The author talks about the elements of photographic design like line, shape, form, texture, pattern and color. Unfortunately he doesn't link these elements to the photographer's vision. It's as if one knew nothing about tools, had a plumbing problem, and was presented with a wrench. It would be nice to be told how to use the wrench to solve the problem. If you know how to relate the tools to the problem, you don't need this book.


He also talks about composition and guidelines like the rule of thirds, or frame within a frame. But even here, he doesn't make the connection to vision. Even the chapter called "Expanding Your Vision" turns out to be a discussion of the characteristics of lenses of different focal lengths.

There are chapters on digital photography and photographic careers but they look like they were added on to the work because somebody thought that was what would help the book sell.

Peterson's photographs are good. When he explains why he made the design and composition choices for a particular picture you can see some relationship of technique to vision. It's also interesting to occasionally see a comparison of the same subject handled two different ways. But unfortunately the author doesn't take the opportunity to relate similar pictures to photographic vision.

This might be a good enough book for the intermediate photographer who isn't really ready to work on his or her vision, although I much prefer Brenda Tharp's "Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography" which covers the same ground in a more concise way.

One might think that you can't teach someone to see creatively. That may be true, but Freeman Patterson's old standby, "Photography & the art of seeing" comes a lot closer than this volume. And books like those by Galen Rowell or Tony Sweet do a much better job of relating technique to the visions of their authors.

Understanding Exposure

If you are trying to learn more about how to properly use exposure (i.e. aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) this is a fantastic book to begin with. It informs for the film and digital photographer. I have been taking photos for many years, but it has only been over the past couple of years that I became more of a professional. Despite this, I still struggled to understand some of the concepts such as the difference between a good exposure and a "creatively correct exposure" and what options I had.

You learn how to expose for front-lit, back-lit, side-lit scenes, overcast skys, macro photography, motion, stationery objects, how to expose for bright scenes such as snow (grey card & 18% grey) and dark scenes such as night photography...you name it. Then Bryan Peterson tops it off with a sections on metering, special techniques and filters, and an analysis of film vs digital cameras.

Understanding Exposure not only explained the basics in a conversational manner, but is also informed me of how the pros work and how to step up my photography to a higher level.

This book has hands-on exercises that anyone can go through so that the reader has experience of all of the methods explained. Along with this, the book is FULL of color photos that show exactly what the end result could be. Where applicable, there are comparisons of before and after exposure adjustments so the reader may understand WHY they should make such changes.

Where there is a difference between adjustments for digital versus film cameras, Bryan Peterson gives you the specifics of the difference and haw to adjust for it.

It is a book every photographer should have!

My Sister's Keeper

Jodi Picoult has masterfully covered yet another controversial topic in her novel "My Sister's Keeper." This time, young Kate is diagnosed with a severe form of leukemia. Her parents then have a baby, Anna, who is genetically selected to be a close donor match for Kate. From her birth onward into her early teens, Anna is called upon to undergo increasingly invasive and dangerous procedures to provide blood, bone marrow, and other tissues to sustain her older sister's life. Now, a kidney is needed, and Anna brings a lawsuit against her parents, claiming the right to her make own decision about what medical procedures can be performed on her. Anna's mother Sara, an attorney, decides to represent her own daughter Kate at the trial.
There are some very difficult questions raised in this story. Does Anna have the obligation to risk her own health to save her sister? Do her parents have the right to make the medical decisions about Anna's donor role, and where should their loyalties lie? Where is the fine line between what is legal and what is ethical in a situation like this? There seem to be no right or wrong answers here, and the ensuing trial recounts all the physical, moral, psychological, and familial struggles that are brought to bear on the issue. Picoult paints a powerfully emotional picture of a family in turmoil. She adds additional tension to the story through brother Jesse, whose drug taking and criminal tendencies add even more burdens to an already overwrought situation. The story also includes the love/hate relationship between Anna's lawyer and her legal guardian.

The narrative switches from character to character so that the reader hears the voices of each family member, as well as that of Anna's lawyer and of the legal guardian appointed to watch out for her interests. Sara's narrative includes flashbacks on the history of Kate's illness, Anna's role in providing medical support, and the toll that the constant threat of Kate's death takes on the family. There are several shocking twists to the plot that make the story even more riveting. This is Picoult's best book yet!

Nineteen Minutes

This time around, Picoult finally lived up to my hopes and she did so by tackling a difficult subject, one that has been in many novels thus far...a school shooting, a look at both the victims' world and that of the shooter (who is also a victim, in his own way), the alienation of kids who are on the outside and the interconnection between the popular kids and those who aren't. Although the novel is graphic, it would certainly provoke plenty of discussion and understanding between parents and teens, although parents may want to consider how ready their teen is to read a book so detailed and so complex and with graphic sexuality (including rough sex).

As a long-time reader of her books, my one disappointment with Picoult has always been how often her endings seemed to fall apart into stereotypical or "pat" solutions, when the rest of her writing, up to that point, would be so very, very strong. And yet, I KEPT buying her books, because she did everything else so well - solid, compelling characters, great plots (until those endings), riveting events. I kept rooting for her. I knew she had the chops to produce a solid book, from start to finish, without those letdowns at the end (and I'm sure others will disagree with me about the endings, as she IS a popular writer).

This time,with Nineteen Minutes, she pulls it off, does everything right...and I'm delighted to be able to say so. I wasn't able to stop reading, except for short periods when I had to stop and think about WHAT I was reading. I have raised three teenagers and her portrayal of teenage life, the cruelties of the bullies, the fears and insecurities suffered by even the most popular kids, was eerily accurate.

Buy this one, savor every word and take time to think about how you'd feel in a similar situation. This is the kind of book that can be life-changing and motivate readers to change things and make the world better for our children. How and why readers do that is up to them, of course but, at the least, they'll be haunted by this book long after they finish it.

As for me, I'm going to reread it - and soon. It is simply that good.

The Wedding

I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan, so I may be somewhat biased as I review this book. THE WEDDING is the sequel to THE NOTEBOOK, the love story of Noah and Allie: a love that almost didn't happen. Now, in THE WEDDING, we meet the next two generations of family members, and a somewhat complex story is told.

Noah is now living at Creekside, where he and Allie had moved toward the end of her life. He spends his time feeding a lone female swan, distinguished by a dark patch of color on her chest. Noah feels that this is Allie come back to him, and his children feel that he's lost touch with the world. Noah, however, never gives up on his theory and insists that it is his dear beloved wife.

Noah and Allie's oldest daughter, Jane, is married to Wilson Lewis. They've been married for nearly 30 years and have raised three children, all of whom are now adults. Jane and Wilson's story is told in flashbacks, as Wilson remembers what brought him and Jane together all those years ago. The reason for his reflections, though, is that he knows Jane is very unhappy with their marriage. So unhappy, that she leaves town for a few weeks to spend with their son Joseph. She doesn't say exactly why she left, but Wilson knows she needs to get away to think things over.

In the meantime, their oldest daughter Anna has announced that she and her boyfriend Keith plan to be married in a few weeks. She doesn't want anything fancy, and plans to marry at the justice of the peace. However, this is not what Jane wants for her daughter. Suddenly, Jane shows a new interest in life, and with the help of Wilson the two of them proceed to organize the best wedding any daughter ever had.

As the wedding plans take shape, Wilson keeps Noah up to date. During their visits, Wilson notes how Noah dotes on the swan, talking to her and sharing his thoughts with her. A few odd events almost convince Wilson that maybe this is indeed Allie reborn, but he always keeps these thoughts to himself. And all through these visits, Noah reminisces about his wife, while Wilson remembers his own first love Jane.

The title THE WEDDING is misleading, but this was Sparks' intention. Yes, the entire book is about the family getting ready for the big wedding, but the reader will realize by the end of the book that the story is much more than just THE WEDDING. The ending will surprise you, as it surprised some of the characters in the book. The story of the swan helps round out this tale of eternal love and may turn even the most cynical of persons into a romantic.

A Walk to Remember

This is a beautiful, romantic, heartwarming story that will sure to leave you crying at the end. But as the author states in his preface - "you have been forewarned". I don't read many fiction books, yet when I do, I tend to stick to favorite authors and Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorites. I was hooked after reading Message In A Bottle - another tearjerker.
I am a hopeless romantic and I usually don't read romance books, but this book is superb for all of you other hopeless romantics. This book will tear at your heartstrings and will linger with you for days. I could not put this book down and read it in two days. I was immediately captivated and transported into Landon Carter's world in the late 1950's. Landon does an incredible amount of "growing up" during his seventeenth year of life. The minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan, helps him to transform from a selfish, self-absorbed "kid", to a young adult on the verge of manhood. Landon conveys traits of tenderness, and compassion, and learns about love and faith and how to forgive, while his love blossoms for Jamie. Jamie is able to bring out all that is pure and good from Landon. It is this innocent love that is all consuming that helps to foster Landon's growth and wisdom.

Jamie may be portrayed in the book as a "goodie two-shoes", but her innocence, her unnerving faith and trying to live her life as God wanted us all to live, endears her to the reader.

The book may be predictable in parts, but that does not deter from the beauty of this story. In the conclusion, Landon realizes what love is and what it really means to love another by helping your love's dream become a reality. Landon's heart softens when he lets his true nature come through and shine - and shine it does. Epitome of true love - most definitely! With Landon's transformation complete, the reader is completely absorbed with these two main characters. You can't help but fall in love with them.

Nicholas Sparks - I congratulate you on another most tender and endearing story.

I absolutely love this book and recommend it heartily. This is a must read kind of book that can't help but uplift you as well. Just keep your kleenex handy!