Book Recommendation

Maybe these to consider – probably the closest I know of on the market :
Adobe Photoshop CS Artistry by Barry Haynes
A handbook for serious professional photographers and digital artists who need to create expert imagery.
ISBN : 9780735713741

Art of Photoshop Cs2 Edition Daniel Giordan
Look over the designer’s shoulder while learning advanced Photoshop CS2 techniques with vivid, full-color photography. Inspire your design skills with award winning design and layout for the visual artist. "The Art of Photoshop, CS2 Edition" centers on a suite of 19 images created by Daniel Giordan. Visually complex, and rich in layered tonality, these images inspire the audience to push their understanding of Photoshop and its capabilities, while offering a glimpse over the designer’s shoulder into how the images were made. Readers will not only learn the techniques used by the author but will be able to apply these techniques to their own images. This is perhaps the central differentiator between Art of Photoshop and other Photoshop design books. "The Art of Photoshop" teaches a process for creative exploration; it teaches people how to make digital art that follows their own sensibility and aesthetics. "Art of Photoshop, CS2 Edition" has been updated to cover Photoshop CS2 and by reader request now includes CD of images used throughout the book.
ISBN : 9780672328107

On Mar 15, 10:01 am, "Steve Hanson" wrote:

I’m looking for recommendations on good Photoshop books that deal more with the artistic side of photography. I think most people have read lots of books that cover the workings of Photoshop, but I’m looking for inspirational artistic books.
I have bought books in the past that I thought would cover this sort of thing, but I always found them to be full of cheesy effects that looked pretty naff (apply a couple of filters, add a fancy border and call it "art" kind of effects).
Sorry for being a bit vague, but that’s probably because I’m not sure exactly what I want myself. Just looking for inspirational, new techniques to play with I guess, but want to avoid books full of cheesy effects. Actually, thinking about it, it doesn’t even need to solely be a Photoshop book. Maybe a commercial photographer talking about the creation of their images, maybe covering location, lighting, cgi, etc. Sort of along the lines of what these guys produce:http://www.erik-chmil.de/web/portfolio/ http://www.kayser-photography.com/index2.html

"Steve Hanson" wrote:

I’m looking for recommendations on good Photoshop books that deal more with the artistic side of photography. I think most people have read lots of books that cover the workings of Photoshop, but I’m looking for inspirational artistic books.

You should be looking at photography, not Photoshop, books.

I have bought books in the past that I thought would cover this sort of thing, but I always found them to be full of cheesy effects that looked pretty naff (apply a couple of filters, add a fancy border and call it "art" kind of effects).

Exactly. Ditto above<g>.

Sorry for being a bit vague, but that’s probably because I’m not sure exactly what I want myself. Just looking for inspirational, new techniques to play with I guess, but want to avoid books full of cheesy effects.

Again, you are looking at it backwards. You need new photographic goals.

The "usual suspects" here are books by Freeman Patterson and John Shaw.

Also, check out things like "How to Look at Photographs" (David Finn), "Criticizing Photographs" (Terry Barrett). (I don’t know how good these are, though. I’m just throwing them out as ideas.)

Also, subscribe to LensWork, and consider the books of writing about photography that they publish.

And, of course, collections of photos. Minor White, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Arbus, Maplethorpe, etc.

—
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

David J. Littleboy wrote:

"Steve Hanson" wrote:

I’m looking for recommendations on good Photoshop books that deal more with the artistic side of photography. I think most people have read lots of books that cover the workings of Photoshop, but I’m looking for inspirational artistic books.

You should be looking at photography, not Photoshop, books.

I have bought books in the past that I thought would cover this sort of thing, but I always found them to be full of cheesy effects that looked pretty naff (apply a couple of filters, add a fancy border and call it "art" kind of effects).

Exactly. Ditto above<g>.

Sorry for being a bit vague, but that’s probably because I’m not sure exactly what I want myself. Just looking for inspirational, new techniques to play with I guess, but want to avoid books full of cheesy effects.

Again, you are looking at it backwards. You need new photographic goals.
The "usual suspects" here are books by Freeman Patterson and John Shaw.
Also, check out things like "How to Look at Photographs" (David Finn), "Criticizing Photographs" (Terry Barrett). (I don’t know how good these are, though. I’m just throwing them out as ideas.)
Also, subscribe to LensWork, and consider the books of writing about photography that they publish.

And, of course, collections of photos. Minor White, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Arbus, Maplethorpe, etc.

Good ideas. Get a book of Gordon Parks’ photographs, for instance, and just look at them. Let your mind roll on. Even though it may be tempting to look for formulas and rules, your brain is capable of grabbing and processing principles of artistic expression without your verbalizing them. immerse yourself in the viewing, let it osmote and percolate.

On the other hand, if you really really need formulas and rules, nothing wrong with that; just realize that they are so complex and convoluted no one can write them down. All you’ll see in text is the barest of summaries, the most superficial of outlines, and if you relax and let your mind do what minds do, it’ll all come right.

—
Frank ess

"I can’t sing,
but I know how to,
which is quite different."
— Noel Coward

"Steve Hanson" wrote in message

I’m looking for recommendations on good Photoshop books that deal more with the artistic side of photography. I think most people have read lots of books that cover the workings of Photoshop, but I’m looking for inspirational artistic books.

I have bought books in the past that I thought would cover this sort of thing, but I always found them to be full of cheesy effects that looked pretty naff (apply a couple of filters, add a fancy border and call it "art" kind of effects).

Sorry for being a bit vague, but that’s probably because I’m not sure exactly what I want myself. Just looking for inspirational, new techniques to play with I guess, but want to avoid books full of cheesy effects.

Actually, thinking about it, it doesn’t even need to solely be a Photoshop book. Maybe a commercial photographer talking about the creation of their images, maybe covering location, lighting, cgi, etc. Sort of along the lines of what these guys produce:
http://www.erik-chmil.de/web/portfolio/
http://www.kayser-photography.com/index2.html

Cheers guys. I’ll check them out.