Photo Club

Infrared Photography is the practice of recording that part of the light spectrum that is referred to as infrared. Infrared light is outside the range of what the human eye can see, but with the digital camera we are now able to not only block the visible part of light, but see the invisible, infrared, part of the light spectrum. Artists have been using infrared film and filter techniques since back in the 1960s, but now with the digital innovations available to us in our new technologies, we have many more opportunities to experiment with this medium.

The goal of Digital Infrared Photography is to not only show you the beauty of infrared photography, but teach you how to shoot this type of photography with your digital camera. Digital Infrared Photography is 112 pages in length and covers five sections.

Section 1, "Theory," examines some of the history of infrared photography and takes a look at how it has been greatly simplified since the introduction of digital cameras. Then you will look at some of the basic principles of infrared and what uses there are for this style of photography.

Section 2, "Equipment," next takes a look at what kind of camera one needs for infrared and what other equipment is necessary. In this section you will learn how to perform a test to determine your camera's suitability for infrared and then you will see what other items are necessary or desirable for pursuing this type of photography.

Section 3, "Specialty Cameras," looks at the aspect of what can be used beyond production cameras. That is, a camera that has had its infrared blocker removed. Canon owners also have the option of using a clip filter system which can also be used for astrophotography. Also discussed are the pros and cons of various optimized infrared cameras.

Section 4, "Practical Aspects," now examines the technical aspects of digital infrared photography. This includes the file types, ISO settings, white balance, aperture and shutter speeds, and hotspots. Also examined is a comparison of infrared filters.

Section 5, "The Digital Darkroom," shows that in just about all cases post processing needs to be done when working in infrared. Here you will work with Black and White conversion, grayscale conversion, color levels, and how to optimize your pictures by using levels. There is even an examination of color infrared photography.

Digital Infrared Photography makes for a very good introduction to the subject of infrared photography. It nicely transitions from the technical topics of what infrared photography is, through what equipment you need, to the last third of the book focusing on the digital darkroom.

Digital Infrared Photography also has a lot of beautifully done images as well. These images serve as examples of what can be accomplished. Is this a complete book of infrared photography? No, this book will only give you an introduction into the field. If you are new to infrared, and are looking for a book that will give you a start into this type of photography, then I can easily recommend this book.

Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 is truly a unique book on a number of different levels. First, it presents a system for correcting photographic image problems using seven main areas of focus within Photoshop. This means that you don't have to become an expert in all things Photoshop, rather only seven basic techniques.

Second, this is not a book in which you learn technique “A” in lesson one, “B” in lesson two, etc. It is more of book in which each lesson you explore a photo with problem “A” and you see the steps to fix it. Then the next lesson you go to photo “B” and see the problems and learn how to fix them.

This may confuse some people. If you are looking for a book that teaches you how to use curves, or channels, or masks, this may not be the book for you. Yes you will learn how to use each of these techniques, but indirectly. What this book will teach you more of is a workflow for fixing photographic problems.

So in essence Scott Kelby's 7-Point System is a training manual that explains how Scott Kelby manages to work with images. It is laid out into 21 lessons covering 264 pages.

One side note, I said that this contains 21 chapters. In the realm of the NAPP world this is a significant number; no, not because 21 divided by 3 is 7 which equals the number in the title, rather that is the number of lessons contained in all of the training videos that I have review in my column, so therefore, I predict that there will be a Scott Kelby's 7-Point System training video one day soon!

One thing to note, you must read the introduction. Quite cleverly, Kelby inserts critical information that you cannot successfully succeed without it. He seems to want people to read the introduction. It also covers the general reason he developed this method and how the book in general works.

Since it doesn’t make much since to cover each lesson; I mean if I said “Lesson 10, Porch Silhouette, Bar Harbor, Maine is about a Porch…” it would get rather boring so instead, I will highlight the seven points. No I am not revealing any secrets from the book here since how each step is implemented can be different for each photographic situation.

With Point 1, you start off in "Raw" mode. This can be from Photoshop with the ACR plug-in or from Lightroom where you work with just some basic adjustments. These adjustments are easier and faster to do in Raw as opposed to Photoshop. Point 2, you will work with "Curves Adjustments"; most of it is very basic and does not require advanced technical skills.

Point 3 is covers the use of "Shadows and Highlights" to eliminate clipping, or tonal problems within the photo. Point 4 covers "Painting with Light". By learning how to control the light in your images will give you incredible control to fix exposure problems and bring out detail.

Point 5, "Channels Adjustments", uses Lab color channels to show you three different versions of your photo that can be used to bring out the vibrancy and color contrast in your image. Point 6 "Layer Blend Modes & Layer Masks" enhances the skills that you learned with Point 4. Point 7, “Sharpening Techniques” shows you how to bring out the clarity in your photos.

Scott Kelby's 7-Point System is one of those books that that you really have to work through to get out of it all of the lessons it contains. It may even require that you work through some of the lessons several times to get good at it. But if you do, by the end, you will find that you have become very good with Photoshop and image correction.

Scott Kelby's 7-Point System is very well written, as are all of Kelby’s books. The lessons are all very much step by step and easy to follow along for users of any level. If I had one minor complaint about the book it is that, while all steps are explained in detail, not all of the explanations for why they were done a particular way are explained; for example, you may be told to flatten an image, but not why, or what the implications of flattening it are. But handily all of the photos from the lesson are available online for download.

All in all, Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 is a great book. It will have you looking at your photos in a new way. You will see ones that may not have made the “cut,” having new life. It will also give you the fundamental basis for an image correction work flow. If you want to learn how to correct images in a professional way, then this book is a must-have.

Of the myriad pictures made of John Lennon, perhaps none is more iconic than his last formal portrait, with the former Beatle in the nude and holding his wife Yoko Ono, made by Annie Leibovitz just hours before Lennon’s death. After it appeared posthumously on the cover of Rolling Stone, the image became a symbol of cruel irony — the public reemergence of a famous but reclusive couple, tragically cut short by assassination.

But most of the world didn’t know at the time that Lennon and Ono had been carefully orchestrating their showbiz comeback for months. While completing their Double Fantasy album, the pair reached out to a few trusted journalists to set the record straight (their side) about their years of seclusion and promote their new record. Among their most friendly press cohorts during this period was New York photographer Allan Tannenbaum, who had known the couple since 1975.

In late 1980, on assignment for the SoHo News, Tannenbaum shot images for a story about Ono called “Yoko Only,” which led to more photo shoots with both Ono and Lennon. “Yoko said, John feels comfortable with you, so why don’t you hang out with us?’ ” Tannenbaum recalls. Among the scenes he photographed was a video shoot in which the pair disrobed and simulated lovemaking in front of the camera.

Lennon and Ono liked Tannenbaum’s pictures and asked him to make several prints for them. The night of December 8, while working on these in his downtown Manhattan darkroom, he heard the news that Lennon had been shot outside his home at the Dakota building. Operating “on autopilot,” Tannenbaum says, he rushed uptown to photograph the murder’s aftermath, including the “perp walk” of suspect Mark David Chapman at a police precinct and the gathering of grief-stricken fans at the Dakota. “I really switched modes from darkroom to news photographer,” he says. “I didn’t even stop long enough to cry, until later.”

Tannenbaum soon found that his Lennon pictures — among the last ones of the musician — were in great demand, and some have been widely published. The photographer later made more portraits of Ono and of the couple’s son, Sean. But never has the entire collection of Tannenbaum’s Lennon/Ono work been gathered in one place — until now.

A new coffee-table book, John & Yoko: A New York Love Story (Insight Editions, $45) includes more than 150 photos of the couple, from 1975 images of Lennon’s last public performance to Tannenbaum’s intimate 1980 sessions, including many never-seen outtakes. (See slide show.) “We wanted to not only show pictures that people are familiar with and that have become iconic,” Tannenbaum says, “but also to show photographs that people have never seen before.” With a preface by Yoko Ono and an introduction by Govinda Gallery owner Chris Murray, the book is slated to reach stores on October 9, which would have been Lennon’s 67th birthday. An exhibition of this work will be at the Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., from October 5 through November 10.

American Photo’s Jack Crager recently spoke with Tannenbaum about his new book, working with John & Yoko, and bittersweet memories of his friendship with John.

American Photo: This book has been a long time in the making, right?

Allan Tannenbaum: About a quarter century, yeah [chuckles]. It’s pretty amazing to see these pictures all in one place, especially since the publisher did a beautiful job with the design and reproduction. And it’s exciting to see a lot of photographs that I had ignored or neglected or passed over for so long being published. This coincides with what Yoko is doing — she’s been focusing on John’s New York years. They are about to open the John Lennon Imagine Peace Tower, in Reychavik, Iceland, on John’s birthday, October 9, which is when the book comes out. So the timing is good now.

AP: Yoko wrote the book’s preface. Since advance copies arrived, have you heard her reaction to it?

AT: You know, she sent me a very sweet card with the photo of the Two Virgins album cover, saying, “This is a picture that John did” [laughs]. She didn’t mention the book. But I knew, because I met with her several times to show her the layout and everything, Yoko is sort of a unique personality. And at first she was, hmm, hmm, very reserved, and then I could see her face light up as she got into it. And after our second meeting she gave me a big hug. So she liked it. I think she’s got to be delighted with the result. She wrote a beautiful preface. And it’s not just about John — it’s her and John, a kind of paeon to their love.

AP: Which is not always the case with books about an ex-Beatle…

AT: You know, there are a lot of people who don’t like Yoko, and that’s probably true in the UK more than it is here. But there are also a lot of people who do like her. She is a successful artist. I’m one who appreciates her art. And there are things she tries to do; she’s always for peace, and she has a following. I enjoyed working with both of them.