Five New Photography books from Rocky Nook

The Sony SLT-A77 - The Unofficial Quintessential Guide

The Sony SLT-A77(Rocky Nook) provides enthusiastic photographers with a wealth of information about the unique features of the Sony SLT-A77, an interchangeable-lens camera with an electronic viewfinder and a fixed, translucent mirror. The A77 differs from the current crop of DSLRs in its ability to use a phase detection focusing system throughout the entire picture-taking process, for both still photographs and videos. This provides an immediacy and responsiveness when using burst shots and creating HD videos that is unavailable in any other camera.

In this guide, authors Carol Roullard and Brian Matsumoto teach you how to obtain exceptional photographs and videos as they cover everything from the basics of using the camera's automatic modes, to the more advanced aperture-priority, shutter-priority, program, and manual exposure modes. You'll also learn how best to take advantage of features such as the built-in dynamic range adjustment, sweep panoramic, GPS, colorization modes, facial detection and recognition, multiple shot exposures, and HD video.

The authors help you to improve your skills even further by discussing how third-party software and accessories can enhance Sony's standard commands. You'll also learn about how the electronic viewfinder, fixed mirror, and Sony's novel shutter design improve the camera's utility for scientific photography through the microscope and telescope.

The Sony SLT-A77
By Carol F. Roullard, Brian Matsumoto Ph.D
Print ISBN: 9781937538019
Pages: 272
Print Price: $34.95, £26.99, 28 €

Sixty Tips for Creative iPhone Photography

In Sixty Tips for Creative iPhone Photography (Rocky Nook), author Martina Holmberg shares sixty tips that cover everything from shooting and editing photos using your iPhone's basic features, to using third-party apps for turning ordinary snapshots into unique and artistic images. The book is filled with images that illustrate each tip and technique.

Also included are two guest galleries that showcase iPhone photos from professional photographers Dominique James and Uwe Steinmueller. You'll be amazed and inspired by the artistic photography that can be achieved using the iPhone.

Topics include:
. Shooting and editing photos using the iPhone's standard features
. Using the camera's limitations to your advantage
. Developing your photographic eye
. Composing interesting snapshots of your everyday environment
. Using third-party apps
. Capturing portraits
. Shooting videos
This is another title in Rocky Nook's edition espresso series: books that keep the content short, strong, and to the point—like a great shot of your favorite espresso. The ideas and inspiration found in this little volume are sure to improve your photography.

Sixty Tips for Creative iPhone Photography
By Martina Holmberg
Print ISBN: 9781937538125
Pages: 144
Print Price: $24.95, £18.99, 20 €

Great Photos - Simple Cameras

From Holga to Pinhole: An Alternative Approach to Creative Photography
Everyday life can be far from easy. Indeed, it is often just the opposite: complicated instead of simple; demanding instead of effortless.

As photographers, we face a similar situation in regard to our chosen hobby. Cameras and computers are wonderful technical instruments, but their growing complexity can sometimes detract from the joy we find when we engage in creative work.

In Great Photos–Simple Cameras (Rocky Nook), author Bernd Daub shows us that simplicity works. He describes that with simple camera techniques, traditional film, and some imagination we can create ambitious artwork. This book teaches us how to focus our attention on the motivation behind our chosen image and develop a strong impact without the need for high-tech equipment and flawless exposures.

Learn about a variety of reasonably-priced, low-tech cameras—such as the Holga, Diana, and Blackbird—as well as single-use cameras, the good old Agfa-Box, and the pinhole camera. For price-conscious beginners and intermediate photographers with high-quality equipment, this book provides ideas for alternative techniques without large investments. You'll discover many new possibilities as you foster your creativity.

Mastering the Nikon D800

Mastering the Nikon D800 (Rocky Nook), by Darrell Young provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D800 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment.

This book explores the features and capabilities of the camera in a way that far surpasses the user's manual. It guides readers through the camera features with step-by-step setting adjustments; color illustrations; and detailed how, when, and why explanations for each option. Every button, dial, switch, and menu configuration setting is explored in a user-friendly manner, with suggestions for setup according to various shooting styles.

Darrell's friendly and informative writing style allows readers to easily follow directions, while feeling as if a friend dropped in to share his knowledge. The learning experience for new D800 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique.

Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4 - A Photographer's Handbook

Adobe Photoshop is central to almost all photography workflows and Lightroom has rapidly been adopted as well. Each new version of the software is a milestone in the development of these vital imaging tools, and the 2012 releases are no exception.

Photographers often feel overwhelmed when starting with Photoshop; the sheer number of tools and options make it difficult for the novice. There is no shortage of instructional books, yet very few direct the user to the most significant aspects of the program in a way that reflects a real workflow for the photographer.

Adobe Certified Instructor Steve Laskevitch has leveraged his experience as a teacher and practitioner to create a guide that provides a clear and effective workflow for editing photographs in Photoshop CS6 and its companions Bridge, Camera Raw, and Lightroom 4. Focusing on the critical elements of the workflow rather than covering every arcane feature, this book is designed to get you working quickly in these applications.

In addition to the essential features of these programs, Laskevitch covers new features specific to the 2012 releases, including:

Lightroom geocoding-Quickly tag a photo with location data; Photoshop's Blur Gallery (Tilt-Shift, Iris, and Field Blur tools)-Add selective focus and bokeh effects; New development controls in Lightroom and Camera Raw; Recomposing or retouching photos with the Content-aware Move Tool; Publishing to Blurb directly from Lightroom; Video (no longer limited to Photoshop Extended; Adaptive Wide Angle-Make straight lines straight again; Face-Aware Mask Generation-An improvement to Color Range; Intelligent Auto-Correction; Adobe Camera Raw 7-Local controls for White Balance and Noise Reduction; New Black/White and Highlight/Shadow controls