Photo Book Reviews

In June 2009, Sigma Pro director Dave Metz contacted me, requesting some wildlife images for full-page Sigma advertisements. He knew that I had been working on my first book, Animals of Ohio’s Ponds and Vernal Pools (Kent State University Press, July 2011), so he figured I could send him images fairly easily. He then made an interesting—and at the time slightly disconcerting—request: would I please photograph the animals not within their natural settings but against white backgrounds?

National Geographic photographers are pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to travel and adventure photography. And now you can get their advice for free with this pdf download of the “National Geographic Guide to Photography.”

In 1955, armed with a couple of Leicas, several bottles of French brandy, and hundreds of rolls of film, the photographer Robert Frank set out on an odyssey to look for the soul of America. Behind the wheel of his black Ford Business coupe, he drove over 10,000 miles of endless highways and forgotten back roads; and made nearly 27,000 photographs. From these road-trip images he created a “photobook,” a work that has had a profound impact on photography and photographers ever since: The Americans.

A new book by British astronaut Tim Peake features a breathtaking collection of photographs he took while about the International Space Station (ISS.) The book is entitled “Hello, Is this planet Earth?” and features 150 stunning images—many of which have never been seen before.

As a student Carole Noon soon discovered that her future would be greatly influenced, and altered, for the better when she attended a lecture given by the famous Dr. Jane Goodall. Inspired by this amazing and life-changing event, the young wildlife biology student soon found herself working with Dr. Goodall on her ChimpanZoo program. Using the many skills and valuable knowledge she gained from her time with the program, in 1997 Dr. Noon established the Save The Chimps Sanctuary. This book—Opening Doors: Carole Noon And Her Dream To Save The Chimps—chronicles this wonderfully inspiring true story of one woman’s passion and heartfelt dedication to saving the lives of these highly intelligent primates.

Yves Saint Laurent was born in Oran, Algeria in 1936 and by the time he was a teen his artistic passion lead him to leave his home for Paris to begin a career in fashion design. Working for Christian Dior allowed his talent to blossom and grow and it wasn’t long before his creations began to attract attention making his name synonymous with style, elegance and high fashion.