Magnum Magnum Review

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(More customer reviews)I found the book disappointing. In some aspects, the physical quality of the book is poor: within days after I recieved it in the mail the black print "Magnum" on the cover title was wearing off. The printing of the photography inside, however, is of excellent reproduction quality.
This book falls far short of the earler anthology MAGNUM DEGREES published a few years ago, and Magnum Magnum costs about three or four times the price! Magnum Degrees was / is a far superior introduction to the work of Magnum Photographers and a stronger selection of photographs, I thought.
However, I should note that the photos in this book are nothing to scoff at! Outstanding photography, as one would expect.
But if you want an introduction to Magnum Photos, don't buy this book. Start with their book MAGNUM DEGREES.


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"Encompasses sixty years of photography by the legendary agency."-VogueSince its founding in 1947 by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David "Chim" Seymour, Magnum Photos, the legendary co-operative has powerfully chronicled the peoples, cultures, events, and issues of the time.Magnum Magnum brings together the best work, celebrating the vision, imagination, and brilliance of Magnum photographers, both the acknowledged greats of photography in the twentieth century-among them, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, Eve Arnold, Marc Riboud, and Werner Bischof-and the modern masters and rising stars of our time, such as Martin Parr, Susan Meiselas, Alec Soth, and Donovan Wylie.Organized by photographer, the book harks back to the agency's early days and the spirit that made it such a unique and creative environment, one in which each of the four founding members picture-edited the others' photographs. Here a current Magnum photographer selects and critiques six key works by each of the sixty-nine featured photographers, with a commentary explaining the rationale behind the choice.This new edition provides a permanent record of iconic images from the last sixty years and an insight, as seen through the critical eyes and minds of Magnum photographers, into what makes a memorable photograph. 9.5" x 11.5", 413 illustrations in color and duotone.

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Paris 360 Review

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(More customer reviews)Even if you've never been to Paris, you'll still appreciate the photography in this book. If you have been there you'll also find that the book paints a beautiful portrait of the city. I bought a copy for my wife's birthday and she keeps it in the livingroom near our photo albums. We'll look at our own photos when we want to see how Paris was during the brief time that we were there, and we'll look at this book when we want to think of Paris at its dreamlike romantic best.

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Paris 360 is the fourth in a series of large-scale photographic records of the great cities of the world, following New York, Venice, and Rome.Each of these cities has unique appeal, Paris personifying sophisticated glamour in an unspoiledand manageable city space.The wide boulevards, well-tended gardens, and landmark buildings are not crowded by skyscrapers, and a continuing commitment to public works and interesting architectural projects creates an ever-changing civic personality.The large format and pull-out panoramas of Paris 360 allowed the photographer Attilio Boccazzi-Varotto a series of broad canvases on which to capture the essence of this wonderful city.Using his rotating camera, Boccazzi-Varotto took panoramic pictures of Paris's neighborhoods, great buildings, squares, and streets.A list of the photographs' subjects reads like a must-see tour of Paris:the Louvre, the palace Vendome, Le Marais, the Opera, the Hotel de Ville, Les Halles, the Pompidou Center, the place des Vosges, and more.Some of the photographs have been taken from an unusual perspective to provide a fresh view of a familiar scene, like a street in Montmartre or the Eiffel Tower.The time of the pictures is varied: The sparkling freshness of I.M. Pei's pyramids at the Louvre and the basilica of Sacre Coeur are shown by night, the Seine by the Ile de la Cite at twilight.Each photograph is accompanied by an explanatory caption that identifies the landmarks pictured and gives some of their historical and artistic context.Paris remains one of the most popular European destinations for American visitors, and this volume, an extravagant treasure, is a perfect memento to remember it by.

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360 Degree Imaging: The Photographer's Panoramic Virtual Reality Manual (Photography on the Web) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a panoramic (or virtual tour) photographer myself, I was hopeful about this book. It's bound well with lots of glossy photos and an easy-to-read layout. It is the only book (that I know of) dealing with the growing area of 360 degree or virtual tour photography. That in and of itself deserves some credibility.
The author gives lots of step-by-step photos, showing the different camera brackets and tripod heads needed, and covers the various techniques for shooting in-line or full cylindrical virtual tours. There are even a few sidebars with comments from other virtual tour photographers or company owners. The coverage and explanation of parallax errors is done well.
I wish there had been more of an explanation as far as the different software types, the pros and cons of each, expenses involved, etc., although there is a nice section on how to polish up finished images, and what to do to get a good exposure when the room & light you're in prohibits it.
Shooting these types of tours with a fisheye isn't really covered, and even though it's not the most popular way to create a panoramic or 360 degree tour right now, neither is the egg-type of 1-shot method the book does go into detail with.
If you're looking for a book on 360 degree imaging, I suggest this book. The website references and up-close equipment shots, and diagrams of stitching methods is very good. It's not a coffee table book full of breathtaking panoramics, so don't buy it if you're looking for that. (Although there are a few nice landscapes.)It's not the be-all of 360 degree imaging, but it's a great start.


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Photographic based virtual reality is fast becoming one of the most exciting areas of the digital imaging world. No helmets, no gloves; no longer even an interactive panorama tool, the new techniques create fully immersive experiences where the viewer can look up and down as well as sideways whilst playing with virtual objects. This book provides a visual introduction that is both easy to read and understand. The ideas and techniques draw on those used by industry professionals and are presented in a step-by-step form, allowing readers to gradually develop VR skills. Practice images and demonstration versions of the software used in the book can be downloaded from the companion website.

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