Book Review: Welcome To Oz
"Welcome To Oz: A Cinematic Approach To Digital Still Photography With Photoshop" By Vincent Versace
I picked this book up when I saw it on the shelf at a Barnes And Noble. I had read mention of it in a magazine, so when I saw it on the shelf I just had to look - And then I had to buy it. I'll admit, the purchase decision was made primarily based on aesthetics, but I was intrigued by the word "cinematic" in the subtitle. Overall, I think it was a great look into the mind of one of the brightest stars in photography - both artistically and technically. However, I think it fell a little short on the "cinematic."Actually, I would have picked the word commercial or Hollywood to replace cinematic; maybe they are synonyms these days. I bring this up because, while Versace does stress NOT using Photoshop as a crutch, this book IS largely about post production in Photoshop. Perhaps it does not matter what you call it, as the results in Versace's work speak for themselves. And this book will show you just about every detail of how he got to those results
Welcome To Oz covers a lot of ground - From how to use shapes, patterns and colors, to advanced black and white conversion. The book is organized well as it goes from big to small and simple to complex in its assignments. The major steps all have good screen shots and the flow to completion is smooth. I would say that the insights into "image harvesting" and the photoshop techniques make this a worthy purchase for the serious photographer. And the final chapter will give you a look at just how far some artists jump into Photoshop. I was just starting to question how far one should go with these techniques when I read the Afterword, and was very pleased. What? You don't want me to ruin the ending do you?
Overall, I think it was worth the time and money, even if I suspected you could have replaced some of his natural subjects with a commercial product. So, if you are opposed to heavy manipulation in Photoshop this is probably not the book for you, but if you are open to seeing just how much thought and effort go into making some fantastic images then this is a good buy. And you will learn something along the way; I know I did. It's not everyday that you get a glimpse inside the mind of a successful artist, and then have him show you what you saw.
P.S. I posted a before and after of an image that I edited using some of the ideas from "Welcome to Oz." I am no Versace with Photoshop, but I have to say that I am pleased with the results. I plan to go back through the book again and redo the assignments until I understand the "why" a bit better.
A thought just occurred to me that sent me back to this book for review. I keep thinking that I may have been a bit harsh about the cinematic part, but after review I don't think so. IMHO, the book should have started with defining a cinematic approach; it really doesn't. There is a paragraph up front, among other core concepts, but that's it. I would have liked to seen it described more fully in the first part of the book; then guide me down the path to enlightenment. As adult learners we like to know what the ultimate goal is up front, so we can determine if it's worth our time. In this book I am afraid you'll have to wait until the last chapter.