Exiting the world of pixels and entering the realm of nature
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Karol Bojnowski's novel ZANE'S BRAIN is based on a true story. And an amazing journey it is. Bojnowsi, a holistic physician turned writer, was born in Montreal to war refugee parents. He grew up in South Africa during the apartheid and retains a sense of justice and deep love of nature. The story of this novel concerns a boy Zane who receives form his father an unfinished manuscript that proves an obsession to seek the mysteries of his father's childhood and his mentor in Nepal. It is the gradual intervention of several important figures and result in Zane's discovery of his place in the universe and in the social order he finds. `Zane knows something is wrong, yet his sense of the larger tragedy of mankind is tangled with abuse and addiction in his own family. Zane struggles with his older brother who excels at milking wealth from a suffering world. This is the story of how one young man finds clarity while following his father's last wish.'

Carlos Casteneda stated, `"For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I want to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.' Much could be said of Zane's journey.  As Bojnowski unravels this tale we realize this is not only a story that is in itself mesmerizing, but as the author notes that his intention is to help the reader understand the conflict between the privileged but at times mindless warriors of the first world and the more significant status of the state of the tragedy of mankind. It is a study of the techno-driven contemporary youth and their need to reconnect with the way of nature. Grady Harp, June 12
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You might as well copy and paste the image, then blow it up And print on canvas. I can count the pixels:
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The photorealism exhibited in the book's examples and accompanying illustrations are impressive. The best aspect of the images is that they, perhaps ironically, offer little to conjecture. You can imagine yourself right there, in the actual building or outside it. The resolutions are detailed enough for this. It is also a feature that most examples relate to indoor scenes, where you have an environment with furniture.

I am not an architect, but it suggests perhaps that the emphasis here is shifting from the design of a new building to the interior decoration of an existing building. The cover image of a loft apartment, which is from one of the examples, is a good example.

The software has many options, relating to items like the properties of a light source and of the reflective properties of numerous materials. You may find that to render photorealistic images, a lot of time will be initially required using the package, because of the extensive detailing and the need to make 3 dimensional furniture items. The sheer plentitude of V ray options is great, but can be daunting for a newcomer.
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Studying blue Calcutta to create camoflauge invisibility
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This game is a showcase for the photo realistic graphics you can get on today's consoles. The wilderness elements (trees, grass, apples etc) as well as the main character Yarn are stunningly rendered and animated in high definition. Every grass blade comes alive on its own rhythm. Red wool is vividly rendered and animated. If you ever wonder what your latest generation console can do that a Nintendo wii couldn't touch just look at this game. (If you need further proof look at one of the ultra-realistic modern car racing games like Forza.) Unravel makes a visual impact not unlike Myst did when it came out on the PC.
Beyond its technical prowess, the game is a fairly simple game. You control the movements of yarn, a red wool character that goes out into the wilderness looking for lost family. It's a 2-d walk from left to right in a 3-d world, where you hit problems (a pool of water, a tree blocking the way) that you have to surmount solving physical puzzles (e.g. dump apples in the water and walk on them.) It's a puzzle game that's a sure hit for patient, focused kids (the kind that would enjoy solving a paper puzzle.) It may be a tougher sell for hyperactive type kids (who would probably rather play a game where they shoot zombies with a raygun.) But at $ 19.95 it's definitely worth a try, if nothing else to show off that fancy console you just bought.
2578322
A magnificent book -- just what we all need in our world that is too full of technology and people just sitting, standing, walking and looking down at their electronic devices.  Put 'em down and get out into nature.  Life is too short to miss seeing fascinating things in nature!!
1100420
I'd finished reading The Traveling Photographer by Sandra Petrowitz but I had not yet begun to write about it when I was sitting in a coffee shop with friends when one pulled out his phone to pass to me to show me the pictures of the weather he had encountered the previous weekend on a shopping trip out of town. Snow, ice, cars off the road and broken trees abounded.  My second friend reciprocated with a quick draw of his phone to show pictures of his son's wedding done just the week previous to that one when the weather was sunshine and sparkling and in the mid 80's.
I was thinkingfirst that this is Texas where the weather can change in the blink of an eye, and second that it seems that everyone is a photographer today with their phones and tablets with cameraseven if they left their point-and-shoot or more potent DSLR at home. The camera is everywhere. The snapshot is ubiquitous. The final thought that came to me was that as a somewhat aesthetically judgmental photographer, maybe I could pass out copies of The Traveling Photographer to upgrade the quality of my friends images. Having been a photographer for much more than forty years and a photography teacher for thirty three of them I well know that the possession of a camera does not guarantee the aesthetic quality of an image.  The cameras today are smart enough to correctly expose most of the time, but none yet have a button or menu item to guarantee a well-designed image with a real story-telling quality. The snapshot is still very much with us.
The old days of spending the evening at a neighbor's house looking at slides of a vacation are long gone by almost twenty years; now everyone is ready  to show their pictures of vacations or the new baby in the blink of an eye and the whipping out of their phone or tablet. Most of the  images haven't gotten better, just smaller, and design has suffered more in the transition.
Rocky Nook Publishing sent me a review copy of The Traveling Photographer by Sandra Petrowitz. Sandra is a journalist and editor who specializes in nature, travel, environmental, and other photraphy-related topics. As a passionate traveler who has made journeys from the Sahara to the Himalayas, and from Patagonia to the Okavango Delta she has produced a beautifully illustrated volume that is full of wonderfully story-telling images of far off places and then loaded that same book with comments and information to improve the images made by the beginning and intermediate photographer who chooses to seek to improve the quality of their travel photography.
The professional photographer will admire her images and respond to her commentary with "yes, that's the way to do it," but the casual photographer and traveler will respond with "that makes sense; why haven't I done that to make stronger images?" Her logical and clear cut advice on such things as concentrating on details and looking for the graphic qualities of a scene (and giving and showing examples), will lead the traveler to a more elegant and story-telling approach and move well beyond the simple "I was there" image. Camera height and camera angle and the basics of eye movement and good design are explored to move the traveler beyond the mundane, flat, lined-against-the wall approach of the two dimensional image. This can show the depth and richness of the world when seen with an eye to intriguing the viewer and making that viewer aware of the scale and richness potential of a scene.
Hints on composition, suitable equipment (by characteristics rather than by particular brand), storing of camera gear and the protection and transport of image files are all subjects she introduces with a sufficent depth to get the traveling photographer more comfortable with the idea that they can bring home quality images from their travels and move beyond the snapshot stage.
I have two friends who are about to receive copies of The Traveling Photographer as gifts, so it's obvious that I recommend it.
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If wildlife stands still, I think the camera would be doing great. But unfortunately, these guys dashing around. Tried the all three resolution, at low resolution seems to produce best result.
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Journeys don't completely pay off, but the 3D presence is worth the price. Excellent show of tech and "being there" feeling.
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The color images are a real blessing, for a book of this nature.  This book is slightly out-of-date, but you can still use your brain and look around the tabs to find what you need, sometimes you might have to add a resources that isn't mentioned in the book if you are using VS15 (I'm pretty sure that was necessary for Viewport3d stuff, but I skipped that section after I couldn't figure out what Resources I needed to add).  You will be very happy with yourself if you invest your time in it, as you will take your programming skills to the next level.  As I worked through it, it seemed to me that modern programming requires you to be 1/2 of a graphics designer, in order to get an attractive user experience.  This book will make you 1/2 of a graphics designer, and you'll be able to "Wow!" your users with some visual sugar.

Stuff related, but nothing that's the author's fault:  Blend is a free download from MS when you get VS15, and it's fully integrated with VS now, not a stand-alone product.  It also crashed a few times when I did something like try to create a template and then click on the eyedropper, as well as a few other times.  Save your work frequently, people!  The blue screen of deth will probably pay you a visit when you work through the book.  Also, the "dark" look of the software can be easily changed to VS bright-style if you click on one of the options.  This is really a necessity, as some of the colors were only visible on my computer screen if I looked at it at an oblique angle.  Changing that option fixed that.
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This book does not just provide the usual data on exposure, lighting, and F-stop. Almost every photo is the result of a mini adventure that Harold leads you through. Reading this book provides some insight into the way the photographic artist thinks and is inspired by the small details most people overlook.

Photography is about SEEING, and sharing that vision with others for their appreciation.
Harold Davis, in his new book, has taken this a step further, and delivered a methodology that both allows the reader to participate in Harold's photographs in a personal way, but to also apply the ideas to their own work.

Included are sections on the technical aspects of focus, using macro lenses and extention tubes, as well as post processing images in the digital darkroom, but it is the images themselves that lead the reader to new ways of creating their own work.
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Nice scenery with the added lights. The touch activated sensor is nice as well where you don t have to go behind the picture and continuously turn the switch in or off. One or two taps on the front of this picture will either turn on the lights or turn them off.
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I had heard of Mr. Wolfe before,but it wasn`t until today,when I got this book I saw his photographs. I definitly think he is comparable with my other favourites Lanting and Doubilet,if not better. This book is definitly not a small bad book! At a weight of more than 2 pounds and in a format not suitable for even my bookcase,it is a behemoth in nature photo books. It was pretty expensive,but belive me,it`s worth the money. The book is divided into seven chapters,after the beautifull introduction. Island and Ocean is the first,and it deals with the Galapagos Islands with fantastic iguanas,and also humpback whales,which are very impressive. Polar & Subpolar,which is the second chapter,deals with cute polar bears and elephant seals that looks pretty fun,but also penguins,which are charmy animals. Savannah,Desert & Steppe is also an impressive chapter that features lions,wild dogs and elephants of the african savannah. Here are also some funny australian lizards,among them a moloch which looks like an alien! Mountain is the fourth chapterm,and it has many beautifull views of animals with mountains in the background - perfect inspiration. Temperate shows the beauty of North America`s nature with bears,owls and wolves. Subtropical features the Indian Nature. Here there are an excellent picture of mating peacocks. The tiger enthusiast won`t be disappointed either. The final chapter deals with the tropical rainforests,the most diverse areas in the world. Many wild cats are included here,but also toucans and parrots,to not mention monkeys. Over all,I can almost classify this as a sequel to Lanting`s The Living Planet,but in new format and a new photographer. This is a real mammoth release that won`t make anyone disappointed. It also has interesting comments about the endangered species by different authors. I find it very inspiring and funny to look at. Everyone that sees it says:"Can I look!". In such huge format,the full beauty of the image can be discovered. Every picture is like a poster! The book features a total of 150 species from 40 countries. Together with "The Living Planet" and "Water Light Time" it is the best photo book I have read so far. If Wolfe continues like this,I am pleased to see his future work.
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I have just spent an enchanted couple of hours visiting 'America's Vanishing Landscapes'. Wayne Williams has produced a visual feast and testament to the beauty of Nature. This book contains so many beautiful images, I felt compelled to write and reccomend it to you.
I am lucky enough to live by one of nature's rain forests in the West Indies. Everyday I am filled with awe and wonder by my surroundings. This book makes me feel the same way. What also impressed me too, was his mastery of the craft and it reminded me of Ansel Adams work. They have combined technological mastery of the photographic techniquies available to them; and have produced a vision that not only speaks to the senses, but also to the heart. This is a rare combination and achievement.
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A very interesting book taht covers al the way HDRI, Begining with concepts thorught creating images and using in 3D rendering. Amust have book
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OUTSTANDING INFORMATION RELATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL REPRODUCTION OF AERIAL COLOR IMAGERY WITH ATMOSPHERIC ATTENUATION INFLUENCE. A GREAT APPROACH FROM THE PAST SCIENCE OF GELATIN/SILVER EMULSION APPLICATION.
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Enter a world filled with rabbits, tigers and bears mixed in with humans. Its a world where fish serve as buses and then fly through the air. Its a world where art reaches beyond its frames. Dinosaurs still fly, cats play chess, umbrellas lift you into the sky. Told in simple yet soaring text, this picture book invites young readers to enter a world that is reminiscent of Narnia in its magical qualities, a wondrous place where mid-century cars mix with elegant trains and dreams of all sizes come true.

The poetic text of this picture book serves as a broad invitation to dream along with the author. And though the text is lovely, it is the illustrations that truly shine. They are done in ink and are filled with small details that bring the world fully alive. I appreciate that this imaginary world is an urban setting, offering even more children the ability to see their world as magical.

This is a beautiful book that is just right for sending children off to their own nighttime dreams or creating new ones during the day. Appropriate for ages 3-5.