It's always a good sign when a book about photography and graphics is itself visually appealing.
Photomontages with Photoshop: a Designer's Notebook is the third in a logically progressive trio of books that take the reader from snapshot to stunning displays of digital daring.
Though the steps along the way are not easy each book does a great job of providing easily followed details.
Unlike their two-dimensional story-board counterparts taped or tacked to a refrigerator or wall, photomontages are layers of differing images on top of each other.
Like most everybody else on earth, images are appealing to me. A well-composed photo will say and show one thing. A brilliant one will have a secret. There will be something in that photo, a deeper layer that won't be appreciated right away. Sometimes people can look at a photo for years before they see the secret, the artistic touch that the good photographers are able to add in from what was available to them.
A Photoshop photomontage can, therefore, be viewed as one secret after another, layered to almost always also create one striking effect. An image that also takes an artistic eye to make it all work.
This book take sonly nine case studies following a simple photo - one many a photographer would be proud to call theirs - and building on its beauty to send a different message.
That the big market for all this work advertising on should not let detract from the skills involved. After all CD and book covers are advertising as well but many — especially with the now-gone bigger 12" vinyl album canvas are revered and will be for many years to come
One image, two image, three image ...
This book is not merely a technical manual about imagery. Each of the nine examples is a narrative from the artist, which adds another layer of judgment as to the value and difficulty of the work.
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