Henry Wellcome** would have loved it. Find out more here.

The dashing Henry Wellcome himself

*née Barnes, under which name she wrote her section of the book

**who had a quite ridiculously fascinating life

Android Photography by Jolie O'Dell

As she points out, it’s available wherever books are sold (in the US and Canada, published by our friends at Pixiq) and will soon be in print in several foreign languages to boot…

If you’re one of the many thousands of happy readers of this unique tome, you may want to cast your vote for it. (If the book does win, it won’t be Jovanka’s first Rondo: as editor of Rue Morgue magazine, she’s a multiple winner in the periodical category)

Simply head to the Rondo Awards Ballot page and pick your favourites…

And if you’ve not yet read the book, have a look at the rave reviews it’s garnered, then have a look at what’s inside, then shamble on down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy…

Thank you!

Dante Ferretti, long-time Scorsese collaborator, won the Production Design award for his work on Hugo:

Dante Ferretti's incredible set design - and Ben Kingsley - in Hugo. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk / Paramount Pictures

And Mark Bridges was won of many involved with The Artist to pick up an award, for Costume Design.

Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in beautiful costumes, and The Artist.

Finally, the great Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In won him the award for Best Film Not in the English Language (for the second time – All About My Mother won in 1999, too).

Elena Anaya & Pedro Almodóvar. Photo by José Haro/© El Deseo / Sony Pictures Classics

Almodóvar, Ferretti and Bridges are featured professionals in upcoming FilmCraft titles. Directing, by Mike Goodridge, and Costume Design, by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, will be released this June, and Production Design, by Finn Halligan, comes later in the year. (US readers will be able to buy the Focal Press editions at the same time). Both books will, like the first two titles Cinematography and Editing, feature brand new in-depth interviews, a host of never-before-seen images, and the full inside scoop on, well… winning BAFTAs…

While collecting reviews of our recent books, intrepidly sifting the seashells of possibility for the treasure of acclaim, we were struck by how, well, glowing the reviews were.

It seems almost vulgar and un-British to say so, but we were pretty buzzed to see some of the photography industry’s primary media mouthpieces giving our titles consistently awesome scores.

Here’s the breakdown:

The Photographer’s Vision by Michael Freeman

Digital Photographer magazine:
***Awarded Best for inspiration***
Verdict: A great read that is full of inspiring images. Michael Freeman is a master of the medium. 9/10

Broken down into three main categories – A Momentary Art, Understanding Purpose and Photographers’ Skills – The Photographer’s Vision is thorough in the content it covers, and it’s easy to flick between chapters. It has been designed to speak to a broad range of photographers from amateurs to professionals.

Examiner.com:

The Photographer’s Vision has a power that grows the more you read and re-read it. The stories of great photographers and their images are engrossing . . . I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing and understanding great photos or for those who want to improve their photographic eye.

Landscape Photography: The Four Seasons by Chris Gatcum

Digital Photographer magazine:
***Awarded Best innovative book***
Verdict: Sure to catch the attention of any photographer who enjoys nature photos. 10/10

Neatly wrapped in an exterior case, Landscape Photography: The Four Seasons, comprises four individual books, each depicting one of the four seasons. Renowned photography author Chris Gatcum has delivered a stunning finish on this set and the design and layout is certainly innovative . . .  the content is informative and relevant and the pictures are inspiring . . . They all follow a similar formula; however, the content in each is unique and relevant to the particular time of year Chris is talking about . . . this is the perfect gift for any enthusiastic landscape photographer, or just a great treat for your coffee table.

What Digital Camera magazine:

Each seasonal book packs in information on equipment, including suitable accessories for that time of year, shooting advice and inspirational ideas to get the best from the season. Each book is nicely illustrated, with easy-to-follow guides and advice . . . a good choice.

Light & Shoot: 50 Fashion Photos by Chris Gatcum

Digital Photographer magazine:
Verdict: Chris Gatcum spills all the secrets of the professionals. 9/10

Fashion photography is a popular genre, and for those needing some guidance and inspiration on the subject matter then this title will appeal. . .  For those wanting to practise and enhance their fashion photography skills, this book will prove to be a valuable asset.

The Landscape Photography Field Guide by Carl Heilman II

Digital Photographer magazine:
Verdict: All you need to know about weather, exposure, equipment and shooting advice.

This title may be small in size, but it’s jam packed with all the relevant information any landscape photographer will need and is the perfect pocket guide. When it comes to value for money, this is a great deal.

What Digital Camera magazine:

The images are of a very high standard and there are handy reference tables for complex subjects like Hyperfocal Distance and Multiple Exposures. A useful addition to any gadget bag.

KimberlyGauthier.com:

No matter how excited we are about a capture, sometimes there is something missing and that’s where a great photography book can help . . .  I’ve been carrying this book around for weeks. Checking out the tips, drooling over the images, and enjoying this easy to read book that teaches us how to capture beautiful outdoor images with our digital cameras.

Pring’s Photographer’s Miscellany by Roger Pring

Digital Photographer magazine:
Verdict: Filled with fantastic photographic information. 10/10

Filled with fantastic photographic information, Pring’s Photographer’s Miscellany is an intriguing read that can be dipped in and out of easily. Suited to anyone who enjoys factual trivia about every aspect of photography and its history, the title has been beautifully crafted and well designed in a old-fashioned appearance that is illustrated with hand-drawn images. If you’re a photography nut who enjoys the history of the medium then an investment in this book won’t disappoint.

What Digital Camera magazine:

Pring’s Photographer’s Miscellany is a great stocking-filler for anyone interested in photography. This informative and fun book is packed with a broad variety of interesting facts, covering the history of photography, techniques and trivia. There’s plenty of great information in here as well as more obscure facts and figures on the world of photography. Nice and pocketable too.

The Low Light Photography Field Guide by Michael Freeman
What Digital Camera magazine:

. . . this book is packed with helpful advice. It covers advice on the kit you’ll need, tips on handheld shooting along with other shooting techniques. On top of this, there’s a host of post-production advice, including Raw conversion for low-light photography and other software techniques. The book is a pocket-sized proposition, while the information inside is well written and clearly illustrated.

One Light Flash by John Denton and Adam Duckworth
Digital Photographer magazine:
Verdict: Produce professional-looking images without spending a fortune. 7/10

In their book, One Light Flash, John Denton and Adam Duckworth reveal all their top photography shooting secrets so you too can capture perfectly lit pictures. The book starts by explaining the science of light and looking at appropriate camera equipment. It later moves onto technique and explains the technical side of the medium. One Light Flash is an enlightening book designed for enthusiasts who need some lighting guidance in their portraits.

The Wedding Photography Field Guide by Michelle Turner
Digital Photographer magazine:
Verdict: Capture the big day with this handy pocket-sized book. 7/10

Being a professional wedding photographer is a hard and exhausting job that takes much pre-planning and great organisational skills. The Wedding Photography Field Guide by Michelle Turner has been written for those needing some confidence in the genre and offers lots of tips and tricks for becoming a great wedding photographer. The small size means it’s handy for slipping into the pocket on the job.

If you’re reading this in the US, you can check out any of the above titles on Amazon.com.

Stephanie Calabrese Roberts

And then it turned out that it was the book that the world had been waiting for, and so it sold out, and was reprinted, and was well reviewed, and was prominently stocked by a noted clothing store, and was well reviewed, again, and reprinted, again and yet again, and covered in Life magazine – you get the picture.It worked out pretty well, all things considered.

So it’s not a surprise to see that the first course in iPhoneography is being offered at Kensington & Chelsea college in West London. It’s being run by Richard Gray – no mean iPhoneographer himself, as you’d expect – and the scoop is this:

Description:      http://www.kcc.ac.uk/courses/11TAP056.html

Duration:           3 hours per week

Dates:                   Every Thursday evening from March 1 to March 29

Cost:                      £115

Mr Gray has been out and about on the internet promoting the course and there are various interviews online. Over at we are juxt, he has this to say about the art:

But that’s the joy of iphoneography – it’s been a great levelling force within photography. No longer do you need to have expensive equipment to produce great work. You just need raw talent. Like everyone, I love the fact that it becomes part of your everyday life. Every moment of the day is now an opportunity for a photo. And unlike most “big” photography, which might simply end up on your PC unseen by anyone, thanks to the sharing aspect, iphoneography has a real purpose and has become a sort of social currency.

And this is what the course will be like:

A rule of the course will be that students are their own judges of their work. So the course will aim to make them aware of all the options available to them in their creative process, to give them a really extensive toolbox of skills. But inevitably we will discuss composition, colour, light and other issues that are common to general photography.

Sounds like it will be extremely interesting. Along with, no doubt, many others not-lucky-enough-to-be-local-enough-to-attend, we’ll be watching the course closely to see what work the students come up with. Here’s my effort:

Not very near Kensington & Chelsea

• BBC News online ran a nice video story with a voiceover from Emma Shackleton, one of the book’s authors
• Salon.com have just posted a slideshow and a revealing interview, also with Emma
• The Lancet’s rave review (from which the title to this post was taken) praises the “lavish and intriguing cross-section of Wellcome’s collection” featured in the book

And there are a couple of shorter, but no less enthusiastic write-ups from Very Distinguished Periodicals Indeed: this is what Nature had to say:

And this is how Scientific American covered it:

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that University of Chicago Press’s name crops up a couple of times – this is because they are publishing the book in the US and Canada. Different cover, same exuberant and gorgeous contents. And to finish, here’s Sir Henry Wellcome, looking more than a little exuberant and gorgeous himself…

Sir Henry Wellcome

Author Jolie O'Dell

Some of the most exciting developments in cameras and smartphones have taken place in the world of Android; the first eight megapixel cameras, amazing screens like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, and features like face detection and sweep-panorama all appeared on Android first. Despite that, for a long time the media conspired to talk of “iPhoneography” only (indeed we at Ilex helped coin the term with our Art of iPhoneography). Well, creatives with smartphones now have a choice, thanks to Jolie O’Dell‘s amazing new book Android Photography.

Jolie O’Dell has the perfect combination of technical and creative instinct to provide an instructional and inspirational book that will show anyone with an Android phone – or who’s thinking of getting one – all the coolest creative apps to shoot the most exciting pictures possible, as well as the best social tools to get your pictures out there and talked about. Moreover this book is filled with pictures that’ll get you charged with creative enthusiasm.

If you’ve somehow escaped her, then you’re not reading the cool blogs, but you can get to know Jolie a bit better in this week’s TWiT, in which she appears as a guest alongside Leo Laporte. (Skip ahead to 1.42.30 to hear her describe it.)

Her book, you’ll find, is not just a treasure-trove of information on the Android platform, it’s also a thing of beauty, with rounded corners just like your smartphone. That, the stunning design and the attractive price makes this not just a great gift to yourself, but all of your friends with Android smartphones too.

UK customers go to Amazon.com | US customers visit Amazon.com (sold by our friends Pixiq in the US)

See Slideshow here

As the name has it, there are two separate directions, which can be combined or not as you like. Panning is across the image, in any direction, and zooming is a change of scale, either in or out. The variables are the extent of these movements, and the time taken. A succession of pan-and-zooms, one after another on different images, can become dizzying and irritating, and even if you like the effect in principle, it’s as well to moderate it. But there’s an exception, and this is using repetition to build up an expectation. As long as the movements blend slowly into each other, a succession can go on for quite a long time comfortably. Here’s an example, but the devil is in the detail. To keep it flowing smoothly, and give the sense that the viewer is floating forward through everything, the pacing has to be consistent, as do the dissolves, as does the range of the zooms. And possibly most important of all, they need to be centered, exactly. Beyond that, it’s an interesting exercise in choosing sequence, progressing from one subject to another, varying similarities and contrasts, and playing with the graphic effect that only a linear show can produce — the match dissolve.

For that you get all the same content as you’ll find in the £17.99 print book, plus a video introduction from author Michael Freeman and a number of additional voice recordings of the author himself explaining things in greater detail. Added to this a large number of interactive features.