The comic strip Stone Soup has been endearing itself to millions of newspaper and online readers for more than ten years. Stone Soup follows the not-so-perfect lives of an extended, blended family. In Book Five the Stones have expanded into two households living just across the fence from one another. Readers will find some of their favorite episodes including: Joan and Wally adjust to married life and a blended family Val organizes her famous Book Club with women from other comic strips Gramma learns to paint... nudes. Stone Soup is unabashed, hilarious and addictive. Enjoy!
Foreword by Skip Cohen Translating the chaos of the real world into a breathtakingly simple, beautiful photograph can often seem like an impossible task. With busy, cluttered backgrounds and subjects who don’t know how to pose, how can you take control and get a great shot no matter the situation? In Picture Perfect Practice, photographer Roberto Valenzuela breaks down the craft of photography into three key elements–locations, poses, and execution–that you can use to unlock the photographic opportunities lying beneath every challenging situation. Valenzuela stresses the need for photographers to actively practice their craft every day–just like you would practice a musical instrument–in order to master the art of making great images. With chapters that offer practice exercises to strengthen your photographic abilities, you’ll learn how to approach a scene, break it down, and see your way to a great photograph. The Location section features chapters that cover symmetry, balance, framing, color elements, textures, and much more. The Posing section includes the Five Key Posing Techniques that Valenzuela uses every time he’s shooting people, as well as a complete list of poses and how to achieve, customize, and perfect them. The Execution portion, with sections like “Lighting through Direction” and “Simplicity through Subtraction,” reveals Valenzuela’s overall approach to getting the shot. The book also includes an inspiring and helpful chapter on deliberate practice techniques, where Valenzuela describes his system for practicing and analyzing his work, which leads to constant improvement as a photographer. If you’ve been frustrated and overwhelmed by the challenges of real-world locations, posing your subjects, or executing a great image–or if you simply want to become a better shooter but don’t know where to start– Picture Perfect Practice gives you the tools and information you need to finally become the kind of photographer you’ve always wanted to be: the kind who can confidently walk into any location, under any lighting condition, with any subject, and know that you can create astonishing photographs that have a timeless impact.
THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Picoult is a master manipulator, weaving gripping, dramatic plotlines. We defy you not to be gripped.' Glamour A woman is found in a graveyard in Los Angeles, unable to remember anything about herself or her life. No one is more surprised than she when her husband comes to the police station to take her home - and turns out to be Hollywood's leading film star. Bewildered by the perfect life that has been suddenly thrust upon her, Cassie finds herself living a dream. But there is something dark and disturbing behind this glamorous façade - and it is only as her memory gradually returns that it will all come crumbling down . . . THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, Jodi's stunning new novel about life, death and missed opportunities is available to pre-order now.
Photographer, author, and educator Roberto Valenzuela has a proven track record for teaching and explaining difficult concepts to photographers of all skill levels. His remarkable ability to break down complicated ideas into understandable, approachable elements that photographers can truly grasp–and then use their newfound knowledge to improve their photography–made his first book, Picture Perfect Practice, a breakout success. In Picture Perfect Posing, Roberto takes on the art of posing. For many photographers, after learning to compose an image and even light it properly, a portrait can still easily be a failure if the pose is not natural, elegant, and serving the needs of both the subject and the photographer. Instead of just showing page after page of poses–like most posing books on the market–Roberto actually breaks down the concept of posing by examining the anatomy, starting with the core foundation: the spinal chord and neck. Building from there, Roberto discusses every component of what makes poses work, as well as fail. How should the model hold her hands? Bend her elbows? Position her fingers? Should the model look toward or away from the camera, and why? It all depends on what the photographer wants for the shot, and Roberto discusses the entire process, from the intent of the photographer through the execution of the pose. For those who have been discouraged by an inability to pose their subjects, or who have simply not known where to start in order to "figure it out," Picture Perfect Posing is the essential resource they need to learn how posing truly works, and how they can learn to direct the exact pose they need for the shot they want.
It was just a selfie. At least, that's what Kordale Lewis thought when he snapped a picture of him and his partner caught in their morning ritual of brushing their daughters' hair. But when he followed the precedent of his straight-couple friends and posted the family photo on his social media accounts, he did not anticipate the response. The image0́4two gay, black dads parenting their young daughters like, God forbid, any other couple0́4went viral. Kordale and Kaleb were instantly overwhelmed with the overnight backlash of negativity and the warmth of support that came with their worldwide Internet recognition.If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the viral buzz that surrounded the photo only scratches the surface. Picture Perfect? is an honest, soul-bearing memoir that pulls back the curtain on the story behind a family picture that went viral. With inspiring candor, Kordale Lewis describes his struggles with childhood sexual abuse, a drug-addicted mother, suicide, the trials teen fatherhood, and more. His story provides a bold challenge for readers to redefine their own meaning of a perfect family.
"In June 2008, in Mesa, Arizona, the body of 30-year-old Travis Alexander was discovered brutally murdered in his home. He had been shot in the face, slashed across the throat, and stabbed in the heart. Alexander had been a devout Mormon, handsome and hard-working, beloved by all, and his death came as an enormous shock. Suspicion pointed to one woman : Jodi Arias. Travis had met Jodi at a conference 18 months prior, and he was instantly taken with the beautiful aspiring photographer. Separated by 400 miles, they began a long distance relationship. It became clear to Travis's friends, however, that Jodi was a lot more invested in the relationship than he was. Travis was seeing multiple women, and his relationship with Jodi eventually came to end. But rather than move on, Jodi moved from her home in Palm Desert, California to within just miles of Travis's home, where she continued to insert herself into his life"--
When Ian Slater's best friend, Teddy, suddenly vanishes, it's up to Ian to find out what happened. He and Teddy were supposed to take photographs together on the day Teddy disappeared—but Teddy never showed up. Rumors are flying, and everyone looks to Ian for answers. Has Teddy run away, searching for the father he's never met? Or has something more sinister happened? Ian doesn't know, and he can't quite remember everything that happened the day Teddy vanished. On top of that, he keeps having terrifying dreams and hearing strange voices. People are starting to say he's acting strangely, and the sheriff keeps questioning him. As Ian tries to hold it all together and search for clues to Teddy's disappearance, he strives to present those around him with the picture of a normal kid. But the more he finds out, the less he understands. How well does he really know Teddy? How well does he even know himself?
"Roberto has created a ... system for understanding and controlling light in photography. After discussing the universal nature of light, [he] introduces the five key behaviors of light, which are essential to understand in order to improve your knowledge of light. With those behaviors established, Roberto introduces his concept of 'circumstantial light,' [a] way of examining and breaking down the light around you in any given situation. Providing a detailed analysis of circumstantial light, Roberto develops the top ten circumstantial light elements you need to know in order to fully harness the power of the light around you to create an image that is true to your vision"--Amazon.co
We say the camera doesn't lie, but we also know that pictures distort and deceive. In Picture Perfect, Kiku Adatto brilliantly examines the use and abuse of images today. Ranging from family albums to Facebook, political campaigns to popular movies, images of war to pictures of protest. Adatto reveals how the line between the person and the pose, the real and the fake, news and entertainment is increasingly blurred. New technologies make it easier than ever to capture, manipulate, and spread images. But even in the age of the Internet, we still seek authentic pictures and believe in the camera's promise to document, witness, and interpret our lives.
