I have a confession to make... I usually don't read all of the books I buy - at least very rarely do I read them cover to cover. But I have one right now that I am pouring over every word, even the captions of every photo.

This is the fourth edition of Martin Edge's The Underwater Photographer.

So far, I've found the book to be very well written (with only a few iffy areas, but they could possibly be from the fact that it is written in British English). I am a slow reader, I always have been, so it is taking me a while to get through this book. However, this book is not a lightweight easy flip through book with a very flush 516 pages.

The book goes deeply into every aspect of underwater photography, starting out with the photography basics that I'm well acquainted with, through the equipment, and then into the specifics of lighting, composition, etc, etc, etc. One nice aspect is that Martin covers both SLR as well as compact shooting.

I think the book has given me plenty to think about while on my upcoming dive trip where I'll have two underwater cameras with me, and hopefully I'll come back with a couple great shots. I'm debating taking it with me as I feel it might be a nice reference for while I'm on the trip, and I'm sure there are some sections I want to reread at least once more before the trip.

There are also a few other books that I've been flipping through as well...

Hopefully something I come back with will be as nice as some of the shots in the book on the left, which is an absolutely beautiful coffee table photo book, and the two on the right is one of the books Anya got me for Christmas (and so was the Underwater Photographer book!), so I'll be using them to help identify what we do manage to get photos of.

I promise to do a post soon regarding the stack of new equipment I had to order to be able to take the 7D into the water, so stay tuned! But for now, I'm going back to watching this 7-0 Penguin game!

- Bill

I know I've been a bit secretive on some projects I have in the works, but today I'm really excited to start discussing one of those projects.

So let me back up a little bit. A few weeks ago, I was at a Barnes & Noble and saw a book titled 50 Photo Projects. I came home, went on Amazon, and found it and a couple other books - including Camera Creative.

In the latter book, the author - Chris Gatcum - discusses 52 different interesting photography projects. Number 17 is TTV Photography - or Through The Viewfinder photography. In short (don't worry, I'll blabber on and on in much more detail later), this means that you're taking photographs through the viewfinder of another camera.

So a few days later, we ventured out to a nearby flea market to see if we could find one of the vintage cameras necessary to try this out. We came home with the following batch...

Across the back row (from left to right), we have a Brownie Six-20 Brownie Junior, a Brownie Reflex Synchro Model, and a Brownie Hawkeye Flash Model. In the front row, we have my current favorite - an Argus Seventy-Five. Oh - one of the most awesome parts of this... I scored all four cameras for a total of $20! (not kidding!)

I think that only the Argus and the Brownie Reflex will work for the TTV Photography, and I'll get into the how's and why's and what's of TTV Photography over the next few days. For now, I'm just going to wet your appetite with a shot I took tonight after getting my first contraption built. Yes, that is what TTV photographers generally refer to the (typically) cardboard frame you build so you can use a new digital camera to take photos through an old TLR camera - don't worry, like I said, I'll get more into all of this in the coming days.

For now, check this out...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Argus Seventy-Five, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 12 sec at f/12.9. ISO 200. Tripod and monopod mounted. Cropped in Photoshop Elements 8.0.

Except for cropping the photo to match up with the Argus's square format, that photo is straight off the compact flash card. I know your first instinct is to say it was completely photoshopped to give it that vintage look, but that is what TTV photography is all about! Instant vintage. I just love it all - the grainy image, the rounded corners, the distorted edges, the vignetting - all without photoshop.

We're headed to Phipps tomorrow specifically to see what kind of shots I can get with this awesome new setup, and if that photo above is any indication, I think there will be a lot of cool new photos to share here this week.

Stay tuned! Or better yet, drop me a comment and let me know what you think of this "new" type of photography.

- Bill

I don't know if you've noticed, but to the right, there is a link to Photography Books. Something I collect more than camera gear is photography books (probably because they're cheaper).

Anyway, I've mentioned this a couple other times before, but I hadn't really built up that page. I recently ordered a couple new books (which I'll discuss at a later date) which prompted me to finally get some info on that page.

So far, I have only managed just a list of the books I currently own. Eventually, I wouldn't mind having (at least) a quick blurb or (preferably) a full review of each book here, but for now this will have to suffice.

If you have books you would like to suggest, please leave me a comment or use the contact form to email me.

And on that note, I'm going to go read one of my new books.

- Bill

I'm going to change things up today. I hope it won't disappoint anyone, but no photo to critique today. Instead I want to talk a little bit about one of the places I've received a lot of inspiration and subconscious instruction.

I'm talking about the many photography books I have. I've still got to work up the Photography Books page, but I figure I'll spotlight my favorite photographer from these books. His name is Thomas Marent. Wait! Wait! Before you click on that and go looking at his site, read the rest of my post since if you're anything like me, you'll get distracted for hours browsing through his gallery.

So far, he has three books published, and Anya and I own all three. The first is his Rainforest book, which is by far my favorite. Then he also has specialized ones: Frog and Butterfly.

It appears that they are all being re-issued as paperbacks which while it will make them cheaper, I definitely recommend seeking out the hardback versions if you can - there is just something more satisfying about a nice heavy coffee table book that paperback just can't achieve. The original Rainforest release came with an audio CD filled with the sounds of the rainforest - insects, frogs, birds, monkeys, rain, etc. It is an awesome disc to put on and relax listening to - kind of like one of those soothing sound machines. Plus if you have dogs, it is always fun if they're like our dogs and look around the room trying to locate where the strange sounds are coming from.

Really - next time you're at a book store, look for one of his books and check it out, then take it home and adorn your coffee table with it. You won't regret it.

I was unaware of it at the time, but when we started collecting these books years ago, it was inadvertently shaping my interest in photography and probably subconsciously training my eye for things to look for in a good photo. Things like composition, framing, focus, depth of field. All of those things can probably be learned more easily subconsciously than they can be in a classroom.

Many of the places I've looked at trying to learn how to take better photos will give you plenty of suggestions, the most common of which is 'get out and take photos as often as possible'. However, I've never seen anyone suggest that you also just look at lots of photos and see what you like, see what other people like.

So I am now. Go look at photos. Lots of photos. You can start here.

By doing so, you'll shape your own preferences, and then when you see it through the viewfinder of your own camera, you'll know to flip the shutter and you'll have that photo to be proud of and show off to everyone. You can thank me for it later...

- Bill