Way Beyond Monochrome

[jeroldharter]

I just received my hardback copy of Way Beyond Monochrome today. I had pre-ordered a copy since there was a discount. The book is expensive and I was skeptical because most books like this are a bit lacking and too superficial but I figured I would support the cause.

But wow. This is a great book. It is really more like a very thorough textbook. sort of like scouring previous textbooks and the forum here and on APUG and putting it all together in a very professional format on high quality paper with good graphics. I have not had a chance to read it yet, but at first glance, this is the best photo book I have seen and should be on the shelf with the Ansel Adams series. So if any of you were on the fence on that book, I strongly suggest you buy it. Really exceptional and covers a number of arcane topics not available in any other books I have seen.

[BarryS]

I bought the first edition and was stunned at the amount of solid thoughtful information packed into the book. I immediately ordered the new edition because it's a bargain considering the amount of information. It's like taking a post-graduate course in photography. If you buy one technical book this year, this should be it.

[vinny]

yup, best source of info for just one book.

[Eric Woodbury]

I like this book. I just gave my old copy to my niece and expect the new edition soon. The only thing I dislike about the book is that it is printed on the heaviest paper. I can't read that book unless I'm sitting at a table.

[jeroldharter]

I thought the first addition was OK but this edition is outstanding and much more thorough.

It is a heavy book. The packing from the publisher was first rate and the book came in perfect condition. The paper is excellent too which is a rarity nowadays.

I wish it were available as a pdf or Kindle book too so I could read it when traveling.

[Robert Ley]

Where can one obtain a copy of this fine book?

[Eric Woodbury]

I ordered my at Amazon, but they are still quoting a month leadtime. ??

[Peter De Smidt]

The first edition was excellent, and I'm really looking forward to getting the new edition!

[John Whitley]

I've had my preorder in from the moment it went up on Amazon... so mark me down as "officially jealous." Even moreso for the good review! :D

[al olson]

I have and I have read the most recent earlier edition.

I have to ask if there is additional, important material in the new edition that would entice me to purchase a later copy?

[Peter De Smidt]

See: http://www.waybeyondmonochrome.com/WBM2/Edition2.html

[al olson]

See: http://www.waybeyondmonochrome.com/WBM2/Edition2.html

Thank you for the reference. It looks very impressive.

[jeroldharter]

There is a ton of new information. This has the same title but is much more thorough. Something you can read many times rather than just skim and nod.

I think the Ansel Adams Camera/Negative/Print series, the Ansel Adams Basic Technique books, Phil Davis Beyond the Zone System book, Tim Rudman's toning book, and now the latest addition of Way Beyond Monochrome are the best reference books available.

[John Jarosz]

Even though they still quote an unknown delivery time, i ordered mine & got it about a week.
Looks professionally done from my quick scan

[Charles Hohenstein]

I thought that the price was reasonable for a hardcover book of that size. I bought mine through Amazon.com and opted for the free shipping, so that helped.

[Ed Richards]

Got mine from BN.COM, but they packed it poorly and arrived pretty beat up. Returned it to the local store and will reorder from Amazon. Took a look through and it looked great. Most of the new info seems to be on wet printing, rather than film. There is some info digital negatives, but no hybrid workflow stuff beyond that.

[David Aimone]

Copy arrived last week. I've been slowly making my way through the first sections.

Great book!

[sun of sand]

But wow. This is a great book. It is really more like a very thorough textbook. sort of like scouring previous textbooks and the forum here and on APUG and putting it all together in a very professional format on high quality paper with good graphics.


I was skeptical because most books like this are too superficial


I have not had a chance to read it yet
I strongly suggest you buy it

[RickV]

Now that the OZ dollar is rubbing shoulders with the greenback, I bought a copy through B&N for much less than the cost here down-under, even including the shipping. As Ed Richards commented, mine too was poorly packed but the intervention of USPS saved it from damage. They placed the broken-open parcel in a zip-tied mail sack and tagged it with my address. It was quite huge and made a big difference to how it was handled I think. Good onya USPS!
Oh yeah...it's a great reference book and a great way to discipline your craft by reminding you of the fundamentals that are easily cast aside in a shooting frenzy! My copy is very nicely printed and bound for the price point. Highly recommended for tyros and masters alike.

[Pavel+]

I have a copy of the book and personally feel it is better than any other of its sort that has come before. I've read AA's books .... and learned much ... but the hard way. The way WBM is written and illustrated makes it imho the best single book for both mid-level and advance darkroom practitioner.

Highly recommended!

[D. Bryant]

The only thing I dislike about the book is that it is printed on the heaviest paper. I can't read that book unless I'm sitting at a table.

Why not consider the Kindle version?

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Beyond-Monochrome-Traditional-ebook/dp/B004EYSPK0/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A12MGAGPLUJEQK&qid=1276608224&sr=1-2

Don Bryant

[Pavel+]

I have and really like the kindle. I often click that button that tells the novelist "hey ... a kindle edition ... please!"

Not for this book however. That would diminish one of the core educational aspects of their well composed method. The book is full of photographs that so well illustrate the concepts. They are subtle and therefore effective. You really can after reading the text look at the frames and have an epiphany. The photos are so perfect that they complete the ideas behind the text.

On a kindle it would be like learning to be a chef without ever having a morsel. Or to learn to drive a car with only classroom theory.

Now, I would love to have the choice of an accompaniment edition bough for extra only to those who buy the hardback. I would go for that to have some of the concepts to digest - without the weight.

But on its own a kindle edition would work very poorly indeed, I feel. :)

[D. Bryant]

I have and really like the kindle. I often click that button that tells the novelist "hey ... a kindle edition ... please!"

Not for this book however. That would diminish one of the core educational aspects of their well composed method. The book is full of photographs that so well illustrate the concepts. They are subtle and therefore effective. You really can after reading the text look at the frames and have an epiphany. The photos are so perfect that they complete the ideas behind the text.

On a kindle it would be like learning to be a chef without ever having a morsel. Or to learn to drive a car with only classroom theory.

Now, I would love to have the choice of an accompaniment edition bough for extra only to those who buy the hardback. I would go for that to have some of the concepts to digest - without the weight.

But on its own a kindle edition would work very poorly indeed, I feel. :)

I don't own a Kindle but if I understand correctly are you suggesting that there are no images in the Kindle version?

Don Bryant

FWIW, I have the PC Kindle though I have no illustrated books.

[Pavel+]

No Don the images are actually quite decent but not at all geared to photographs in the way where we could discern some of the points they are making through their illustrations. Not at all. I mean those shots which show the differing effects that different curves impart - they would be completely pointless. The kindle impresses me greatly (if I could ever get it back from my ten year old!) but the photos are quite a bit like early 16 shades of grey Macs from 1990 gave you.

[D. Bryant]

but the photos are quite a bit like early 16 shades of grey Macs from 1990 gave you.

Hmmm, too bad. That will probably preclude my purchase of the book as I have way too much paper in my life. If the book was a 'Fine Art' edition then that would be a different story. Thanks.

[jeroldharter]

...Now, I would love to have the choice of an accompaniment edition bough for extra only to those who buy the hardback...

Absolutely.

For reference books or textbooks like this, a Kindle edition alone is not the best. The full book version is the way to go. But I would love to have the Kindle version to for reading while travelling, etc. For another $5-10 I would happily buy the combo, but not for double the cost. I ordered mine before it was available so a Kindle version did not exist.

[Steve Goldstein]

A number of chapters are available from Ralph for free as PDFs, I had downloaded and read many of them prior to the print edition's release. Not the whole book, at least then, and not the same level of image quality as on paper, but useful and portable if you're already carrying a laptop or netbook. I don't know if these are still available, but at the time I downloaded them there were 11 files (some are appendices, I think).

[John Jarosz]

There are segments of the book that would be very useful on Kindle. I agree with the idea of being able to buy both for only a small adder in price. Having the Kindle version alone would not work for me.

John

[Pavel+]

I wonder then if a mass appeal to the author may work?

[jwaddison]

Hmmm, too bad. That will probably preclude my purchase of the book as I have way too much paper in my life. If the book was a 'Fine Art' edition then that would be a different story. Thanks.

Pavel+ is talking about the quality of the pictures in the Kindle version, not the book version. The pictures in the book are of very good quality, but this is an instructional book, not a "Fine Art" book.

[David E. Rose]

For those that have a Nook Color reader, a Nook version is available for $69.95- I wish it was less expensive! I downloaded the sample, which includes the first 119 pages of the Nook version- the photos and color graphics look great on the Nook. The Nook Color is a full color tablet along the lines of the Ipad. It would be worth having a portable version of the book if it was a bit cheaper!

[falth j]

I purchased the hard copy text version, delivered for under $54.99...

I didn't have to download a thing, and I don't have to worry about accidently erasing anything.

It's fully portable, in color, works inside, outside, and doesn't take batteries.

Plus, I can re-sell it after I've finished with it, if not, I can work out with it...


Perhaps, the new digitized electronic versions, will come with a transcriber in a palatable synthesized voice, so I can have it read itself to me while I .... drive the car, or at nite in bed waiting to doze off, etc....

[D. Bryant]

For those that have a Nook Color reader, a Nook version is available for $69.95- I wish it was less expensive! I downloaded the sample, which includes the first 119 pages of the Nook version- the photos and color graphics look great on the Nook. The Nook Color is a full color tablet along the lines of the Ipad. It would be worth having a portable version of the book if it was a bit cheaper!

I agree about the price. It should be substantially less expensive.

Thanks,

Don

[D. Bryant]

Plus, I can re-sell it after I've finished with it, if not, I can work out with it...



Yuk, yuk.

[falth j]

Consider this if you will...

I would most heartily buy any book, if it included a digitized version along with the book purchase.

For those of you familiar with Dragon Naturally Speaking, (DNS) (which is available in a special version for the i-pad), you know that as you dictate, your speech is transcribed to text...

and, if you want to reverse the process, it will play-back what you dictated.

It would be nice if when a book were digitized, a spoken version could be included as well.

When you display the text, a spoken version could also be turned on so you could hear as well as see the text if you chose to do so..

or, let the spoken version play, just as you would any other recording.

As with a cd, or dvd, you could seek, replay, or search for any digitized word, word phrase, topic, chapter, or page...

(I have used almost every iteration of DNS since its inception and found the i-pad version almost unbelievable in its out-of-the-box voice recognition capability in comparison to former older DNS versions, ymmv)

[JasonT]

Two thumbs up for Way Beyond Monochrome. I got the hard copy version several weeks ago. Definitely a solid book with loads of information.

[sergiob]

I was surprised that somebody actually made such a good book for such a small crowd as us. It is definitely worth every cent I paid for it. :)

[Ralph W. Lambrecht]

I was surprised that somebody actually made such a good book for such a small crowd as us. It is definitely worth every cent I paid for it. :)

Well, the crowd cannot be all that small. WBM Ed2 is almost sold out again. We printed enough for what we thought would last us at least 18 months. But 5 months later... almost gone. A new print run is scheduled for April!

[Peter De Smidt]

That's great news, Ralph! Congratulations!

[jeroldharter]

Ralph,

Congratulations and thanks. Well deserved for good work.

[Bunwackett]

Guess what book I'm getting for my birthday? :D

[Jim Ewins]

All the hype about this book made me curious, so I ordered it from the Library. It is a pretty book, a coffee table kind of book, but for me not the easy kind of book to curl up with and spend so time with. The contents are all there, the same info I can get from Bruce Barnbaum, Eddie Ephrams, John Hedgecoe, Graves, Tim Rudman, Webb and others bought & paid for ready on my bookshelf to be again read. But it is a pretty book.

[sergiob]

It is a fantastic book. I just wished it was available 20 years ago. Would have made me a better photographer faster. :)

[Navy Moose]

Well, the crowd cannot be all that small. WBM Ed2 is almost sold out again. We printed enough for what we thought would last us at least 18 months. But 5 months later... almost gone. A new print run is scheduled for April!

I bought my copy at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago. It blew me away. Thank you for writing a wonderful reference. :)

[Jon Wilson]

It not only is a great resource and reference tool...the author after you purchase the buy (at least he did in my case and I have no reason to believe he doesn't do it for all purchasers of this 2nd edition) sends you an email asking if you want to receive his emails and then with an affirmative nod, you are placed on his email list for updates, pdf files, etc. which enable you to use various charts/forms etc. that are used in his revised edition. It definitely is worth the money.

Jon

[Zaitz]

Sounds like a great book. Looking to pick it up after I finish The Art of Photography.