Where is Ben?

Best Books About Route 66

After purchasing seven books about Route 66, I can make some solid recommendations for what I've found to be most useful. The books below are the ones I would recommend to PHOTOGRAPHERS, not necessarily the general public. That is assuming a photographer wants to know what they should expect to SEE and how to get there without too much energy expended reading about the details. Here are the books I recommend:

1) Images of 66 by David Wickline features a very visual look at Route 66. The photos aren't fine art works or anything, but they are enough to really give you a sense for what you should see when driving different sections of Route 66. The book lacks detailed maps and turn-by-turn directions for how to find the areas shown in the photographs... and that's why you'll need the next two resources. This is the book I check out to plan which areas I think would be most valuable photographically and which areas I might be able to skip, or enjoy for other reasons. This book is only available from establishments along Route 66 or on the author's web site.

2) The best turn by turn directions for following what's left of Route 66 can be found in EZ 66 Guide For Travelers by Jerry McClanahan. Each page shows a map of a small section of Route 66, unusually covering the details of a drive between two towns. He will tell you about every turn you'll need to make, so you don't get lost, but there are few visuals (which is why you need the first book I mentioned). This is the book that I keep next to me when I'm driving and refer to often. I consider this to be absolutely essential to anyone who is serious about driving Route 66.

3) If you want to get a "big picture" of what to expect in each state along Route 66, then consider Here It Is-Route 66-The Map Series, which is a collection of eight fold out maps, one for each state that Route 66 passes through. It's made by the same guy as the book above and provides less detail and more of a big picture of your route. This isn't in any way essential, but I still found it to be useful. This might be useful when doing pre-planning, or when you're about to pass into a new state and want to see how close you'll be staying to a major interstate and determine where you might want to stay the night each day.

If you're someone who really wants to read all the details and brush up on the history of Route 66, then I'd suggest the excellent Route 66-The Mother Road by Michael Wallis. It's a very in-depth book with many interviews, historic information and photographs, but would be my last choice for keeping next to the drivers seat when trying to figure out where you are and which turns to take. This might be a good book to read well before or after your trip down Route 66 so you can absorb the history of the road, so you can appreciate it fully.

Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed is Here!

I just received my first copy of my new book Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed! Amazon is listing it has shipping in 2-4 weeks, but Barnes & Noble made a special purchase and is shipping them right away.

I received an e-mail from someone who has already had a chance to read the book before I received a copy... I guess my publisher sent a box of books to my old house that I sold over a year ago!

The book covers all the new features found in the standard version of Photoshop CS3 and the one new feature in the extended version that I wish they would have included in the standard version.

A must have book

If you plan to photograph Utah or Arizona, then be sure to pick up a copy of the book Photographing the Southwest by Laurent Martres. It comes in two volumes: Volume 1 covers Southern Utah, while Volume 2 covers Arizona. These books show you exactly where to visit to get the best shots and are a must buy for anyone serious about photography.

I consider this to be my bible on what to see/visit/photograph and wish there were volumes on all 50 states.

Foreign Language Book Covers

I thought you might be entertained by these foreign language book covers from all my Photoshop books. I'm always amazed at what they come up with (especially the new How to Wow book that features a dog with a crown).

Up to Speed Reviewed

My new book Photoshop CS2: Up to Speed has been reviewed on the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog. If you're thinking of purchasing the book, read what Jan Kabili said to see if it's right for you. And remember that Amazon currently has the book for 35% off!

Publish A Book In Minutes!

At Lulu.com, you can publish your own paperback book. There are no setup costs, no minimum orders and anyone can order your book on-line. They handle black & white or color and offer three types of bindings (they can also offer it as an e-book). Then all you do is set a price and start to promote your book, sending visitors to a link on lulu.com. They handle the credit card charges, print the books on demand and ship them and you just sit and wait for the checks to show up (they take 20% of your profits). You can literally get a book published in about 10 minutes.

My New Book: CS2 Up to Speed

I just sent my newest book to the printer (197 pages, full color)... it's scheduled to be available by mid June and Amazon is taking pre-orders at 35% off the cover price, making the cost only $16.49!

The first and only book to focus exclusively on the new features of Photoshop CS2
It's designed for anyone who has a working knowledge of CS and want to get 'up to speed' with CS2 in the most efficient way possible. The book covers every change made in CS2 and features full chapters devoted to Bridge, Variables, Smart Objects, the new Layers Palette, Camera Raw and HDR Imaging. It's also designed to let you quickly learn what’s been moved, renamed or eliminated from the previous version, making your transition to CS2 as painless as possible.

See what the experts think of the book after the jump.

Gallery: Bert Monroy Photo-realistic Master

Today marks the start of a new feature on WhereIsBen where I present examples of digital art from artists that I enjoy.

The first gallery is that of Bert Monroy who is the best photo-realistic illustrator I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His images are simply amazing, especially when you know that they are all 100% hand made using programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. He's been creating digital art for over 20 years and started with a 128K Mac back in 1984.

Bert has also agreed to an interview, which is scheduled to be posted later this month.

You can find out about Bert's books and his Creativity seminar that is currently touring the U.S. at his web site at www.bertmonroy.com

(portrait by Jeff Schewe)

Great Bookstores

Whenever I have a free day in San Francisco, I usually drop by the William Stout Architectural bookstore on Montgomery Street. They seem to have a never ending selection of books on architecture and design with a few photography books mixed in for good measure. If you're a visual person, then I doubt you'll be disappointed (just make sure you don't forget to venture downstairs to see the whole collection).

Mark Your Spot with PagePoints

I used to fold over the corner of a page to mark my spot in a book. But after folding and unfolding the corners of multiple pages, it became more difficult to find my place in a book. Not only that, but I'd also fold the corner on pages that had important information. I discovered PagePoints a few years ago and have been using them religiously ever since.

More after the jump.