The work is a pure architectural delight. High quality photography, drawings, and project texts. Everyone should know this work.

Some interesting sidelights:Model the crab problem as an M\M\k\1. Mathcad has the employee optimization in their Expert Solver. Use Mathcads logistic solver recast to solve catastrophy problem, very interesting. Redo Beltrami's bessel solution for diffussion using Mathcad for Spherical Bessels, then reformulate to show nodes, then set Frame function to show actual growth in 3 dimenstions. All in all really enjoyed and can't wait to get his next.

This is not a new cover on an older book. Having enjoyed Beltrami's first book I was glad to see a second. The new continues the subject of modeling not math. Well written, the author's book ties the conceptual difficulites of the subjects with the necessary math to get the point accross and guide the reader to new frontiers of insight again in the sense of the physical model not the math. This is a very important point! One does not lose sight of the over-all objective as with some math intensive proof types. The beauty of the work is getting the necessary across with the least. One disappointment though. The book was to short. I hope the author continues another work. Perhaps some more indepth of previous covered material. All examples and problems are easily solved in Mathcad, which already has the depth but sometimes not the explanation.

Marty Seefer has produced a beautiful book packed with elegant images showing his approach to bridal photography. His approach, unfortunately, is beyond the reach of the beginning wedding photographer and many intermediates. His style is very complex, intricate, and elaborate, often requiring as many as eight lights for a studio shot. Photographers who have reached the level of success where they have the studio space and materials necessary to execute many of these photographs probably already have their own successful styles and do not need this book.
There is some valuable information for those attempting to get started or grow in the business - particular in the area of metering a set and dragging the shutter to assure correct metering of everthing in the set - and most of Seefer's sets are extremely elaborate. Whether it is necessary or even desirable to create such elaborate settings, or if they are so complex that they distract the viewer away from the center of interest - the bride - is up to the viewer to decide.
The photographer, regardless of level, should keep in mind while enjoying this feast for the eyes, is that Seefer's way is not the only way to produce beautiful portraits of brides. This is why books, such as The Best of Wedding Photography by Bill Hurter which shows the work of many top photographers, is much more valuable to those attempting to launch a career in the business than the long-evolved style of just one individual.

One of the reasons I like Amherst Media's books is because everything is spelled out in easy to understand terms and visuals are always provided. "The Art of Bridal Portrait Photography" by Marty Seefer isn't any different. The author holds nothing back and shares his experiences as an award winning photographer as a true teacher would.
Subjects covered include: Portraitist vs. Journalist, Previsualization, Metering, Film Tests, Planes of Exposure, studio shooting, Location Portraits and a Bridal Study Suggestion Sheet. Also covered are Studio Lighting, Lighting Ratios and Corrective Techniques. All subjects are generously illustrated with drawings and beautiful photographs. Whether you are new to bridal photography or are an experienced pro, this book has something of interest for you.

This book is very useful and gives detailed descriptions of each shot, and also explains a lot of other fine details. Great book.

There's this thing in the jacket blurb for this book about how maybe a guy gets a phone call & takes off down the sidewalk and then a hammer falls out of a nearby window and lands on his head and this is just the fickle, unpredictable hand of chance... OR IS IT? Now, to whatever associate editor came up with that, kudos, b/c it's the type of maybe-there's-something-going-on-behind-the-scenes hook that makes you want to snap the thing off the shelf. Unfortunately, if you read it, you'll find that there's no insight at all re: the phone call-hammer issue. Instead you get a brief intro to probability theory, a not-too-adept description of testing for randomness in binary strings, and some disjointed thoughts on entropy, number theory, and the ilk. There are a few tidbits here that may be of interest to math buffs, but the inquisitive layman looking to expose the hidden patterns of the universe will be disappointed.

A well meaning, but totally sloppy book -- botn in writing style and clarity of thought. Interesting for the range of topics it suggests relate to its subject, although its coverage of them is aweful. It is somewhat useful for the references it offers, in case the frustrated reader is still interested enough in the topics to try and make up for the book's own failures by reading up on them elsewhere. As for the rest, it is hard to follow and confusing on all but the most elementary points.

This is an excellent study of what randomness means, particularly in Beltrami's treatment of averages.