November Hot List: Skin is In

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading the site that Harrington's business book and Grecco's lighting book duked it out for the top spot in November. They are both great examples of how much knowledge $20 can buy.

But what did surprise me were a couple of new entries in the list, with one coming from out of nowhere a landing at number three. And the other one wasn't even a book.

I had never even heard of the book, Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies, by Lee Varis, until it starting popping up on the click-through lists from the Amazon links.

The everyman reviewers on Amazon are in love with it. And I even noticed a new topic in the discussion groups dedicated to getting great skin tone, although that discussion does not even mention the book. What grows from this site never ceases to amaze me.

Maybe it was an offshoot of the Garage Glamour book that may as well be paying rent on the list at this point. I dunno. But thanks for not posting the work-unsafe stuff to the pool...

(In all fairness, the book apparently covers much more than the title suggests.)

If you have read the book, please sound off about it in the comments section. I'm curious along with everyone else.

The other item that popped up (at number eight) was something that has long been a part of my gear bag: the Leatherman Wave multi-tool. This one started popping up shortly after the "What non-photo gear do you carry?" topic started up on the discussion boards.

I love my Leatherman, which is the third version I have owned. I tend to keep them for several years and then spontaneously give them away at some opportune moment, usually when traveling on assignment.

I gave away the last one to a Romanian farmer after he let me crash on his floor for a few days. You'd have thought I given him a car. He didn't even know they existed. Way cool.

I stuck an Amazon link in the sidebar for that and my other little buddy, the Swiss+Tech micro. They both rock.

Anyhoo, back to books. If you are making up your Christmas list - and you have been very good - you could do far worse than to point your benefactor to this month's list.



The November Hot List:

1. Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait

2. Best Business Practices for Photographers

3. Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies

4. Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers

5. Matters of Light & Depth

6. Light - Science and Magic, Second Edition: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

7. Secrets of Lighting on Location: A Photographer's Guide to Professional Lighting Techniques

8. Leatherman Wave

9. Garage Glamour: Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple

10. Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers