Photography Book Review
After the Camera, by Thom Rouse
Digital Transformations for Conceptual Nude & Portrait Photography
Way more than a How-to, After the Camera, is a peek into the mind of a wonderfully creative artist. You can’t help but view Thom’s images and find your story wrapped in and around his multi-layered imagery. His images have the depth and dimension of fine art from the master painters through the ages. This is no surprise if you know Thom. He is a student of the great artists and borrows an idea here, a color palette there, and a look from over there. By combining his art knowledge with his photography, experimenting with the capabilities of our digital age, he transcends visual boundaries, taking us to a new world.
Isis – Many of the elements were created from the manipulation of a single leaf. This includes the background, parts of her dress, and the hairpiece.
Text in this book reads as if Thom is talking directly to you. He shares his inspiration, along with trials and tribulations, during the shoot and post-processing. While this is not a book to teach you techniques in Adobe Photoshop where he does most of his processing, there are many important concepts shared. I’ve found a number of ideas that I can’t wait to try out in my work.
Urban Mermaids – Concept inspired by a regular model.
Is this book for everyone? Heck no. But most books are not. This is for photographers pushing their work to new realms of art. This is for photographers looking for inspiration. This is for photographers who understand that the nude has been part of the fine art landscape over the millennia. It’s for those who want a peek into the mind of a creative person who has studied fine art painters and can share concepts behind the why of an image.
Dance Within – One of the few images where Rouse used Corel Panter to help finish the look of the piece.
I can see this book becoming a dog-eared staple on my bookshelf as I plan to go back and review this on a regular basis.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Thom was featured a couple of weeks ago in a Tuesday Photo/Art post. You can read it here.
Rouse’s book ‘After the Camera’ is available on Amazon.
