Photojojo!: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas

This book will rock your world. No, seriously. Within the pages of "Photojojo: The Book" (just like the terrific e-mail newsletter that comes twice a week to my inbox) is a recipe for actually DOING SOMETHING FUN with your camera and photos. YOU (a whipsmart, able-bodied person) + a CAMERA (any will do; in fact, the more obscure types, the better) + THIS BOOK = A sudden ocean of creativity and mirth that will make your friends go "Whoa, that's ingenious! Wish I thought of that." (I'm sure you can still keep your little magic book a secret at this point.) But really, no joke: Kelly Jenson and Amit Gupta (the gang at Photojojo) did something miraculous here with this book. "Photojojo: The Book" has neat tips and tricks for taking better photos, sure - absolutely. (They also teach you how to do neat stuff easily with your camera, like "Light Painting," "Kid Swirling," or - what's always scared me - Street Photography of random strangers.) The book goes way beyond that, though: it loads you up with a bunch of stinkin' fantastic DIY ideas for what to do after your photos get made... projects so easily done the craftily-inept (like me) can do them. The instructions are simple, non-boring, and make you feel like a pro. Seriously, before you know it, your house/apartment/abode will be full to the brim with nifty photo things - like photo lamps and chandeliers, slider puzzles and giant murals. I've done a few already, and am instantly in love. (Truthfully, it feels like summer camp when you were twelve again, where you got to make all those nifty crafts and things, and you felt like a genius for doing so.) All that alone would've convinced me to buy this book. But Jenson and Gupta have gone beyond that, and also sprinkled magic funny power all over and filled the pages with whimsical and enjoyable writing, funny tidbits, gorgeous photography (made all the more cool by them telling you how they did it), and just a heaping dose of Awesome. So if you have a camera, or maybe a shoebox of old photos lying around: Buy this book today, and your life will be forever changed.

Photos are for looking at? They're good for more than just looking at! In Photojojo!: insanely great photo projects and DIY ideas, you'll learn how to get really creative with those stacks of photos and/or digital copies you have been "meaning to do something with." Why stick to regular old frames when you can make a magnetic photo chain or a fork photo stand! Camera gurus can find a nice assortment of camera projects, including making a flash diffuser or fish-eye lens. All projects and tutorials are clearly outlined, visually pleasing and won't have you running around searching for obscure "ingredients." Speaking of ingredients, did you know there is such a thing as edible icing made from your very own photographs?

If you or someone you know owns a camera there is no reason not to own this book. It is jam packed with fun projects for anyone who loves photography. Well worth its price tag.

This is probably one of the greatest most reasonably priced ideas for Christmas gifts -- for you and friends. It has awesome ideas! Jilly