The 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in San Francisco

Matthew Bamberg is not only a superb photographer whose images are becoming frequently seen in many conspicuous paces, but he also is a user-friendly teacher and mentor for photographers at every level. And as he demonstrates in this fine book, he is a travel guide with a bag full of information as to where to visit in places like San Francisco and then how to capture those moments of beauty and excitement on film as keepsakes of a trip not likely to be forgotten. Not one to point out the obvious (though the icons of the great city of San Francisco are not at all neglected), Bamberg instead takes his fellow traveler on tours through the areas of this city not often visited by tourists. He offers directions on how to find and get to these special places, offers some succinct history of that location, then helps the traveler in technically capture the experience on film. He divides his book into five sections: Architecture, City Life, Events, Urban Oasis, and Secret Places (the last being the most satisfying for those who think they already know San Francisco). This then is a travel book, a photography manual, and a very useful guide to discovering the special qualities of San Francisco. Now Bamberg needs to do the same for every major city in the country! Grady Harp, May 09

This book not only tells you the best photos of San Francisco, it really tells you how to take them! From the exact vantage point, time of day to camera settings. It's technical enough for the purist and simple enough for anyone who knows camera basics. I am glad I bought this book and would highly reccommend it.

Matt Bamberg has created a book that is both a brilliantly researched travel guide and, like his book Digital Art Photography For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) DIGITAL ART PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES and his blogs, is chock full of fantastic photography tips. It's a great gift for the photographer in your life and for transplanted San Franciscans who are homesick, who miss St. Mary's near the Transamerica Building, Fisherman's Wharf and the Conservatory of Flowers. Each of the fifty greatest photogenic spots in San Francisco gets a clear, consistent treatment in three seconds. First, Bamberg giives us an overview of the history, say the great castro and Roxie movbie theaters. Then, he devotes a section called "The Shot" with detailed tips that describe his approach to getting that perfect photo, including, most helpfully, the optimum time of day. The third section for each landmark is "Getting There". All of this is written with both a raconteur/researcher's insight and the knowledge of someone who has obviously lived in San Francisco. The photo captions are clear, crisp and perfect. The photos provide an intimate look at San Francisco. I loved the photos of the colorful North Beach neighborhood --- don't miss the picture of the bearded man strolling with a cane outside a cafe (p. 77).

Three days ago I threw-caution-to-the-wind and ordered 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in San Francisco, sight unseen, for the reasonably sounding price of $18.99. I'm glad I did! Oh, I'm usually a sucker for "anything San Francisco", but what we have here is not only a beautiful book with truly outstanding photographs, but also an excellent primer on digital photography. As soon as the book arrived I opened it to the pages about the Emporium dome. I had absolutely no idea that I could walk across the street from the Cable Car Turnaround to the Westfield Center, go up four floors, find a cozy chair, and look up at the old Emporium department store dome. I'll be doing that soon -- just as soon as I can find a pair of pants with no holes in the knees... Heck, I'll even change my socks and shave closely if that's what it's going to take to get past security... The book is wonderful... Matthew Bamberb is a skilled photographer, and shows in the book how to take the ordinary to a much higher level. He explains in a straightforward manner about the elements of a pleasing composition, and if you need a refresher course on things like composition, depth-of-field, shooting modes, bokeh, exposure compensation, focal length, ISO speeds, lens choice, lighting, metering, post-processing, and RAW format, then this book is for you. Matt's goal throughout the book seems to be how to get you shooting like a professional. The line starts here, right behind me... All this for $18.99? Sounds like a bargain to me. Once again, Matthew Bamberg's photographs are splendid. This book is inspirational. I love it, and expect to get a lot of use out of it and I hope you do too. Be sure not to miss Chapter 5 -- "Secret Places" -- sounds intriguing, doesn't it?