I was surprised – yet delighted – therefore to be asked to review his latest eBook, because he is someone that I hold in very high regard. Before I share with you that review, it needs to be put in context of the man himself.

Mitchell K to me is probably one of the world’s most talented – and certainly one of the world’s most focused – travel photographers. This isn’t just hyperbole. He is lauded by his peers, by editors and by image libraries and you just have to look at his work to see his talent, his focus and his style – a style that is instantly recognizable and has made him so much in demand.

That style is very much Chiaroscuro – literally LightDark – the technique used by Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt and others that used light to shape the contrast and tone in an image to provide a three dimensional frame for a subject. Mitchell uses this Chiaroscuro effect to provide both a simplicity yet depth to each of his images. In the “Rabari – Encounters with the nomadic tribe” eBook this is immediately apparent. Yet as many great experts can and do, Mitchell always makes this appears effortless – almost simple. TO me this demonstrates true mastery and in this particular case tremendous luck for all of us, because Mitchell has lifte the lid on how he achieved these breathtaking images.

Mitchell has been incredibly generous in recent years in sharing some of that expertise in a series of eBooks and I would encourage you to look at them all. But in particular I would encourage you to look at his latest, “Rabari – Encounters with the nomadic tribe” partly because it was the project that really “launched” his career, but mainly for the detailed technical insights he provides into his style of photography.

The eBook is made up of 10 images from his 4 month documentary of the extraordinary Rabadi tribe. Each image is displayed in full with its exif data. Then over the subsequent pages, Mitchell describes the background story to the image; his objective; the lighting conditions often with small schematics to show you his technique. Furthermore there is then a series of thumbnails showing you the other images in the sequence, which help you understand botht he composition and why he selected the final images for processing.

Mitchell shares with us the insight behind the moment and pose, the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Lastly, he then talks about how he processed the image and brings it to life. If all of that was not enough, there are some quick tips about how you can apply these learning’s to your own image.

This is a great eBook on so many levels. Not only is it bursting with beautiful images, but the layout and flow of the book makes it highly readable. Mitchell’s accompanying text is both straight forward and unpretentious which only adds to the quality of it.

It is very rare that a photographer of such repute and standing should open himself up and share not only what he was thinking about but the tips and techniques he used to capture the image. It provides a fertile ground for study for all of us whom aspire to be able to shoot such compelling images.

This is treasure trove of insight and tips for anyone that likes to take compelling travel images, so if you are serious about your travel photography then you need to buy this eBook now through Lightstalking.com. In fact even if you are not a travel photographer, you should buy the eBook – the images alone are worth the tiny investment.

Which is why we thank God for the likes of David duChemin.

He has managed to push us all (but especially us men) to a point where it is all about vision first and gear second. His mantra “Gear is good, vision is better” has become the hallmark of both his traditional books and his superb eBooks. To me these eBooks are everything I wanted when I was learning to take better images (and still learning). Highly compelling, visually rich, short books that inspire, that explain and that share the insights. It is almost as if they are written to that same mantra “compelling visionary images first, technical and craft explanations second”. Scratch that. It is exactly how they are written.

SAFARI, A Monograph is the second in the his wonderful series “The Print & The Process”, where he takes us on his personal journey as he shoots a series of projects and explains the process behind them.

This latest one is just breathtaking. The images captivate and engage. They transport you to the dry savanna, the equatorial heat and the languid lions watching bemused as another 4×4 of tourists winds it way through the Serengeti. It is hard to believe him when he says this is is first safari – irritatingly, it seems as if the man has no end to his talent.

He unpacks the images from a 10-day safari in Kenya earlier in the year, first letting the images speak for themselves then diving deep into the process behind the photographs. This eBook like his previous one on Venice, offers an honest discussion about the issues connected to the creation of what he called the monograph, including the gear used, the techniques employed, and the lessons learned.

It’s a 62-page PDF eBook that will provide you with inspiration amidst the details of the Why and the How. This is not so much about how to photograph your first safari, though you’ll learn that too; it’s a look at the lessons learned, and re-learned, by a photographer who is now 25 years into his craft.

And then if this is not enough, David also shares his Adobe Lightroom settings used for Serengeti Chocolate, the duo-tone look in which much of his SAFARI monograph has been styled, and a downloadable Lightroom Preset. These books are as “cheap as chips” as we say in the UK, and I for one feel like a kid waiting for the next installment of my favorite comic to hit the newsstand. I devour it when it arrives and the moment of elation is followed by the eager anticipation of the next one in the series.

SAFARI, A Monograph is a available now for $5, but as with all of David’s eBooks there is OF COURSE a special offer:

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code SAFARI4 when you checkout, you can have SAFARI, A Monograph for only $4 OR use the code SAFARI20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST JULY 11, 2010.

Whats more, I am using an affiliate code for FOCUS FOR HUMANITY, so for every book that you buy you do some good and Focus For Humanity gets a slice. David generously gives Focus For Humanity a kick back for every one you order. Just click on the Craft and Vision image left or in the sidebar.

In some ways this new book is a departure for David, although the quality of the writing and the stylish layout remain. The book’s feel is radically different. Gone are the full colour dramatic images, the use of colour backgrounds and text. In their place is a quiet monochromatic look. It is a style that is perfectly suited to the subject matter, which explore the inner mind and the inspiration behind taking great photographs.

David has an incredible knack to make the reader feel a part of the wider family of photgraphers. Whatever their experience level, whatever their individual passions, whatever their frustrations, each reader suddenly understands that it is okay to feel frustrated, that others feel the same way and that whether Magnum award winning reporter or novice, they have all faced the same doubts and constantly seeks the same inspiration for creativity. As such David addresses the “elephant in the room” – the ability to look within oursleves for inspiration and that having doubts, uncertainty or making mistakes is all part of the creative process. For many photographers who think that the answer lies in better gear or more experience, this will help. The answer for some MAY lie in better gear or more experience, but this eBook gets to the heart of the matter: The idea that you have to work at your creativity, seek new sources of inspiration, incubate ideas, make mistakes. Creativity is both art and science, but one thing is for sure – it doesn’t just happen.

Its an easy yet provocative read, and at every stage the ideas are backed up with metpahor, exmaples. quotes and some of David’s compelling images.

In David’s own words:

It’s time we talked about it openly. It’s time we took a look at issues we all wrestle with – from understanding creativity and inspiration, to hearing – finally – that other photographers struggle to find and express their vision, and in that commonality find a little relief. Because if it’s normal to feel this way and to find it hard to uncover our inspiration or feel good about our efforts to express it, then we can stop wondering what’s wrong with ourselves and get on with the task at hand – the difficult, painful, beautiful, eye-opening process of seeing and photographing the world from our perspective.

And currently it is even discounted from its ridiculously low pice of $5 to $4. Just use coupon: INSPIRED20 and purchase it here