Gift Giving & Gift Ideas and Buying Guides

2021 Holiday Gift Ideas and Buying Guide: Books from Rocky Nook

Disclaimer: Beautiful Touches has received the titles below from Rocky Nook via Pacific and Court, in exchange for inclusion in our Gift Ideas and Buying Guide series of publications. All information comes directly from the publisher.

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Welcome to this seasons offering of awesome Books from Rocky Nook

THE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GOOK, by Scott Kelby

 Travel Photography Book

Learn how to take professional-quality photographs when you travel, using the same tricks today’s top photographers use!

Whether you’re on a dedicated photo trip or a family vacation, you want to come home with a collection of great photos to show your friends, share online, and even make a large print for your home. Capturing great travel photographs can be tricky…but not if you know the secrets that Scott Kelby is here to share with you!

Here’s how Scott describes this book’s brilliant premise: “If you and I were out shooting, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, with the background out of focus?,’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Put on your zoom lens, set your f-stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ That’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With 200 of the most closely guarded “tricks of the trade” for travel photographers, this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking travel photos every time.

Each page covers a single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY TRIVIA DECK, by Darcy Reed

Photography Trivia Deck

Test your shutterbug knowledge with this fun deck of trivia cards!

Think you know photography? Quiz yourself and friends with this deck of cards packed with fascinating facts and mind-blowing trivia all about photography history, famous shooters, and technical equipment and knowledge.

Each card features a variety of questions of varying difficulty and subjects. Whether played as a game with others or as a personal challenge, players will learn more than they ever thought possible about photography. The Photography Trivia Deck makes the perfect gift for any camera enthusiast.

DOGTOGRAPHY, by Kaylee Greer

Dogtography

If you want to learn to create out-of-this-world photos that capture the heart and soul of a dog, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a professional looking to up your dog photography game, or an amateur striving to take better pictures of your four-legged best friend, Dogtography is your guide to crafting jaw-dropping photographs that are exploding with personality. And there is no better teacher than Kaylee Greer, one of the world’s most in-demand dog photographers. Kaylee travels the globe photographing dogs for some of the biggest pet brands on Earth, teaches industry-renowned workshops, and stars in Nat Geo Wild’s original television mini-series Pupparazzi, chronicling her colorful adventures photographing dogs across America.

Dogtography is jam-packed with tips and tricks and—just like Kaylee and her award-winning photographs—an infectious personality. In this book, you’ll learn Kaylee’s best-kept secrets, including camera settings, lens choices, and post-processing techniques. You’ll explore tried and true methods for working with dogs of all shapes and sizes, unlock the power of positive reinforcement, and discover the gift of giving back to dogs in need through the magic of photography.

THE MEANING IN THE MAKING, by Sean Tucker

The Meaning in the Making

Become inspired, find your voice, and create work that matters.

Why are human beings driven to make?

It’s as if we collectively intuited, long before science gave us the language, that the universe bends toward entropy, and every act of creation on our part is an act of defiance in the face of that evolving disorder.

When we pick up a paintbrush, or compose elements through our camera viewfinders, or press fingers into wet clay to wrestle form from a shapeless lump, we are bending things back toward Order and wrestling them from Chaos.

But making things is often not enough.

We also want the things we make to be filled with meaning. We’re each trying to describe what we know about life, to create a collective sense of “safety in numbers.” When we reach the end of our traditional descriptive powers, it’s time to weave collective meaning from poetry, painting, writing, dancing, photographing, filmmaking, storytelling, singing, animating, designing, performing, carving, sculpting, and a million other ways we daily create Order out of the Chaos and share it with each other for comfort.

On this journey we need a creative philosophy which will help us find our voice, discover our message, deal with the responses to our work, maintain inspiration, and stay mentally healthy and motivated creators as we strive to find “the meaning in the making.”

Sean Tucker is a professional photographer and filmmaker based in the United Kingdom.

THE OFFICAL UNICORN SPIT USERS HANDBOOK, by Michelle Nicole

The Official Unicorn Spit Users Handbook

Create colorful masterpieces with the official guide to using Unicorn SPiT!
Unicorn SPiT is a paint, gel stain, and glaze concentrate all in one bottle! It creates a multifaceted, 3-dimensional effect on wood, glass, metal, fabric, pottery, wicker, concrete, laminate, and more. Fans love that it’s nontoxic and comes in a variety of outrageous colors. Now, for the first time, Unicorn SPiT inventor Michelle Nicole spills the secrets about the best tips and tricks for using this magical substance to create all-new works of art. This book details everything you need to know, including:

• How to use Unicorn SPiT as a paint, alcohol ink, glaze, stain, dye, antiquing agent, watercolor, resin tint, and beyond
• Over 50 projects for transforming any object, including: furniture, clothing, glassware, decorative wood, metal, and more
• Handy instructions for mixing colors to create unique new shades
• Detailed charts showcasing how Unicorn SPiT can be used on a variety of wood types and surfaces
And much, much more!

WATERCOLOR BOTANICAL GARDEN, by Rachel Eskandari

Watercolor Botanical Garden

Relax and dive into the ultimate guide to creating watercolor paintings of your favorite flowers! From bright red roses to deep green cacti, this gorgeous, easy-to-follow book will show how anyone can paint luminous watercolor flowers and botanicals. Noted artist and instructor Rachel Eskandari details how anyone can paint a garden of bold, creative watercolor images. Featuring colorful step-by-step images, this book shows how to master the basics of watercolors and then expand your color palette to create boldly unconventional floral artwork. Watercolor Botanical Garden features everything you need to know, including:

*Color theory and mixing for unique shades

*Utilizing the skills of blending, gradients, and shading

*Lesson for creating 25+ different plants and flowers including roses, cacti, peonies, nigella, agave, anemones, queen of the night, leaves, and more

*How to incorporate multiple botanical images for a gorgeous landscape painting

AND OFF YOU GO TO CHANGE THE WORLD, by Ashten Evans, Sabdo Purnomo

Off You Go to Change the World

(A Preschool Graduation/First Day of Kindergarten Gift Book)

Give preschool and kindergarten grads the gift of inspiration with this perfect graduation day gift: a book full of positive messages paired with adorable, colorful illustrations that promises to uplift and encourage children on their big day.

The perfect gift for the littlest graduates of preschool or kindergarten as they accomplish their first experiences with school and pave the way to a lifetime of learning, this book is a great way to celebrate the special child in your life. With charming illustrations and text to uplift and motivate, And Off You Go to Change the World is a wonderful read for parents and children alike. Congrats, grads!

 

9 thoughts on “2021 Holiday Gift Ideas and Buying Guide: Books from Rocky Nook

  • These look like some fun books! I need to get some of these for birthdays.

    Reply
  • I like that children’s book. It will inspire kids to dream big and reach their goals.

    Reply
  • These are fun! I have a family member who’s a photographer, and I think he would adore that trivia set.

    Reply
  • I’m crazy for a good book! I would especially love the watercolor book, as my kids and I are getting into nature journaling and watercoloring plants.

    Reply
  • These are all nice books and make for great gifts that will be valued for a long time. I really like the one about travel photography a lot.

    Reply
  • I’m loving the watercolor book for the botanical gardens. I have been painting for a year now, and I think I am ready to tackle the flower.

    Reply
  • Wow! All of these are really great books! This is so perfect for my kids! I’m sure they will love this!

    Reply
  • These are all lovely gift ideas. It is nice to have some book suggestions.

    Reply
  • I love books. I love to read them but also to receive them as a gift! Thanks for these ideas!

    Reply

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