Photography, like many art forms, is a broad field filled with specific disciplines and focuses. Mature photographers may dabble between a few different disciplines, but there is usually one or two specific disciplines in which they have chosen to focus their body of work. So as you develop as a photographer and you have learned and mastered the basics, you will find yourself looking to focus on a specific aspect of photography. You will find yourself looking for resources to help you learn. If you don’t have a mentor, the next best thing is a book on that specific discipline. For me, one aspect that appeals to me is close-up photography. So in my quest, I stumbled upon Bryan Peterson’s new book, Understanding Close-Up Photography. I was fortunate to acquire a copy of this fine instructional book from Watson-Guptill, the publisher, for review.

The urban landscape has swallowed vast swaths of prime farmland across North America. Imagine how much more self-reliant our communities would be if thirty million acres of lawns were made productive again. Permaculture is a practical way to apply ecological design principles to food, housing, and energy systems, making growing fruits, vegetables, and livestock easier and more sustainable. The Permaculture Handbook is a step-by-step, beautifully illustrated guide to creating resilient and prosperous households and neighborhoods, complemented by extensive case studies of three successful farmsteads and market gardens. This comprehensive manual casts garden farming as both an economic opportunity and a strategy for living well with less money. It shows how, by mimicking the intelligence of nature and applying appropriate technologies such as solar and environmental design, permaculture can: Create an abundance of fresh, nourishing local produce. Reduce dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels. Drought-proof our cities and countryside. Convert waste into wealth. Permaculture is about working with the earth and with each other to repair the damage of industrial overreach and to enrich the living world that sustains us. The Permaculture Handbook is the definitive practical North American guide to this revolutionary practice, and is a must-read for anyone concerned about creating food security, resilience, and a legacy of abundance rather than depletion. Peter Bane is a permaculture teacher and site designer who has published and edited Permaculture Activist magazine for over twenty years. He helped create Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, and is now pioneering suburban farming in Bloomington, Indiana.