Digital Photography Books

This book is only 116 pages long, but it has a wealth of information about digital image manipulation. Not really the interactive kind you might do in Photoshop, but the math behind some interesting transformations. This book presents a simple image manipulation language (popi) and the interpreter for it as well. I think that is this available on the net too. Overall this is a great book for anyone interested in getting into the programming/math side of image manipulation.

Oh, many of their sample images are of famous people from the Unix community at Bell Labs.

This very old book has nothing of value to say on hardware that you can't find in a computer museum, and even its programming environment is a dinosaur. However, the mathematical formulas for the special effects described, as well as the demonstration images make this text a timeless classic. It shows in plain language how to perform such Photoshop effects as solarization simulation, the twirl effect, the fisheye lens effect, the "pinch" effect, and the ever-popular oil painting effect. It shows how simple mathematical manipulation of pixels can yield very interesting results, such as the "Chesson Effect" which manipulates an image into looking like something from the late 1960's painted on glass, and the funhouse mirror effect by manipulating transcendental functions in combination with the image's original pixel values. Once you see how these effects are done, it will stimulate your imagination to create your own original visual effects. The book is considered such a cult classic that a webpage exists for it. Since Amazon throws out reviews with web addresses in them just type "Beyond Photography - The Digital Darkroom" into Google and it should be at the top of the list of links. The website includes - but is not limited to - updates by the author, a user's group, and a zipfile of the original source code. The list of transforms for which there is C-like pseudocode in the book is as follows:
Making a Negative, Logarithmic Correction, Simulated Solarization, Contrast Expansion and Normalization, Focus Restoration, Blurring, Enlarging by an Integer Factor, Shrinking by an Integer Factor, Mirroring, Turning the Picture Upside Down, Rotating by 90 degrees Clockwise, Rotating by 90 degrees Counterclockwise, Averaging Three Images, Weighted Average, Relief, Op-Art Effect, Warping one image with another, Fisheye Lens, Funhouse Mirror, Pinch Effect, Polar Transform Effect, Cartesian Transform Effect, Glass Effect, Spin Painting, Composites with Mattes, Arbitrary Composites, Plotting a Grid, Oil Painting, Picture Shear, Slicing, Tiling, Melting, Making a Matte

Intended audience for this book can be easily understood from the title: birdwatchers with digital cameras. Book has three sections of roughly equal length devoted to (1) equipment, (2) photographing birds, and (3) digital photo editing. The excellent bird photos throughout the book include identifications of the birds, where the shot was taken, and the camera settings. Although the overwhelming majority of the photos in the book seem to have been taken with 500mm lenses, Tipling's message is not simply "get big lenses and get close". He seems to have traveled everywhere in the world to shoot birds, there's good info here about photographing birds in your backyard and in the city. One of the best things about the book is that it's up to date. It's all about digital photography, for starters. He talks about both digital SLRs and compact cameras and does not turn up his nose at the latter. He discusses digiscoping, for example - a way for compact digital cameras to get great shots with the help of birding scopes. In the section on software, he's aware of Adobe Lightroom, which as of today (1-27-07) is still in public beta. I would have been happy perhaps with more pages on photographing birds and fewer pages on post-processing on the camera, but his section on photo editing is geared specifically to editing photographs of birds. All in all, I have found the book to be informative, suggestive (his photos make me want to do the same thing), and enjoyable.

Oh, the book has a forward by John Fitzpatrick, director of the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and blurb from David Sibley himself on the back!

This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. It started out with explainations of dslr cameras and associated equipment, explained terms like ISO and aperature, and then went into example of settings for different bird photograph scenereos. easy to read, concise, great photos.

this Book is part of the series of books on photography, The Photo Workshop, which is a great series of books. they are loaded with information and with each of the photo's in the book they give the shooting information. Camera, Lens, Apeture, shutter speed, etc. great series of books.

great book, great tips, great video,if you own a canon DSLR camera then this book is for you covers most of what you need to know

I like this book! Working my way through it. It is well organized and gives you very practical advice on how to ramp up the quality of your images. Even if you only follow a few of the bits of advice and techniques here, you will get your investment in what you paid for the book right back. I buy way too many photography books, but I am do not regret getting this one at all!

Also.. 'Understanding Exposure; Revised edition' that just came out. That is a MUST GET for anyone who wants to get a full handle on exposure and get off AUTO and PROGRAM mode. I hardly ever take my camera off MANUAL mode any more because of 'Understanding Exposure.

Everyday new books on photography are released and it makes me wonder what more can be written that hasn't already been covered. In reality, writing books is just as much an art as photography. Take the same subject, give it a different author, and you have a completely
fresh look.

Getting quality images out of a camera is as much an art as photography itself and a great eye alone is just not enough. With digital photography there are so many variables that can and will affect your final image; lens quality, image sensor (size and quality), camera quality and settings, lighting, photo editing techniques, printer, and paper to name a few. The "Complete Guide to Ultimate Digital Photo Quality" provides detailed information on how to choose the best equipment for you and then how to squeeze out every last bit of quality from your setup.

I have been very fortunate to this point to have received so many great books to review. My high school teachers would be shocked at
how much I love to learn. Somewhere between the ages of 18 and 44 I developed a thirst for knowledge and a passion for photography. Even still, it takes a well-written book to keep me focused (no pun intended) and interested and Derek Doeffinger has done just that.

Read the full review at www.cameratown.com

If you're brand new to digital photography -- or photography in general -- this is the book that'll get you up and running. (If, on the other hand, you're an experienced photographer, consider giving this book as a gift and check out my other books, including "Photoshop CS2 for Dummies.") Since every digital camera ships with its own software, and those software packages vary widely, we get you started with digital photography using the program Picasa, free from Google.com. Once you're familiar with the basics (using Picasa), you'll find your camera's own software easier to understand and use. The final part of the book introduces you to the very powerful (and very affordable) Photoshop Elements software. That's when you get to see the true power of digital imaging, where you learn just how easy it really is to take a "snapshot" and turn it into a "masterpiece." I hope you enjoy reading and using this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Best regards and happy shooting!
Pete Bauer

While no one would mistake me for a professional photographer, I do enjoy playing around with my digital camera. I figured it'd be worth taking a look at Peter Bauer's book Create Your Own Digital Photography - 5 Easy Projects In Full Color. This book gets high marks on a couple of different fronts.

Contents: Introduction; Capture Your Life Visually; Create Your Image Albums; Taking The Next Step: Improving Your Pics; Cards, Calendars, and Other Creative Projects; Advanced Image Editing; Index

This isn't a book that's going to get an intermediate photographer excited. The material is geared towards the person who just bought a digital camera and is a little overwhelmed by all the options, settings, and terminology. Bauer dispenses with all the insider jargon and advanced subjects (like f-stops, apertures, and the like), and proceeds to get the digital newbie comfortable with their new-found capabilities. A little time spent with this book before heading out on your first photo safari will pay big dividends in dramatically better pictures. Once you get past the "how do I take the picture", then you're ready for the rest of the book. That covers how to use computer software to manage your photos and improve the composition and quality. Using Photoshop Elements and Picasa, you'll learn to do the vast majority of tasks that most people need to manage. And once you get those basics down, you'll be well-equipped to explore the finer points on your own. Throw in a CD with sample software and practice photos for the projects, and it's a very nice package.

Personally, I'd seen most of this material in other books. But this book gets a five for turning me on to Picasa. I was aware that Picasa was Google's foray into digital imaging "stuff", but I was under the (mistaken) impression that it was just another site to store photos. Shows you how much I know. Picasa is free software that does a fantastic job of organizing your pictures on your computer, as well as offering a number of *very* nice features for manipulating images (like cropping, color correction, and other handy things). These are all things I *used* to do with Paint Shop Pro. No more... I went to Picasa's site, downloaded the software, and I'm hooked.

If you're still wondering how to use your camera or how to do things with the pictures once they're on your computer, this book is an excellent choice. And I'll personally be forever indebted to the author for Picasa... :)

Lots of tricks and other info that is interesting and useful.

Michelle Perkins' DIGITAL CAMERA TRICKS AND SPECIAL EFFECTS 101 tells how to use basic image-editing software to create polished results. From using a strobe light to create stop-action images to warping and blending digital images, Perkins' focus is on shooting and image editing techniques which require no single program or camera type to achieve.

Scrapbooking has become such a popular hobby and a wonderful way to preserve memories. Our best friends surprised us over Christmas by giving us a scrapbook detailing the exploits of my son in his first year of high school football. They know what they are doing but for us novices there are wonderful books like Digital Delights for Scrapbooking. This book provides many wonderful tips on getting the most out of your digital camera to produce stunning pictures for your scrapbooks. Many of the tips are so easy yet work wonders.

For instance to reduce glare and enhance color in your digital pictures you can place polarized sun glasses over your camera's lens to make a huge difference in glare reduction. The book also provides tips on producing perfect 8 X 10 pictures with your camera's resolution setting. Take advantage of your picture software and photo printer by using some of the various print modes like Black & White, antique, and sepia tone printing. Further enhance your pictures by creative use of specialty papers like transparency film, embossed paper, cardstock, pre-printed papers, and even cork.

Whether you are an active scrapbooker or not, you'll find many practical and fun ways to use your camera to produce brilliant and clever prints. A great buy and a valuable resource!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This is a great book! I am very new to using my digital camera and sometimes I find the manual EXTREMELY overwhelming. It was nice to look at this book and understand what some functions are on my camera as well as how to use them. I can't wait to see her next book!

"Coleman's discussion of the impact of technology on traditional photography serves as a brilliant . . . record of how new electronic tools have permeated our lives. . . . [Coleman's] ideas and concepts . . . are immensely valuable and insightful, with hints of what our future may hold. Coleman's critical eye makes [The Digital Evolution] required reading for today's media-savvy or information-obsessed artist." -- Daniel Carter, Design Editor, Wired, July 1999

"Nazraeli also publishes critical prose, . . . clearly anchored by the accomplished writings of A. D. Coleman and Bill Jay. . . . [Coleman's] latest book, The Digital Evolution, examines with a forthright lucidity how computerization and electronics have affected the photographic arts. Coleman's writing . . . is informative and unpretentious -- a rare combination in art criticism of any kind." -- Eric Lorberer, Rain Taxi: Review of Books, Winter 1998/99

I am a professional portait and fine art photographer. I have used the book since it was first published and have found it to be invaluable when writing or explaining some of the value added advantages of digital imaging. P.S. The individual who only read about the book should try reading it. If his attention span is long enough.

It is invaluable when writing articles and helping customers.

Keep up the good work !!

When is the next edition coming out?

At first glance this book may appear to be a glorified glossary -- but take another look. This book is really a gem, crammed full of really important concepts, especially well organized, with excellent cross-referencing, and presented in succinct format. Although published a few years back, the coverage is really foundational and will not become obsolete (although I would expect to see some things added in due time). Highly recommended as a source for enhancing understanding and usage of the terminology and concepts of digital photography -- and especially useful for those trying to bridge the gap between film and digital. This volume, I believe, deserves more attention than it has gotten here.

Digital photography has it's own language and mystique that can be so offputting to many people. Here's a book that explains all those terms in an easy to understand way. Expert cross referencing also makes it possible to relate traditional photographic techniques with digital. For a book so small, I am surprised at the scope. I have used it many times already (and I'd consider myself an experienced photographer) and am pleased at the substantial hardbacked spiral binding. It will get many years of use which is exceptional in a marketplace that is changing so rapidly.