Digital Photography Books

Provides an in depth knowledge of digital photography, with easy instructions and good illustrations.

I purchased this book in anticipation that I was going to get good sensible information regarding using my Digital Camera, I was expecting to read how to use the various controls, I was very dissapointed and I would not recommend this book

This book is great. I love photography and sort of fell into the professional side of the business recently and this book is great. I have a friend that helps me that is a retired professional photographer and a lot of the tricks that he has taught me are listed in this book. Great buy if you want to learn a lot about the digital side of photography, professional or point and shoot!

After reading the manual for my new Panasonic FZ7, I knew I was destined to stay in "simple" mode unless I gave myself a crash course on the basics of digital photography. Note: this was my first digital camera purchase, so the only thing I knew was how to spell f-stop! I spent a Saturday morning in Border's, going thru a host of books, most of which made my head spin. But this one was different, so I raced back to my PC to place the order.
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Once settled down in the comfort of my living room, I lost all track of time. Reading this book is like having a shoot-the-breeze conversation with a super-knowledgeable friend. I placed my camera on a tray next to me, opened my manual to one of the last pages to see the full list of "specifications," and by the end of the day, I actually KNEW what the assorted features meant. I now actually comprehend
--- how to manipulate AWB (average white balance),
-- EV (exposure compensation), choose aperture-priority (f-top settings)
-- ... or shutter-priority (speed of picture taking),
-- ISO (keep it at 100, with occasional moves to 200),
-- how to get to and mentally digest the histogram
and every other feature of this high-end camera. Most importantly, I now understand the why! The killa? I'm actually taking darn good pics now with the MANUAL feature!!
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Color pictures appear on just about every page, with the associated text pinpointing which feature caused the result. Many are good vs bad pics, along with thorough explanations related to each. You won't find the cryptic details directly under every picture itself (i.e., ISO, f-stop and speed-- that style is used in "The Birdwatcher's Guide to Digital Photography," which only **NOW** makes sense to me)); that info is GENTLY provided in such a fashion that you grasp it, FULLY, prior to moving on to the next chapter. That would be sufficient, but the author also provides countless "Pro Tips," providing guidance for trickier lighting/exposure situations and the like.
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Bottom-line: this budding birdwatcher finds this book to be a sho-nuff keeper! I've even purchased a tripod, thanks to the tips presented in this text re what to look for re that purchase. I now know to toss the occasional over-exposed pic which can't be saved via computer editing, but to keep the underexposed guys. And, when I point my camera at the birdfeeders in my backyard (through the patio door glass) and see a funky histogram reading, I now know precisely what trick to employ to get the focus needed. I've gone from deleting most pics to being able to keep the vast majority, thanks exclusively to this book. Simply stated, this book delivers, in a stlye destined to be retained. I highly recommend it, as it's proven priceless to me.

I was looking to learn a bit about using my digital camera, and this book filled the bill. I recomend it to anyone who wants to learn digital protography, including taking photos and retouching them.

First there was ILM, covering the 1st decade of this fantastic Special Effects Company.
This is the second book of the series, covering the main movies from the second decade of existence of this company.
An execelent finishing, great value book (although it is a litle expensive, the book quality is exceptional).
Essencial to all Special Effects lovers.

One of the greatest 'making of' writers Patricia Rose Duignan's Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm is one of my all-time favorite books, charting the journey of ILM from fledgling company in George Lucas' garage to the No.1 Special Effects company in the world. Insightful and comprehensive, this is flawless reading and has some great accompanying images from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and surprisingly some of their lesser-known movies like Willow and Hook. An essential movie book, I just love every page, so carefully written, so rich in detail, it leaves the reader feeling that they have experienced something very special. Fantastic and brilliant. BUY IT NOW!

The book is huge and heavy. Every single page has at least several great color photographs and it is a big book. You will love to read about ILM's ventures into the digital realm. It is very technology orientated, but not too much and does talk about the film making process and ILM in general. This is well worth looking at especially for fans of ILM or those who want to see what goes on behind the scenes or for those looking for a career in this direction. This is a good place for inspiration.

Although it does not cover the more recent movies you will still get the picture here. It starts by talking about go-motion and then moves onto the first ever digital sequence and how much people slaved over it before going into detail with the evolution of that process and of the special edition of Star Wars and Speilberg's "J. Park".

The book looks fantastic. Keep it for your grandkids. I am sure they will love you for it. This is the kind of book that you will turn to time and time again just to see "how they did that".

An extraordinary book about an extraordinary company. You will know all you want to know about special effects wizardry. The book is well published, even watching its pictures is joyful.

For 25 years Industrial Light and Magic has woven magic into countless films, either subtle images through `invisible' effects such as matte paintings or through eye-popping visuals that stand out vividly against the film backdrop. ILM has made it's mark on history, for not only have they been and still are the premiere effects house in Hollywood, they have innovated and invented more technology than any other studio, additionally they have won awards for the processing and compositing technology they have created. ILM had to be the best at special effects, because their flagship title - STAR WARS - demanded the best, because that's what Lucas wanted.

`Into the Digital Realm' isn't so much an abandonment of ILM of the traditional methods of special effects, rather a point of departure for the new technology and all of things that led up to it. Indeed, ILM's work on `The Hunt For Red October' submarine work involved flying the submerged vessels from wires in a smoky room - effects do not get any more traditional than that. Released in 96, the book doesn't mention that Phantom Menace or even that the film is in production. It does have some revised images from the Star Wars special edition. As with the previous tome, this one is packed with hundreds of color photos, plus the same beautiful gate fold images.

If the center piece for the previous book was Star Wars, Digital Realms' focus is obviously Jurassic Park, because it was the first film to use CG on so large a scale, even more than Terminator 2, which ILM also did. Jurassic Park was also the test bed and showcase piece that convinced Lucas that computers had finally matured enough to bring what he had in mind to the screen for the new Star Wars films. More is the pity, because I came to loathe most of the aliens in the Phantom Menace. Digital Realm clearly explains in easy to understand terms how effects - both new and old - are accomplished, be it something as simple as making it appear as if buildings are actually much taller than they or having a velociraptor walk _behind_ a plant situated in the foreground. I have both of these wonderful books, and I strongly recommend them to anyone who is curious about ILM's history and the process of how effects are made.

The pitch for this book is that there are lots of hidden features that you would not know about without reading this book. I am by no means a techie but there was only one thing in this book that I didn't already know, and I never read any instructions. The program is very intuitive on its own and you will learn everything you need to know just by simple observation.

The book was as advertised, arrived in very good time and in excellent condition.

Excellent! Very plainly written. Easy to understand. A must-have if you would rather refer to a book instead of electronic help. I really like the Missing Manual Series and/or anything written by David Pogue.

Do not buy this book unless, for some reason, you are determined to use an obsolete version of iPhoto. The newest version of iPhoto is iPhoto 6 (SIX!!!) and it is VERY different from iPhoto 5. (Sorry David, I wish your book was for iPhoto 6. I would buy it then. I do have your Mac OS X Tiger Edition, and it is GREAT!)

Picking up this book, the first thing you notice is how great is looks. It's printed in full color, with screen shots on nearly every page. I started the book expecting to jump right in to using iPhoto, but found that the entire first section of the book covers buying the right digital camera and a a guide to taking great looking pictures. I skimmed this section rather quickly as I already owned a camera and understand the basics of lighting and composing pictures. What I did read looked very useful for someone getting into photography for the first time.

The second section covers using iPhoto to organize and edit your digital pics. I was surprised how many handy ways iPhoto 5 has to organize and find pictures easily. The chapter on editing demystifies all the controls and sliders in iPhoto's editing mode. Perhaps the best tip though is the advice to use the enhance button quickly and automatically adjust photos suffering from the affects of being taken in sub-optimal conditions.

Section three details the many ways to share your photos with others. This falls primarily into 2 categories: printing and electronic distribution. These chapters have great tips for getting high quality prints wether you use your own printer or send your photos to a third party printing service. The section on electronic distribution shows you how easy it is to create a DVD you can send to friends and family; a format that even grandma will understand how to view. If you want to post your pictures on the Internet there are lots of useful tips on optimizing your photos for on-line viewing.

The last section covers advanced uses. One of the most valuable explains how to get all those spontaneous photos off of you camera phone an into iTunes. And if you take a lot of photos; more than iPhoto can handle easily, the authors explain techniques for managing multiple iPhoto libraries.

Summary: iPhoto 5 The Missing Manual is a great guide to getting the most out of iPhoto. In addition to covering iPhoto's many non-obvious features, the book includes a guide to buying the right digital camera, and techniques for taking the best quality pictures in many conditions. Best of all the book is beautifully illustrated in full color. iPhoto 5 The Missing Manual is well worth the $30 cover price ($20 on Amazon).

This book does live up to its title in my opinion. The illustrations are very well organized with the text, moving from simple to more complex.

All digital imaging technologies become altered by sucessive innovations, but this kind of text lays down a foundation for you to proceed into the future. Amadou doesn't give detailed workflows for every ink, media, and printer out there for the simple reason that the rate in which ALL of these inksets, rips, and printers are changing would made such an endeavor impossible, and certainly out of date by the time of publishing. That is the fault of our era not the fault of the author.

I agree with the other poster who stated that Amadou's book is equally useful for many color imaging concepts. In a way it is the foundation for them. For someone venturing into this territory for the first time it lets you know who the players are in monochrome inkjet imaging, and where the technology has been in the recent past, and where the information will be available in the future.

John

Extremely useful for any serious photographer interested in printing in high quality black and white.

Very good book but extremely technical. Not a quick read but is chock-full of useful and practical information. Recommend it as a good addition to your personal reference library.

Very good overview and very timely. The samples of solutions available in the marletplace are up to date for 2007.

Good photography transcends whether the image was captured in full color or black-and-white, and Amadou Diallo recognizes that fact in presenting this excellent guidebook for imaging in monochrome. Virtually everything in this book has applications in color photography as well, whether it's the description of proper calibration to the invaluable tips on tonality. If you aspire to be a better photographer, this book is a good place to start. You'll find that after you've mastered black-and-white image capture and output, you'll be well on the road to mastery of all aspects of good photography. Recommended.

but not much explanations. The self explanatory stuff is mentioned and pictured. The hard to explain and also hard to understand processes are dealt with in a few sentences. In one instance, the author refers to the Magnetic Lasso Tool as her favored - the software has no tool by that name.
If you like pictures go for it. By doing so, you are at least buying a book printed in the USA.

This is a great book for getting into all the details of working with Paint Shop Pro X2. Although I am still working with and trying to understand how to set up layers. The little book that came with PSP seems better at explaining how to set up the layers then this book does..for me anyway.

This book was very helpful in understanding how to use Corel Paint Shop Pro X2. The learning Center with the software just didn't sink the ideas in as well as the book. I understand the software alot better thanks to the book.

Excellent, well-organized manual for users -- takes the guesswork out of learning how to use this program.

Having the program for awhile there were certain parts I found a bit hard to use.This book has overcome these problems.Diane Koers explains it all in a easy to follow manner. This a wonderful text book to have for users of the Corel program.

This book is a clear and well organized review of the Zone System. It includes the Zone System for both traditional film and for digital. The system means properly exposing for certain levels of gray that may appear in your frame. For film, a person may want to properly capture the dark tones in a photograph, and then shorten or lengthen the development time (time the unexposed film spends in chemical developing) in order to achieve the level of brighter tones in the photo. For digital, it's the oppposite. Properly expose the frame for the brighter tones (so they are not blown out), then adjust the dark shades in Photoshop. I liked the book. Just after I read it, I saw Annie Leibovitz's exhibition "A Photographer's Life", and the book gave me a much greater appreciation for her work.

I wish I had this book 30 years ago. I knew of the Zone system, but heard people talking of measuring densities and base fog and it sounded like a lot of effort. Chris is that rare teacher who can take a subject and make it accessable to all levels. I tell all my photographic friends- GET THIS BOOK. I have given it as a present. My copy is getting dog earred already. This is not just for film. He relates this to the digital world as well. If you aspire to move beyond PHD-(push here dummy) photography, this is essential reading.

This book is the current bible of the zone system. Everything you want and need to know about it for both film and digital.

But Focal Press once again comes through with crappy illustrations. The key to the zone system is being able to discriminate tones. The copy of the book I received has such muddy printing that it is impossible to see any difference between zones 0 to II and VIII and IX on the step diagrams provided. The black and white photos used for examples are equally muddy, making it difficult to follow the discussion in the text.

Text gets 5 stars, production gets 1, average = 3

The zone system was developed by Ansel Adams, who had a consummate grasp of all the technicalities of photography and used his knowledge to depict the wilderness areas he loved and wanted to preserve. However, most serious photographers do not have that technical expertise and do not work with the equipment used by Adams. This book is an excellent account by a current teacher of photography who makes the system understandable and useable in the modern context. It gave me a clear understanding of the way in which to control exposure. Having said that, I have used a different set of recommendations in carrying out black and white film tests, as I found those in the book over-complicated; nevertheless, the book gave me the essential understanding that was crucial to carrying out the film tests correctly and understanding the results.

Absolutly easy to understand and read. Very well presented, and may well be the only book on Zone System you will ever need. For those wanting to delve into the chemistry of exposure, pass on this book. If you want to learn what the Zone system is and how it works, this book is great. "Everything you need, nothin' you don't"

This is a dense book of how-to's and why's. An excellent book for advanced users of Photoshop.

I concur with most of the positive things that have been said about this book, BUT ... it is limited as a learning tool

Unfortunately, the images printed in the book are not included in the CDROM. The author's excuse is that they are copyright images and therefore can't be included. My view is that he chose the wrong photos, since it is now impossible to follow along with his book in photoshop.

My second beef is that his descriptions are sometimes unnecessarily complex and lack clear direction. Again, I am looking at this book package as a source of learning.

The big shortcoming is the lack of alignment of the CDROM with the book. I felt badly let down. If you forget about the CDROM, you will be much happier and probably give him 5 stars.

Excellent book! As the title says so, most of the techniques are inclined towards photography retouching and enhancement, but it will appeal to most photoshop users. The 1st few chapters touch on fundamentals and serves as an instant guide, much better than the user guide. The other all-important criteria that I always look out for: FULL COLOR! I cannot imagine using a book on photos in b&w....how to see instant results to ease following the steps/techniques? The only bad thing is that most photos shown in the book are copyright and you will have to find comparable images yourself to work on.

An excellent companion book would be Photoshop 5 Artistry.

The biggest advantage, and I consider it a must, is the examples are in color, not B&W. Do not waste your money in any Photoshop book printed only in B&W.

Most of the techniques were illustrated in the examples in the color figures (inserts) in the chapters. The advantage of this approach is that you can see the changes and steps as the examples progress. The problem is that there is not enough room in the illustration to fully explain the techniques involved. Sometimes the author assumed that you had the prior knowledge required. There were a few important techniques that I had to go through it a few times before I got it.

The other shortcoming is that most of the pictures used in the important illustrations were not included in the CD. So, I was not able to practice the technique as illustrated.

I love the "Shortcut" chapter, which gave me all the keyboard shortcut keys to all the functions. This is a must when you do some heavy duty editing.

I think any author of Photoshop books should concentrate in the version of Photoshop the book is about. There is no need to go back and forth of any prior version because anyone who purchase a book like this is probably a new learner without any knowledge of prior version.

The CD has great video that outlines some very important techniques. I found it very helpful.

All in all, I rate this book a 8.5 out of 10, which is much better than most of the ones I've seen.

The book is very well written and seems to be complete. The Author has made several assumptions that may limit the usefullness and readablity of the book. He assumes that we are all planning to be commercial photographers with our work being prepared to be published and he seems to think that we have unlimited budgets and can afford scanners, cameras and printers that cost several thousand dollars apiece. One other small complaint is that the author being English has used numerous terms and measurements that are unfamiliar. A good book for advanced photographers

55% of the book is about how to take a good digital photography. And the rest is about PhotoShop, is not enough. I'm disappointed

I was really excited when I first looked at this book. I regularly complain that many ostensible photography manuals are really picture books that have had some language added to make them look like photography instruction books. Here was a book that had plenty of beautiful pictures of Tuscany that were really used as a framework for instruction. Then I discovered the book's split personality.

The first part of the book is aimed at beginning to intermediate serious photographers. Using the author's own digital pictures, Giordan explained the basics of photography, including exposure, focus and composition. The pictures were not only lovely, but they were tied to the text so that they illuminated the teaching points. Giordan has a tendency to photograph details rather than the big picture, but perhaps that's also a useful lesson to learn. He also seems willing to tolerate over-exposed skies to get shadow details. But he passed my litmus test for any book maintaining it's about digital photography by explaining the use of the histogram, blinkies and even the zone system.

Unfortunately, he also put out some wrong information. For example, he states that digital cameras achieve exposure compensation by adjusting ISO ratings and so one should shoot in manual mode if one expected to compensate exposure. But that's certainly not true of the Nikon D2H, which Giordan used for the pictures in this book, or any other digital camera I know. Most digital cameras compensate with the aperture when you are in shutter mode and the shutter speed when you are in aperture mode. Moreover, while the author acknowledges that an important role of lenses of different focal lengths is to adjust perspective, he also preserves the old myth that depth of field is a function of focal length.

Still, even with inaccuracies like that, this book looked like a four-star book. Then the second section came along. It deals with the use of Photoshop and is aimed at very experienced users of the software rather than the beginning to intermediate audience of the first section. Here was an ideal opportunity to use the photographs of Tuscany to show how to control exposure, lighting and color with the basics of Photoshop. Instead he chose to use some very advanced techniques to create pictures that were far removed from the basics of digital processing. For example, in a chapter telling how to use Photoshop while preserving the photographic nature of the image, he shows how to simulate twilight or do the equivalent of hand coloring of photographs.

In the following chapter he explains how to modify images so they look like paintings or drawings. He finishes up with detailed descriptions of how he manipulated certain photographs to make them look like they weren't photographs.

I tried to put aside the philosophy that one should capitalize on the nature of photography when using Photoshop. I downloaded images from the companion website and tried to follow along with the author's description of how he was manipulating the pictures. I consider myself an experienced Photoshop user, but often the instructions were too sketchy or ambiguous for me to follow on a first try, and sometimes after several tries, I still couldn't follow Giordan's instructions.

This book had the potential to be really effective by taking a different approach to photography instruction. Unfortunately, the first part is filled with a few landmines and the second part is only for the most experienced Photoshop users for whom the first part might prove too simplistic.

This book includes how-to, but it is so much more than that. This is a lovely book to turn to again and again, just for inspiration. I agree with the other reviewers - do the exercises. This one I will keep because it is not tied to a particular camera though it does focus on photoshop CS and later. If you are struggling with making your photography interesting, or if you are just looking for inspiration, this is one you should pick up.

This book is dedicated to the purpose of taking raw digital photographs and turning them into art and using Photoshop to help with this task. The book is broken down into three parts. In the first part, the author has dedicated his instruction to basic photographic principles, as well as the specific, actionable techniques for taking better digital photos. The chapters cover the basics of exposure, composition, depth of field, and general technical skills that will enhance the quality of your images. The final chapter in this section, on composition, just might be the most important chapter in this book. The fact is, if you don't have solid composition skills, you have little chance of making artistic images that have impact. Exposure and focus are important technical skills, but composition frames reality and structures the viewing experience. Without effective composition, you're left with a detached and soulless view of the world, even if it is clearly exposed and presented.

The second part of the book is about how to use Photoshop on your photographs once you have them. The author laments that although digital photography is notorious for generating tons of raw material, that most people never move past the "My Photos" folders that act like digital shoeboxes, crammed full of snapshots that are stored out of sight. The chapters in this part provide ample ammunition for what to do next. Chapter 5, "Photo Explorations," considers ways to manipulate photos while maintaining a final result that still looks like a photo. Darkroom and optimization explorations maintain a look that is still photographic while adding a more expressive element. Chapter 6, "Artistic Explorations," gets even more expressive as it delves into drawing and painting. You'll need a digital tablet for many of these effects, but the results are well worth the effort it may take to get one.

Part 3 of the book, "Gallery", represents the author's own personal explorations, based on his Tuscan experiences and photographs. He uses some of the same techniques described in Part 2, "Photoshop Explorations," and full image-capture information is provided for all source photos. Each image includes a brief introduction and a complete description of how it was created. Screen shots of Photoshop are shown as they are needed in showing how each image was created.

I highly recommend this book to those photographers who want to learn more about the artistic side of their craft starting with their skills as photographers and including inspiration, vision, and the technical knowledge of Photoshop needed to put it all together. Plus, the author has put together a truly stunning collection of photographs from Tuscany. The table of contents is as follows:

Part: 1 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES
Chapter 1. Digital Camera Basics
Digital Photography Pros and Cons
Five Habits to Optimize Image Quality
Previewing Tips: Critical Evaluation
Preview Exposure with Histograms and Clipping
Capturing the Elusive Shot
Elements of Photographic Quality
File Format Pros and Cons
Using a Flash Effectively
Chapter 2. Digital Exposure
Exposure = Amount of Light and Speed of Shutter
The Tones and the Zones
Adjusting Exposure
Metering Light
Overcoming TTL Meter Limitations
Non-manual Exposure Settings
Using a Handheld Meter
Measuring Tonal Range with Histograms
Chapter 3. Focus and Depth of Field
Types of Autofocus
Focus and Camera Stability
What Is Depth of Field?
Artistic Application
Chapter 4. Composition
Compositional Building Blocks
Documenting a Moment
Controlling Compositions with Multiple Exposures

Part: 2 PHOTOSHOP EXPLORATIONS
Chapter 5. Photo Explorations
Dramatic Shadows
Custom Black and White Conversions
Shift Depth of Field
Image Panoramas
Daguerreotype Effects
Infrared Effects
Simulate Twilight
Hand Coloring
Cyanotypes
Chapter 6. Artistic Explorations
Printmaking Effects
Painterly Illustration
Line Engraving
Painted Canvas
Conté Crayon Drawing
Graphic Effects With Blending Modes

Part: 3 GALLERY
Chapter 7. Abbazia: Finding Transcendent Spirit
Source Images
Building the Image
Abbazia Image Design Log
Chapter 8. Passagio Scuro: Revealing Shadowed Vitality
Source Images
Building the Image
Passagio Scuro Image Design Log
Chapter 9. Punto: Exploring Relative Fundamentalism
Source Photos
Building the Image
Variations on Punto
Punto Image Design Log
Chapter 10. Santissima Addolorata: Experiencing Blind Faith
Source Photos
Building the Image
Santissima Addolorata Image Design Log
Chapter 11. Porta Rossa: Discovering Evocative Doorways
Source Photo
Building the Image
Porta Rossa Image Design Log
Chapter 12. Molecola Sogni: Toward a Weightless History
Source Photos
Building the Image
Molecola Sogni Image Design Log
Chapter 13. Una Passione Perfetta: Creating Dynamic Precision
Source Photos
Building the Image
Una Passione Perfetta Image Design Log
Chapter 14. Parte Interna: Building Visual Tension
Source Photos
Building the Image
Parte Interna Image Design Log

This is the most beautiful Photoshop book I have ever seen.

Daniel Giordan has always been my favorite Photoshop author for his clarity and organization, and with this book he brings together his Photoshop expertise, his skills as a digital photographer, his art school training in traditional media, and his love of the land of his ancestors, Italy. He traveled through Tuscany taking photos.

He then created a book to instruct and inspire the digital photographer and he also shares with the reader the pleasures of traveling through Tuscany.

This book taught me new techniques to use in Photoshop and reminded me of things I had been neglecting that will optimize my digital photography, such as having my camera display histograms and using an off-camera shutter release when I am using a tripod to eliminate the camera movement from pressing a shutter button.

The design team is to be praised for creating a book design that is in itself an aesthetic pleasure. Daniel Giordan designed the cover and a David Giordan is listed as a designer of the interior.

This book makes the perfect gift for a photographer who uses Photoshop. A really great gift would include a holiday in Italy because after reading this book and looking at the marvelous variety of beautiful subjects, you will certainly want to take your own trip through Tuscany.

I am very pleased with this item. It came in great time and was in perfect condition.

Michael Freeman seems to be a passionate traveler and artist before being a talented professional photographer.
With " Light and Lighting", he shares with us his experience, taking us on a captivating journey from the nature of light through the technical intricacies and complexities that the serious and dedicated photographer is bound to encounter (staying clear, from the pitfalls of pedantry and tediousness) to lead us beyond the limitations of technology into the wide open space of our own limitless creativity and freedom of expression.
If you have been inspired by this book, I would also recommend its companions, "Mastering Color Digital Photography" and "Mastering Black and White Digital Photography". They are of the same caliber.

I agree strongly with the first review of this book. I bought this one and a wedding photo book. Reading this one has been a much better use of my time! It takes a more scientific and pragmatic approach to successful photography. Light is what you are capturing and the essence of photography. One should really know something about it :) I really like the series shots towards the back of the book that include a bust, a ball and a figurine with different light treatments (reflectors, angles, blah blah blah). He also does series shots of the same objects only with different exposures, different times of day and different lighting setting, which helps you get a better understanding of white balance and how to use it to your advantage. It shows progressive evening to night shots. I do wish it had more night shooting tips, but it was well worth the $30. He uses a Nikon D2X, I believe, which might make the Nikon users feel a bit more comfortable, but really this info applies to all digital SLRs out there. He also touches on photoshop and photomatrix.

My copy has the same ISBN number as listed above, but has a different cover and is listed "First Edition" 2007. I'm assuming that the book ordered here is virtually identical.

I found the content quite excellent. It explains light color well, bit depth and dynamic range well. It gets a tad bit repetitious comparing different lighting sources, although does point out important differences. The book does well to bridge the gap between Photoshop tuitorial and visual results; it will not tell you how to use Photoshop, but has many Photoshop screen captures discussing the effect of adjustments. There is a good section on High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging.

The book does have an undue amount of typos. If you can look past them then you can enjoy this book. In some cases the typos are extreme: there are four consecutive pages that show different lighting positions on a still life object; 80 images in all. However, the caption key for each picture describing the setup is exactly the same for each image! Somebody forgot to change the captions, so those pages are completely useless. I did email the author about this and received a nice reply and copy from the editor; they promised an update on their website. Time has come and gone, and the update page is still empty - I imagine they are either off slapping together a new book to sell to you, or maybe someone actually did shoot the editor...

This is a great book, with lots of good ideas for how to set up lighting in differing situations. I've already improved my lighting using ideas from this book. What made this a tough slog is that the illustrations sometimes don't match up, and for a photography book, the illustrations tend to be kind of important.

I went on the publisher web site, and haven't found an errata, but will keep looking in the hopes, since cleaning up the figures (and adding the missing ones obviously referred to) would make this a great overall book.

I owned a couple of nikons before which helped, but I still thought the information was well written and had terrific illustrations. The book made it even easier to use the camera.

After wading through the skimpy Nikon manual for this excellent camera a few times, I bought the David Busch book.I was desperate for intelligent information.
The official manual was confusing, many references to other pages, badly written, and ineffective.
Busch should be complimented on his excellent book which is easy to follow, and contains many first class photographs of different parts of the camera in each chapter to clearly assist the reader.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has bought the Nikon D60.

I recently bought the new Nikon D60 prior to travelling overseas. I lost the new manual during this travel. This book is better than the manual since it is written by a user who understands what is important and how to set up for those difficult shots you miss when travelling. Simple to read and good with the basics and also for those who want those special pictures.

This book is an excellent source of detailed information for the amateur and advanced user alike. David speaks directly to you, but in a respectful and easy-to-understand manner that is comforting and makes the guide a pleasure to read. It contains invaluable information that any D60 user can appreciate and use to drastically improve their photographs and take their knowledge of photography to a whole new level. It explains features of the camera that I never knew existed, and instructs you clearly about not only how to use such features, but perhaps more importantly, why and when.


A superb guide for any and all Nikon D60 users.

I looked at other D60 guides, but chose this one. It is very well laid out. David puts everything in an easy to understand context. If there is a particular setting that I am looking for, I can simply turn right to it without flipping through the whole book. This book is great for experienced and beginners with DSLR cameras. If you have a D60, you need this book. Thanks for a great book.