Digital Photographer's Handbook

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners as well as advanced photographers.
Review: A year ago I transitioned into digital photography, prior to which I used regular cameras (pocket as well as sophisticated) for years. I found Mr. Ang's book perfect for a mixed audience, as it covers basics as well as advanced concepts, all well illustrated with pictures. The color pictures really trigger ideas about what is possible with your own photographs.

A full 20 -30 percent of the book is devoted to what technology can help you do once the picture is taken i.e. using software. That is so critical in digital photography - and Mr. Ang gives umpteen examples and tips.

This is the kind of book you will use as a reference constantly. It is not for sitting down and reading from beginning to end - but using different parts as you mature into digital photography.

I borrowed it from my local library, and eventually bought it - even though I have several digital photography books already.

I definitely recomend this guide - especially at the fantastic Amazon price (cheaper than the store).

Rating:
Summary: A broad introduction to digital photography.
Review: Fist, I want to say that the layout and presentation of 'Digital Photographer's Handbook' was very functional and pleasing to the eye.
This book starts out with an overview of the equipment involved in digital imaging; cameras, printers, scanners and computers. There is a lot of good info for someone who knows very little about such things. I must mention, however, that the author is obviously biased towards Apple computers vs PCs, and frankly I find this inexcusable for what is supposed to be an impartial source of information.
Here is a excerpt from the "Mac vs PC" section:
"All Macs readily accept peripheral devices, professional models expand very easily, and all network as soon as you connect together two or more. On a PC, the addition of anything beyond a printer is tricky at best - at worse, which is not unusual, you will have to reinstall all your software."
If you know how modern operating systems work, you will realize how ridiculous that statement is. Now, moving on.
The author then gets into the actual photography- picture composition, perspective, color and exposure. All good things but not exclusive to digital photography.
The next section is the one that I found most useful: Image Manipulation. Image manipulation is what makes digital photography so great. I can take a bunch of pictures, then transfer them to my computer and adjust them to my heart's desire. A caveat here, though, is that the author uses Adobe Photoshop in the examples so if you use another program it might be difficult to follow.
The last chapter is about outputting your photos to a book or portfolio and is very well done.
As an intermediate photographer who knows about all the latest technology, this book was much too simplistic and broad for me.
I would have been better served by two books: one focusing solely on Photoshop techniques, and another on image composition.
But if you are a beginner to this subject, and want an all in one introduction, you would probably be well served by Tom Ang's 'Digital Photographer's Handbook'.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most misguided books ... ever!
Review: I bought this book knowing nothing about photography, as I'm sure many others will. I wanted to learn about the technical aspects of digital photography and how they affect the image (such as exposure, aperture, focal length, depth of field, etc.) I already had a sufficient understanding of computers.

Needless to say, I shouldn't have bought this book. I don't know what Mr. Ang was trying to accomplish with this one, but it seems to me that he gathered every topic that is even remotely related to digital photography, all the while ignoring the relative importance of these topics and what they contribute to the book as a whole.

The first chapter is the culprit, which is unfortunate because I might have spent some real time with the book otherwise. In it, Ang begins by spoon-feeding us information about which digital camera to buy. The problem is, how many people are going to buy this book before they buy a camera? And how significant would Ang's 20-word blurbs be in the process anyways? And how long is the information going to be current? And ... right.

After that, Ang completes the process of diving off the deep end, and gives us all modes of useless information ranging from the innards of LCD monitors to how inkjet printers work and how to adjust your computer chair. I most definitely could not believe how ridiculous the first chapter turned out to be.

After the first couple chapters, we're given photography techniques for many, many different scenarios. If this book has a selling point, those techniques would probably be it. Unfortunately, I'm more interested in the practical side of photography than the artistic. Nice photos, though. For each scenario, Ang basically says, "This photo turned out nice because I did this to it. You can do this too."

This (somewhat) useful content is sandwiched between the aforementioned first chapter and even more useless babble (like how to protect your computer from viruses). Reading the book was emotionally draining.

And I still don't know what f-stops are. Please avoid.

Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: If you are a beginner, learning photography and all the tricks you can do with it in a photoshop program you have on your computer, this book is not for you. I took a couple of photo / imaging classes and though this book was recommended by the instructor, IT IS NOT EASY FRIENDLY. It contains a lot of information but, nothing that is a step by step process in doing a project.

Rating:
Summary: Uninformed Mac bias but very useful
Review: If you are looking for a book that is jargon-free and will demystify the technical elements of conventional and digital photography, this might be for you.

Tom Ang is the Senior Lecturer in Photographic Practice at the University of Westminster, London. He has worked as a technical editor and picture editor. His photography has been widely exhibited and he contributes regularly to magazines. He now writes for MacUser magazine.

Tom gives his secret hints and tips on the essentials of good photography. He explains the processes behind digital photography and explains how you can achieve excellent results. There are a few practical projects so you can create your own evocative memories.

If you were to purchase this book for the photographs alone, it would be well worth the price.

Some of the Contents Include: Digital Camera Features, Film-based cameras, Choosing the best lenses, Zoom lenses, Camera Accessories, Memory Cards, Accessory lighting, How color monitors work, How Scanners Work, Software, Printers, Computers, Picture composition, Image Orientation, Quick Fixes, Color Composition, Silhouettes/backlighting, photographing clouds, Close-up photography, Vacations, Journeys and Travel, Photographing Children, Landscapes, Mirrors, Bird?s Eye views, Pets, Sports, Festivals, Urban Views, Natural History and Panoramas.

This book will also show you how to:

Scan Images
Manipulate Images - cropping, sharpening, blurring, color adjustments, tones, tinting, filter effects, masks, grayscale and color.

Once you have your pictures you can then print them out and create your own books. There is information on how the Internet works and how to deal with copyright concerns.

If you are looking for a book with all the basics, I think you will be pleased with this information. I like making kaleidoscope pictures from friend's pictures. It looks like a picture of their souls. What is amazing is how the picture reflects their personality or dreams. I always add a bit of snow to the picture and then change it into a kaleidoscope.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Rating:
Summary: of all the digital photography books out there..............
Review: Ok, so there are hundreds of digital photography books out there. I have a few myself. This book is one of the better ones in my opinion. It has wonderful color photos throughout. It does explain how to use with a computer (seems to like Apples better).

Anyway, its a good book and fairly cheap. I bought mine from Costco for twentyfive bucks. Amazon's price is similar so I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Sumptuous production; flawed attempt at trying to do it all.
Review: This is a beautifully produced collection of digital images, deserving of a place on the coffeetable. The author - a wellknown photographer and teacher - made a valiant attempt at covering the entire digital imaging field. Unfortunately, that includes a (long outdated) discourse on digital cameras, computers (current crop of PCs does as fine a graphics job as do Mac's), camera and computer purchase recommendations (ie, get a Mac). Well-illustrated sections on how digital cameras transform light into pixels are diluted in impact by 'how a computer works' and so on. The section 'Image Manipulation' is very well done with good screen shots on quality paper and sufficient detail to take a stab at it. Yet a beginning digital photographer will find even that excellent section lacking in how-to-to-get-started advice. The exhaustive sections on various photographic techniques (landscapes, portraits, closeups, buildings, animals and humans in the wild, etc) again are sumptuously and lavishly illustrated, but speak in sweeping generalities rather than in detailed specifics. I also was put off by the substantial bookspace taken up by scanning of film negatives and prints - whereas the title leads one to assume the text exclusively addresses digital photography. Overall: a beautifully produced idea book for advanced photographers -- but it is neither a tutorial nor a teaching manual.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference book for intermed+ , not Photog 101
Review: This is an excellent digital photography reference book, but it should be noted upfront that it is not "How to take photos 101". If you need to understand basics like f-stops and exposure, there are 100's of other books out there better suited for you. I mention this because another reviewer was critical for those omissions. The author assumes you have basic photographic understanding, and works upward from there. I don't want or need basic information, and it was refreshing to find a current (2004) book that doesn't waste space on the elementary. I'd checked out a dozen books from the library prior to this one (which had a waiting list), and this one was the only one I am purchasing.

This is not a book intended to be read front to back. It is a reference book best digested in chunks. It starts off with some technical info on digital, as well as film, cameras, followed by info on PCs, monitors, scanners, printers and software. Not terribly exciting, but I read a few paragraphs here and there and did learn a few things. From there the book is organized in "topic format" allowing you to quickly find on your present interest, be it photographing buildings, clouds, animals, sports, children, etc. Then it progresses into scanning, color management, cropping, correcting and enhancing images, filters, and other creative processes prior to finalinzing your image, and also speaks to certain software.

Overall the book is intelligently organized. Interspersed throughout are "Quick Fix" charts for a multitude of issues, enabling a quick scan across a page or two to find your issue, which is a real benefit. At the end of the book, there is also an extensive glossary, a couple of pages of web resources, and a list of manufacturer and software websites, as well as some further reading suggestions. Lastly, there is an extensive index, a real plus for any reference book.

The book does have a few weak points, such as needless text on the internet and viruses. And the inclusion of information on hardware is risky due to frequent technology changes. But I do admire the author's idea to include complementary material.

The book is loaded with beautiful photos on nearly every page, which will serve to inspire your creativity. The pages are top quality stock, coffee-table book quality, and the hardcover is a full color replica of the dustjacket. I plan to keep this out in full view on a table, not buried in a bookcase.

If you are a competent digital photographer looking to refine your technique and expand creatively beyond merely saving/printing photos with little editing, this book is for you. The intent is to make a good phographer a great photographer.

Rating:
Summary: More Great Amazon Service
Review: This was my second photography book purchase from Amazon in a month and again, the book is very good, the price is great (good bye Barnes & Noble) and again, Amazon's service is EXCELLENT !!!

Rating:
Summary: More Great Amazon Service
Review: This was my second photography book purchase from Amazon in a month and again, the book is very good, the price is great (good bye Barnes & Noble) and again, Amazon's service is EXCELLENT !!!