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Summary: Use this book only if using a non SLR digital camera!!!
Review: First off this book use old photos for its examples. Secondly it does not tell you anything about professional digital SLR equipment or on how to an SLR to take pictures. I guess it was my fault for buying it I should have read reviews on other sites as well as the ones I read here. Basically if you looking for a professional photography book this in not the book for you, but if your using a point-and-shoot its worth buying. I hope this review was useful to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Great photos, great book, great ideas!
Review: I agree with the reviewer who says this book is not for professional photographers. If you are a pro and are using a $5000 SLR, this book is not for you. However, just about anyone else can learn from this tasty and informative book. It is filled with useful techniques about sports, portraits, architecture, and close-up photography that most of us amateurs favor. Although the author admits that some of the photo illustrations were taken with the latest Kodak digital SLR camera, he says that most were taken with plain old Minolta A1 and Nikon Coolpix 995 digital cameras like the average reader might have. Those are hardly what I'd call "old photos."Anyway, I really liked this book and recommend it highly. Although professional photographers don't need it, I'll bet that even users of low-end digital SLRs like the Digital Rebel or Nikon D70 will find lots of good things here.
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Summary: Real professional tricks for the amateur!
Review: I always wondered how professional photographers using the same equipment as me got such great pictures. I always assumed it was because they took a million shots and picked only the best ones. After reading this book I now know that pros have an extra edge because their experience has taught them some great tricks and techniques that can turn good photos into great ones. The "Tips from the Pros" in each chapter alone are worth the price of this book, because I can have that extra edge without sweating over thousands of mediocre pictures. For example, I now know a sure-fire way to tell whether anyone in a group photo had their eyes closed during the picture -- without having to eyeball the tiny LCD image on my digital camera. I learned how to overcome shutter lag to get fine sports photos at my daughter's soccer games. And I finally understand how to make my family portraits look better just by making a few simple lighting adjustments. This is more than a digital photography book, it's a short course in photography that teaches you how to make good pictures with any camera. I've bought a couple other books on digital photography, but this is by far the best one I've read.
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Summary: Everyone should buy this incredible guide!
Review: I am an amateur with experience in film and digital photography. I got interested in digital imaging because powerful tools are more affordable than their film counterparts. However hard I tried to take good photos, 99.9% of them came out bad When I bought a new digital camera I decided I was going to learn "how to take good pictures". So I headed down to the book store and spent another hour looking through their selection. Of about 30 books, I found two or three that covered differing aspects. One for using a digital camera, one for retouching techniques, one for photographic techniques. I have been frustrated by recent titles on digital photography. Half of the books out there are essentially dictionaries. The other half are "me too" books on Photoshop tips and tricks, rather than digital photography. The book includes both a solid theoretical background and lots of practical (how-to) information. It discusses in great details those techniques that are unique to digital photography, showing you how to get more from the tools you already know. This book is amazing : it covers every aspect of digital photography, from camera choice to photographic techniques to sports photography and portraits. One thing I love are the "tips from the pros" sections.And its packed full of stunning full color photos. This is the perfect book not just for digital photographers but all persons wanting to get more out of their camera. The writing is friendly and clear, the illustrations are outstanding, all in color. Some books are so good that, after reading them, you want to share the experience with others. That's exactly what happened with Mastering Digital Photography, and why I am posting this review.
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Summary: This book works fine with my SLR!
Review: I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel and this book on the same day. I had only used a point-shoot type camera before, and wanted to upgrade my equipment and skills at the same time. Although the book does not deal with SLR cameras as such, its fundamental photographic approach applies to every type of picture taking. I learned a lot about photography and digital shooting from this book. I don't think professional photographers are out there buying books on how to take pictures. If they didn't already know how to use their cameras they couldn't call themselves professionals. This book is for the 99 percent of us who are just amateurs or business users of digital photography who want to improve their capabilities. The clear instructions and beautiful full color pictures show exactly how to do that. Thank you.
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Summary: Great advice from a digital photography master!
Review: I read an article by Mr. Busch in the August, 2003 issue of Popular Photography & Imaging magazine, and follow his advice on the CNet web page, so I was pleased to discover that he also writes books. I snatched this one up and have been delighted with it. Few digital photography books I've seen go into the depth this one does. I really learned some useful techniques. I enjoy photographing the animal and plant life along the seashore, and can't wait until the weather gets better so I can try out some of the close up photography ideas I learned from this book. I'm also convinced I can get better pictures of my daughter's fast-pitch softball team this spring. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Great advice from a digital photography master!
Review: I read an article by Mr. Busch in the August, 2003 issue of Popular Photography & Imaging magazine, and follow his advice on the CNet web page, so I was pleased to discover that he also writes books. I snatched this one up and have been delighted with it. Few digital photography books I've seen go into the depth this one does. I really learned some useful techniques. I enjoy photographing the animal and plant life along the seashore, and can't wait until the weather gets better so I can try out some of the close up photography ideas I learned from this book. I'm also convinced I can get better pictures of my daughter's fast-pitch softball team this spring. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book. I liked it.
Review: I wanted to learn how to use my digital camera, and this book did the job for me. I already had a camera, so the chapters on choosing one weren't essential to me. I really liked the chapters on different kinds of photography, such as portraits, sports, close-ups, and architecture. Each chapter told me everything I needed to know. The projects for self-study at the end of each chapter were challenging and even a little difficult, but I really enjoyed working through them. My results were great. This is my favorite digital photography book and I've bought lots.
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Summary: Another great book from this author.
Review: I was browsing through the bookstore looking for decent books on digital imaging and came across two by this author, this one on digital photography and another one on scanning. I snapped up both of them and couldn't be more satisfied. What attracted me to these books at first were the beautiful color pictures, but after I had skimmed through the text, I was impressed with the information, too. Face it, even the best digital photographer can use a little help, and I'm not the best. I've been doing most of my work with a 35mm camera and only recently switched. This book had valuable tips oriented towards the strengths and failings of digital cameras, so I was able to reinforce what I already knew and pick up some new techniques as well. The section on getting around shutter lag problems was very helpful. The writing styles is friendly and easy to comprehend and even mixed with some humor. This is a very useful book. I also recommend the author's scanner book if you're into that.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should buy this incredible guide!
Review: This is a beautiful book, full of wonderful color photos. It excited me enough that I couldn't wait to take my new digital camera out and begin shooting. After reading a few pages, I knew I could take pictures like this if I applied the information in the book. The author provides just enough information about photography that you understand exactly how to use each of the techniques to create good pictures on your own. I loved the chapter on close-up photography. My wife collects Lladro porcelain, and while I don't appreciate the pieces quite as much as she does, I think they make incredible photographic subjects. I used the tips on lighting and selective focus to take some very good pictures of some of the better figures in her collection. I also thought this chapter helped me with my eBay photography: there's even a special section on how to shoot close-ups for on-line auction photos, and that helped a lot. But most of all I liked the color pictures. There was a color photo on nearly every page. So many of the digital photography books try and get away with black and white illustrations. Who shoots in black and white anymore? I don't. I use my digital camera for color pictures, and I want to see examples in color, too. This book gave me that. I didn't know much about photography before I bought this book, so I learned a lot. I am very happy with it feel that it will help anyone who wants to become a better digital photographer.
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