Digital Photography Book, The: Part 1

I love Scott Kelby. His books are exciting to read, informative at a decent level without being pedantic or boring, and he's a master at explaining complex issues in easy-to-understand terms. If this isn't enough, he gives a lot of "recipes" for achieving some basic (and not-so-basic) effects that will delight you. Another well-known publisher of Photoshop / Photography books throws a poison dart at Scott (at least, it sounds like it's aimed at Scott!) with a disgruntled comment about writers who base their books on recipes. But why? There's no rule that says you can't have the best of both worlds. Yes, teach me how to fish for the long haul. But, like Scott, a few fish on the plate right now would be fantastic. Scott does throw in a lot of learning that will go far as you advance in your understanding and ability. He just does it so well--and so logically--you absorb it almost painlessly. (And if pain is involved, he's kind enough to warn you: This might hurt a bit. Okay, it's gonna hurt a lot!) You've gotta love Dr. Kelby. Another Kelby book that's a must-have is "The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers." (Or, any similar titles by Kelby targeted to your current version of Photoshop.) One final compliment: Reading Scott's books is like having him alongside on a personal photo adventure. He's smart, funny and genuine--not always an easy combination to find in a how-to book. AND his tips are plentiful, useful and understandable for even a beginner. Go ahead, buy the boring technical books written in pompous language by the self-promoting "professors" of photography. They're useful and necessary if you want to reach the top layers of the profession. But you can have the best of both worlds by hanging out with your buddy, Scott Kelby. He won't saddle you with a diet of technical jargon. His goal is to get you in there, shoot the pictures, pick up great tips along the way and enjoy the ride.

This book pretty much answered every question I had about my DLSR. I was planning a trip and wanted to make sure I got the best use out of my camera rig, which had always been a daunting prospect. After reading this book, I couldn't wait to try out all the different recommendations and scenarios that the author worked through in language that was direct, easy-to-understand and carefully walked the line between critical technical considerations and not getting so geeked out that it would frighten mere mortal photographers. My post-reading photos are finally something I'm proud of. I'd frame them. People comment on them. And it really didn't take that much effort to get them once I had referenced this book. The one thing this book doesn't have that some readers might want is a detailed explanation of photography terms, science and deep technical issues, and that was fine with me. There are plenty of books for that. What Kelby does is tell you how to get a great photo, especially in the most common settings (sunsets, weddings, landscapes, sports, portraits...). The logic is simple for each and he even provides simple setups for different types of photos. I used his little laundry list of settings for some sunset shots in Hawaii and they came out absolutely stunning. I was never able to nail that before reading this book. Highly recommended. Once you read it and apply the concepts, you'll suddenly realize how much further you can take your pictures when you decide to move beyond a mobile phone or a point-and-shoot.

This book was a very helpful resource. Well written, even with the hokey humor. The only reason I am giving this four stars instead of five, is that I suspect that this is one of those books that one should really have the physical copy, not an e-book. So that rating drop is not towards the author. It's more difficult to view his examples in an e-book. I love my Kindle, but there just are some books that an e-book doesn't work as well. This is one. However, his writing is clear and I learned quite a bit of new information. It's got me even more excited to receive my new Lumix DMC-FZ200 and try some of the techniques. I'm thinking for some, a basics book might be better. He tends to show an example and then say, "this is how I did it". Add a basic book to this book in your library, which I plan to do - and I think it'd be a perfect combination. I do think highly enough of his writing and style that I will purchase his Photoshop Elements 12 book (in physical format) when it comes out.

Great how to digital photography reference book. This book is part one of a series. Once you learn your camera, this is a great go to reference for specific projects. There twelve chapters in this compact handbook that cover everything a new photographer needs to start off creating quality photos. Chapter 1, about getting sharp pictures, is a must read. I would also suggest reading chapter 11, “Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me”. Other then those two, use the book as a primer to get ready for all the different types of photos you will be taking. Weddings, flowers, landscapes, sports travel and people photography are all covered. In addition, a couple of helpful techniques chapters will guide you to creating and sharing your photos. The guidance is short and straight to the point. Each page of each chapter presents clear steps to getting prepared and executing your photo shoot, from framing to camera settings. A must for new digital photographers and a great refresher for more experienced ones.

(I bought this book as soon as it appeared and the initial release had some problems with the text in hint and tip boxes being displayed black on black. As at 19 June 2013, this has been fixed - and one of the joys of the Kindle system is that the updates arrive automatically on your device. Very happy!) Scott explains his approach early on: "The idea is simple: You and I are out on a photo shoot. While we're out shooting, you have lots of questions, and I'm going to answer them here in the book just like I would in real life - straight and to the point, without teaching you all the technical aspects and behind-the-scenes technology of digital photography." In other words, it's like a giant FAQ. If you want an in-depth explanation of the exposure triangle, this is not for you. But if you want a great, easy-to-use, amusing to read reference that you can consume in bite-sized chunks, this is for you. Great stuff!

I am newbie to photography and do not really have much experience on the various settings needed. This book is very straightforward and talks about what is real important and how you can achieve it through the some settings in the camera. The tricks are quite practical and avoid any possible confusion. Definitely what I need at this moment for photography.

...this is an exception. Books are very subjective. I have read so many highly praised books that, at least to my taste and needs, were disappointing, often hugely so. This book not only lives up to it's reviews, it exceeds them. I was serious about photography in my younger days, but life's intervening put it on hold until now, IE, I retired. I bought several "how-to" books which all turned out to be much too basic, even though they claimed to contain the secrets of the pros.. This book is totally different! While it does cover the basics, it goes much further into the finer details. The finer details are what turns a snapshot into a photograph. As an added bonus, the author's writing style is terrific! I'll probably buy any and all of his books that have relevance to my needs as I know they will not disappoint.

This is definetly a must have for all digital photographers To the point and short tips for all your digital shoots. I find myself skimming throught this book just before I go on any shoot just to make sure I don't forget anything that I might find useful or if I find myself in a situation that's frustrating when I can't get the shot and effect I want. Some tips are just common sense solutions but I did find alot of solutions that I had never thought of before. The only parts I didn''t like in this book ( as well as most of Scotts books) is that a good amount of space is waisted with Scott trying to be funny. This waisted space could have been better used to include more tips. Scott is no comedien ( I hope you're reading this Scott). Other then that,a great book and companion for your digital shoots.

Scott Kelby geht hier auf eine ganze Reihe von Fragen und Ideen rund um den Einsatz einer Kamera ein. Er lässt die allermeisten Hintergrunddetails im Grundlagenbereich aus, was eine Blende ist sucht man in diesem Buch daher vergeblich. Viele Tipps sind jedoch sehr gut, und vor allem liefert das Buch eine gute Übersicht über was da in der Welt der Photografie gibt, was man wofür braucht, und was man damit machen kann. Sicher sind Kapitel wie über Hochzeitsshotings weniger spannend für den Amateur, aber insgesamt fand ich das Buch unterhaltsam und Lehrreich.

If you are struggling to make sense of your camera's handbook and wonder if you'll ever manage to take a decent picture, don't give up - buy this book! Scott Kelby explains how to use your camera without using jargon, and literally tells you step-by-step what to do to achieve the result you want. I was feeling disheartened and a bit thick, as I seemed to be getting nowhere with my lovely new Nikon, but this book cut through all the technical stuff and got me started taking good pictures by telling me to do this, this and this to get that result. With Scott's encouragement, I started having fun with my camera, and had the confidence to play around with it. I've since bought Books 2, 3, and 4 and they are great, too - same format, same philosophy, and you just grow in knowledge and skill as you progress.

日本語版では「デジタルフォト達人への道 1」として販売されていますが、こちらは第二版として改訂版です。 記載内容は平易かつ、端的に書いてあるので日本の写真入門書のような曖昧な表現はなく、くっきりはっきりした写真を撮るためにはどうすればいいのかという、はっきりいうと身も蓋もない話から本書は始まっていきます。 しかし、ハウツー本とは違っていて、理論的になぜそうしなければならないのかという所を明確に記載しているので、目的を持って写真を上達させたいという場合には非常に参考になると思います。 Kindle版であれば非常にペーパーバックに対して廉価に手に入り、また、日本の電子書籍と異なってKindle for PC、Chrome版Kindleアプリでも読めるようになっているので、電子書籍で購入する意味はあると思います。なお、邦訳版ではまだ出版されていませんがPart 4 までKindle Editionで入手可能です。

I believe this book covered the major situations you can face in photography. Mr. Scott Kelby has a very good way to teach that makes easy to understand.

Very helpful