Customer Reviews

Black & White Digital Photography: Creating & Manipulating Great Monochrome Images

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The sub-title of the book said "creating and manipulating great monochrome images".
However comma
Chapter one covers really basic info on cameras, scanners, computer, monitors, tablets, external storage, printers, scanning software, editing software, cataloging software, file formats, capture method (camera vs. scanning), lens quality, flare, and color quality.
Chapter two (cameras and scanning techniques) covers monitor calibration, camera calibration, scanner calibration, choosing quality settings, exposure control, film speeds, focus /depth of field, and solving depth of field problems, dealing with high contrast, explaining the Zone system (6 pages), and film scanning (another 8 pages).
Finally, after 73 pages (of the 128 page book), we get to:
Chapter 3 (Enhancing images) where the author tells us how to convert color to mono, make basic corrections, correct chromatic aberrations, how to use the clone tool, do burning and dodging, posterization, bas relief, solorization, make lith prints, texture effects, how to simulate traditional films, creating infrared, image coloring, basic photomontage, multi-image techniques, panoramas, and using sharpening techniques (all in PS).
Then in Chapter 4 (Outputting images), we learn how to calibrate our printer and print an image.
Although the book is well written (1 mistake on p.12 where he should've said megahertz instead of GB in describing what type of computer you should buy) and the author does present a couple of great ideas on B&W photos later in the book.
However, one is left with the impression that the author tried to fill up a 128 page book the best he knew how by adding a bunch of really basic digital photo stuff and a whole lot of scanning stuff. Otherwise, nobody would ever buy a 50-page book.
Unfortunately, I did (sucked in by a title again).

Very fluffy. Too much explanation of basic hardware; not enough regarding B&W technique. The introduction to Zone was adequate, but wasn't really linked to the discussion of technique, which seemed to be mostly a generic Photoshop lesson, anyway.

It was like three superficial books sewn together.

This book is certainly written for the beginner level digital photographer. The author devotes better than half the book explaining cameras and technology. He does a very good job with this, but it leaves only 60 pages or so for creative techniques. The information presented is well done, I just wish there was more of it.

Good place to start.

This is a wonderful book with great instruction on perfecting the art of digital black and white photography. It also covers extensivly the many different methods of converting color digital and printed photos into quality black and white and monochrome. A must have for the digital photography enthusiast who wants to produce spectactular digital black and white works of art.

J. Johnston
www.digitalphotoart.net