The Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro, Third Edition [Mass Market Paperback]

PHOTOgraphic Magazine (Author), Mike Stensvold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

"Say cheese " Packed with everything readers need to know about setting up and taking great pictures, this indispensable guide is perfect for amateur photographers and full-fledged shutterbugs. In this updated and revised edition, readers will find new information on shooting and processing digitally, step-by-step advice for making money with photographs, expanded coverage of aperture settings and depth-of-field, and close to 50 new photographs. a Includes more than 200 photos (many new to this edition) and illustrations and an 8- page color insert

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You're no idiot, of course. You can snap a mean Polaroid on family vacations and capture memorable moments with a disposable. But when it comes to operating a camera with more than one button, you probably think your pictures are worth a lot less than a thousand words. Don't resign yourself to your Instamatic just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro is where beginning and even experienced shutterbugs can learn to take dazzling professional-quality family shots, holiday snaps, and nature images, with even the most basic equipment. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get: --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mike Stensvold is executive editor of PHOTOgraphic Magazine. He has worked as a still photographer, assistant movie cameraman, and flight instructor (his first love is aerial photography).
PHOTOgraphic Magazine is a leading how-to consumer-oriented photography publication, dedicated to increasing readers’ knowledge, skill, and enjoyment of photography and digital imaging.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 3 edition (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592573568
• ISBN-13: 978-1592573561
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro (Paperback)

This book is amazing. It covers everything from using disposable cameras at wedding receptions to having fun with filters and lenses. The pictures help explain a lot of the ideas the author is presenting, too. It's not all a piece of cake, and the author doesn't assume you are an idiot. Luckily, he's an excellent teacher. Like he writes in the book, use what you find helpful, and skip whatever doesn't interest you or what is beyond what you're willing to learn. I have already been trying out some of his tips for animal and outdoor shots--the pix turned out great!--and can't wait to try more advanced tips.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Photography Like a Pro - brief synopsis, March 7, 2003

By 

Sam Zaydel "http://www.worldonpaper.com" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

This book is a more-or-less well written manual; however, I must admit that a lot of the information in this book is not very well presented, and often confusing (especially if this is a first time that you are encountering the subject). More detail should have been given to differences in aparture settings, and examples were lacking. Depth-of-Field was poorly explained, and while this book starts out with something as simple as a single-use camera, about 50% into it, explanations are assuming that you are very familiar with the concepts before reading this book. I must say that if I were a true beginner, I would not benefit from this book very much at all. I am not sure if there ever will be a book that will have a smooth transition from basics to advanced techniques, and will include many examples, but this book fails completely.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you are a true idiot-- buy this book, April 22, 2006

By 

ReecesPieces - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro, Third Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

Obviously one can't fault a book for catering to idiots when their title actually claims to be for "Complete Idiots" however....I was under the impression that the title was simply a marketing gimmick designed to insinuate that this book covers all the aspects of the subject. Well, I was wrong.

If you are truly a "complete idiot" and have never seen or used a camera before, then possibly this book is for you. And if that's the case, I doubt you're reading a book on the subject. But if you want a book that is up to date, addresses some of the more interesting and needed questions about photography (including more than one page on lighting) and read beyond the 2nd grade level, then I would suggest another source. This book also seems to have been directed at a 1980's consumer. There is little discussion of digital cameras and 80% of the book is focused on traditional SLR's-- and if you have a traditional SLR you're a professional photographer (one would hope) and that means it's unlikely that you're buying a book called THE IDIOTS GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY. THis book is currently gathering dust on my bookshelk while I scour the internet for relevant info about this subject. Too bad.