48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not About Available Light Photography, January 20, 2007
This review is from: Digital Photography in Available Light: Essential Skills, Third Edition (Photography Essential Skills) (Paperback)
The authors of this book should be fined for false advertising. This book is NOT about available light photography. There is not a single chapter on available light photography. This book has a chapter on picking out a digital camera. This book has a chapter on using a FLASH and picking out a FLASH. This book discusses using reflectors and LIGHT MODIFIERS to beautify your pictures. This book is a basic, generic, all encompasing book about digital photography. I have read dozens of books that have nearly the exact same information as this book, which is probably why the authors tried to sell the book under a missleading title. If they tried to sell the book under an accurate title. . . "A beginners guide to digital photography." it would have dozens of other books with the same information and premise to compete with.
As a generic digital photography book, it is not bad, though not at all original. If you are looking for a generic digital photography book, you may whant to buy this book. If you want to buy a book on available light photography, you should not waste your money because there is not a single sentence in this book dedicated to photography using only available light.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed, October 19, 2006
This review is from: Digital Photography in Available Light: Essential Skills, Third Edition (Photography Essential Skills) (Paperback)
I'm half way through this book, and I must say that I'm disappointed. First off, the title is misleading. This book is not mostly about digital photography in available light--that is, if you're thinking that this book is about taking pictures in available light. It indeed provides information about shooting in available light but like most books on digital photography, it starts out with the obligatory "choosing a digital camera." But then the second chapter jumps into topic of digital photo asset management, followed by a chapter on camera exposure. Seems like assessment management would come a lot later in the book. I really don't see why it's needed in a book about "digital photography in available light."
The latter chapter about exposure provides one or two page summaries of topics like appropriate exposure, the relationship between aperture and f-stop number, TTL light meters, interpreting meter readings, optimizing tonality, and the like. The whole time I reading this book, I wondering is this book supposed to be an introduction to the topics or a refresher course of information for experiened photographs? It doesn't work well for either readers, in my view. The author simply glosses over a lot of information and tries to make up for it by providing little activities added to the end of most chapters or sections. The activities read more like they were written for use in a college photography course, which is really where this book might be most useful. This book could have been twice as long, expanding on very important topics for becoming a better digital photographer.
I think the attraction of this book is the qaulity of the book's layout and the photographs included on nearly every page. It seems as if many if not all the photographs were taken by National Geographic photographers. The author is very knowledagable of his subject, but the book is far too general for novice photographers. I'm not sure how intermediate or advance photographers would use this book.
Some sections could use better illtustrations. For example, the typical explaination about the "rule of thirds" in photography is illustrated with a grid, of course, but there's no illustration to show the use the rule on an actual photograph. I've never seen that before in a photography book. The author simply explains it in words.
The section I read about using the histogram is also way too general. The photographs and screen shots he uses for illustrations don't even come with captions for quick review or better understanding.
I really thought I'd get more out of this book. The photographs were well done and the end-of-the-chapter activities looked promising at first, but when you get into the book, they simply read like add-ons.
All I can say is that this book is not for novice photograpers, but it would probably work well for college photography courses wih a good instructor who will fill in the gaps and expand on what the author has written.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Judge by the Cover!, September 30, 2007
This review is from: Digital Photography in Available Light: Essential Skills, Third Edition (Photography Essential Skills) (Paperback)
The previous reviewers who commented on the lack of substantive information about available light shooting techniques, are correct. I've looked through this book carefully and it is like a dozen other beginning photography books I've seen, and that's how it should be titled. This book, while it has some good information for beginners, is another inch deep, mile wide digital photography overview. When what it should be is mile deep, inch wide, pertaining mostly to working with available light indoors and out. A chapter on reflectors or flash is OK but as an extra, not the "meat".
Unless you're new to digital photography, look elsewhere. Focal Press should know better. They usually produce outstanding titles...
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