Customer Reviews

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

5 star:		(179)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The digital photography handbook,

This is the most helpful book on digital photography I have seen in a while. Each page of the book has some scenario and a ways to work with is to get the best possible shot. It's also covers many different ways to overcome what ever adverse shooting situation you might be. Kelby Talks about cheap ways to overcome situations. He also talks about more expensive ways to overcome situations. On each subject where he discusses a scenario there are usually multiple photos to show you each effect of each solution will have on the photo. Each subject is covered very well in about two pages. The photography is outstanding and in color.

Kelby covers all types of digital photography from portraiture to landscape, lighting flashes, different types of digital cameras.

Kelby covers using a flash, building a studio from scratch, shooting portraits like a pro, shooting landscapes like a pro, shooting weddings like a pro, shooting travel like a pro, shooting macro like a pro, pro tips for getting photos and more photo recipes to help you get the shot. All of these subject are covered very well.

The book is written in an easy to understand, easy to read and with some humor. Each topic is about one page in length.

I consider myself to me an intermediate photographer and I can say that this is and continue to be very helpful to me. I This is a must for the beginner to intermediate photographer. The book is small enough to carry in your camera equipment bag. This book is packed with information and extremely helpful tips.

This book truly has a brilliant premise and here's how Scott Kelby describes it: "If you & I were out on a shoot & you asked me, `When I use my flash, the background behind the person I'm shooting turns black. How do I fix that?' I wouldn't give you a lecture on flash ratios, or start a discussion on flash synchronization and rear curtain synch. I'd just say, 'Lower your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. That should do it.' Well, that's what this book is all about: you & I out shooting where I answers questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I have learned just as I would a friend-without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak."

Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you are tired of taking shots that are "okay," and if you are tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.

This isn't a book of theory-full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly 200 more of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professionally-looking photos every time"

Table Of Contents:

CHAPTER 1
Using Flash Like A Pro


10 Things You Wished You Had Known Before Reading This Book!
Here Are Those Last Three Things
Pop-Up Flash: Use It As A Weapon
The Advantages Of A Dedicated Flash
Get Your Flash Off With Your Camera
Making Your Flash Wireless
Going Wireless (Nikon), Part I
Going Wireless (Nikon), Part II
Going Wireless (Canon), Part I
Going Wireless (Canon), Part II
"Drag The Shutter" To See More Background
How To Soften The Light From Your Flash
Softer Light By Bouncing It
Softbox-Quality Light From Your Flash
Tip For Shooting Through A Diffuser
Putting That Nice Twinkle Of Light In The Eyes
Why You Might Want A Stand For Your Flash
Mounting Flashes Anywhere
Rear Synch Rocks (& Why You Should Use It)
The Fourth Secret To Pro Flash Results
Using Gels (& Why You Need Them)
Using Gels To Get That SI Look
If You Have To Use Pop-Up Flash, Do This
Using A Second Flash
Controlling Your Second Flash (Nikon)
Controlling Your Second Flash (Canon)
How Far Back Can You Stand Using Flash?
How To Stand Back Even Farther
Controlling Light To Add Drama
Shooting Sunset Portraits With Flash

CHAPTER 2
Building A Studio From Scratch


Studio Backgrounds
Using Studio Flash (Called Strobes)
Softening Harsh Studio Strobes
Why I Prefer Softboxes To Umbrellas
What A Speed Ring Does (& Why You Need It)
Using A Molding Light
Firing Your Studio Strobe
Firing Your Studio Strobe Wirelessly
Using Contiguous Light Instead
Choosing The Size For Your Softbox
Why You Really Need A Light Meter
How To Use A Light Meter
Adding A Hair Light
Where To Position Your Hair Light
Testing Your Hair Light's Position
Keeping Your Hair Light From Spilling
Which Mode To Shoot In
Where To Position Your Main Light
Using A Fan For Windblown Effects
Want Softer, More Even Light? Feather It?
What That Extra Panel In Your Softbox Does
Using A Pop-Up Collapsible Background
The Least Expensive Extra Light
Three Backgrounds For The Price Of One
Using Off-Camera Flash To Light Backgrounds
The Advantage Of Shooting Tethered
Getting Super-Saturated Background Color
Lighting A White Background
Which Color Reflector To Use
Where To Position A Reflector
Reflectors Without An Assistant
Seeing The Light From Your Reflector
Keep Light From Hitting Background

CHAPTER 3
Shooting Portraits Like A Prayer


Don't Leave To Much Headroom
Shoot In Portrait Orientation
Shooting Portraits? Get A Battery Grip!
The "Sun Over Your Shoulder Rule" Is Bogus
Shoot Wide & Zoom In Tight
Shoot Profile Shots In Horizontal
Shoot Long For More Flattering Portraits
Why Diffusers Rock For Outdoor Portraits
Making A Better Background For Portraits
Trendy Composition Tip
Cropping Off The Top Of Their Head
Group Photos Are Easier Outdoors
Tip For Posing Group Portraits
Great Tip For Casual Group Shots
Don't Light You Entire Subject Evenly
Want Better Portraits? Don't Count Down!
Window Light: Where To Position Your Subject
Window Light: Where You Should Shoot From
Six Quick Tips For Fixing Facial Challenges
Don't Shoot With Their Shoulders Straight On
Making Your Subject Look Slimmer
Using A Poser Chair
Keeping Your Subject "In The Zone"
Avoid Dappled Light
Window Light: Where To Position Your Reflector
Get Couples Really, Really Close
Which Color Reflector To Use
Shoot Outdoor Portraits Shallow
Minimizing Shadows Under The Eyes


CHAPTER 4
Shooting Landscapes Like A Pro

The Secret To Shooting Sunsets
Cutting Reflection In Water
For Landscapes You Need A Clear Subject
Using Your LCD Monitor Outdoors
How To Shoot A Panorama That Works
How To Have Photoshop CS3 Put It Together
Shoot Fast When Shooting Landscape Panos
A Timesaving Pano Trick
The Trick To Using A Fisheye Lens
When To Shoot Streams
Don't Stop Shooting At Sunset
How To Shoot Fog
Getting Shots Of Lightning (Manually)
Getting Shots Of Lightning (Automatically)
A Trick For Shooting Great Rainbows
Removing Distracting Junk
Where To Focus For Landscapes Shots
Find The Great Light First
How To Shoot On A Gray, Overcast Day
A Trick For Great-Looking Flower Shots
The Full Frame Camera Advantage

CHAPTER 5
Shooting Weddings Like A Pro


Create A Shot List
Have Backups For Everything!
Silencing Your Camera's Beep
Backlighting Your Bride
Don't Change Lenses, Change Cameras
Bring A Stepladder For A Higher Vantage Point
Why You Want A Second Shooter
When To Shoot In RAW
Where To Aim Your Flash
Shoot In Lower Light Without Raising Your ISO
A Recipe For Balanced Flash In Church
Add B&W To The Album
The Advantage Of A Flash Bracket
Tip For Posing The Bride
Keeping The Detail In The Bridal Gown
Getting More Flashes Per Wedding
How To Lessen Noise In Your Photos
Tips For Shooting The Brides Profile
Wedding Zoom Effect Made Easy
Read David Ziser's Digital Pro Talk Blog Daily


CHAPTER 6
Shooting Travel Like A Pro


In This Case, Less Gear Is Good
Working People Into Your Travel Shots
Getting People To Pose
What To Shoot On Overcast Days
Shooting From Your Hotel Room
The Magic Time For Cityscapes
Get These Shots Out Of The Way First
Shooting Famous Landmarks
Air Travel With Photo Gear
Shoot The Food
Get A GPS For Your Digital Camera
Shooting Where They Don't Allow Flash
Look For High Vantage Points
Give Yourself A Theme


CHAPTER 7
Shooting Macro Like A Pro


Maximize Your Depth Of Field
Why You Should Turn Auto-Focus Off
Don't Touch That Shutter Button!
Which F-Stop Works Best
Point-&-Shoot Macro Photography
A Tip For Visualizing Macro
Why You Might Want To Shoot Indoors
Buying A Macro Lens
Perfect, Even Light For Macro Shots
Making Your Lens Into A Macro Lens


CHAPTER 8
Pro Tips For Getting Better Photos


Which Mode To Shoot In
Choosing The Right ISO
Which Format To Shoot In (RAW, JPEF, Or TIFF)
Which Size To Shoot In
WHIMS Will Keep You Out Of Trouble
How To Lock Focus
Zooming In Close? Use A High Shutter Speed
When It's Okay To Erase Your Memory Card
Why You Need To Get In Really Close
What To Use Your Histogram For
Leave Your Lens Cap Off
Removing Spots & Specks After The Fact
What Looks Good In Black & White
Recompose, Don't "Fix It" In Photoshop
Want To Be Taken Seriously? Start Editing
Label Your Memory Cards
Go Square
Tips For Shooting At Night (Long Exposure Noise)
The Very Next Book You Should Get


CHAPTER 9
More Photo Recipes To Help You Get "The Shot"

Like Mr. Kelby's best-selling first Digital Photography Book, this book is a gem. Every page is a single tip, clearly explained and illustrated. It's like sitting next to the best photographer you know while he explains what gear you need, and when and how to use it. No matter what brand your camera, what level your experience, or how big your budget, you're sure to find this book useful.

Highlights of Book 2 include how to set up and use studio lighting, flash, macro photography, weddings, portraits, and much, much more. At the end are sixteen "recipes" for getting specific types of shots, with all the details you need to know.

Keep this one in your camera bag. Not only is it full of information, it's inspirational. And a great gift for the photographer in your life.

A photography tip is a short instruction on how to do something in photography - "put the softbox as close as possible to the subject for the softest light" - without trying to put the instruction into any larger context.

This is a short book of photography tips that contains tips on using flash, studio photography, portraits, landscapes, weddings, travel, macro, and what should probably be called miscellany. There is a final section in which Kelby shows particular pictures and indicates his considerations in taking them. Each tip is less then a small page in length and includes an illustrative photograph.

Kelby is a Photoshop guru turned photography guru, and his images while nice, certainly are not inspiring. Be warned: many people are put off by his sophomoric sense of humor, which he displays throughout the book (e.g., the Committee for Creation of Complex Sounding Studio Gear Names).

I dislike tip books because they don't put photography technique within a larger context so that the reader learns a principle which he can apply to any circumstance. "Give a man a fish...." might have been written about tip books. For example, in the space of a few pages, the author tells us to shoot portraits with wide angle lenses and then tells us to use telephoto lenses. What might be called a comprehensive book would help us to understand the considerations involved in making a choice of focal length for portraits.

Most of the tips that Kelby provides are really quite basic, and will be familiar to anyone who has spent any time at all learning techniques. (I acknowledge there is some value in being reminded about a small technique, although one could be reminded as well by reading a more comprehensive book.) Some of the tips are repeated, like telling us to keep shooting after sunset, or to buy a fast normal lens to shoot in dim places where you can't use flash. Some of the tips are even contradictory, as when he tells the reader not to cut off the chin in a close-up portrait and then does just that later on. I particularly resented a so-called tip to buy a book that Kelby just happens to have edited and which I found to be interesting but not essential reading.

On the other hand, this is a book that you can pick up, read for a few minutes, and then put down. If you feel that's an essential quality for an instruction book, this certainly fills the bill.

Kelby is one of the best when it comes to letting the rest of us in on the techniques of good photography. His first book lead to a quantum (perhaps an exaggeration) improvement in my own pictures, both from a composition and execution point of view. This book adds to the first, updates a couple of things, and gives a broader application.

In my opinion this book functions more as completing the set than as a stand alone work. If you do not have the first book then buy them both together and read them serially. Kelby's writing style is a bit (excessively?) "homey" and that can be a bit off-putting for some people. I personally don't mind and even enjoy his humor. There is no denying the effectiveness of his teaching though... short, pointed articles, each of which stands alone on its own but which add incrementally to the others. You can bounce around in his books to your hearts delight, pick up something and start using it right away and then go back and read something else which may add even more.

This book, along with his first, should be standard items in serious amateur photographers' libraries.

The Good:
- the book contains all-new info and picks up where vol.1 left off
- written in the same "let me show you how it's done without going too deep into "why" style" - great for DSLR newbies like me
- lottsa "aha!" and "oh, so that's how the pros do it" moments
- Scott Kelby is a great teacher and writes in casual, easy-to-read style (although vol. 1 is by far funnier)

The Bad:
- Big section on Wedding Photography - I know these tips could generally be applied to shooting people indoors; however, at times the book is too detailed for regular folks like me who don't shoot weddings.
- For $24.95 the book could've been thicker, and some tips are repeated either from vol. 1 or throughout the book.
- When will we see a dedicated section on how to shoot fast-moving small kids (i.e. toddlers) ?

Conclusion:
If you are a DSLR newbie or intermediate-advanced beginner this book is perfect for you. Scott Kelby is the best!

I picked this book up about a week ago and have been pouring over it reading it over and over again. I just ordered Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography Book as I found this one really great. I recently picked up a few photo books to try and gain some insight to what other photographers do. I don't have the money to spend on the Nikon Mentor courses and I think this pair of books would come pretty close.

Scott's information is laid out in easy to read one or two page tips. The lighting sections are great and the tips for landscape photography are first rate. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is just beginning or all the way to semi pro/pro.

Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 is a must have for anyone with a digital camera and wants to get more out of it.

Pete

This book is really refreshing because it tells you how the pros get some of the shots that look great. What really impressed me is the focus on taking a great shot, not the Photoshop fix which Kelby is a well known expert on. He explains lighting better than any of the books I have purchased. Great information on how various types of flashes and lighting works, price ranges to get the items he mentions with high low and middle pricing. Good explanation of what lens to use for certain shots and how to get the right shutter speed and aperature. I think I have a better understanding of why my flash cost so much and what all those settings mean and it says wireless too which is a very good thing! Good advice on portrait shots, vacation pics and wedding shots to name a few. Very easy to understand and down to earth on some complex equipment.

It's a good book for the price but I guess I was looking for a bit more.

There are some good tips but the book is incredibly short. I went through the whole thing in about 2 hours. He gives some good advice on using a flash and setting up a studio for about 1/3 of the book. The last 2/3 are filled with photography tips showing pictures and then explaining how to get the same picture. Most of the advice I found was pretty basic although I did learn a few things here and there. This would have been a good book if I was brand new to digital photography. It's well written and his tips are good but I was looking for something little more in-depth than this,

Of his two books, I found this one the most helpful and useful. He covers portrait and group photography, the proper use of flash and studio lighting, and many other topics in a very clear and concise manner that simply changes the way you approach these areas of photography.

Highly recommend this book...found virtually every page to be incredibly useful in my attempt at amateur photography.

If you've read some of his other books, he has toned down his humor quite a bit so its not as 'overbearing' as some others have portrayed it in reviews of his other books. I find him funny for the most part...others don't care for his brand of humor...so if you don't, pick up the book anyway because its 'toned down' and contains 'to-the-point' hints tough to find anywhere short of a photography class.

Excellent work Mr. Kelby!