23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Digital Delight, October 9, 2005
This review is from: Digital Photography Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
Former professional photographer Harold Davis has written a top notch book that peels back all the complexities of digital photography and puts world class photo tips in layman's terms.
You're probably reading this review because you're considering buying this book and you want a bit of insight into its value.
Well, if that's the case, here's why you should:
1) The explanations and directions on how best to use ISO, aperture, and shutter control are written in very simple straightforward text that is so much easier to understand than those complicated instruction manuals that come with so many cameras. Hey, you've probably spent several hundred dollars on a nice camera....and here's a guide that tell you actually how to use that same camera to take better shots.
2) There are a series of practice lessons that guide you through the best vantage points, the best focal points, even the best time to take photos - whether landscape, portraits or floral shots. Mr. Davis not only helps you set up a shot with this guide, but he'll tell you what the best exposure would be for the shot itself. Now that's helpful when you're out in the field trying to figure out how to capture nature better than through a simple snapshot.
3) Mr. Davis also covers what I would call targeting learning. He takes a subject (sunsets or water for example) and tells the reader the best settings that will produce the best outcome. He also talks about variations on themes, and I found those chapters to be compelling reading.
4) Finally, this volume has a whole section on editing and improving photos after the shot. Again, it is in an easy to read - and easy to use - format that explains the concepts and usage without complicating things.
In essence, this book is about two things. Speed of use and speed of improvement. If you want to know how to use your camera to take better photos....and you want to know how to do it without reading dozens of pages about arcane photographic terms, then this is the book for you.
This book is one you'll use over and over in your photographic journey.
Highly recommended.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine Book, Wrong Title, October 12, 2005
This review is from: Digital Photography Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
Yes, this book's title is a bit misleading indeed. And in an online shop a customer can't simply flip through the volume to correct the first impression. That's why I'm writing this review:
In my opinion Harold Davis' book is not so much a field guide (in which I'd expect the usual tables, factors, formulae etc.) but rather a really comprehensive beginner's guide to digital photography. It answers all the questions a newbie could possibly have, and it does so in precise yet fun-to-read language.
The best part about the guide is a practice chapter that covers quite a few topics of everyday photography and shows how to do these yourself - even with a point-and-shoot digicam. You learn what's important technically as well as aesthetically, read about the best timing and weather for a given theme... and when the photo is taken, there's a chapter on "digital darkroom" basics as well.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who's new to (digital) photography. My rating's a 4* only because print detail quality could be a bit better.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Useful!, October 5, 2005
This review is from: Digital Photography Digital Field Guide (Paperback)
Make no mistake - this little guide is packed with solid information; so much so that I was moved to sign on here to post this review. So far I have found this little handbook to be delightfully useful, with lots of practical information and handy tables. Just about anything that you might want to do with any digital camera is in here, with everything totally applicable even for those of us who haven't (yet!) splurged on an SLR. Most of the shots are outdoor-type scenes and landscapes, but the book has plenty of good info for any kind of shooting. The guidance and tips in these pages have made me think about how I approach my photography, and the writing is so clear and straightforward!
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