Customer Reviews

Digital Photography Digital Field Guide

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Anyone interested in digital photography will love this book. It is a must-have resource for the unskilled beginner and a wonderful addition for those with experience. I read the review where a reader stated that it was only valuable for a Nikon camera. That's completely erroneous. I have both a Canon and a Minolta digital camera and all the information applied. The suggestions for taking outdoor photos are easy to understand, apply to many situations, and will enhance my pleasure in taking photographs of my grandchildren by ensuring improved results. I wish I had this book sooner.

I tried to read my camera's supposedly well-written manual to improve my pictures. I hate manuals -- reading it was painful, yet still my photos weren't turning out quite like I wanted them too.

"Digital Photography" was a gift that I ended up reading pretty well cover to cover. All those things the manual talked about finally started making sense! The basics are clearly explained from apertures to white balance, with a whole chapter on lighting (my favorite). It's full of little tips and tricks, and in the "Recipes for Great Photos" chapter you get useful advice and guidelines particular to different types of photography, from action photography to water photography. And the section on editing your photos has great tips on how to fix mistakes.

I can see this book being an great introduction to digital photography for both beginners and experienced analog photographers too. And very useful even after you've used your digital camera for a while, like me.

And if you have a new digital camera you want to take on a trip with you, this is definitely *the* perfect book to take along.

Oh yeah! Harold Davis has written a sure winner. In "Digital Photography Digital Field Guide," Davis has accomplished what so many other writers find difficult to do; that is, to make getting into digital photography simple and enjoyable. The book can be read from beginning to end or it can be used as a reference tool.

I like the fact that Davis feels about photography the way I do--have fun with your digital camera and don't make it so difficult to learn. Learning to use a digital camera should not take away from the joy of taking pictures, and this book makes learning fun and simple. The Field Guide is organized to get the amateur shooting pictures right away. Most importantly, the guide is reader friendly; by this, I mean that Davis writes like people talk--in plain English. He is also aware that photography is a visual art and thus he includes plenty of photographs and easy-to-read tables and charts. Most readers will find the first two chapters alone --"Exploring the Digital Camera" and "Preparation and Setup"--worth the price of the book.

Davis addresses the would be photographer's nemesis: the camera manual. Camera instruction books tend to be written more for professionals than for beginners. More often than not, these manuals make learning and understanding the digital camera baffling, not to mention boring. Davis's writing gets away from the technical mumbo-jumbo and gets down to the business of familiarizing the reader with his or her digital camera and what they can do with it. Davis tackles many concepts like depth of field, ISO, white balance, file formats, F-stops, shutter-speeds, and exposure, describing each one concisely yet clearly -- what it is, and how to use it. Another interesting and well-written chapter is "Photography Basics," which deals with focusing, color balance, proper exposure, and my personal favorite, composition. Chapter four addresses another important part of good photography, lighting, which can make the difference between a snapshot and a work of art. The rest of the chapters cover specific techniques, which are just as helpful and important.

All in all, "Digital Photography Digital Field Guide" serves four important functions: it helps shutterbugs understand digital photography, gets them into the field taking pictures, helps them to become more creative, and serves as an excellent reference tool. Buy it and put it in your camera bag.

I found this book to be very disappointing, padded with irrelevant information, and not very useful. The description is very misleading, too, as this book is not what you might think.

First, it's not really a field guide. It says it covers "sporting events," "a child's eyes as a present is opened" etc. but the author seems to assume that when you leave your home to shoot pictures you stay outdoors the whole time. A better title would be "Digital Photography Outdoor Field Guide." I didn't want a book about outdoors photography. I wanted a book I could take with me as a guide when I shoot pictures.

Second, for a field guide, it certainly is padded with information that you can't use in the field, unless you take a laptop computer with you. Who needs so many chapters on image editing, etc. in a 250 page book, except to fill it out? I can't use this information in the field, so why put it in? If I want a book on image editing I will buy one. I expected a book about digital photography, not tips on creating slide shows, making prints, or creating Web pages.

Third, from the description you'd think that this book is intended for users of all digital cameras. However, most of the writer's samples are taken with the Nikon D70 camera, which is apparently the only camera he is familiar with. There is lots of information about using that camera, but not as much for other models. In fact, much of the general camera information is incorrect if you don't own a Nikon.

Outstanding advice and instruction on Digital Field Work.
A "must" for aspiring photographers - whatever level.
Detailed from the moment you get your new camera.
Easy to read and comprehend, Well laid out.

I found this book to have some useful tips in it.
I am a beginner so I found lots of things within this book to help me take better pics.

I have been taking pictures with my Digital Rebel for 3 years now. I have never really learned how to use all the great functions. This book has helped me understand the functions, how to use them and when to use them. I enjoyed the learning this information from this book.