Customer Reviews

Perfect Digital Photography: Brilliant Pixels from the Digital Darkroom

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are looking for an all-encompassing digital photography how-to book, "Perfect Digital Photography" is it. I have been an amateur home shutterbug for over twenty years. In the early days, I shot with my trusty little Kodak 110 pocket camera and later graduated to a quality 35mm SLR. I began dabbling in digital photography in the mid 1990's with a pocket 640x480 pixel Panasonic model and was amazed at the instant feedback and lack of developing costs that digital provided. But even then, I knew that the quality of digital was just not up to film standards yet. I also shot with a 35mm point-and-shoot (jokingly dubbed by this book as a PHD camera... as in "Push Here, Dummy"). I made the transition in recording all of my family's memories in digital about three years ago when I bought a 4-magapixel high-end pocket camera. That camera had served me well, but I am longing to improve my skills as a digital photographer and that means two things. Stepping up to a digital SLR for greater control, and gaining more knowledge to improve my skill as a photographer. To that end, I have been browsing digital photography books for several months now, and have bought a couple - never quite satisfied until now. "Perfect Digital Photography" is the book that I have been looking for all this time.

The book falls into two halves, each written by a different author. The first section is on photo technique and the camera and is written by Pulitzer prize-winning National Geographic photographer Jay Dickman. The second half, by Adobe Photoshop Certified Expert Jay Kinghorn, is all about the "digital darkroom" and the use of Photoshop to put the finishing touches on your work.

"Perfect Digital Photography" is written (with a few exceptions) for the beginner. It follows a workflow from the basics of composition and use of light, camera basics, and really excels at giving good insider 'pro' tips, with many asides about the authors philosophies on everything from ethics to tips on how to approach strangers that you want to photograph. Much of the content of this first half can really apply to film photography too. In the second half, Jay Kinghorn begins with Photoshop basics, then moves on to cover how to scan and organize your photographic library. Next, he goes deeper into how to refine your images, correcting tone and color, tips on black and white photography, printing considerations, and finally (for the aspiring pro) automation and workflow. The only negative I had found was the author (Dickman, primarily) had a tendency to lapse into technical jargon once and awhile. It was nothing that I couldn't look up, infer, or just read past.

"Perfect Digital Photography" truly does live up to it's name and is the best book on the subject I have yet read. I have two friends lined up asking to borrow it and two others who, after leafing it, took down the ISBN to buy copies themselves. What higher praise could there be.

This is a great book, I would give it 10 stars if I could. In fact if your intrested in starting on photography you need this book and Rick Sammon's complete guide to digital photography. The authors of this particular book, one is a photographer for National Geographic and the other an expert in Photoshop. Spaced through out the book are little article by other leaders in the field of photography and digital.

This book start of nicely by address photography and concepts like composition, equipment, posing, and other aspects of photography (even ethical photography) as well as some of the special things to take into acount when using a digital camera. That is the 1st half of the book, the 2nd half deals with taking the photos out of your camera and tweaking them in photoshop for printing and saving. The nice thing about this is that it cover photoshop cs2 and the newer features. The example photos are top notch and serve as something you should strive to emulate in your photography.

It seems that I have read a million articles on digital photography and my brain feels like a sponge. Although many of the articles in the popular photo magazines have been helpful, no source of writing has been as informative and interesting as this book. This book is very easy to read and even easier to understand. I do not consider myself to be a beginner, nor am I a professional, I am one of those guys who has learned to take a chance with my camera and to try new things. With the help of this book, I have switched my DSLR from "Auto" and learned to master aperture and shutter priority. I can not thank these authors enough for helping me to understand many of the creative aspects of photography and how to "get there". My camera bag now has 6 lenses, my Canon 20D and "Perfect Digital Photography" as a constant source of learning.

This is one of the better how to books I have used on a topic that is more art than science. It is easier to describe how to put in a sink than how to take a good picture. The text on using photoshop is also very good. I was able to take what they told me directly to my computer and I started seeing the results in my pictures imediately. While not an issue for me, it did seem to take some understanding of the topic before you have read. If your only experience is a point and shoot, it might be a struggle to read and understand what they are saying. It would be helpfull to have struggled with a more advanced camera for 6 months or more.

"Perfect Digital Photography" is a wonderful book for me. I don't think there are many books that smoothly combine world-class picture taking lessons with digital processing lessons. This one does and I think it's great. Some of my favorite photos from National Geographic are actually in this book as part of the lessons. In this book, the actual photographer gives me lessons on how to take those kind of pictures. This is very cool. There are two authors named Jay - one for photography and one for Photoshop. What are the odds? Both seem to be very good at what they do and I'd have to say I'm now a fan of both of them. Good work Jays, and thanks!

For anyone who just knows they're gong to love digital photography and wants to jump in feet first, to an advanced amateur coming over from shooting film, to anyone wanting to know the scope of what they need to know about camers, systems, software, and the works, this is the book. A great read, and a great reference.

The only downside is that the captions throughout the book can probably not be read by anyone over the age of twelve. They are so light, and without contrast, to make them unreadable. Tsk, tsk, tsk. With such a beautiful book, where were the writers on press check day, out playing golf?

I take good photos, but want breathtaking shots that are memorable - the kind that you can publish. This book covers key areas in detail. The shots and how to get them, including the camera settings, is valuable. The best book on the subject I own. There is some real substance here.

I participated in a First Light Workshop in Oban, Scotland with Jay dickman and Jay Kinghorn. At that workshop we had many short-cuts editing images explained in a way that we could understand and retain them. The on-going advice by both authors could be pages out of this book. They work every day doing the procedures that are outlined in it.

This book is a must have for anyone that is looking for a fast way to process Digital images. Once you learn Jay Kinghorn's approach to optomize your images, you will be amazed how the process improves your images. Jay's 3 minute correction is worth the price of the book.

If you use Photoshop this will help to open the door to success!

This book provided countless "tips" that were helpful to me -- a serious amateur photographer. I especially liked the attention give to Photoshop, which I use. The only negative about the book was the use of a light gray and small print for describing the pictures. Difficult to see.

I've had the pleasure of meeting both authors at one of Jay Dickman's FirstLight workshops, and this book brings to life many of the pleasures of that photographic experience. I'd recommend it even if I did not know the authors because it makes the entire world of digital photography accessible for all. It covers the subject in depth without making it dense, and contains enough examples and personal anecdotes to make you forget you're reading an instructional manual. Although nearly all of us now have digital cameras and computers at our disposal, we may lack the guidance or technical expertise to maximize photographic opportunities, edit effectively and then produce high-quality, color-corrected prints. This book is essential for the avid photographer who wants to take that next step from merely taking snapshots and documenting events to capturing special moments and printing them with professional results.