Customer Reviews

Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography: 107 Lessons on Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is well written full of interesting facts and nice pictures. It is geared toward the Apple Computer user and Photoshop photoediting. If those are your system give this book a fourth star. But there are better choices for less money if you are using a PC for editing and any photo-editing software including Photoshop, MS Digital Photo, Camedia etc etc.

My personal favorite is K.I.S.S. Guide to Digital Photography which is ten bucks cheaper, better written, more informative for the beginner and all around better instruction for the beginner to digital photography.

If you are interested in digital photography, this is the best book available out there for this price, Period! I have read several books about digital photography and this books has it all. It is not so basic, yet it is not so advanced that you wouldn't understand what the write is saying. I was very impressed by Mr. Sammon's way of illustrating his points with sample pictures he has personally taken over the years. If you are an absolute beginner (if you have never used a 35mm SLR or a digital camera and a photo editing software before) I do not recommend this book for you. This book appeals to anyone who has a basic understand of digital photography and are interested in learning more about photo shooting techniques and digital darkroom (editing) software. Let me tell you-- you will not be disappointed by this book.

For anyone that is new to digital photography, this book is a must read. Rick takes often complicated concepts and explains them in terms that everyone can understand--from beginners to more experienced photographers--and immediately apply to their own work. If you were taking ordinary photos before reading this book, you'll be taking better ones after you finish. Rick's coverage of digital darkroom techniques and how they relate to conventional film photography is well done. He offers practical examples of how you can use digital imaging software such as Adobe Photoshop to improve any photograph--examples that you can immediately apply to your own work without the worry of having to learn everything about Photoshop first. Whether you shoot film and enhance your work digitally or shoot pure digital, you will not regret puchasing this excellent reference. A must have for anyone serious about digital photography.

This lushly illustrated beautifully produced book of over 500 pages attempts the daunting task of offering a complete guide to digital photography in 107 Lessons. After completing the first 3 sections on digital photography, composition, lighting, exposure, to flash-or-not-to flash and other professional insights -- including a truly outstanding PowerPoint photography course on the enclosed CD, I was ready for a 5-star rave review. That is, until I hit the section on digital image processing. That the gorgeous illustrations were taken with a pro camera, expensive lenses, etc is understandable. What is NOT acceptable is to assume that beginners (no pro would buy such a general book) would have full-version Photoshop plus special plug-ins, AND a full portfolio of pictures from which to pick material for the various examples. Rather than putting demo's, A-V lessons and what have you on the CD, the author could have matched on the CD - chapter by chapter - the photos used for Photoshop technique illustrations. For instance, gorgeous shots of the Hearst castle - one exposed for the white marble highlights, the other for the deep shadows of the outdoor pool - were overlapped as layers to give a full-exposure view from deep dark to bright white. Not to include those learn-along images (not even on the website!) demonstrates a lack of teaching experience outside of the workshop classroom environment, if not disregard for the self-teaching student's needs who might use the more popular lower cost digital imaging software titles such as Paint Shop, PS Elements or Photo Impact.

Other books do a far better - albeit less visually spectacular - job of fully explaining the hows and why's, with full-size images on a CD -- and at much lower cost to boot. Might mention Mikkel Aaland, Greg Georges, Rick Lynch and Scott Kelby [no CD, but at least you can download every one of his images]. For just-starters, nothing thus far has beat the outstanding Tutorial of PSE2 and its "recipes" for quick image correction.

Rick Simmon did a fabulous job in attractive product packaging; he writes in a fluid easy to follow conversational style, and obviously is a gifted photographer. If only he stayed with what he knows and does best, and left the teaching of imaging to others he would have a tighter, lighter and cheaper book to offer.

Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography is aptly named in that it covers a very wide range of topics. The hardware of photography is covered; cameras, lenses, flashes, memory cards, computers, RAM, graphics tablets, card readers, scanners, printers, backup storage, and more. The software of digital photography is covered; organizing photos, editing photos (mostly with Photoshop), and some special effects software. Photographic techniques and how to take better and more interesting photos are covered. There are sections with advice how to treat people you photograph, making macro images, what to do for travel photography, and even advice on getting started as a freelance photographer. There are many things covered that I have not listed. The book is written in a very easy to read conversational style with lots of tips and advice scattered though out. There is an abundance of pictures in this book illustrating everything that is discussed in the text. This book may not go as deep into every topic as some other more narrowly focused books, but it goes more then deep enough into each topic covered to be useful and meet my needs. The only issue with the book would be that the photo editing software used is Photoshop which maybe too expensive for people starting with digital photography. Even though Photoshop (which I don't have because of the price) is used for the editing lessons, I have found that the concepts and techniques are still useful for the more affordable Corel Photo-Paint that I use. Most of the same things can be done same way as in Photo-Paint, they are just in different menus and have different names. Also, most people who don't want to pay for Photoshop could afford Adobe Photoshop Elements, which is very similar to Photoshot and has almost all the capabilities of Phtotoshop. Even without the photo editing sections (which is about one third of the book), there is plenty of good material to make the book worth while.

I am (or after reading this book should I say "was") a novice to photography and the digital darkroom. This book is a great starter and covers ever major aspect that comes with digital photography deeply and comprehensively.
Generally this book has two part: How to make/take a picture (yes, Rick also teaches you how to "make" a picture) and how to work it. It is obvious that Rick is a great pro Photograhper and he shares all his awesome photographic techniques with you. Still, his writing style is easy and even understandabel for the beginner. After reading this book your pictures will improve whether you are a beginner or advanced -Guaranteed!!!
His digital darkroom techniques require some basic knowledge about Photoshop. This is no tutorial how to use the different options and tools of photoshop. But a great book teaching you how to use them effectively. His approach is totally outcome oriented - the production of digitally enhanced pictures. Coherently he covers standard situations how to improve a picture and being creative, like redeye, overexposure, black and white, color management, creating more impact on the picture, preparing for print, etc. His procedures are easy to understand yet overwhelmingly efficient. The great illustrations let you retrace what has happened and how the effect will look like.
To get to that basic knowledge about Photoshop you either have to struggle through the borring help programm of the software itself. Or you get yourself a separate book. Another very convienent, yet more spendy way to probe the potential of Photoshop, is partially included on the CD which comes with this book - a virtual software tutorial. The one on the CD is great but is only on small section out of the whole tutorial, which you can buy seperatly. The whole series from Julieanne Kost runs about 200 $ but there a also cheaper tutorials out there for slightly over 20 - check with ebay. These are not so good in sound and maybe not as nicely stuctured but still a very convenient alternative to a book.
Finally, the printing quality, the binding and the illustrations reflect the thoroughness and love for the detail with wich this book was writen.
This book you will find fun to work and read through.

Titled for but certainly not limited to digital, this book provides a friendly tour of the world of photography by a gifted guide. It is simple to either read straight through the guide or to jump from topic to topic. Each section is a delight to read and a gem of knowledge. Easy to follow lessons with pictures worth... well, you know. I am repeatedly devouring every word and image in this outstanding book and cannot think of a more valuable addition to a library for any photo-enthusiast!

I am a film photographer (yes we still exist!) who has been unsure about whether or not to take the plunge into the digital world. I purchased Rick's book to help me learn the basics on scanning, photoshop and printing. I can honestly say it has opened up a new world for me! The book is set up with a logical flow and is easy to follow. He also writes as if he's talking to you, which makes it fun to read and easy to understand. Rick's visuals are also superb. Using his own work he illustrates each topic visually. This helps to understand the concepts (and will also make you want to travel more!). In no time I've been able to learn enough about photoshop to be able to greatly enhance my work and even be more creative. I sit at the computer with Rick's book next to me and learn something new all the time. I would not be moving at the pace I am without the help of this book. I recommend it for both film and digital photographers!

This book provides tremendous insight to the world of photography through the eyes of a seasoned professional. Do not expect Mr. Sammon to tell you what setting to put your camera on. Do expect to see the effects and have them explained to you in a way that you are inspired to go out and take better photographs. I really appreciate that this book attempts to get us to take better pictures in the camera and not rely on Photoshop to fix all of our shortcomings. That is the golden goose in this book. As for computer systems Mr. Sammon just happens to use a Mac. I prefer PC's and have had no issues interpreting what he is trying to explain. This book covers all of the elements to make us better picture takers by showing what makes a marginal or bad shot to what makes an interesting or awe inspiring shot. The book is quite large but nothing says you have to read it one page at a time. I find myself perusing the book and stopping on what interests me at the moment. Buy this book if you need insiration to take better pictures (emphasis on get off your seat and go take a lot of pictures). If you need your hand held and told which button to push this won't help you. Look at the pictures in the book as tools that are as valuable as the written words. I personally have gained much from this book and my photographs have improved as a result.

Follow Up: I have had this book for some time and find myself referring back to it frequently. Also, I have had a few questions come up about various photography issues with which I shot off an email to Mr. Sammon. He was very quick to respond and was very generous with sharing information. I have since purchased other material by Rick Sammon and I have not been disappointed.

This book helped me to go from being a good amateur photographer to a great amateur photographer. Each of the 107 chapters provides a short lesson for you to read and digest, before going out to practice with your own digital camera and computer. It took me about 3 months to finish the book, and a year later I still refer back to it from time to time.

FYI, although the auther uses the professional Photoshop program for around $650, I have been able to do just about everything using the lesser version for $93 (Photoshop Elements, Version 3.0 for Windows). Either way, Photoshop is a wonderful program, and you can always upgrade in the future.

The author provides great examples to help illustrate each of the concepts in the book. His photography is very creative while his writing is fun and personal. However, at the end of the day, what you put into it will definitely be what you get out of it!