Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Boxed Set, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 [Paperback]

Scott Kelby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0321839951 | ISBN-13: 978-0321839954 | Edition: 1

With over 800 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this boxed set—consisting of all four parts of Scott Kelby’s best-selling series, The Digital Photography Book—is the ultimate resource for any one who wants to shoot dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Scott Kelby, the man who changed the “digital darkroom” forever with his groundbreaking, best-selling The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography—how to take professional-quality shots using the same tricks today’s top digital pros use (and it’s easier than you think). These aren’t books of theory, full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. These are books on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. 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’re tired of shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then these are the books for you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Kelby is the world’s #1 best-selling author of photography books, as well as Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, and President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). He’s the co-host of the highly acclaimed Photoshop User TV and The Grid videocasts, and teaches digital photo and imaging workshops around the world. Scott is an award-winning author of more than 50 books, including The Adobe Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers, and Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Product Details

• Paperback: 984 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (May 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321839951
• ISBN-13: 978-0321839954
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography
  • #48 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Media Management

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! May 8, 2012

By Stephen M. Lerch TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

By "excellent," I don't mean the obnoxious Bill and Ted reference. I mean this set is truly an excellent resource for people looking for a specific type of training.

So what type of training do I speak? If all you want to know is the how of the thing, and not the why or technical background, these books are for you. For those that are looking for the technical aspects, the specifics behind why this aperture, that ISO and this shutter speed, you will not appreciate these books.

What is it that makes this set so great? For me, it's the buddy in the room aspect of it. Scott's premise is simple for each book. Essentially you are on a photo shoot in different locations (such as in the studio at the beginning of book 4). You ask a question such as "how do I get tack sharp subjects but blurred backgrounds in the studio?" Scott's answer is pretty simple and given the flow of the books, you'll know that the answer he gives is either how to set your camera, maybe how to do it in post processing (Photoshop) or maybe what to buy. In this case, he recommends you buy a ND (neutral density) filter to allow you to keep the studio lighting and open your aperture as wide as possible. You get the blurred background AND it isn't over exposed.

What you might not like is that Scott really does take it to a buddy/buddy type of level. The writing is playfully jocular. Sometimes really silly. For me, the fun aspect really works and really does help me learn and retain the information. For some people, this approach will be off putting.

One recommendation I have - if Scott tells you he has a video on-line that shows you how to do something, do yourself a favor and take a view. All of the videos I watched were worthwhile and helped re-enforce what was in-text.... It also helped in the step by step perspective of things when he just goes in an shows you how to say, do something in Photoshop.

In this single collection, you receive some of the easiest to understand answers to general photography questions. You get the answers in a succinct style that doesn't preach or look down on you for NOT knowing how to do something. Each book collects questions Scott believes people will want to know or people have specifically asked him in the field or via email. The writing is approachable and fun. That is why, for any beginning photographer or even someone "in the know" who wants to dig deeper, this is a great place to start. If you're a seasoned veteran of the photography industry you probably won't learn anything, but it isn't written for you. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great info, perhaps a little less humor July 3, 2012

By shutterbug

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

After having just completed Volume II, I can certainly understand why Mr. Kelby is so popular world wide. The infomation contained in the first two volumes is very clear, concise and very easy to understand and apply. I can hardly wait until I can start the next volume. My ONLY negative thing is the somewhat unusal writing style being used. I agree it somewhat breaks the "gravity" of the subject matter, but I personally would rather read about photography than a tongue-in-cheek explanation regarding his "....affair with Angelina Jolet". Having said this, I will freely admit it does nothing to detract from the overall quality of information in the book.Combined with "Understanding Exposure" and other books by Brian Peterson, I rate these as the best source books available, and of course there are many. Since my retirement, I have devoted a large amount of time pursuing my life-long passion of photography. This involved a lot of research time, and I have purchased numerous books on the subject. All these are on the unused shelf, after discovering Brian Peterson and now Scott Kelby.I am very pleased to be the proud owner of such worthy works.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars World of knowledge in Digital photography - Any beginner photographer should start with this set. July 5, 2012

By Michael Farber

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

These four volumes of the Digital Photography books by Scott Kelby are my second Digital photography sources by the same author. The first one was his "The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book For Digital Photography".
The materials and information that are presented in these four little books have a great value for any photographer either for a beginner or even for an advanced professional like Scott Kelby. You could learn a lot from these books and I even made some reference booklet of my own where I just listed step by step all the necessary steps of actions to achieve the result as a pro by following Scott Kelby's tips and special techniques for specific shooting conditions. All I need is a practicing and shooting. As I mentioned above, this set of books is great and very helpful for any type of photographer. However, there were downsides of the Scott's teaching that I personally have noticed while reading his books. As a digital photography hobbyist, not a professional who makes his living by taking pictures, I am on a budget and cannot spend so much money for the gear to accomplish many task as a pro. So I have to accept less than pro-quality results and that would bring me to the position I used to be before taking the challenge to improve my photos using my limited equipment. I wish I could afford Canon EF-S IS 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens (B&H $570). I am still using only one glass EF-S IS 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 that came with my Canon EOS 20D and that was not enough to get everything the way I wanted it. Next, the author is trying to teach you to shoot by trial and error by repeating your shots several times until it's perfect or near to perfect.... Personally, I usually shoot subjects (not a paying models) that have very little patient to wait for repeat shots - may be the second one would be possible because regular people do not understand why you have to take so many shots of the same subject. I shoot my grandkids and guests at different parties in the much less than favorable lightening conditions. And this one is the most important downside as author has missed or otherwise has given very little attention to the one of the most important skill in digital photography as "where to meter your scene for the best exposure?". He explained that in the sunset shots only. Bryan Peterson really stands out in that respect as he constantly emphasizes on where to point your AF and metering point in different shooting scenes in his book "Understanding Exposure" 3rd edition. I guess, that`s why the author subscribes to try and see theory of getting a perfect exposure like in his Flash Photography section he recommends to switch your camera to the Manual mode after getting the settings of the ambient in the Program mode and to switch your Flash to the manual mode too starting with like 1/8 of the total Flash power and to take a shot. Then, check your flash exposure and if it's too dark or it's too light, start either increasing or decreasing the Flash power until you get the acceptable shot. I use E-TTL and FEL (Flash Exposure Lock) pointing my AF point at the subject's faces and using FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) raise my exposure by +3/4 or more depending on the distance between my diffused flash and a subject, as the skin tone is a little lighter than gray 18%. Usually 90% of my flash shots come out perfectly exposed using that technique with the first shot so I don't have to bother my subjects to stay longer and to test their patient. Sorry... but that scenario is a realistic life situation for a hobbyist photographer and you have to live with that.
Again, in conclusion I definitely recommend Scott Kelby's box set of four volumes to anybody who really wants to grab the right fundamentals of pro-techniques and to start shooting better photos. However, at the same time you should not stop there only and try to expand your knowledge in digital photography by reading different other books on that subject like "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, "Speedliter's Handbook" by Syl Arena and of course, post-processing books like "Camera Raw With Adobe Photoshop CS5" by Jeff Schewe and Bruce Fraser. Good luck! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing December 12, 2012

By Hennie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

An absolute must-read for any (social or professional) photographer. I like the way in which Scott approached this book and the way in which he is teaching me more and more about photography with all the tips and tricks the pro's are using.

I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys taking photos.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best photography book I've ever read December 8, 2012

By Joe Pacific

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have a lot of photography books. I've learned more from these Scott Kelby books than all of the other books combined.