In summary, the value here is outstanding. The book is a comprehensive set of best practices (including supporting rationale) that carries you and your data from the moment you lift your finger from the shutter release until the sun burns out.
I had recently read the first edition when I discovered that a second edition was in the works. I was very impressed with the breadth and depth of the first book, and the second edition expands on both. I was a little concerned that I was buying a new cover, some corrected errata, and maybe a couple new concepts. While the cover is new, the book is what I'd consider either a "Pro" version, or a second volume. It turns the first edition into somewhat of an overview of all the concepts with implementations, still useful in its own right. However, there is a great deal of new material as well as added depth in the material covered in the first edition.
Similar to the first edition, the book presents an all-inclusive system for digital asset management. One of the attractions for me is that the system is essentially drawn from first principles in a variety of disciplines. For instance, it is written by a professional photographer who clearly has a need for a system that works day-to-day in the trenches, yet it's accessible to the layman since the author takes the time to explain the concepts behind the implementation. The author has clearly honed the system through a great deal of experience as well as significant research and what I'm finding to be active participation in the imaging and asset management communities.
A degree of computer facility is required to get the most from the book, but on the other hand I'd argue that the book isn't a bad way to learn some of the fundamentals and utility of metadata.
The system described is well thought-out, scalable, systematic, and addresses many key concerns of anyone with a computer and a camera. The book establishes some best practices (including explanations based on sound concepts as well as pitfalls to be aware of) for things like organization, rating, validation, backup, storage, and archiving, all while retaining usability. I admit that I don't hang out with any professional photographers, but with that being said, there is no one I know that has a system for managing their photo collection that safeguards it from loss while making it available to work on and share. Basically, everyone I know has had multiple cameras over the years and has an amorphous, unmanageable blob of photos strewn across hard drives, with no concept of what's there, what's backed up, what's safe, and what they're repeating whenever they try to sort, rate, or edit.
This book stands out among some of the others that I have read in that it clearly communicates the rationale behind the workflow steps (and presents alternatives). There are many successful photographers out there, and they all must have systems and workflows that work for them. There are other books that simply document a photographer's dogmatic process and leave a lot of questions and loose ends. It's tough to get a sense of the relative importance of all the interdependent decisions you have to make. The DAM Book, in contrast, leave very few questions or loose ends, and is very comprehensive, and to me the author's enthusiasm for the subject matter shows through. If you're unsure about something, the author is active and responsive in the forums over at thedambook.com.
Highly recommended and worth far more than I paid for it.
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