Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Guide to Digital Nature Photography

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Having personally known Richard Bernabe, one of the co authors of this fine "How To" book, I had high expectations. The book not only met my expectations but greatly exceeded them. The information is well written and even someone that is just starting to do digital photography will learn a lot about taking better photographs. Everything is covered from composition to lighting; from lenses to filters and everything in between!

Value!!!
You could pay hundreds of dollars for this kind of instruction!
But why pay all that when this very affordable book can jump start your desires to take better digital photographs for very little money?
I'll be sure to use this book as a reference for taking better photos even though I've won awards myself, been published and am making a small business from my photos. My fiance who is just starting to learn something about photography will also find it very helpful.

Definitely all nature photographers will find this book an excellent resource!!!

This is just my opinion, but, I was sorely disappointed. The people who wrote it are wonderful photographers. However, the book is only for people who have very little experience taking pictures. Not in depth enough with helpful technical details. Nice pics though.

As a photographer that is just starting out I've found this book to be of extreme value. There are so many things discussed that I didn't know or think of that have helped me learn how to capture "those moments".

This book contains many tips and techniques for a variety of environments. I know I'll be referencing this book several times as I venture out on trips with specific ideas in mind. However, something else that was pointed out in this book was how to use a scene to your advantage. So you ventured to a location with an idea in mind of what image you wanted to capture. Since "nature" is just that, it doesn't necessarily comply to your wishes. In this situation, look for other opportunities or ways to shoot the same scene and not to be afraid of being creative.

This book emphasizes studying and learning about the environments before you head out to photograph them and to learn from others that have been there before you.

It explains how to interpret what the camera information is actually telling you and not just relying on the result that appears in the display after taking the shot. It also goes into detail about what format to shoot in and their pros and cons.

One thing that I really appreciate being in this book is the discussion of the best times of year and locations for getting great nature photographs. This provides a jump start on where to photograph and when.

I recommend this book to anyone that has a desire to capture nature photographs and to do so in a way that you'll be proud of and are eager to share.

As a fine art photographer for many years I have read many many books in this area. If you are an advanced photographer looking for in-depth sophisticated advice, skip this book. It does have a few pointers and the images are lovely - best part of the book. Otherwise, spend your money elsewhere - look to someone like George DeWolf or Stephen Johnson. I am selling my copy!

Great images but for beginners only, not for experienced shooters. I own about 40 photography books, this definitely not stand out from others. The authors remind you that your camera does not take photos but you do, they only tell you how to control your cameras but not teach you how to visualize the scenes that is the core of great images. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK.

This is the email I just sent to Ian about his book. Though the pictures and other included information were good, the fact is that if you don't really know how to setup your DSLR in most situations without using the Auto mode, then this book really doesn't tell you how...even though the author states they are going to teach you in baby steps. There is absolutely no information in this book on how to properly setup your camera in a given situation, and those who took the images in the book don't tell you anything about the settings of their cameras when they took the shots. This is why I only give this book 3 stars. Here's the email I sent to Ian....

Hi Again Ian,

Luckily I had three other books other than yours, and using those three along with my Nikon, in less than 48 hours, I now know enough about my camera and how it all works, that I can successfully take superior images in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program Mode, and even Manual Mode!

I no longer have to rely on the Full Auto setting!!

I hope you can take the criticism about your book when I say that it really didn't help me at all. The information you give about Exposure, F-Stops, and the rest, was all contained in the other books I bought, which frankly, were just as easy to understand (if not easier.) But these other books at least tell you how to put all the settings together, and why....plus showed the results! With that, I was FINALLY able to figure out how to be dangerous with my Nikon.

It's funny. In your book, on Page 22, you state how "you'll be turning those who read further, from good photographers into great photographers, and that you will walk us through using baby steps," but after that, all you do is go through all kinds of meanings about all the camera options, like Exposure, and other generalized information that most other books already contain; doing that all the way up until Page 90.

From there you jump to taking an actual shot....being there at that moment, and then you list some steps; "Slow Down Take A Deep Breath," "Visualize," etc, then it comes to "Set Up the Camera," which is only ONE menial paragraph, then closes with "Make Final Adjustments."

But that's it! From there you jump to Chapter Four: Light.

You don't tell anyone HOW to setup their camera, what settings or features to choose, or why. "Baby steps??" All you did was open with some nice photos and big paragraphs, explain the definition of standard camera features and what they do, but with all the information missing about WHY you choose such and such aperture, exposure, other settings, etc, for particular scenes or portraits, all it really does is leave the reader with a bunch of information about the purpose of the features and what they physically do, with no real understanding of why they should be used.

I checked and checked....you simply have no explanation of why settings or features should or should not be used, how they work in tandem with each other, and in essence, no explanation of the combination, implementation, or execution of these settings so that the user can learn to properly setup and be creative with the camera. This all in combination with the fact that there are no results that demonstrate anything, all of which I think is a serious oversight on your part.

You don't even tell the reader how the photographers took any of the included images in the book. No details whatsoever, which in my mind, makes this simply a picture book, and clearly, you guys were more interested in showing off your shots than you were at explaining any camera settings that were used for those shots, or disclosing any other useful information on how to truly learn your camera and be creative. It seems to me that you deliberately avoided disclosing any settings or step by step procedures, or any tips and tricks, probably because those of you who wrote this book didn't want to share any of your secrets?? That's my guess.

Sure, you started off telling people you were going to "hold their hands," but then halfway down the beach you let go and wandered off talking to yourself, then later came back and said, "Oh there you are. Now you understand how setup your camera in most given situations. Hey, let's move on to Chapter 4, Light!"

Anyway, that's my opinion of your book. Great photography, good information on the purpose of camera features and what they do, but no real training on the `when and why' to use them with your digital camera, and therefore no real training of how it all works, leaving the reader with little actual WORKING understanding. THAT is the biggest issue I've found with this book.

Very well done and presented. I would recommend this book to any level of photographer.

I really like the results from this group effort. The authors, all accomplished professional photographers, have put together a very good reference guide with well thought out concepts and outstanding photographs. I would think that 99% of everyone interested in nature photography will learn something valuable from this guide that will improve their images. This book has quickly become one of my favorite guides on nature photography. A great value for the low cost.

I love this book. It teaches me new concepts and photographic styles. I like how this teach you how to shoot landscapes. I also like how they show you the samples. The photos are really good. This is a good buy especially for those who is just starting with landscape and nature photography. This is a highly recommended book.

This book has the best information on composition that I have found. It is also loaded with lots of other very simple and easy to understand information about the importance of light, equipment and making nature photos.