Shooting Digital: Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera (Paperback)

by Mikkel Aaland (Author) "Since most of us come to the digital world from the world of film, it's comforting that much of the nomenclature of digital photography is..." (more)
Key Phrases: Photoshop Elements, Accessories That Make, Nikon Coolpix (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A digital camera is functionally identical to a traditional film camera in all respects except image storage, right? Not at all, and Mikkel Aaland shows exactly why in his excellent Shooting Digital. He shows why digital cameras--the point-and-shoot variety as well as fancier models meant for professional photographers--are overall neither better nor worse than cameras of older design, and goes on to show you how to take advantage of their special traits. He shows how to compensate for their shortcomings, too, notably shutter lag (for which he documents a useful testing procedure) and color fringing. Though there's some coverage of creating animated GIFs, this book generally sticks to shooting time and leaves editing to other volumes.

Aaland never forgets that digital cameras should be more cameras than digital, and his book serves as an excellent photography text for hobbyists and aspiring professionals. The author's advice in this area is both technical (how to light a still life and how to best a strobe to eliminate shadows) and artistic (why kids should be encouraged to photograph other kids, and how you can use perspective to create weird effects). He's an accomplished photographer who obviously loves his work, and his enthusiasm for making art with a camera--and, for that matter, just playing with one--come through brilliantly. --David Wall

Topics covered: Photography--of objects, people, places, action, nature, and other subjects--as accomplished with a modern digital camera. Emphasis falls on the relationship between camera and subject, as defined by focus, lighting, composition, and motion. Further attention goes to image manipulation accomplished via camera settings (like white balance and exposure, and, a little bit, to post-shoot processing with image software. There's also nice coverage of the differences among various image file formats.

Review
"Shooting Digital is perhaps the most detailed popular guide to using digital cameras yet assembled..." -- Michael Rogers, The Practical Futurist, Newsweek.com

"There is no better guide to the magical transformation of light and dark into bits and bytes." -- Leo Laporte, Host of TechTV's The ScreenSavers

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (July 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782141048
• ISBN-13: 978-0782141047
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #646,630 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book to improve the skills of digital photographers, November 2, 2003

By	Tim Skyrme (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews

SHOOTING DIGITAL
Mikkel Aaland.
Published by Sybex Books. http://www.sybex.com
ISBN: 0-7821-4104-8

Shooting Digital is probably a must-have book for anyone taking digital photography seriously. It is 270 glossy pages of in-depth useful information garnered from an extensive list of professional photographers.

Mikkel Aaland himself has been a professional photographer for years and it appears that he really knows his stuff.

I like the way that the book describes the differences between film and digital photography and lays many of the myths associated with the value of one against the other. He manages to explain these differences simply enough for newcomers to the field, yet with enough technical information for long term SLR experts. The book does not assume that everyone has a professional quality camera and the abilities of a variety of cameras is compared.

Sensible advice on use of filters and accessories could save the reader a lot of money and heartache, and the setting up of simple studios and use of alternative light sources is extremely useful.

A lot of time is spent teaching how to work with a subject, whether animal or human to create brilliant portraits. This includes really useful diagrams of lighting setups and use of equipment and how to make the most of what you have available, as well as what sort of tripods, lights etc are needed. These sections are named Accessories That Make a Difference, and are scattered throughout the individual chapters. Also scattered are Know Your Camera, and Software Solutions, and these are sort of shortcut sections which are really useful.

Many other photographers have contributed works and information for the book so it is not just one man's view. Digital is here to stay and a lot of professionals are changing over, and are contributing real information in the fields of their own expertise, from portraits to action to minimovies and even how to get the most out of working in different situations and lighting conditions.

There is a whole section on interior and exterior photography and the information gained is invaluable. Use of natural and artificial light is something that is approached the whole way through the book, and this makes a lot of sense.

There are a lot of differences between the way that images are taken using film and digital and these are highlighted and explained all along the way. This is important if you are a film person moving to digital because, although a lot of the same terms are used, they do not necessarily equate to each other in the way you would expect.

If you are just using digital then it is best to ignore the differences and go for what your digital camera can do for you. Each shot is shown with the make of camera used and the settings involved, which gives a good insight into what sort of camera you buy and how you use it.

Obviously software is important for getting your digital images to their maximum, and this is well covered too. Including good information on use of filters and techniques, but this information is mainly a light introduction to clean up and lightly enhancing techniques. I think this is a good idea, because the book sets out to show proper photographing techniques to help you create the image you want with the minimum amount of re-touching. If you want to know more about the software you want to use, then other books are available for this.

If you want to see a sample chapter http://www.shooting-digital.com/book/ is the page to start from.

Every aspect of getting the most from your digital camera seems to have been explored and discussed. This is a very useful and informative book by people who know what they are talking about. If you are interested in taking good photos, or have already started and want to take better ones, then I would recommend looking here.

The book is not the sort of book you need if you want to know how to use a particular software program, it is just the sort of book you need to get the most out of your hardware though.

Tim Skyrme
http://www.artzend.com

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good book if you know something about digital cameras, September 26, 2003

By	Barbara Rhoades "Jackie of all Trades" (O'Fallon, MO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The first thing I noticed as I began to read this book was that there was a web site by the same name, http://www.shooting-digital.com. I checked it out even before I finished reading the first chapter. There are links to other sites giving the reader more information about digital photography and the site also has a gallery of the author's work but not much more.

I would not recommend this book to the beginning digital photographer. It is written more for the photographer that already knows a few things about digital cameras and how they work and even leans towards those who might be or plan to become a professional photographer. I believe photographs are a basic part of what should be included in this type of book in order to provide a good insight into photography. Unfortunately, this book has less photos showing what is being discussed and is more dependent on the written word. It does provide notes in vivid green boxes and other types of tips in soft blue one throughout the book but, alas, not much in the way of photographs.

The author, Mikkel Aaland, describes features and accessories available on cameras and some software solutions for cropping or changing things in the photos. He also talks about lighting, how to work with different subjects to get the best shot and problems like camera lag or bad weather and how it affects your photos. He shows what equipment it would need to set up a portable studio and continues on with the process of making a mini-movie and how to create a collage.

He has a chapter on photography while on the road. Some things he reminds us to consider are the cold, heat and humidity and what is can do to your camera and the picture subjects. Another thing to consider while moving about with your camera is the proper way to pack it and the accessories so they are not damaged.

Several chapters remind us to think about lighting over and over again. This must be something the author thinks is the making or breaking point for taking pictures. He continues with how to get great landscapes or photographing that new living room you just redecorated. He warns us to think about scale and depth of field. While in Chapter 9, he discusses the panoramic shots and those great virtual homes tours now available on the web.

Chapter 10 talks about software programs and a basic studio. It tells us that software can allow the photographer to take a less than perfect shot and correct the imperfections with the software. In other words, grab that picture that is one you really want even if it isn't set just exactly right. The wonders of the digital age will help you overcome the problems. Mr. Aaland also touches on composition and how to photograph flat objects.

Chapter 11 continues the digital camera uses by discussing shooting underwater, in the sky and even at night. A few accessories will be necessary for underwater shooting such as an aquapac. Think you need an airplane to get those aerial views? Think again! Remember Ben Franklin and his kite? Well, you can use one to get the aerial shot you want. Yes, it takes a bit of practice but what doesn't?

Chapter 12 talks of what to do now that you have taken the picture. Do you want to print it on paper or share them with friends online? There are many ways to do this such as the Kodak Picture Maker Print Station, a desktop printer or online photo services like shutterfly.com or snapfish.com. And, of course, there is more software available to help you save your photos and download your camera to your computer. The final chapter gives an in-depth description of RAW, describes the Histogram and white balance.

All in all, Shooting Digital by Mikkel Aaland, will give you many suggestions on how to improve your photos, the equipment that is available along with the accessories and what to do with the pictures once you have taken them. It is a book that will involve time in reading but could help you will end up with a more professional viewpoint on digital camera photography.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful guide to advanced techniques, July 31, 2004

By	Q (my office) - See all my reviews

Reading this book will teach you A LOT about how to use advanced features of your digital camera like aperture, focal length, ISO settings, and shutter settings. The author targets those who know a little, but only a little about cameras. Even for the complete novice, this would be a useful book. For those like myself, who have been using cameras for many years, but without any advanced knowledge, this book is perfect. He also goes into depth on photographic techniques for framing shots, catching elusive shots, and taking an ordinary shot and making it into something special. He even has a great little section on taking movies with your camera. Highly recommended! BTW, this book has excellent color photos to illustrate his points.