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Experienced Photographers Review
Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
Robert B. Gillies - A very well written book
The book is unusually well written and well organized with good illustrations and clear explanations. The information is presented in such a way as to
make it very useful and practical. Even if you already know much of the information the book helps to reinforce or to remind you what a difference certain techniques can have on your photos. I really liked the chapter on
working with light. Also the chapter on
metering. While the book emphasizes exposure it covers a lot more than that. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in photography. I took a lot of photos over fifty years ago when I was in high school with a Contaflex I but recently I bought a Nikon D 7000 so I needed to be updated a bit. I have bought several photography books during the past year but this is perhaps the most helpful one. This book combines well with a good book on your specific camera. The idea behind the For Dummies series is that they are instructional but I don't like the word Dummies. This book is very instructional but it wouldn't help you much if you were dumb.
Beth Saboori - A Learning Experience for Me
No matter how much you know about a subject, you can always learn more and this book really proved that to me. I've been taking pictures for
years and I thought I really understood my camera, but after finishing the first chapter in Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies, I learned that I still had much to learn.
I knew about shutter speed and
exposure and their relation to each
other and I knew how ISO works, but I knew absolutely nothing about white balance and I didn't have a clue as to how my photographs would be improved with an add on flash, especially if you use it off camera. Because of this book I don't think I'll ever take a photograph with the pop up flash again.
Actually this book is really more than just about exposure, it's a good review of all aspects of digital photography and it was a real learning experience for me.
35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11" - Great choice for photographers of any skill level...
...and the author does NOT treat you like a Dummy!
Disclaimer:
Over the years, I've had unpleasant encounters with books in the
"...for Dummies" series. Sometimes they were a little too cute, sometimes they were too far behind the times in the technology they were trying to describe. Mostly, I objected to the fact that struggling to understand and use complex technology doesn't mean the user is a dummy. Instead, a vendor has pushed the technology (whether hardware of software) into the market and the hands of users with too little consideration for their interaction with it. And over the years, I've found other reference and user series (such as Pogue's Missing Manual" series) to be generally better than the "...for Dummies" offering.
Wiley (the publisher) and this book's author (Jim Doty, Jr.) have set an excellent standard in the familiar black and yellow landscape of
the "Dummies" series. The quality of this book have put it back on my list of candidates when looking for reference materials for technology.
Doty provides readers with immediate and uncomplicated
assumption at the beginning of the book: that you are already shooting a DSLR, and are ready to move beyond the basics.
This book's early chapters (Parts I and II) will be a review for
long-time SLR photographers. My experience is extensive enough that I remember when ISO was called ASA, that SLR meter batteries contained mercury, that SLRs shipped without "Program" exposure modes, that you focused and metered manually, and that your images were recorded on light sensitive "film" which had to be protected from light and bathed in a series of chemicals in order to reveal the images.
If you learned SLR photography under similar conditions, then the first 10 chapters will be a review of exposure fundamentals (primarily
the relationships between aperture settings, shutter speeds and ISO values, and the impact of each on your shooting situation). He provides excellent explanations of metering techniques (and especially techniques to meter scenes without a meter).
In Parts III and IV, Doty applies these lessons to a range of photographic situations, from people to pets to landscapes to wildlife,
to high speed subjects and low light environments. If your photos are like mine, then you already know your problem areas, and you can turn to these for help.
The books final chapters (Part V) go beyond exposure and
address ancillary considerations for the DSLR photographer. These include digital data format choices (RAW vs. JPG), backup strategies, data card management.
Overall, Doty takes a complex topic topic, and
through excellent
organization and user-friendly writing makes the fundamentals of digital exposure very accessible. While I might quibble with him on some data management mechanics (how to transfer and delete images from memory cards to a computer primarily), this is ultimately a matter of personal preference, and his recommendations are perfectly acceptable, although they differ from my own practices.
This book is an excellent review for experienced SLR photographers and an authoritative reference for those new to DSLR photography and looking to advance beyond the "P" button on their camera.
JWW - A real help for digital photography
A well written and illustrated book on photography in general as well as digital photography. This book clearly explains the hows and whys of
the features of your camera. If you wonder why the "Auto" setting only works part of the time and how to make the camera take the great pictures that you really want, this is the book for you. Don't let the title fool you. Anyone that wants to take better photos will find this book a helpful resource you will want to keep handy.
H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" - A Wealth of Information
This book has a lot going for it. First of all, the illustrations are many, in vivid color and are evidence that Mr. Doty practices what he preaches.
There is a wealth of information here and it is arranged to
help the beginning photographer get started with a SLR digital camera-- the author recommends that camera over a point-and-shoot-- as well as assist those more advanced hone their skills to get more beautiful, interesting photographs.
Mr. Doty uses special icons throughout the book: Remember - something you shouldn't forget, Technical Stuff - interesting but nonessential, Tip - information "that can save you time, make your
photographic life easier, and give yo0u better exposures," and Warning - these are situations that might damage your camera, your exposures or you personally.
The book is divided in five parts: The Science of
Exposure - the
author covers the basics of exposure and metering; The Art of Exposure, where he gets into depth of field, shutter speeds, etc.; Taking Exposure a Step Further - Creating Great Images - here he covers portraits, wildlife photography, landscapes, close-up shooting and sports photograhy; Exposure in Special Situations and The Part of Tens, where he lists ten accessories to make your photography better including a tripod, filters and cable releases.
I paid particular attention to the chapter on portraits, the kind of photography I prefer. He gives good advice. Always focus on the eyes -- one of the sorrows of my life is a photograph I took years ago of James
Baldwin under low light conditions. The contact sheet looked fine.
However, when I blew the negative up, those fascinaing eyes were out of focus. Of course I had no opportunity to reshoot the photograph-- look for the best side of a person's face, use a long lens (70 to 100), and make the subject comfortable. Two tips he omitted: always put the eyes in the top third of the frame and, if the subject is not looking straight into the camera, focus on the eye closest to you. I was glad to see Mr. Doty tell the reader that you can use your own hand instead of a gray card. This works best if your skin is the same shade as that of the subject; otherwise, you'll have to make adjustments.
Mr. Doty's book should serve as a great reference book where you can look up any problem you might have and find assistance in how to fix
your photograph the next time out. A great book in spite of the title although I have never had a "Dummies" book on any subject that wasn't excellent.
William Polm "bill197" - Digital Photograph Explained in Depth
If you own or plan to own a digital SLR or high-end point and shoot (the type that provides manual controls) and want to learn more than
photography 101, here's the book for you. And, as the author/photographer points out at the beginning, about 90% of what's in his book applies to film camera photography and not just the digital type.
There's 9 table of contents pages, 348 pages of text, followed by 14 pages of detailed index. The writing is enjoyably reader-friendly and the instructions are crystal clear. The text is filled with tips from this
veteran landscape, event and commercial photographer and teacher of photography. There are many gorgeous photographs throughout, including quite a few taken specifically to illustrate the author's points. Just about everywhere
I flip in the book, I find interesting and helpful instruction to help me improve my photo taking. And, the book covers
just about every conceivable exposure situation. And exposure is the heart of photography. Actually, the book covers a lot more than just "exposure" aspects.
If I were able to give this book a
title, I would call it "Photography 501, Advanced Knowhow for Users of Digital and Film Cameras." I find this book exciting, and I think it will enable me not
only to take better photographs but also to become--in addition to being an artist with my watercolor brush (my primary reason for taking photos: potential reference material)--also an artist with my camera as well. This book not only admirably covers the science of photography but it enables you to better explore the art of it too.
seventybob - for dummies and above
Easy to read and understand, wonderful images, examples, and practicum, and room to grow are just a few of the things that came to mind as I
looked at this book. I see simple things that can immediately help my photographic creativity, and lots of stuff to experiment with and grow into as I find myself at a plateau in some phase of my photography. I would (and have already) recommend this book to persons at any stage of a photo hobby or even a more serious person looking to possibly create a career. I can't wait to try to capture images similar to those displayed in the book. Thanks for the lessons.
Dave Mayer - Made Me a Better Photographer
Photography has been my hobby for a lot of years and I thought I had a
pretty good handle on it. But after a few minutes with this book I saw that I still had a lot to learn. To be sure, a lot of this book was review for me and a lot of it jogged my memory and brought to the fore stuff I'd learned back in school.
But a there is a lot of stuff here that I'd never learned and probably should have and I found the chapter on electronic flash invaluable. There are tips and techniques galore in this book and I can't recommend it
highly enough. This book really will make most of us better photographers, I know it did me.
Shane Shogren - Will Make You a Better Photographer
I got two books Digital Photography Lighting For Dummies and Digital Photography Exposure For Dummies for my wife, who has been jealous of me and my photography for years. She finally decided she wanted to know as much about it as me and she wanted her own camera and not just a little point and shoot. She exclaimed that she really wanted to get into it.
So in addition to these two books, I gave her my backup camera, a Canon 40D, which worked out well for me, because my 50D became my new
backup and I ordered a 7D for me to be my main camera, so I'm a happy camper.
When the books came, I thought I'd give them a look through, so that I could answer any questions my wife might have as she worked
through
them. I was up all night with the lighting book, I read it straight through and I got a lot out of it. I'm no novice and most of the book was review, but there's good solid info here and it's presented in a way that logically keeps you reading and it's written well, by someone who obviously knows his stuff. Granted, if you're new to the subject you won't go through the book as quickly as I did, because you'll want to try out the tips and techniques you learn as you progress through the book.
The next night I spent with the exposure book. It too was mostly
review for me, but like with the lighting book, I not only relearned much of what I'd forgotten, but I gained a lot of new knowledge as well. And like the lightning book, it too was well written, by someone who knows his subject and obviously likes to teach it.
If you're new to photography, maybe you just bought your first DSLR, then these two books will aide you more than I can say. Both books take you on a general review of exposure, shutter speed, white balance and
ISO settings. No matter which one you read first, the second will reinforce what you learned, plus teach you more. Highly recommended, both books.
March 14, 2011
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