Scott Kelby - The Digitral Photography Book

[ny156uk]

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of The Digital Photography Book from this site, and having read through it would like to try my attempt at a book review:

The book is set as if you are a buddy of Scott's out on a shoot. Each page is another tip/'technique' so you get headings like "When to Shoot Flowers" or "What to Shoot in Bad Weather". The book doesn't explain 'technical' information about how cameras work/why X creates a small depth-of-field etc. instead it focuses on what settings/things you need to do to capture a specific look.

Throughout the book there is light-hearted humour. This appears to be an attempt to make the book less reference-y. I quite like the less formal approach, but imagine for some the humour may diminish the otherwise clear writing style.

Each chapter spans a specific area covering off the usual (weddings, landscapes, sports, nature, flowers, travel and portraits). It also has a 'photo recipes' section with several very beautiful photos, each containing a breakdown of what compositional elements/features make the shot and how to replicate it.

Throughout the book you are presented with short snappy stories from the perspective of a pro, situations they have gotten into and some rather unique little tips (there is a photo showing a method of wrapping your camera-strap around your arm that is said to achieve a sturdier grip for hand-held shots).

If anyone thinks the below amounts to 'copyright violations' let me know

Top things I learnt:

• A yard of black velvet/valour set a few feet beond some flowers will make a nice dramatic background to your flower shots
• Don't cut off people at joints. Always try to cut-off body parts in the middle (between elbow and shoulder/between wrist and elbow etc.)
• When shooting forests, it is often best not to include the forest-floor
• When shooting on overcast/cloudy days try to frame your shot to minimize the amount of sky on view
• Dusk and Dawn are the best times to shoot (emphasised a lot throughout the book)

I found the book an enjoyable read and much of what was suggested was either new to me, or was expained in a more simple way than I had previously encountered. The book requires virtually no technical knowledge, but does focus more on owns of dSlr cameras, but many of the techniques noted could transfer over easily.

My rating: 9 out of 10 stars

I guess this a little odd, but at the end of the book there were 5/6 pages of adverts. Whilst not a big deal it makes the book feel more like a 'magazine add-on' than a real book. Daft of me i'm sure, but i've dropped it a star for that reason.

[higabyte]

thanks for the review!! I especially like the things you learned, because I learned something off what you wrote, I think I tend to cut off at joints but not anymore... =)

[Saralonde]

Nice review! Maybe some other people would like to try reviews, too. There are so many photography books out there, it's good to know which ones people find helpful. Thanks ny156uk!

[Tiberius]

I've got this book, as well as several others. The humour in this book is typical of his humour, and frankly, it's the kind of humour I love.

The book clearly sums up the important tricks of the trade and it's easy to follow. A great book, well worth buying.

[higabyte]

I just want to add, that due to this review, I'm ordering this book tonight... =)

[Nieton21]

I got this book a few months ago when I started really taking photos. It has helped me in so many ways and is like others have mentioned an enjoyable read. I still like to keep the book on my coffee table to pick up from time to time and just flip through and check out some random tips that I might one to retry or make sure I do next time I go out shooting. Fantastic Book!

[WooD]

I've had this book for a while. Love it. I'm going to get a copy of his book on PhotoShop next.

[Tiberius]

His book "The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers" has a huge number of tricks! I have it and love it!

[NaturesPixel]

excellent thank you for taking the time to write this review... i have just received (yesterday) "macrophotograpy Learning from a master by Gilles Martin" but i have been meaning to write a review on my "Low Light and Night photography by Lee Frost" which i would recommend to anyone ^.^

[rikkersc]

I have Scott Kelby's Digital Photography book, too. It is wonderful. I really like the fact that the sections are short and are great for quick and easy reference, you don't have to spend an hour reading a section to try to disect the info that you are really looking for.

I saw the list of books from this site that were available to winners of a contest. I went through the list and read up on each one of them and ended up ordering 5 of them for myself that I thought were really relevant to me. (Wishing I had the full version of Photoshop, but I'm happy for the most part with my Elements.)