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If you’re new to the world of digital photography or you’re an avid amateur photographer who wants to bring the quality of your photos to the next level, The Basic Book of Digital Photography is for you. Veteran husband and wife photojournalist team Tom and Michele Grimm have developed a comprehensive guide that even the non-technical among us can understand.
At first, this 500+-page book seems overwhelming. However, don’t despair. It begins with a quick start guide to get your feet wet, providing a basic understanding of digital photography. You’ll learn how to choose a digital camera and the difference between the simple point-and-shoot camera, the mid-level Prosumer, and the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera used by professional photographers.
You’ll learn all about the parts—like memory cards, image sensors, batteries, lenses, and flashes for all types of cameras. Which components should you buy? It’s all covered here: camera and exposure settings, lens apertures, and shutter speeds. When should you use fine-tuning instead of auto settings? How about automatic vs. manual? The authors provide tips for taking panoramic views as well as close-ups and avoiding flash reflections and eliminating red-eye. They even suggest the best way to travel with a camera.
The book doesn’t stop there. You’ll learn special shooting techniques. The book explains how to take a creative photo and advises on good composition techniques, so your photos won’t need to be corrected on the computer. However, even if they do need extra editing, it’s all covered—as well as how to enhance your photos and create those special effects. What I found especially helpful were the numerous visuals and instructions explaining what the photographer did to create a certain look.
Need advice on selecting a program for downloading images? How about tips for organizing your photos, adding metadata, or sharing and archiving your photos? It’s all here and more. The book suggests how to choose a printer that’s best for photos, which inks are best, and how to archive your printed photos. Sharing, recording sound, creating slide shows, and even choosing a camera phone are all covered.
Not only is this guide written in an engaging manner, but it highlights important concepts, making it easier to focus on a vital point that otherwise might have been overlooked. A comprehensive glossary of terms and a helpful list of photography-related Web sites are also included.
Obviously, I found the book quite informative, but the real test was about to come. Could I readily find solutions to problems that I’m currently encountering in my own digital photography? I needed to find a better image-editing program than the one I was using. The book listed a free program that’s not only user-friendly, but it also resolved a problem that I was facing, which even my techno-savvy daughter couldn’t figure out. That says a lot.
Whether you read it from cover to cover or simply use it as a reference, The Basic Book of Digital Photography is a must for any non-professional photographer. This is one book that won’t gather dust.
