The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
by Scott Kelby
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Book Reviews of The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
Book Review: Very helpful, but 4 stars only because.,,
Summary: 4 Stars
Using the one-page lesson format is smart. Scott Kelby truly evokes in every page a coach who wants to lay down useable tips for the budding photographer. This book is truly ideal, and will give immediate dividends and satisfaction to first time users of a DSLR.
The section on putting up your own studio is the most interesting. One caveat though: as you are reading this book, you will want to spend, spend, spend. To create your own studio, in fact, you must pluck-out 3 K USD easily.
I'm giving just 4-stars because I feel that some of the lessons could have been illustrated more in detail. Am not looking for spoonfeeding, but rather just a bit more detail in some of the lessons--also because this book is supposed to be for beginners, and the one page allotted for each tip are rarely filled-up, anyway. For example, a drawing/diagram on where to place the light, or how to structure the elements exactly, or include more pictures of the actual shoot (meaning with the photographer and stands included) are not too much to ask for. Perhaps in the conscious effort to be as concise and quick as possible, some important details are left out. Not every accessory has a price, and where to place the camera and light can only be explained in words so much... a picture or drawing on where to place them are still better, quicker illustrations.
These are just humble suggestions for vol. 3, which I will surely buy as well.
Book Review: Great Books for the pragmatic beginner.
Summary: 5 Stars
Dear fellow amazon.com shoppers,
I bought volume 1 and volume 2 of Scott Kelby's books together with my Pentax K200D. As a photo-enthusiast and DSLR starter I really enjoyed reading this two books. Both read very easy and takes you in a fast pace through the basic and intermediate know-abouts of professional digital photography. Volume two picks up right where volume 1 stopped, so both books actualy make 1 big total package. The author doesn't bother you with too technical explanations but takes you with him on a shoot as a friend would do. Every chapter he describes how to best do this and that. Starts with landscape shooting, all the way to sports, macro, weddings, nighttime shooting etc. Every chapter is dedicated to a certain discipline and gives you more usefull information than you'll be able to remember the next time you go out on a shoot. So the book grows with you as your experience grows. You read the chapter again, ie. Landscapes, and hey: i forgot about this and that, let me try that the next time when I'm in the mountains. When you control every discipline described in these books, then and only then you can move on to more technical and specific books. The chapters read very fluently with a great deal of humor and pragmatic 'aah, so that's how they do it' moments.
For the price, get both at once as you really need both to get going!
Good luck improving your photografic skills!
Book Review: Continued learning
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been away from "real" photography for many years, and rather than dust off and upgrade all my old 35mm equipment, I decided to jump in with both feet and go full digital SLR. Unfortunately I came to realize I had forgotten almost all I once knew (or thought I knew) about SLR photography. This as it turns out is an excellent way to get back in, or if you are new to this, a way to get started. Once you get past his rather odd sense of humor, Scott Kelby does an excellent job of making everything about digital SLR photography very plain and understandable. I love his use of "shoot by example" with his simple examples and explanations. Rather than lengthy dissertations about how a camera or lense is made, he simply tells and shows you how to make good pictures happen. Using this book as a building block I have been able to get a toe hold on my SLR photography and will now be able to build upon his teachings and begin rebuilding my photographic skills. Because I read this book before making any purchases, I was actually able to make several decisions on what equipment I bought based on information I picked up within the pages. I also purchased the previous edition which makes an excellent building block for this book, as Scott merely expands and adds to his teachings in that edition. I highly recommend both this and the first edition of this book to anyone at the beginning stages of digital photography.Book Review: Take with You.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is just the right size to slip into your camera case and take along with you. The book upfront gives great advice before delving into the main chapters. Chapters are broken out by like categories such as using flash, wedding shots, travel and portraiture. The chapters in themselves however are not drawn out affairs. Each page is topic specific running one to two pages with concise to the point advice. The information in each topic is in an easily guided verbiage to get you quickly through the task at hand.
I find that I am not able to always remember all the fine points of advice when it comes time to make that next shot. This book is going to be a handy reference tool to remind me on technique, equipment and do's and don'ts. While you may never plane to be a wedding photographer, the book has lots more info than just this and besides, the information is great for technique and equipment for the serious amateur.
Besides having a great index (most books miss the importance of this) is the final section. A selection of pretty much every type of shot is shown, with the "recipe" to get it. Kind of made me feel like being in the Chef's kitchen getting the goods on a secret process. In a field where professionals wont always want to help out the amateur, this book goes a long way to help.
Book Review: If you like the first one, you need to get book 2... and book 3!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had the first book in this series for a couple of years, and loved it! I finally got books 2 and 3 for Christmas this year. These books have so much information and Scott's writing style makes it fun to read. The parts of this book that I got the most out of were how to get your flash off your camera and the section about travel photography. All in all a great book. Lots of hints and tips spread through out that make it worth it. Ordered through Amazon and great service as always! Price even with shipping was cheaper than the book store and I had it in just days.
Also, I was on the fence about book 3 because of some of the negative reviews. Got it anyway and it is awesome! I wanted a new lens and was debating for months which one. The chapter on lenses in book 3 helped me to finalize my decision and I am so happy with my latest gear. And still loaded with great information from Scott Kelby.
Bottom line is if you are wanting to learn more about photography, this is a great series for those with knowledge of their cameras that need to go beyond the basics. He tells you what to do to get the photo. Also great for those like me that needed to learn how to use camera accessories like flash units and other gadgets.