Digital Photography Book, Part 2, The

I would call myself an intermediate beginner photographer. Even thought I have been using Canon compact 35mm and digital cameras for 20 years, its been mostly automated point and shoot. I for the most part I have been perfectly happy with the Canons' choice for my pictures. But recently I decided to take my photo shooting to the next level. Since I am a very budget sensitive shopper, I did a lot of research and reading and decided to buy a Canon Powershot S3is as my step up camera. As an aside, let me say the photos I have shot with this camera so far using my tried and true auto point and shoot are OUTRAGEOUS. Friends and family can't believe I shot them. Enough on that. After lots more reading and research I decided to Scott Kelby's Digital Photograpy books. There seemed to be two streams of criticism of his books. For me, the more serious of the two being the lack of technical explanation of the different aspects of photography (aperture and shutter settings, ISO settings etc.) and the lesser criticism of his use of humor. First things first. The subtitle of Scott's Digital Photography books are ....The step-by-step secrets for how to make your photos look like the pros'!.... My analysis was that these were not books for PROS. Secondly, step by step seemed to remind me of my wife's cook books. Not why or how baking powder is added rather than/ or in addition to baking soda, just that is how it is done. Having said that, after reading through Vol 2, Scott does give technical information, insight and background on many of the aspects of photography. But it is done in natural, matter of fact manner that is appropriate to the "step by step secret" that he happens to be sharing. So for example on page 113, midway through the paragraph he writes "With this darker sky, f/22 will leave your shutter open long enough to give you that silky-water look." Here in an unintimidating way, the result of this f/stop in aperture priority mode starts to make sense. The repetition of this kind of light touch technical information opens the way for the reader to use technical specific information to master f/stops and aperture priority in a more user friendly way. As too Scott's use of humor, I found it to be pretty much spot on.But, even if it isn't your brand of humor...I don't think it will prevent most people from benefiting from the "secrets" Scott shares. For me this has been the best $20 spent on "how to make my photos look like the pros'!"

I've read volume one of this book series and this is a great follow-up. Plenty of new information and some new info to build on Vol. 1 stuff. I especially liked chapter eight where Scott takes misc. tips and puts them out there. All good stuff. I skimmed over the chapter on wedding shoots, but found a little in there to interest me for now. It's not that I won't tap into that chapter ever, I just blew by it for now. I also skipped chapter two on "Building a Studio form Scratch". I didn't think I would care right now about that information, but after finishing the book I'm curious about some of the equipment and techniques. I will go back and hit chapter 2. The great thing about these books is they are a fantastic reference for later. I will take them with me on photo shoots to make sure I remembered the techniques I'm about to use. Very good for reinforcing the instruction. Even thought I have a Kindle, I bought the paperback books of vol. 1 & 2 because I like the color pictures and I think it's faster to thumb through a book to find info vs an e-reader. I've read mixed reviews on Vol. 3, so I may skip it. I hope Vol. 4 is as good as the first two books, if it is, I'll be getting it.

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.

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.

Bought as ‘used - very good’ which I’m disappointed with. As a book lover, I would say it’s ‘used - not very good’ perhaps review your idea of what denotes a ‘very good’ used book looks like. I appreciate it’s an old book but I have books older than this in better condition.The content is fine. Bought for a photography course

THE SECOND GREAT BOOK THAT AGAIN STARTS WITH THE BASICS AND LEADS YOU THROUGH VARIOUS PROJECTS TEACHING YOU EVERY THING FROM SETTING UP CAMERA & LIGHTING, TO TAKING THE PHOTOS, THEN WORKING WITH ALL ADOBE PROCESSES REQUIRED TO CLEAR UP EACH PICTURE THROUGH TO THE FINAL PRINT.IT'S STILL LIKE HE'S WITH YOU ON A SHOOT IN/OUT OF YOUR STUDIO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS AS YOU GO ALONG. IT'S NOT A TECHY TYPE BOOK TREAT HIM LIKE A FRIEND, IT'S JUST SIMPLE SOUND ADVICE WITH PLENTY OF PICTURES AND SHORTCUT KEYS FOR BOTH PC & MAC'S. I READ THIS BOOK IN THREE OR FOUR EVENINGS ON MY PAD AGAIN. TRUST ME WHEN I SAY, YOU'LL GET SO MUCH OUT OF THIS BOOK AS WELL, I HAVE......THANKS SCOTT.

always produces books that are by and large, easy to digest. This book is no different. If you're interested in photography and want a quiet afternoon read that is informative, helpful and easy to put into practice, there's few other books that provide the insights Scott Kelby's book provide.If you're buying them from amazon then you're not having to lay down a lot of cash and couple to the quality of these books, it makes a whole lot of sense to buy this book and have it handy to read and learn from.Very worthwhile purchase.

This series was recommended to me by a friend. Don't pick it up and expect complex lessons in photography. As Scott Kelby says, think of this as a series of tips he would give a friend in a range of circumstances. Each bi-fold spread has a photo and a spiel about how to take the photo plus various equipment tips. I've found so many little useful tips in these books and a lot of food for thought. If nothing else, you'll never, ever, just take "walk-up" shots........

Scott Kelby has the knack of providing great advice in a very accessible way. When the whim strikes me to go out and photograph a particular subject, then I usually consult Kelby first. The index takes me to the subject area where I'll find several related topics, all concisely and clearly covered. It takes just minutes to do. Off I go with Kelby's simple but excellent advice in mind - and the results are better for it. Marvellous, don't hesitate, buy it (and Volume 1 too)!