which books

[gramps]

looks like I'm in for the winter................6" of snow yesterday, 4" today and they say Friday is going to be a bunch more. I figure it's time to do some reading. What are the best books for PSCS (for dumbies) and whck is the best "all around" digital photography" book (again for dumbies)?

[Steven M. Anthony]

looks like I'm in for the winter................6" of snow yesterday, 4" today and they say Friday is going to be a bunch more. I figure it's time to do some reading. What are the best books for PSCS (for dumbies) and whck is the best "all around" digital photography" book (again for dumbies)?

I recommend Bruce Fraser's "Real World Camera Raw," and Martin Evening's "Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers. It's also worth watching the video that comes with CS for some "dummy-level" getting started tips (I found them very useful, as I'm new to photoshop).

[mdr]

Digital SLR Masterclass by Andy Rouse is an excellent all round book for someone taking up digital SLR photography.

[psk4363]

Any book by Scott Kelby.

Barry

[Scottes]

I can't agree with the Andy Rouse book. He's a great photographer but very recently started using digital. The book contains mistakes and misconceptions due to his lack of experience with digital. I can't recommend buying a book written by a digital newbie regardless of his experience in photography in general. However, it really does cover digital photography and processing from a beginner's perspective.

The Scott Kelby book "The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers" is great, and Martin Evening's "Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers" might be a better choice for a PS newbie. Kelby's book is much smaller and more to the point but expects you to know a bit more about PS and is very tuned to Digital Photography. Evening's book gives a bit more background on PS in general. (But if you don't like to read too much get the Kelby book.)

[J Rabin]

Gramps.
Asking for book opinions is like asking for opinions on abortion or guns. FWIW, mine:
1. Digital is STILL PHOTOGRAPHY. Read digital photog first, because getting exposure, composition, and focus right means less to PhonyShop later.
2. Photog is all about light. Read about digital photog and PhotoShop lighting.
3. I think local community college courses on digital photog, sharing experiences with others of like interests and instructers, are better than books!
4. Read the GOOD STUFF on the web that's free. Kodak's old exposure guides, everything on LUMINOUS-LANDSCAPE.COM for digital Canon, landscape, and PS. And read Photoshop "face mask histograms" on ShootSmarter.com for portrait work. Can't tell you how many pictures that 15 second PS technique has saved/improved.
4. I come to believe PhotoShop is not a computer program, it's a career. Like sailing on a big ocean. There are multiple equally good ways to do the same thing that users are passionate about.
5. Some authors' writing and layout style "resonates" with some readers, not others.
6. There are zillions of good and bad books.

7. With all that, here are my POSITIVE opinions:
a. A deceptively simple excellent little old photog book, out of print before be digital era, but always relevent is "The World's Best & Easiest Photography Book" by Jerry Hughes. ISBN 0-9634348. You can buy a used copy on Amazon.com for under $10. You'll not regret it.
b. I like Michael Freeman's writing style. He has a solid intermediate level series of recent digital photog books out by LARK Publishing entitled: "Digital Photog Light and Lighting," "Digital Photog Portraits," "Digital Photog Close-ups." These three are better, and digital specific, with PS smatterings, than his hard covers and his recent books by C&B Publishing. The LARK "PS Lighting Techniques" book is power user level.
c. For a intro PS book, look at "How to Wow, PS for Photog," by Davies and Willmore. Willmore is one of Adobe's official authors, and this book is practical, serious enough, without being superficial nor 600 pages like his Adobe book.
d. For digital exposure, read "Expose to the Right" on Luminous-Landscape, but it works best on landscapes, not portraits. The new 2004 harcover book from the Photographers Institute Press (PIP) on exposure is very solid. Lee Frost's book entitled "Creative Photog Handbook" is also good. There is a really good book by a landscape photographer on exposure in snow, ice, sky, etc. I forget name, but e-mail if you do that alot. Bryan Peterson's 2nd Edition of "Exposure" is solid and helpful.
e. There are many good 600 page books on digital photog and PS. You begin to trust some publishers more than others. I think the series is called "REAL WORLD...." and from them I respect the Digital Photog 2nd edition by Eisenman, et al, with a nice balance of digital photog and PS, their PS book by Bruce Fraser, et al, and of course Bruce Fraser's little book on PhotoShop Camera RAW is deceptively awesome, and has made him a Canon Digital RAW G-like guru. You can trust anything you read by Bruce Fraser on PS sharpening and color, whether on line, from PIXELGENIUS.COM, or in print. He's solid.

8. My own NEGATIVE opinions on authors and publishers I don't care for, since this is subjective:
a. I don't care for any photog/PS books published by Amherst Media. Find them superficial.
b. Don't like any of the "Dummies" books or other rushed to market junky series.
c. I don't care for the prolific John Hedgecoes' writing style. Find Freeman more engaging and case study oriented in the LARK series.
d. Contrary to most, I don't care for the currently prolific Scott Kelby authored digital photog and PS books. He presents many helpful PS techniques I've used, but without a deeeper training learning context, and his writing style is just too hippy-dippy flipant self absorbed for my taste. Maybe I'm too old. Like the MTV of digital and PS? I find Willmore is more serious.
J

[Steven M. Anthony]

"Asking for book opinions is like asking for opinions on abortion or guns."

Boy, even I wouldn't have guessed that books would be as controversial as abortion or guns!

[tim]

I have and like this book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735714118/qid=1104898472/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-2432264-6194560?v=glance&s=books&n=507846).

[donlavange]

J Rabin wrote in part:
d. Contrary to most, I don't care for the currently prolific Scott Kelby authored digital photog and PS books. He presents many helpful PS techniques I've used, but without a deeeper training learning context, and his writing style is just too hippy-dippy flipant self absorbed for my taste. Maybe I'm too old. Like the MTV of digital and PS? I find Willmore is more serious.
J

I am right with you there. I think Willmore is clear and covers things very well. I hate!!! the crappy humor or attempts at humor by Kelby.

[JX]

I have to agree with donlavange and J Rabin. The Kelby book has some good information, but his writing style and organization are terrible.

[tim]

I like the Kelby book, it's interesting and informal, has lots of good information, and a good index to jump to where you need to be.

[Scottes]

Heh. I never noticed this about the Kelby stuff, but I can see it. For these books I'm lucky to read 3 pages before I try something on the computer, so they fit my reading style I guess.