The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Digital Photography - For the bookshelf Major Keary |
Books in the Dummies series usually have a page count in the order of 350; Digital Photography All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies - to give its full title - is something of a Dummies heavyweight at just on 700 pages. First, what it is not: the book is not a technical resource on how digital cameras work, it is not a which-camera guide for buyers, and it is not entirely about digital photography.
There are principles of photography that apply regardless of whether one is using a film or digital camera, just as there are common techniques such as lighting for different kinds of subjects (portraiture, macro photography, and so on). Thus, much of the book applies to both film and digital photography. And so it should; there is a generation of novice photographers that knows nothing but point-and-click. As the quality of affordable digital cameras improves, so there will be a growing need for more information about principles of composition and the many other facets of photography that make the difference between snaps and good pictures. The author provides good explanations of composition, lighting, and other techniques that should be part of every photographer's knowledge base.
Digital cameras are frequently used as an adjunct to a computer system: in short, for many users they are another peripheral. Users are able to manipulate captured images, either to change them (in the sense of creating something new), to edit them (in the sense of cropping or removing unwanted parts), or to correct colour and effect 'repairs'. The book contains a wide range of practical and quite detailed information about those processes (with many useful examples) and the kind of software required.
There is an interesting discussion of scanners, promoting them as an alternative to digital cameras for some applications. Hewlett-Packard's innovative CCD technology and offer of higher resolution in their mid-range scanners (HP4470, for example) makes it possible to achieve remarkable depth of field and excellent image detail when scanning solid objects, such as coins - and even a banana. Resolutions of up to 4800 dpi are much higher than many digital cameras.
A chapter devoted to an overview of image editors provides readers with a good guide to choosing what is best for their respective needs. The applications described are ranked in four 'tiers' and each program is briefly reviewed following a common format: what's good about it; what's not so good; what you can do with it; and where to get it. This section is a well presented and valuable guide for anyone about to purchase image editing software.
A chapter that focuses on editing with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements is also a good guide to tools that are common to most editing packages.
For most digital camera users, especially those who would like to extend their skills, this is the best single resource I have seen. Good value for both beginners and those who already know their way around computer applications.
|
David Busch: Digital Photography All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies ISBN 0-7645-1800-3 Published by Wiley, 686 pp., RRP $59.95 incl. GST |
 |
Reprinted from the July 2003 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
 |