Digital Photography Expert Techniques

Buy this book ONLY if you are already committed to improving your photographic skills, and have the time and budget to dedicate to this improvement. This is an incredibly detailed and helpful book, but it isn’t for the faint hearted or the “average�? photographer.

What they say: Expert advice and pro strategies help photographers at every level become more competent in their work routines. Through step-by-step procedures based on hard-nosed experience, professional photographer Ken Milburn describes a complete workflow sequence that begins with essential photographic equipment and digital darkroom setup, and ends once finished images are in albums, exhibits, web sites, or publications.

Whether you’re a new photographer or an experienced pro, this book will guide you through the labyrinth of options and choices you face from the moment you see a photo opportunity to the time you share your final results. And it will help you minimize the time needed to fix your mistakes along the way.

Through step-by-step procedures based on years of experience, professional photographer Ken Milburn describes a complete workflow sequence that begins with essential equipment and preparation, takes you through detailed editing techniques, and ends with your finished images looking the way you want, ready to be shown to the world.

This completely revised edition of Milburn’s original bestseller teaches you everything you need to do before, during, and after the editing process.

* Be prepared with the right equipment
* Get the basic shots right
* Organize your photos and find the gems
* Make reversible adjustments
* Refine your images with care
* Use special effects cautiously and tastefully
* Publish and share your images effectively

You’ll also learn advanced techniques with Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements, though this isn’t a typical Photoshop how-to book. Milburn’s workflow strategy ensures that high-production jobs are done professionally with a minimum of frustration. With Digital Photography: Expert Techniques, you’ll become a better (and more profitable) photographer.

What I say: I don’t think I have ever loved a book that I didn’t really understand as much as this one!

I know that may seem weird so let me explain. I am desperate to be a better photographer. To achieve that desire I know that I will need better equipment, more dedication, much more time and a lot more knowledge and skill.

What I really need to know isn’t how to take a better picture, but how to approach taking better pictures. This book details in twelve (12) carefully constructed chapters how to do that; from the introduction of the concept of “Nondestructive Workflow�?, through preparation of the camera, modifying the image, creating the “Wow�? factor, and presenting the finished image.

When I first read the book I think I understood about 25% of it. When I read it a second time I understood 50% and that is why I rate this book so highly. It just sucks you in, educates and informs you, whilst at the same time exciting you enough to want to learn more.

It assumes you are familiar with Photoshop and such commands and tools as Magic Wand and the Move tool, which I have a problem with in that I don’t have a copy of Photoshop – yet! So I may be overstating the value of the book for those of you that are already accomplished with this application, but I somehow doubt it as a) the author says “I speak as though I’m talking to fellow professionals, and b) the other reviews I have read are very complimentary as well.

Without doubt this is a book that I will refer back to many, many times – in fact I doubt that I will ever not need to have it to hand as I pursue my desire to improve my photography, and for that reason I think this is an exceptional book.

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