The Digital Photography Book

by Scott Kelby

book data

350 ratings, 4.18 average rating, 92 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		39%
4		42%
3		14%
2		3%
1		0%

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published

September 2nd 2006 by Peachpit Press

binding

Paperback, 240 pages

url

http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.as...

isbn

032147404X (isbn13: 9780321474049)

description

Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Bo...more

[close] Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography--how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I'd just say, 'Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' You d say, 'OK,' and you'd get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak."

This isn't a book of theory—it isn't full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here's another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There's never been a book like it, and if you're tired of taking shots that look "OK," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you. [close]

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10/07/07

Bart rated it:

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: beginners and hobbyists

My veteran photographer friends would laugh at me if they knew I bought this book. I'm a real novice, and many of my friends are professional art and event shooters. I liked this book, though, because it reminded me a lot of having a conversation with a photographer friend. In fact, this is a goal clearly stated by the author: he wanted to cut out the technical explanations and write as if he and the reader were out shooting, giving flat advice and instructions. It works for what it is, I pi...more

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01/22/09

Mindy rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This guys writing will drive you nuts at the beginning because he is constantly joking. He calms down towards the end though. And in the meantime, he gave great PRACTICAL advice with shooting digital. For example, he doesn't use complicated words when explaining how to get great flower shots. He just tells you as a friend would. Set your camera at this setting, do this, do that, and there you go.
I want to try out everything he explained. It's one of those books I would like to have...more

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05/07/08

Antigone rated it:

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Antigone by: Lisa E.
recommends it for: novice photographers, beyond the point n shoot, not ready for multiple cameras

This is a great book but isn't for the advanced photographer..... its for those of us who got a spiffy Nikon DX40 and are trying to harkin back to the old SLR photo classes we took in highschool to remember what ISO and Aperture and such mean. He is an amazing read - very funny and direct. But again.... this ISN'T a book for advanced users - though I kinda thought by the awesome cover it would be.

Also, he has an amazing blog you should subscribe to. And this week, I learned from h...more

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01/03/09

Rolf Häsänen rated it:

bookshelves: photography

Scott Kelby aka Mr Photoshop dishes out some no-nonsense and excellent tips for improving your photography skills. I have added some of my pics, so you can judge your self ->

I think my photos have improved after reading both of his books, some tips were so simple but oh so good. I still get crappy pics but the ratio of good pics is much higher and i can plan for my shoots now.
The books are not for the pro photographer b...more

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03/30/09

Leone rated it:

bookshelves: photography

I found The Digital Photography Book to be a terrific book on digital photography with a DSLR. It is written as the author says, "... you and I are out on a photo shoot. While we're out shooting, you have lots of questions, and I'm going to answer them here in the book just like I would in real life -- straight and to the point ..." It is full of useful information for the amateur who has some knowledge of shutter speed, f-stop, depth of field but wants to improve his/her pictures.
...more

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06/10/08

Lisa rated it:

Read in October, 2008

LOVE Scott Kelby! This man knows his stuff and makes it simple and easy for anyone not a professional photographer. Really enjoy his tips and have learned some things that I use frequently now. (Just purchased a light tri-pod). Sadly the Nikon D40x does not have a mirror lock to allow for tack sharp photography... but I digress.

READ SCOTT KELBY!

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03/26/09

Courtney rated it:

This book is great. I am 16 and I am very into photography as a hobby. I have checked out many books about photography from the library but most books I checked out were boring, dry, very hard to understand, and full of a bunch of technical terms; this is not the case with this book. This book is easy to understand and it give simple tips to improve your photography. Scott Kelby also uses a lot of (not so funny) humor to get his point across, which makes the book enjoyable to read. This book als...more

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10/01/08

Crystal rated it:

bookshelves: how-to-and-hobby

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Those who want to take better pictures, without any real understanding.

This book was pretty good. I was drawn to it originally because the author described it as being different than other photography books in that he didn't give unnecessary explanations of how things worked. But rather just told you "If you want this look in your photograph, set your aperture here, shutter speed, etc." I thought that was what I wanted. After reading it however, I found that I actually wanted to understand how to do it myself and WHY I would choose the settings I was....more

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05/15/09

Debbie rated it:

Read in May, 2009

I found this book very helpful, and easy to read. If you're looking for a brief, yet informative book about photography, then this would be one to try.

If you can get past Scott Kelby's slightly dry and unusual sense of humour, the actual tips, and detail that you can get from this book is well worth it.

I'm still referring back to this, making notes, trying new things, so definitely a book that you can go back to at any time. It covers subjects such as sharp photograph...more

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07/31/08

Lizzy B rated it:

bookshelves: photography

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Lizzy by: DPS blog

Stunning piece of work by Kelby. Really impressed by his ability to make photography so real and everyday.

The photos in the book are fantastic too - all to often i find photographs illustrating points aren't up to scratch in the cheaper photography books but these are beautiful, high quality colour images.

Talking to you as a friend and equal i feel Kelby truly achieves his aim of treating you like you are out on a shoot with him. As such the book makes you feel good abou...more

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02/12/09

Kellie Brabec added it

bookshelves: 2009-reading-list

Read in February, 2009

I picked this up because I'm really trying to learn more about the technical aspects of Photography, and it seemed that a lot of the books were just a little further over my head than I was comfortable with. I'm glad I picked this one to start with - it's clear, easy to read (and quick!) and has lots of tips and ideas of things to do with the camera, settings, and things to practice on. I see lots of photos in my future!

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06/22/09

David Chwalisz rated it:

bookshelves: reference, technical

Read in February, 2008

Lots of good information, informally presented. Hard to keep everything in mind, but grouped logically in "Wedding", "Landscape", "Portrait" etc. that focuses the questions. Assumes more powerful camera than Canon A1000IS (My 5 year old A320 had Aperture priority, for god's sake...)

Can be a little goofy in discussions, and a little goofy is annoying after a while. He can take pictures and explain it, so we will deal.

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10/20/08

Brett rated it:

bookshelves: self-help

Read in January, 2009

I think $20 is a steal for this book (although mine was on sale for even cheaper). Think about it. You have already spent $1000+ on a rig so that you can have nicer pictures. Why not spend another $20 and a few hours and have pictures that are closer to stellar?

Maybe not quite half of the things in this book are things that even amateur photographers could discover on their own, after shooting for enough years. However, the majority are things that aren't so easily discovered. W...more

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07/31/08

Stephen Kennedy rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction, photography

Read in August, 2008

Good book for those that want to get better at photography. Not really what I expected, as it is more a list of single page tips than a deep technical description. I ordered the book online and have never looked at it in a bookstore. Although I knew some of the tips, I did learn some new things.

If you have ever read any of Scott Kelby's books or watched any of his Podcasts (Photoshop User TV), you will have run into his sense of groan style humour which is used throughout the book. ...more

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05/20/09

Lauren rated it:

This is a very light read and not something for someone who wants to know the ins and outs of photography.

I would describe it as a book of handy hints and tips for getting a good shot composition-wise, as the emphasis is on the end result rather than the process. If you want to learn about exposure, shutter speed et al look elsewhere first as this book merely touches on them.

Admittedly, Kelby's writing style was rather wordy and I found myself scanning pages at times, try...more

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02/24/09

Bill Walker rated it:

Read in April, 2008

Small digital photography reference that describes best practices applicable in a variety of situations (landscape, portraits, etc.). Recommendations regarding equipment will age quickly, but the rest will continue to be worthwhile. This is the sort of book I rarely "finish" (read cover-to-cover), but I find myself referring to it as needed.

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08/22/08

Shelly rated it:

bookshelves: finished-in-2008, own

This is a book that I will constantly be reading, skimming, refering back to. I'm so glad I picked it up. It gives great tips/tricks from a professional photographer in a non-technical way. As Scott puts it... "you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend - without all the technical explaination sna d techie phot speak."

Each chapter in the book focuses on a single topic and how to do it ...more

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02/13/09

Luke rated it:

This book is no fluff. It tells you how to get the results you're looking for. It took me 1 1/2 hrs to read and helped me take tremendous pictures on my vacation with no previous experience. I'll go back and get a book on the Why's of photography another day.

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12/31/08

Marcie rated it:

Usually photography books are full of a bajillion "no duh's" like : Get in real close. This book was surprisingly not like that.This book will teach you helpful hints that aren't shared in any other library photography book that I've seen...

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02/26/09

Shari rated it:

bookshelves: photography

Read in February, 2009

I love this book. Scott skips all the science of photography and just gives good tips and tidbits on how to take the photos! this is a book I'll re-read over and over and use as one of my constant study guide/reference books.

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