(This is the entire 3-volume boxed set - indivdual volumes can also be purchased on Amazon for $16.49 a piece, if you're not quite ready to take the 3-volume plunge just yet!)
For those of you who have yet to discover this little gem, check out Scott Kolby's "The Digital Photography Book" series. It was recommended by an amateur photographer whose work I love, so in my search for photography reading material, I went out to B&N and bought Volume 1 (terrible move, by the way... (a) should've ordered on Amazon - way cheaper - and (b) should've bought the entire boxed set). Don't be fooled by the so-simple-it-sounds-kinda-dumb title, my friends. Simplicity is definitely the name of the game with these books, but in a very good way. Well, let me qualify... I'm reading Volume 1 now, so I can't speak for all three volumes in the series. I can say, however, that I'm pumped to crack into the next two!
Scott Kolby inserts a little humor, and generally writes as if he was speaking to you face-to-face. It's kinda like having a professional photographer at your side while shooting to answer your questions. Each single page is devoted to a particular tip or trick for avoiding complications, getting "the shot" in different scenarios, getting the most out of your equipment (or the most bang for your buck when purchasing equipment), framing different types of shots, setting up the right lighting... it's amazing. While learning the technical aspects of how cameras actually work is invaluable, that's not the point of these books. He writes it as if you were out shooting together and asked him a question - he gives you a straight "how to" answer and generally spares the technical rationale behind the answer, for the most part. The information is presented in it's simplest form, but that's what makes it so helpful. "If you want to achieve this effect, set your camera to this mode, set your white balance like this, set your f-stop to that, and shoot." Simple as that. Love it. And the one-page-per-topic set-up of the book makes it a perfect reference tool. It's easy to flip back to something, re-read it quickly, pick up your camera and use the information immediately.
Bottom line: If you know a little about photography and would like to learn some of the tips and tricks of the professional trade - how they get the shots they get, and how to set your camera to do the same - BUY THESE.
Roger!
ReplyDelete