The Digital Photography Book

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I really wanted to write a glowing review for "The Digital Photography Book"... I've been looking for a good tome of insider tips for digital SLRs for a long time, so when I found Kelby's book I was ecstatic! A quick skim showed many great tips; however, after reading the first page of chapter 1 where he carried on about the phrase "TACK SHARP" I began to lose faith.

Here is an excerpt (talking about the origins of the phrase Tack Sharp - meaning a "clear photo"):

"TACK stands for Technically Accurate Cibachrome Kelvin (which refers to the color temperature of light in photographs), and SHARP stands for Shutter Hyperfocal At Refracted Polarization. Now, these may seem like highly technical terms at first, but once you realize that I totally made them up, it doesn't seem so complicated, does it? Now, you have to admit, it sounded pretty legitimate at first. I mean, I almost had ya, didn't I? Come on, you know I had you, and I'll bet it was that "color temperature of light" thing I put in parenthesis that helped sell the idea that it was real, right? It's okay to admit you were fooled..."

Is this for real? Maybe his editor was asleep. He makes a lame joke out of trying to fool the reader, then carries on for half a paragraph laughing at how clever he is! I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he continued with this 'fooled ya' theme by writing fake subheadings on the next SIX sections:

The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos
"sorry about duping you with "The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos" headline..."

Perhaps Even More Important Than That
"Again, ignore that headline. It's just a cheap come-on to get you to keep reading."

If You Skip This, Throw Away Your Camera
"Still a fake headline. Don't let it throw you."

If You Do This Wrong, It Will Lock Up
"It's not as good as the last fake headline, but we're only one more page away from the real chapter content, so I'm backing it off a little."

It's Time to Get Serious
"I have good news: Not only are we at the end of this "fake headline" thing, you'll also be happy to know that from here on out, the rest of the book isn't laced with the wonderfully inspired (lame) humor you found on these first few pages."

Oh... Okay - so he's dropping the annoying stuff. Good. On to learn.

But NO! In Chapter 2, right away he's at it again! Below he describes ways to get around the problem of pollen dulling the color of flowers (???)

"Now, there is a special photographic filter (called the Flora 61B from PhotoDynamics) that can help reduce the effects of this pollination and both bring back the sharpness and reduce the graying effect, but because of U.S. trade sanctions imposed by the Federal Trade Commission, we can no longer buy this filter direct. Especially because I totally made this whole thing up. I can't believe you fell for this two chapters in a row. Seriously, how are you going to get good flower photos if you're falling for the old Flora 61B trick? Okay, I'm just teasing you, but seriously..."

I hate having to stay on constant patrol for full paragraphs of combed cr*p when I'm trying to learn something new! I don't care how good the "real" content is, I'm not going to sift through fertilizer to get to it!

If you find this type of humor funny, or wonder what I'm making such a big deal about, then you'll probably find this a very fun, interesting read.

If you don't like wondering whether or not the author is "pulling your leg this time, too", then you'll probably want to chuck this book out the window by the third chapter.

I have enjoyed photography as a hobby for 50+years. I own a Canon 20D and am a Scott Kelby fan. He is a great photoshop expert, yet emphasizes the importance of getting the best possible shot when taking the picture, to make your time in photoshop more enjoyable. You don't have to work as hard if you make the correct exposure to begin with.
Scott approaches each chapter with some humor, and really understands what you really need is a clear bottom line on how to approach the person or subject you want to photograph.
I received my book Sept 4th, read it and used some of his tips shooting 500+ volleyball pictures Sept 5th. I think I can see some improvement in my pictures already.
He has equipment recommendations and shooting tips for the person that has just bought a digital camera to the person that uses it to make a living.
He has worked alongside of professionals learning tips on how to process the digital photographs and how to best print them. Scott believes photography can be more fun if you get results you like by using some of the basic principles used by professional photographers.
I have unhesitatingly recommended this book to several of my friends.
This is one of the least expensive camera related purchases that I have made to bring my excitement of photography to a new level.
I am quite certain you won't be disappointed, especially if you own a Nikon or Canon digital SLR.
I expect my copy to become dog eared from use.

This is the most practical and useful book on digital photography that you will find on the shelves. The book is Filled with tips and tricks of the trade that the professional photographers use every day to get wonderful looking pictures using nothing but a digital camera similar to the one you have. Why their photographs look better than yours? Well is not always the camera, most of the credit is to know how to take advantage of the camera you have: selecting the right settings for different situations, choosing the right location, etc.

Full of examples and straight to the point tips, this book will definitively improve the quality of every single shot you take. When I compare the pictures I took before I read the book with my latest pictures, it looks like I am know using a far better or more expensive digital camera, but the only difference is the know-how I gained from the book.

Since I'm offering an opinion (and review) on the book, The Digital Photography Book, I think a brief look at my background may give what follows a bit more veracity. I am an enthusiastic advanced amateur photographer with roughly 40 years of experience that includes a goodly number of awards and published photos. I shut down my wet darkroom a few years ago and have happily traded film and silver-based images for electrons, pixels and ink jet printing.
Enough about me; now let's look at the latest book by Scott Kelby (of National Association of Photoshop Professionals fame): The Digital Photography Book.
This is a different kind of animal in the world of self-help photography books. The author describes the experience of reading the book as having your good friend--who also happens to be an expert in digital photography--standing besides you while you're taking pictures.
The book lives up to Scott's description--complete with the frequent interjection of his quirky sense of humor. (Warning, watch out for the first page of Chapter One.)
I don't feel this is a book for complete novices--either in photography or in the use of digital equipment. Scott assumes the readers already know the basics of how their cameras work (what and where the controls are) and have used their cameras long enough to know what else they want to learn to take better photographs.
Another reason some basic knowledge of photography is necessary to get the most from this book is that Scott doesn't shy away from including the terms in common use by digital photographers today: ISO, white balance, focal length, lens aperture, etc. He also assumes the readers have the desire to move up in the ranks from point-and-shooters to at least competent amateurs. Therefore, Scott includes numerous suggestions about photographic gear he feels can help any photographer take better pictures--and, although he breaks his suggestions down by price range, much of the gear still comes with a hefty price tag.
A look at the chapter titles also confirms that Scott was not writing a teach-everything book for all readers. The 11 chapters include specialized topics, such as, Shooting Flowers like a Pro, Shooting Weddings Like a Pro, Shooting Sports Like a Pro and Taking Advantage of Digital Like a Pro. For me, the final chapter, Photo Recipes to Help You Get "The Shot", was the best part of the book. This is where Scott puts everything together and takes his readers into the field to practice what they've learned.
So, do I like The Digital Photography Book? More importantly, do I recommend it? Yes, to both of these questions; but, as I mentioned above, to get the most out of the book, the reader should have at least point-and-shoot digital experience and a basic vocabulary of photographic terms.
One final note. The book can be read front to back, or chapters can be sampled at random to learn just the techniques each reader needs. At the offered price, I think The Digital Photography Book definitely has a place in a well-rounded photographer's library.

The writing style in this book is incredibly distracting and irritating, especially for non-american readers. It begins with 2 pages of gushing thanks to God, Jesus, the author's lovely wife, the author's lovely children, etc, then continues with about 5 pages of absolute drivel in a failed attempt to establish a jokey rapport with the reader. Then finally we get a couple of pages of technical photographic advice, then that's Chapter 1. Chapter 2 starts with more jokey stuff, and so on. I was ready to burn the book by Chapter 3.

The plan for the book is a nice concept: one photographic tip per page. While this makes it very digestible, unfortunately the small page size and the large font mean that each page carries very little information, so the text is superficial and disjointed.

I have read a lot of photography how-to books, and this one did not contain anything new to me. I found most of the technical tips far too basic, too general and sometimes incorrect or oversimplified. On the other hand, I think a beginner in photography would find this book bewildering because there is insufficient detail.

I would recommend The New Manual of Photography over this book in all respects.

It's obvious Kelby's book was too short and he needed lots of fluff to get his minimum word count. The jokes are absolutely terrible. It's a classic example of someone who's not funny trying to be funny. Hey Scott, leave the jokes to Deke ok?

This is an intermediate book. Advanced users aren't going to get much out of it, just a basic reminder of what they already know. Beginners are going to enjoy it, but they'll also need another book such as Understanding Exposure by Peterson.

One thing I really liked is he didn't waste too much time on basics, especially aperture etc. This was a relief. The second thing I really liked is it was written as if we were out shooting together and I was asking questions. I love this casual format and the book was extremely easy to read (I read it all in one sitting). He also turned me on to some equipment I wasn't aware of (the stop down filter, which goes from 2 to 8 stops is very cool until I almost had a heart attack when I saw the $300 price). He really stresses the importance of a tripod and shooting at dawn & dusk. I've heard these before but for some reason am still disappointed with my hand-held midday photos. I think this is a big one, because most people want magazine quality photos but don't have the time for it (myself included).

The section at the end describes why some of the photos "work". I found myself thinking I don't want to take a photo like that on several of them (he is famous for his photoshop skills, not his photography skills) but it was a good wrap-up of the basics presented throughout the book.

Finally, there were a few bits of information that I found controversial. Such as using f11 for portraits. That usually puts the background in focus. Another, he recommends a shredder to shred your old photo CD/DVDs before throwing them away. Wouldn't a pair of scissors do just as well? But it gets more serious: He states that "you" (the reader) will never be able to get the types of shots you see in magazines. And why is that? Because even if you get up at 5:30am all the good spots will have already been taken. And I don't think this was another one of his bad jokes. I found it very negative and discouraging.

Overall, I liked this book much better than many of the others I've seen but it did frustrate me nonetheless. I think it's helpful for beginners and intermediate users. Even if you know all of that (who doesn't know one should use a tripod?) it's a good reminder with plenty of examples. I think the book could have went a little farther and gave some really useful information instead of describing all the Epson printer models.

It's a shame, because this book really had the potential to be a 5 star
book, but it falls short. Kelby brags about having written 37 books. I would prefer a few outstanding ones than 37 that are just good enough to get published.

This is a wonderful book for beginning and intermediate photographers who want to know the tricks of the professional photographers out there. Although this book could be useful to those with pocket digital cameras, I believe this book is best suited to owners of DSLR Camera's.

The chapters of the book are as follows:

1. Pro tips for getting really sharp photos.
2. Shooting flowers like a pro.
3. Shooting weddings like a pro.
4. Shooting landscapes like a pro.
5. Shooting sports like a pro.
6. Shooting people like a pro.
7. Avoid problems like a pro.
8. Taking advantage of digital like a pro.
9. Taking travel & city life shots like a pro.
10. How to print like a pro and other cool stuff.
11. Photo recipes to help you get "The Shot".

I found the chapters to be laid out in an easy to understand format and each chapter builds your knowledge for future chapters. This book is also small enough that I can shove it into my camera bag or backpack as reference material for those times when I just can't remember which aperature setting or lens I should be using to get "The Shot", as Scott calls it.

Overall, I can't see anyone except for professional or advanced photographers being disappointed with this book. At $15-20 for the book you really can't go wrong.

The Digital Photography Book

I read a couple of reviews that pointed out this author's ill considered attempt to insert humor in a book that is alleged to help folks with their digital photography, but I didn't pay attention. What a mistake!! The nonsense begins on the very first page and continues for what seems like forever, and he isn't even funny!! Why do so many people think that good comedy is easy, when it is actually far more difficult that digital photography. If you are willing to suffer through this stuff to be told that you need to steady the camera to get sharp pictures and pay attention to good posing to get good porrtraits, then ignore this review and buy this book. If you want your tips straight, then buy one of the many other good primers on digital photography that are on Amazon!!

I have been taking digital photos for a few years and recently upgraded my camera to have more control over my pictures. I also read a few books to learn specifically about the differences between digital and 35mm photography. After reading the reviews of this book I expected to be dazzled with useful information. I was not. Here are some of the reasons.
*The author is not a very good writer. He tries to be funny and he is not (to my taste anyway). The author is very preoccupied by his own status. He is constantly talking about his famous photographer friends, blah, blah, blah. I thought this was going to be a book about hands-on technique...Show the photos and explain how they were taken.
*The quality of the book is poor. The book is small and the paper and printing are cheap. The paper is magazine quality.
*It seems that nearly half the photos in the book are stock photos, not taken by the author. That surprised me.

This book might be okay if you know abolutely nothing about photography but I found it simple and uninspiring. There was no single photo in this book by Mr. Kelby that made me say "wow".

I found The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series) to be a far superior book; well written with great photos, all by the author.

I have never written a book review before but after reading almost the whole book in one day I had no choice but to give my opinion. I just received this book today 01 Sep 2006 and I can't put it down. It covers so many aspects of shooting in various modes and makes it simple enough for me to understand. I use a Canon 5D and 20D and have been into photography for about 6 months. All I can say is that I have looked at several books and read several online forums and tutorials...etc. This book covers everything I need to know to get that WOW factor out of my shots. Scott Kelby you are the best and this book is more than GREAT. When does "BOOK 2" get released....Anyway, I hope others that get this book enjoy it as much as I do.

I read this book cover to cover in about 2 1/2 hours (clearly I found it very enlightening). Kelby notes in the beginning that this is a book more for people who want to know what to do to get the shot, as a friend would tell you when you're out shooting together, rather than reading theory behind why things need to be shot the way they are. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is VERY important (Ansel Adams' "The Camera" is on deck for my reading list, as thinking about getting the shots made me think now about why the things work the way they do). However, sometimes you just want to know what to set the camera at to get this or that shot. This is the book for those times. Kelby's always-charming and amusing writing style helps to make even more sense of all the details.


I can't recommend this book enough, both as a starting point for different types of photography, and as a reference manual--it's going to have a permanent spot in my camera bag for when I need to remember what to do when I'm out shooting. Happy reading!

Scott Kelby doesn't fool around. He only gives you what you need. His book is easy to read and contains a wealth of information that takes you from a beginner to an intermediate photography right away. It's not for the experts; but there are pearls here and there even for the pros. Over all, I think this book will help anyone who has recently picked up photography as a hobby.

This book might be ok for people who never took a single photo in their lives. If you are serious about photography, you will regret this purchase. There are far better alternatives elsewhere. In addition, the author's (unnecesary) use of lame humor is rather irritating.

This book was great and made it into my camera bag immediately. I liked the fact that he just gives you the mode and camera settings to get a specific kind of shot and you only had to read a half a page. The pictures in the book give you good ideas on what to look for and there are some great tips that will save you money and time. When you try the settings and see the results it amazes you that this book was not done years ago. I have read a few other books and taken some classes but this book was by far the best thing I have found to help me out so far. Considering my Camera and Gear is worth about $4000 this $13 book was an easy decision and I'd buy the next one the day it was available.

I purchased this book hoping to learn a bit more about the basics of photography. Unfortunately, this book seems to be more about the author making a horrendous attempt at being humorous and general style tips for photography: how to shoot weddings, wait for the rain, don't plan on changing lenses at sports events, tripods are good, etc; as opposed to actually explaining the basics of photography. If I had a better grasp on depth of field, aperture, ISO, exposure and all of the combinations therein, then some of these tips may be useful for the creativity side of things, however I wanted a book to explain the basics that I could work from in a factual credible way, not a book filled with annoying sad attempts at being cute in order to self-validate a mistaken perception of comedic talent while stating what I feel is reasonably obvious when it comes to photographic style.

If you're looking for a book on style and creativity, then this book may hold some basic tips for you, however I would imagine you'd get a lot more in depth views, explanations and details from another book than this one. None of the tips go beyond a paragraph with a half page picture example illustration, and none of the pictures contain any sort of detail as to how they were taken.

After reading the reviews here on Amazon I have to say I was highly disappointed in this book. Instead I would recommend Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) which the author of this book recommends himself.

This book is full of lame jokes about shoving other photographers down and breaking their equipment to "get the best shot." There is no clear explanation of how shutter speed and aperture work together to give you the proper exposure. If any of my family or friends asked me if I thought this was a good book on photography, I would tell them to avoid it at all costs.

Yes skip this book, Scott doesn't give you much in this book, I mirror the other reviewers who got really sick of his waste of time first page of every chapter (him trying, but failing, to be funny) There are much better ways of spending your money and your time

This is a great book for the average photo enthusiast. The goal of the book is to teach an average photographer to take great photos. Its relatively short and each point only takes a page to explain. Also the explanations are short and to the point. Kelby doesn't prattle on about optic theory or other mundane issues, instead he tells you that pros generally do this or that. As Kelby says in his intro, he giving you tips as if you were a buddy out shooting photos with him. Kinda like a photography mentor that is giving you pointers to improve you photos.

The book is arranged by the type of photography being pursued. Flowers, Weddings, Landscapes, People, Sports, and Travel. Kelby is considered a Photoshop authority, so he covers some of that and and also what to focus on to prevent problems in photos that can't be fixed with Photoshop. He also does something that few authors are willing to do; he makes suggestions about equipment and vendors. While this type of information gets dated quickly in a book, its interesting to hear what he thinks is a good product.

His writing style is casual and humorous, which I appreciate. The topic can be rather dry, but Kelby's style of writing and the quick pace of the book kept me awake and engaged. I have read many books on digital photography and most assume that you recently had your brain erased and therefore you know nothing about photography. Consequently, those books start at the most basic of information and don't seem to teach you how to get great shots. They also put me to sleep. This is the only book I have seen that is different.

Is some of the advice oversimplifying it to a degree? Sure it is. Not everything can be improved using the photo recipes that Kelby gives you, but for the average photographer, the general rules will help produce better photos and thats what its all about.

If you're looking for an A-Z digital photography primer, look elsewhere. If on the other hand, you're looking for tips, tricks, and hints at making your pictures better, this is it. Kelby assumes you know your way around a camera and proceeds to impart wisdom on virtually every aspect of the actual picture-taking process. This is not a technical book that devotes page after page to the science behind a CCD, magnetic storage media, etc. It is a book that will help you produce better results. And, it's accessible by photographers of all levels - Kelby keeps most topics to 1-2 pages each (or less!). Many of Kelby's tips could apply to film photography as well. Buy it today and start taking better pictures tomorrow.

This is a must have book for people wanting to take great photos. It really makes it easier to understand what is going on with taking photos, buying equipment, and printing, everything you need to take and process great photos. I own a Nikon D70 and in just a few minutes of reading his book I know more about what my camera can do than all the other books I have read. I read the entire book the day it arrived and plan too read it again and keep it in my camera bag for a quick reference guide.

While this book covered many interesting topics there wasn't much depth and I thought the author was glib and less than professional. Of the many photography books I own this is one of the few I will probably pass on to others or trade in at a used book store. Oh Well.

I find it hard to believe that I'm writing this, but I simply must save unsuspecting readers from frustration I experienced. I'm amateur photographer and always willing to learn something new, so I was lured to this book by positive reviews in my quest for knowledge and better pictures. I failed to heed the warnings in the negative reviews (which I normally do) and now I'm terribly regretting this because every bit of critique appears to be true.
I usually read introductions and acknowledgements, so this book immediately alienated me with author's ill-conceived sense of humor. The funny part though is that author realizes (admits it in the book) that his humor attempts are "lame" at best but still insist of occupying at least 5% of the book with this trash. What also contributes to the injury is the author's writing style and "pro" reference in each paragraph. Basically each tip is aimed not at learning something new, but rather at "looking like a pro". I find it ridiculous, but it surely attracts all those photo-wannabes that give this book positive reviews.
Now let's look at the content. Each page consists of paragraph(s) of text with some "useful" tip and a picture to illustrate the tip. Do not assume that pictures illustrate a technique, and you could learn anything from them. Most of the time pictures are pointless and/or of questionable artistic value. You will see plenty pictures of cameras, camera menus, camera controls, authors family and friends and even mindless clipart in cases where author was too lazy to actually come up with the photo. Bogus pictures occupy exactly half of each page, so you could surely cut the book in half and convert it to nice pocket format without losing anything.
The quality of tips in the book is of dubious nature. I would say that about half of them is just a common sense. Trust me, you do not need a book to figure out that camera has to be steady to make sharp pictures or that by throwing away you picture CDs you are risking that somebody might gain access to your work. It also unlikely that you bought this book to be reminded that your work has to be backed up (several "tips" devoted to that).
Now the tiny part of the book that actually contains some useful information is misdirected. For people that spend some time shooting (i'm not even talking about ubiquitous "pros" here) all the "tips" are self-evident and are on borderline with common sense. Many of them are blatantly oversimplified of just plain incorrect. For beginners those tips do not make much sense because they lack the basics which are not covered by this book.
In general this book is the worst disappointment I ever had (in books at least :). Spend your time and money elsewhere. There are plenty of good books for beginners and advanced photographers out there and this is just happens not to be one of them. If you really want to improve your pictures better read Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) or Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting. The latter, especially, going to make you a better photographer, guaranteed.

I recently purchased a Canon Digital Rebel XTi, and thought this book might help me make the most of my new camera. Unfortunately, I found that its useful contents can be completely summarized as follows: Use a tripod, and spend the money for quality lenses and filters. The rest of the contents were either not particularly helpful, or even more obvious than the above. The author also injects a fair amount of bad humor which may appeal to some readers, but didn't to me at all.

This is a good book for someone new to photography. Most intermediate on up shooters will find little in it to advance their skill. Ok for a reminder of basic approaches but nothing else.

This book is useful to absolute beginners, to photography. BEWARE!

DO NOT waste your money on this useless book, because all you're doing is lining this x-wedding photographers pockets. There's not a shred of useful info in here that you couldn't learn on your own simply by taking pictures and paying attention. ALL of the suggested f/stops he mentions can be found online. All of the tips he has sold you can be found at Ken Rockwells website, and I highly recommend him. There are so many better books out there, look elsewhere.

If you're looking for a book that will teach you every last detail about theory, mode, and practice for digital photography, don't get this book. The book serves much more as a quick reference guide for beginning to intermediate photographers, on issues ranging from focusing to equipment, and from composition to the digital printing process.

As a many other people have noticed, Scott's 'humor' is a bit much at times and probably distracts away more from the book than he may have thought when he wrote the book - but it can be ignored enough that you can still enjoy the material and learn from it.

Although the real focus of the book is digital photography, there are also a lot of helpful tips on shooting situations (flowers, landscapes, weddings, portraits, etc) that will apply to any kind of camera: from digital point-and-shoots to large format film photography.

Overall, the book is a helpful guide to those wishing to make their photography more refined and professional by making simple changes to what they already do.

My boyfriend sent me this book as Christmas present and I've read through the whole book now. The pros:

1. There are indeed many solid tips for photography. Especially good for beginners.

2. On every and each page there is a good picture serving as the example of the tip applied.

3. The price of this book is fair, considering the quality of the paper used in prining.

Cons:

1. There are way too many unnecessary words which have nothing to do with photography techniques in this book. Nowadays it might be trendy to write any book with a light and entertaining style but the bloated text somehow degrades the usability of this book. This book isn't really suitable as a technical reference book since the meaty text is often buried in irrelavant text.

2. If you've been reading around in popular photography sites on internet, you'll find all the tips in this books very familiar, you've encountered them again and again in numerous online toturials for free.

3. All the tips can be condensed down on an A4 paper (font size: 12). And if you need a reference when you are shooting pictures, just take this piece of paper instead of the book.

I love this book, and could probably end the review right here because that sums it up for anyone who is into photography and wants to learn how to get professional looking shots. I am not a book person, I normally prefer the video version of most things - but with this book, I couldn't put it down, I read it cover to cover, learned a ton about camera equipment and how to get quality photographs. And with the way Scott writes his books, it's a nice easy read and you'll even crack a smile now and again throughout the book.

And for the price?!?! It's not even a thought - just buy it! It's the best resource book out there for digital photographers who are serious about getting quality shots but are just missing the essential tips - this book will help you "get the shot" without all the technical mumbo jumbo. This book travels with me whenever I go out to shoot, I especially like the recipe section at the end. Great work Scott!

The review is as much about the author as it is about photography. This is not a book for a photographer who wants to master digital techniques. It is intended for a beginner and offers a good introduction to photography. It can get very annoying if you have some familiarity with general photography.

I recently purchased a very nice digital camera for work. The one we had before was good for taking photos of our students for the roster, but every photo I shot of a live speaker or group events was just pitiful. So we popped for a Canon EOS Rebel XT and I figured I'd better learn how to use it. After all, what good is the investment if I still take lousy photos with it?

Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography Book is every bit as straight and to the point as its title. Well let me qualify that slightly. While Kelby does get to the point, he doesn't do it with a straight face. His writing is infused with a sense of humor that worked well with me. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book. I just knew that I had a knack for taking ho-hum photos, digital or otherwise, and any instruction had to help. I guess I expected a lot of "use this kind of lighting" and "set your f-stop at..." sorts of advice. There are those kinds of tips to be sure, but there are also an amazing number of forehead-slappingly simple things and insider insights that make a world of difference.

Kelby jumps right into the basics of how to get "tack sharp" photos, reasoning that "If your photos aren't sharp, the rest doesn't matter." He starts out with the equipment you need over and above your camera to get the kind of shots you want - tripod, ball head, cable release, level, etc. I'm sure that will have many of you reaching to protect your wallet, but have no fear. In many cases he gives alternatives that you can use in a pinch. Granted, he generally represents them as what to do when you are caught without all your equipment, but they can also be considered low-cost alternatives. In most cases when he suggests new hardware he is very specific about brand and models he would recommend at various price ranges. I found this very helpful. It's one thing for someone to tell me to buy a tripod, but have you ever gone looking for one? Not only are the choices overwhelming, but the number of ways you can configure them are as well. Kelby makes it much simpler.

After laying out the ground rules for equipment, settings and terminology he jumps right into a series of practical chapters such as Shooting Flowers Like a Pro, Shooting Weddings Like a Pro, Shooting Sports Like a Pro and more. He has chapters which deal with some of the problems and advantages unique to digital cameras and digital photography. Did you know you should bring extra batteries when you are shooting in colder weather? I didn't. He wraps up the book with two very useful chapters - How to Print Like a Pro and Other Cool Stuff and Photo Recipes to Help You Get "The Shot". The latter is just one shot scenario after another with the keys to making it work.

Since I am such a novice I didn't know what I was looking for when I picked this book up other than tips on how to take better shots with my digital camera. After reading it I fell like I got hit with a Mack Truck full of tips. Lucky for me, I did get the number of the truck that hit me. It is "Scott Kelby" and I recommend stepping into his path as soon as you can!

I have a lot of Scott's books and was looking forward to getting this one. I am an avid amature photographer with quality equipment and proficent in CS2 thanks to Scott's help. This book was a disappointment in that it didn't go much beyond basics. I was expecting more detail and pro tricks and procedures. If you are looking for an intro book into using a digital SLR this is it.

To begin with the quality and the applicability of Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book": in short, it is well-written, excellently organized, extremely informative and a great starting point for a knowledgeable beginner, who requires an overview of digital photography. Everything from achieving professional-grade photo sharpness, through an introduction to Photoshop retouching, scene composition, shooting macro photography, portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, sports, choosing optional equipment, exploiting some digital-specific features of D-SLR cameras and - finally - printing, is covered throughout the book. However, a total newcomer to the world of digital photography might not benefit from all that information as much as it would appear from the broadness of the material covered alone.

Firstly, the overall depth of the discussion is lacking. Perhaps even "seriously lacking". The Author's creative effort to shape his book into more of a photo-recipe -based instructional reference rather than one more unbearable theory textbook is a refreshing idea, but the methodology might have been taken a little bit too far. A reader will have to research fundamental concepts such as "a stop", "an aperture", "a focal length", or "a primary lens" somewhere else beforehand, as almost none of such terms are explained at all. Moreover, there is no gradual progression or cross-reference of conveyed knowledge across disjoint photo recipes. For example, a reader will not be instructed to any extent whatsoever about a working relationship between shutter speed and aperture, resulting in various modes of operation of D-SLR cameras, not even in the most of non-technical terms. A reader will not find answers to common, fundamental questions such as what follows: "Wait, how is an Aperture Mode different from a Shutter Speed Mode? Or a Program Automatic Exposure Mode, for that matter?" "How does this particular aperture relate to the entire possible aperture range? Is such a scale affected when I change focal length?" "Hold on, the farther I get from my lens being wide-open, the aperture numbers in my viewfinder actually increase?", "How does this particular shutter speed relate to, say, a boxing left hook?" "Can I go slower than 1/60th of a second when trying to minimize hand-held camera shake, or should I always follow the '1/focal length rule' and shoot an 18mm landscape at 1/18th of a second?" "Will I actually screw up my picture, when my camera stops at a particular, minimum shutter speed, but I keep decreasing aperture anyway to try to shoot an all-in-focus landscape?" "Oh, so the ISO-schmeeso thingy actually does fit into all this?" *** Thus, the context is entirely missing, making broad understanding of each photo recipe somewhat challenging without additional research - an annoyance for anyone who does not want to just blindly memorize everything. Which is a shame, since judging from the quality of the Author's other technical publications, his talent for passing on complex knowledge is obvious.

Secondly, when purchasing Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book", one is not buying a book at all. Considering the publication's page size, font size, per-page photographs, an index and the Author's verbosity, the entire contents could probably be compressed into a 40-page, dense pamphlet, or a 60-page, standard pamphlet. A very ambitious pamphlet, but still a pamphlet, rather than a book. The "filler" content is high quality, but not always very illustrative: a 1/3-page shot of a camera dial, a 1/3-page generic shot of a man carrying a tripod, no fewer than four (4) different 1/3-page shots of lens filters themselves (instead of "marginally" more instructive side-by-side before/after comparison shots). Some photography tips, even though awarded full-page presentation status, are so common-sense and addressed in such general terms, as to feel a bit as "filler" content as well, since almost everyone intuitively knows to look for unusual close-up angles, find level foregrounds for landscapes, or not to cut off limbs at weird spots in portraits.

Finally, the last but not least, a comment on the Author's humor. Yes, Scott Kelby is genuinely funny, most of the time. No, his humor bears no negative influence on readability whatsoever. I have no idea why more than a single, occasional reviewer (who forgot to follow his or her Xanax regiment that particular day) was so intensely annoyed. The humorous, thought-provoking tone of the book works even when the Author probably does not intend it to, especially when it comes to headlines such as "Hire a Model (It's Cheaper Than You'd Think)" ;).

To summarize: think about "The Digital Photography Book" as either a well-illustrated pamphlet, or a well-annotated photography album, but a book - it is not. Regardless, excellent work, Mr. Kelby. Come on, give us a 1,000-page "The Digi Tapp Photography Bible", will ya? We know you have it in you :).

First of all, I really like Scott Kelby. You can read his work and laugh a lot at his jokes, and he is really an affable guy. But if you're a fledgling photographer, you should buy books by people who are known more for their photography than for Photoshop. This book shows a few good basic tips, then delves into many specialist type forms of photography. I think that if he just broke it down into components of a photograph, such as composition, exposure, light, etc, it would have been better. I am not a wedding photographer nor do I shoot portraits, so there were so many things that I skipped, I felt I would be better served by a more specific set of components which comprise any digital photograph, not specific types. Bryan Peterson's photography books are far more beneficial to me as an artist, even though Scott's attempt at defining digital photography was interesting. Nonetheless, I DID learn a better way of sharpening my photos, which was a Photoshop technique that he describes in the book. Everything else I already knew or didn't want to know. Scott has a big marketing machine machine behind him, some of whom create reviews on this site. I admire him for his skills, but this book just isn't up to par with the rest of his work. Even the layout was pretty amateurish at best.

There's no doubt that Kelby knows Photoshop inside and out, and that he's got a lot of good general photo tips. But he spends so much time making jokes in this book that it quickly becomes annoying.

At one point, he literally spends an entire page with a convoluted explanation, only to say afterwards, 'I was joking.' Thanks for wasting my time, Scott.

This is not a bad book, but there are other, better ones -- and ones that are less about the writer's ego and more about taking good photos.

If you lost your instruction book for your camera - buy this book, This is a poor book for anyone who wants to gain a thorough understanding of digital photography -

There are some good tips in this book, but only for the beginners, the rest are simply worthless. I have nothing good to write about this book. It is a waste of time/money to read this book. I would not recommend anyone to buy this book.

I love photography, but I'm certainly nothing more than an amateur with a DSLR. Like many others, I found that after switching from a point and shoot camera, I knew even less than I thought, and all those "extra" settings and feature actually meant something. Plagued with "How Do I..." questions, I first turned to the camera's manual and then to "replacement" manuals written by people "in the know". That just solidified the realization that I need to take a class. But until I get around to that, I still have a camera, a desire to take better photographs, and a lot of questions.

Enter this title. By the time I was done with just the first chapter, I already had answers to not only existing questions, but quite a few I didn't realize I had. The subsequent 10 chapters were no less informative and vital to beginners. Don't let the compact, picture-intensive, 200+ page size of the book fool you - the information is spot on, in layman terms, and demonstrating real-world methods and practices that are simple to understand and duplicate. The writing style is casual and humorous, but not clogged with unnecessary fluff. Throughout the book the author makes equipment recommendations, and although I typically resent books that have any product endorsements, the author presents only "generic" recommendations at various price ranges; equipment that you'll want to seriously consider once your discover that the results you want are accomplished using that equipment.

I'll still take a class, but with this title under my belt, I feel confident putting it off a little longer, and perhaps skipping the "intro" courses. This book has found a spot in my camera gear and already proved invaluable on more than a few occasions.

I did not read this book as soon as my order arrived. I should have, and would have returned it otherwise. If you have ever picked up a camera before (digital or film) buy something else.

This book has some good tips on photography for a beginner and covers a wide range of topics; however, the author's humor leaves a great deal to be desired and makes for extremely aggravating reading. If you would still like to read the book but receive the most out of it, do yourself a huge favor and skip the first page of every chapter (they have no value whatsoever). The asinine jokes are throughout the book, but the worst are on the first pages of each chapter.

If you're wondering what his "humor" is like, picture the goofy nerd in high school that had the top button of his shirt buttoned, thick glasses, and who would snort when he laughed at his own jokes - bulls eye - that's the author of this book and his tedious sense of humor. Dead ringer.

This book is FUN, and easy to read. It is packed full of useful tips.

One that I will share is that if you want "tack" sharp digital photos use a tripod and the self-timer. This eliminates the finger !

This book is good not only for the "point-and-shoot" digital cameras, but also digital SLR.

This book 'shows' photos of Nikon and Canon high end digital cameras. But, don't let this discourage you. I have a small Kodak 5 MP and I have been able to take some tips and use it with this "point-and-shoot".

This book is a list of so called pro-tips and recipes to take good shots...If this book were the only one on the market maybe it'd rate decently... The problem is there is another book called "Understanding exposure" by B Peterson that is so much better (read my review on this book). With B Peterson you'll understand photography...Save your money and avoid S Kelby sense of humor...

This is basically a short book (one day read) that has quite a bit of useful information in it but, unfortunately, also contains lots of filler (should have been at most 1/2 the size). It is also more geared toward a DSLR owner than the owner of a digital point and shoot which I happen to be.

A newb, like myself, would be advised to look elswhere for a first book. It would, however, make a decent second choice book particularly if you own a DSLR. I read Amphoto's Guide to Digital Photography and preferred it.

This is an excellent book about Digital Photography. I read it in one night, and now keep it in my camera bag for reference. There is a lot to sort out when attempting to take great photos, ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, white balance and colors, let alone composition and subjects. Scott does an incredible job of addressing all of these and much more. You can read it in a couple hours, but you will benefit from it for life. I have bought three photography books that were specifically geared towards digital and this was the least expensive, the most portable and by far the best.

This book is a great place to start if you are looking to move from snap-shots to great photos. As with most digital photography books it is really geared towards D-SLR owners, but it is all pretty applicable with my Panasonic DMC-FZ50. Many of the tips are not camera dependant, but it may be a little harder benefit from if you have a compact digicam.

One reviewer was really bothered by his "funny" openings to some of the chapters and some jokes. It didn't bother me, this is a complex subject adding a little humor can make the learning process more enjoyable.

Matt

I thought this book covered a lot of very good tips for beginner and intermediate photographers. It was written in a clear, easy to understand format. The only thing about the book I didn't like was his attempt to be humerous. I thought at times he would go on far too long trying to be funny, when comedy just isn't his forte. But this would be a good book for any aspiring photographer.

I have been in photography for over 20 years. This book is the best document covering "How to do it" I have read in years. Great for beginners and intermediates alike.

Couldn't stand the book long enough to make it past chapter 4. I payed $25 for this small compact book expecting it to be packed with great tips, not obvious common sense. Like others have mentioned, the author wastes plenty of space with stupid jokes which makes it that much more irritating that I spent so much on such a small book with little to no good information. I don't know if anyone else noticed but in chapter two the title is "Shooting Flowers Like a Pro". Well after page 34 I see page 59 and a blank page with the title "Shooting Weddings Like a Pro". Then in the landscape chapter the end of page 82 says "There's more -- go to the next page..." and what do you know, the next page is 35 and is blank. The title on page 35 is "Shooting Flowers Like a Pro". And the numbering actually continues from 35 on! With such horrible content and an editor who apparently is blind this book is not worth a red cent! I have never been so disappointed in a book before!

I read the reviews before I purchased this book and chose to ignore the negative things that were said because I was excited about how he said it was written like we were on a shoot together. I finished the book in one day and felt that all I learned was that Scott really likes to use a tripod. I can't use a tripod because I shoot weddings, children, etc. and if you take the time to set a tripod and move it around 500 times you miss the shot. It was apparent that his talent is not in people photography but in nature. If you want to understand how to make your photos professional read "Understanding Exposure". Scott just wants you to use photoshop instead of getting it right when you take the photo and doesn't help you learn how to figure out what settings to use in different situations. He does go over some but not the ones I need- you can't always have that perfect overcast outdoor wedding, in fact, it is rare. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Kelby's book is a great start if you are new to the world of digital photography. The book is divided into topical sections which covers each of the major issues surrounding photography in general and digital photography in specific. This book is not a lengthy technical exposition of optics and camera hardware; rather, it is a hands-on guide that helps us both compose and capture the best photographs we can from even our sometimes diminutive and inexpensive cameras.

Although the book is aimed at novices, there are some nice tricks and tips that even seasoned photographers may not have considered. But its main audience is the novice or mid-range user who simply wants to make sense out of the process photographers use to take great photographs. For example, we learn about aperture, shutter speed, and exposure, and how these three are related on to another. But more importantly, we learn what effect CHANGING aperture and/or shutter speed will have on the resulting photo. We learn about how to take sharp, crisply-focused photos, and what it means to say a photo is "tack sharp." We learn about some basic and inexpensive add-on hardware that can completely alter the quality of most any digital camera (some costing as little as three dollars), and as a person who as actually tried most of these suggestions, I can say that knowing and learning these things really can move your photos into an area of quality that is surprisingly good. Kelby's suggestions are born out of years of experience, and his ability to explain exactly what does and doesn't work is clearly demonstrated on most every page.

The introduction of digital technology to the analog camera has revolutionized how we view and take photographs. I, for one, could never get "into" photography while it was in its film variant, the process being too cumbersome and intricate (and expensive) for me to wish to pursue it to any degree. When Sony introduced the CCD sensor in the mid 1990's and made digital photography available for the average guy, I, like millions of others, started experimenting with photography for the first time. That means that there are millions of people walking around with relatively sophisticated digital cameras who don't know a whit about how to leverage them to take the best photographs. Kelby's book admirably fits the bill for those people, demystifying the process of simple composition, explaining basic concepts and controls, and then giving us those added tips and tricks that can really serve well on photographing expositions. To boot, the book is beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs and is reasonably priced. Use this book as a stepping stone into the larger world of photography. You might be surprised just how good a result you can achieve with a sub $200 camera using some of these useful strategies.

As with many of Scott Kelby's works, this book covers a lot of territory, with just enough depth to be effective. This is a great book to buy someone who has a new digital camera or who is dusting off an existing camera and wants to know the basics. Common mistakes to avoid, equipment and accessory advice, etc. This book can make any amateur a better photographer and a more prepared photographer, and it's a very quick read. Recommended.

This is a great little book that is easy to read. It is full of little tips that Scott and other pros use in their daily work. Some are "common sense" tips but many are really, really good. Scott also makes product reoommendations by brand which is helpful.
Great little book to pick up and read every now and then.

I think I have 3 of Scott's books, swear by them all, and if they're on a topic I want to learn more about, I'll keep buying them. Practical, to the point, full of many tips that are simple to incorporate and that produce immediate results.

This book arrived a couple of hours before my wife and I were going off to view a friend's Nativity scene collections. Literally hundreds of them from all over the world.

I spent about a half hour with the book before going and learned more about my high end Canon point and shoot than I had in the previous 3 years of owning several versions of the camera.

Although it's great for any digital photographer and any camera, the only problem is that it made me want to run out and buy a digital SLR. (That stays on my "wish list" for now.)

I came home from that first trip with 50 of the best pictures I've ever taken. Only had to toss 3 or 4 of the roughly 50 that I took and those were because I forgot to turn off the flash.

Unless you're a highbrow, know-it-all professional wannabee, if you want to improve your digital photography and get the most out of any camera, get this book.

What an outstanding book!! Each page teaches a photography tip and illustrates it with a picture. Explanations are simple to understand and the techniques are very cool. The book also provides unbiased recommendations for photo equipment such as tripods. After researching tripods online I ended up buying what the author suggested.

This book is not written in tech speak (that's what everyone loves about it). So, you will learn how to take great pictures without reading about aperture, f-stops, etc... But having some prior knowledge about these photography basics will make your pictures more professional and will help you take better advantage of the tips given in this book.

This is an excellent book. He gives straight to the point tips as far as settings and that is all 99.9% of photographers looking for tips need. No need to give the entire history of how the camera came to be.

However, I found the author to be an equipment snob. Yes, more expensive lenses are generally better but you can do great work with the kit that comes with the camera. My old Minolta has 'gasp' a cheap Sigma lenses but I have many photos that I know I could not better with even the top of the line equipment. So people enjoy the book but do not feel you have to go out and buy $1,000+ lenses to get good pictures.

I loved this book. He teaches you how to get those shots that you see in magazines and it was especially helpful to me because it gave a lot of information about the Nikon DSLR and how to use them. I would highly recommend this book to all beginner and intermediate photographers. Thanks to Scott for the easy to understand lessons!

If you are new to photography you probably would like to have access to a professional photographer who could tell you things like, "No, don't do that. Do it this way." It would be great to be able to ask questions about the things that you really want to understand about photography without having to wade through pages of information about depth of field and stops and exposure.

Of course, you have to know something about these concepts if you want to excel in photography, but if you are anything like me you learn best when you are shown the basics by example and then are able to explore and expand from there.

That is why I like this book. Scott says that this book is designed as if the two of you were out on a photo shoot together and you needed to know how to do something. He wouldn't go into a discourse on the history of the camera and Matthew Brady and Ansel Adams, he would simply give you a few pointers on some settings and tell you the expected consequences of using them.

That is exactly what this book does.

Through simple, half-page tips, topped by helpful photographs, he moves you through the concepts that puzzle those of us that are getting started in the often mystical and mysterious world of digital photography, though you could use this book whether you are shooting digital or not.

What equipment should you really have with you? What is the best equipment? What if you don't have a lot of money to buy this stuff?

How can you get sharp pictures? What camera settings can you use? Are there certain poses, techniques or tricks that can help eliminate camera shake? What are some good ideas for shooting weddings? Portraits?

If you don't have a lot of time this is your book. Take it with you on a flight or browse through it while you are waiting for the doctor, etc. You can digest one of the tips and put it to use within 5 or 10 minutes easily.

Now, if there is one thing I would say about this book as a warning. Scott thinks he is funny. Most of this ummm... `humor' is at the front of the book but if the Dummies books and their corny humor bothers you Scott's attempts at humor will as well. However, I think his editors (and maybe he knows it too) have caught on to the fact that he can be annoying sometimes and so they have limited his antics to the book and chapter intros. If you just read the tips you will find lots of info without being annoyed to the point you want to rip the book up.

Im 37 years young and just starting out in photography (well you could say that, even though I have owned a number of cameras since I was a teenager, both film and digital, I just took photos, where as now Im just getting into making a hobby out of it).

I got this book because I wanted to know about the different aspects of photography like shutter speed and appature control (plus many other aspects to many to list but the above were the most common two). Prior to now I always used my cameras in auto mode if the shot worked it was OK if it didnt I would flip up the flash and try again. But since reading most of this book I am becomming more adventurous like putting the camera in manual mode and experimenting on different settings. I would read a section of the book and go ahh ok then pick up my new sony alpha SLR and try what scott was refering to. and low and behold Ive seen things I have never seen before, like getting a photo that has a blue tinge to it, which tells me my white balance is out of whack (hey does that mean I have just learnt something from reading a book? and I have never liked reading books my whole life. Who says ya cant teach a old dog new tricks).

What I liked about scotts book was his humour added to the book and his whole aspect of the book is set up. On page 2 he explains that the book set out out as thou its just you and scott out on a photo shoot and while you both are shooting you have lots of questions and he gives you a answer like as if you were mates, basically he is going to answer them in the book like he would answer them out there in the real world. {(straight and to the point, without teaching you all the technical aspects and behind the scenes technology of digital photograghy.}

Each page is set up as one aspect per page or in other words one question and answer per page. for expample on page 2 he writes {if we were out shooting and you turned to me and said, "hey scott, I want to take a shot where that flower over there is in focus but the background is out of focus. How do I do that?" I wouldnt turn to you and give you a speech about smaller and larger apertures, about how exposure equals shutter speed plus aperture, or any that stuff you can read in any book about digital photography(and I mean any book - its in every one). In real life, Id just turn to you and say, "put on your zoom lens, set your aperture at f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away."}

Thats how the whole book works basically. I also found his humour to be much like mine so it made it more a pleasurable read. What scott has acheived in this book is what my teachers back in school tried to get me to do many years ago..... Read more books. I hate reading or simply dont. but since reading scotts book I find myself going thru book stores and searching amazon.com for more books on the two most things (well you could call em hobbies at the moment) in my life now, Photography and cooking (not always in that order thou) so much so that I am thinking of going further than a hobby and trying to make money out of photography. and if I could incorperate the other things I love in life into photgraghy I'd be the happiest man alive......mmmmm thinking do you think there is any money in taking photos of sex or food???.....just kidding

Once I have got more experienced on the taking of photos side Im gunna try the other aspect of photography the editing side in photshop cs2. Which I hear scott is a excellent teacher of that too. Might have to get some of his books on that subject too.

This is actually a very easy book to review. Here's how to know if you want this book. First, its basically a series of one page tips on photography. Each page follows the format of Headline, Sample Picture, and then a paragraph or two of explanation. For example, one tip is "If You Are Shooting Wildlife; Aim at the Eyes". Then, there is a picture of a leopard cub (I think). Under that, there is a bit of explanation about why you aim at their eyes and why it will make your picture better. The next page is a completely different tip. So how do you know if this book is right for you? Easy:

Pages 2-21 Tips for Getting Sharp Photos
Pages 23-34 Shooting Flowers Like a Pro
Pages 37-58 Shooting Weddings Like a Pro
Pages 62-90 Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro
Pages 94-110 Shooting Sports Like a Pro
Pages 114-127 Shooting People Like a Pro
Pages 130-143 Avoiding Problems Like Pro
Pages 146-156 Taking Advantage of Digital Like a Pro
Pages 160-175 Taking Travel and City Life Photos Like a Pro
Pages 178-193 How to Print Like a Pro
Pages 196-209 Photo Recipes (Steps to shoot a photo like the one on the page)

Remember each page has one tip. See enough tips about the kind of photography that interests you? Then buy it.

P.S. I don't do much wedding or sports, but some of the tips in there can be carried to other photography too. Overall, I felt there were enough quick ideas that it made it worth the price and spot on the bookshelf.

This is simply the greatest "how to" book on photography ever written. Scott Kelby knows his stuff first of all. Second, he lets you in the club. Many of these techniques took me years to figure out on my own, and others I had to reluctantly pry out of other "master" photographers. Still others I just learned reading this amazing book. Scott Kelby tells you like he is your best friend. I have multiple copies of only 2 books in my home. The Holy Bible and The Digital Photography Book by Scoot Kelby.

This is a good book for all DSLR users, whether you are a pro or an amateur.

This is one of the book I would read over and over again. The way it's organized allows you to read any topic (or page) without any sequence. Of course, similar topics or techniques are grouped together in one chapter, e.g. photos for wedding.

Another good thing about this book is it doesn't go into a lot of of the technical theory aspects, it just tells you how to do it (or prevent it).

I highly recommend this book to my friends who own a DSLR camera.

As someone having over 30 years of experience as a photography hobbyist, I felt like I already had a pretty good background of knowledge concerning cameras and photography in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much more I could learn from this book. Beginners looking for in-depth discussions of introductory concepts should probably look elsewhere, but for anyone else looking for lots of great tips that will take their skills to the next level, this book is a gold-mine.

Scott spends too much time on his jokes. Not much useful info here. I can get better info on line or in photography magazines. Also he advertises for other businesses in the back of the book.

I have written four books and dozens of articles about teaching, self-defense, martial arts, and related subjects. After spending thousands of dollars hiring professional photographers to illustrate my works I finally decided that I'd be best off taking the pictures myself. The challenge was that I had no idea how to go about doing that. After reading this outstanding book, I not only know how to take my own professional-quality pictures but can do so time after time.

Kelby's advice is straightforward, painless to read, easy to understand, and immensely practical. No technical jargon and complicated explanations here, just simple, trouble-free guidance that anyone can take advantage of. I purchased this book for less than $12 and have already saved more than $2,500 in photographer fees. I am hugely grateful for this fine work!

I bought this book just prior to receiving my new Nikon D70s digital camera and cannot wait to utilize the valuable tips contained within. A well-written (often humorous) guide to getting better photos using time-tested techniques that the author advocates. Nicely illustrated with examples of just what the author is trying to convey in each chapter. A real must for those of us hoping to improve our photography abilities.

Kelby's book does a good, nearly great, job at teaching you (or suggesting as it were) how to take all kinds of different pictures. It's packed with good, illustrative photos and covers a lot of ground. The best thing by far though is that you, within minutes really, are capable of putting the information to use in real life. You don't need to read it from cover to cover. You can look up any subject that interests you and just read that one page and then you're off shooting. The size of the book also allows you to take it with you in your bag while shooting, which is a big plus.

It's not perfect though. Reading "The Digital Photography Book" I coulden't help but feeling that Mr. Kelby was paid by the word writing this book. There is a quite a lot of useless text in the book ("humour" as the author calls it), which really got on my nerves. This gives a feeling of the author "not caring" in a sense (he had a quota to fill, not a goal of giving the reader the best possible book).That space could have been used to give the reader even more photo advice (not that it's scarce as it is, but still).

However, if you ignore the "humourous" parts of the book it's really good. The quality of the advice given far exceeds its flaws. More than worth the price.

This book contains very useful and practical tips that will help anyone who wants to learn more about digital photography and how to take great pictures. He also offers suggestions on the extra accessories that you may want to purchase that will enhance the quality of your pictures. He adds humor onto every page which makes reading this book even more pleasurable. Definite a must have!

How so?

It's about the title. Rather, the title's not about what the book is about.

Calling a book "The Digital Photography Book" suggests that it is the (or at least an) authoritative volume on the subject of digital photography. This impression is reinforced by the book's remarkable popularity. Three years after its publication it's still a bestseller, ranked 390 on Amazon's overall list as of the date of this writing.

So what's the problem?

It's far from authoritative and it's not really focused on digital photography.

Rather than being a comprehensive treatment, the book is a series of tips under general headings such as "Shooting Flowers Like a Pro", "Shooting Weddings Like a Pro", "Pro Tips for Getting Really Sharp Photos", and so on. There's nothing really wrong with this except that most are not really about digital photography.

For instance under "Shooting Flowers Like a Pro", there are sections such as "Don't Shoot Down on Flowers", "Use a Macro Lens to Get Really Close", "Don't Wait for Rain - Fake It", and amazingly, "Where to Get Great Flowers to Shoot".

All of this is well and good, but it has nothing to do with digital as opposed to film or general photography. If you think that the faking rain section deals with the use of Photoshop to add an effect of rain, you'd be wrong. What the author is suggesting is carrying a small spray bottle of H2O to physically spritz on the posies prior to shooting.

Hmmm.

In addition, there are some serious omissions.

Kelbey starts off the "Shooting People Like a Pro" section with a discussion of "The Best Lens for Portrait Photography".

In it he makes the point that many pros consider 85 MM as the optimal focal length for portraits. While this may be true when shooting 35mm film or an FX sensor digital body, it is not the case for DX, used by the great majority of digital shooters. But worse yet, the whole issue of sensor size and its implications is not addressed anywhere in the book.

If you're interested in a sampling of snippets on various photographic subject matters by all means buy this book.

But if you're a competent film photographer looking to transition to digital, keep on looking. Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long is a far better choice.

Kelby's book has useful information for those just beginning to explore Single Lens Reflex (SLR) photography - though targeted at Digital SLR (DSLR) users, it has useful information for all.
The style of writing is rather condescending - the sense of humor makes fun of the target audience - those who picked up this book to learn the basics.

Pluses
1) Useful information, accessible to those learning basics of photography
2) Easy to follow, details on how to make photographs in certain styles

Deltas
1) Condescending style of writing
2) Makes fun of the target audience itself
3) Repetitive

This book is full of basic, common sense ideas for even the most amateur photographer (myself included). If you've never picked up a camera, this book might serve its purpose for you, but if you've experimented at all in photography, you might want to skip this one!!

This is a simple book but never dumb. Anyone at almost any level can learn easily from this book. It's not overtechnical. It's a lot more intelligent than it looks..

I am sure I take better photographs having read it.

It's a also a fun read with a lot of the author's warm personality injected. Everyone I know who borrows it buys it.

I must be the stick-in-the-mud professor, but I found the book filled with so much useless gab as to be really debilitating. The humor might work on the lecture circuit, but not in print. Each page has its lovely color photograph, but the other half -- the text -- is half fluff. So there is perhaps a sentence or two at most on each page that is useful. There must be better books out there.

What Shrunk's classic "The Elements of Style" did for English grammar, Kelby's book does for digital photography, and it's a lot more interesting! 90% of this great little book is solid, direct tips on how to make the best photo in each situation. The other 10% is lame jokes from Kelby. Groan when these jokes show up, then push on to the incredibly useful stuff.

The style here is as if he's a friend of yours standing next to you while you're about to take a shot. There's not a lot of theory, just practice "hey try this and I think you'll get the best shot." This is a small book, but one you can keep nearby so it's handy to review; mine sits on the edge of my desk.

He covers most every type of photography you can think of, from weddings to sports to landscape. He also gives tips on gear, software, paper and everything else related to digital photography. His first chapter on Getting Really Sharp Photos will improve the quality of your photos tremendously, even if you've been taking photos for a couple decades as I have. He's a pro and so he talks about using pro gear but he also gives ideas where you can make do with something cheaper.

Finally, this book is the best bargain you'll ever find in photography, so you should just go to the top of this page and click the One-click Ordering right now. Then come back and say you liked my review! :-)

This book takes a light, fun, and easy approach to teaching novice photographers on how to get good results with thier digital camera. I use it as a reference and find it very useful. It motivates me to go beyond point and shoot which results in your having to settle for so so photos.

Scott Kelby does not disappoint with this great book. He explains the digital camera in very easy to understand language. I've been a big fan of all the kelby books, and this book is no exception. I've read it a few times cover to cover. Thanks Scott.

A great book for those of use whose digital cameras ability to take great photos seriously outweighs our knowledge of how to take them.
Get past the unusual attempt at humour, the book is crammed full of quick hits on how to get results.
Works for me!

A little research about this book and you find Scott wanted to write a simple "how to shoot better pictures book" without all the techy stuff getting in the way. He hit the target right on.

Not many reasons why to do this or that, just straight forward suggestions for taking get shoots. He talks(writes) just as if you where standing next to him getting ready to take the shot. No lectures just suggestions to improve the shot you are about to take.

Is the book for a pro? of course not, wasn't written to be. It is for the casual shooter wanting to do more or the point and shoot person that wants to do better.

But beware point and shoot people, you will want a SLR by the time your done reading. You images will be better but you will want more.

Great book and a fun read.

At first blush Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book" is a useful series.

Kelby's writing is concise and engaging. I personally don't find Kelby's humorous asides off-putting as do some other reviewers. The occasional humorous remarks do support the overall message of each topic rather than being humor just for the sake of humor.

Kelby offers an extensive collection of photography tips. His subject matter is wide-ranging, covering gear, workflow, and many different genres of photography (e.g. portrait, sports, wedding, landscape, macro, ...).

If you're just getting started in photography, the series may give you some insight into the possibilities. If you've been working (or playing) as a photographer for a while, you may find that some of the one-page topics stimulates a new avenue of exploration.

But here's my problem with the series. All photography books have a shelf life. The latest gear becomes quickly obsolete. Processes and workflows evolve with the technological base - granted not as quickly as next month's gear, but the landscape does change with overall movement in the technology of photography. Every photographic writer, unless presenting what is mainly a discussion of their portfolio in book form, must decide how to best manage the shelf life of their books. This is where Kelby, I think, has made some poor choices.

Each topic reads like a magazine article. It's short, to the point, and contains a nugget or two of information that will be useful to some reader. As I noted above, I see this as a benefit rather than a liability. However, some of Kelby's topics don't yield to the one-page treatment. Rather than giving these topics the extra space they need, Kelby rigorously adheres to the one-page treatment. (There are exceptions in which Kelby places footnotes for the previous topic on a facing page, but these are rare.) Much more often, the reader is directed to a web site for additional information. Often the web site is Kelby's own. Less often it's a commercial site or a well-known photography site.

Referring to external content has two distinct disadvantages. First, the book is no longer self-contained. Under this format, many articles are teasers for the real meat of the topic. In other words, you probably won't want to read this book unless you have your computer handy. Second, links to web pages tend to evaporate over time. Few sites preserve the behavior of old links when they restructure. Some sites don't preserve older content for long periods. Once in a while a site simply vanishes forever. In other words, the value of Kelby's series will decrease over time as the external references become obsolete.

Kelby and his publisher (Peachpit Press) could of course update those links and publish a revised edition. An edition that'll cost you more money and put you right back on the treadmill of planned obsolescence. Think about that before you decide to spend your hard-earned money on this series.

If the planned obsolescence angle isn't cynical enough, you should be aware that each volume includes several pages of advertising.

At first blush Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book" is a useful series. Upon closer examination, I'd advise that your money is better spent elsewhere.

Although I read the reviews and absorbed the critical remarks about Scott's jokes, I thought I could ignore them and I was able to for the most part... and I got it that he was a Photoshop guy and I am a camera guy...but I thought that I could find enough tips and information to make the book useful. What I didn't read in the reviews and didn't learn until it was too late is that there are absolutely NO photos or illustrations in the Kindle edition. So for the last 25% of the book when there is specific instruction - - - "If you want to take a picture like this... But there is no picture to look at. I am affraid that I have been way too generous with my one star and for sure won't make this kind of error again with any of Scott's books. Not worth any price for a Kindle edition.

UPDATE: It bothered me that there were no other complaints regarding the lack of photos. So I deleted from my Kindle and downloaded again. Voila, pictures. So, it does have value to me, tho' with the jokes and the Photoshop bent, I can only give it three stars.

I am an Art educator at the university level and a collegue recommended this book as a text for my Digital Photography class. I purchased it for review and was totally disappointed. If I wanted a book of tasteless humor I would have asked for one. It is insulting and dumbed down to a degree that may explain the popularity and success it has achieved. That being said, for my pains I did learn one photoshop shortcut.

Scott Kelby makes fun of his own lame humor however, in an approximately 200 page book, you don't need 25% in lame humor, making fun of lame humor and repetition of his pontificating.

While there is some good information here, there isn't much that one can't find in the most basic references or for free online.

I've never read one of Kelby's books before and looked forward to getting this one due to his reputation. However, if his style is consistent with this edition, I won't be reading or purchasing any others.

I'm just confirming what the previous reviewer stated. This book is set up in a straightforward fashion and has many excellent tips, but his corny sense of humor seriously detracts from it's overall information. He waste 1 page on average for every chapter that he writes on his jokes and teasing. I'd probably be willing to pay the same amount of money for the same book MINUS the humor.

I would say that different people feel differently from Scott's humorous writing. In the beginning, he already highlighted that he is talking like a friend. The fact is I feel that :)

First chapter is a bit... following chapters start to go into the topic with advise that really help out for beginner. We may have heard but we tend to forget; we may have looked how the pro does but we tend to overlook.

I give 4 stars in beginner's point of view.

C'mon folks, have some fun! Sure, Scott's humor is incessant and sometimes over the top, but his advice and writing is, as he would say, "tack sharp." I have several of his books and find them all terrific, allowing for the fact that they would be much shorter without all the humor.

For the Digital Photography Book, about half the ideas are things that I have already thought about or are parts of my routine, so the validation value is good. Most of the rest of the ideas and pieces of advice are really valuable to me. He says that the premise of this book is that he and the reader are on a photo shoot together, and he is providing advice on-the-spot. I found this a very useful approach. He acknowledges that with this book, he is not providing theory, just practice. It works for me.

There were a few things that I probably will not follow, but I found it worthwhile to think things through to figure out why something won't work for me, so additional value added.

If you read the reviews of his books on the Amazon site, you will find a lot of discussion going back and forth about his humor, and, somehow, I suspect that he enjoys this controversy. One of the great reviewers of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, etc., Conrad Obregon, has some great reviews focusing on the content.

If you are not adverse to being entertained in an albeit flaky manner while you learn, I think you'll find this a valuable and fun read. Good luck and keep shooting!

The book is written for people who do not want to know about the technical details of taking good pictures but rather want to know some pracitcal examples of how it is done. This book does not teach theory or help provide an underlying knowledge of photography or the principals that go into taking great pictures.

However it does help get your feet wet. It does give you a few pointers. In fact it does exactly what it says it will, and that is talk to you as if you were a friend asking for tips. It is more of a tip book than a guide on taking great photos. But it does teach through use of tips some of the basics and even some of the more advanced techniques used by seasoned experienced photographers.

I recommend to anyone who is not looking for technical detail but rather for a simple to understand easy to read tip filled story about what he would do under a myriad of circumstances.

Many other reviews have described the layout of the book so I won't repeat that here. Let me just say that it's a great book for beginners. In addition to all the useful picture taking tips, there are also great tips on gear. Just beware, if you take all his advice on gear, it'll set you back a few grand. One caveat: this probably shouldn't be your only digital photography book. You should also probably get a more traditional one as a supplement, one that discusses principles of compositon, f-stops, aperture, light, exposure, etc. But sometimes (often) you just want someone to tell you what to do instead of having to apply what you learned from a book. This is where this book comes in. He just tells you the answers. He'll say "don't do X", or "use these settings", "the best focal length and aperture for portraits is..." and other no-nonsense practical tips. It's a fantastic supplement for anyone getting started in digital photography. Highly recommended.

I have read most of the reviews for this book and must agree with the overwhelming majority--this is a great book for anyone wanting to learn digital photography. There are a few of the 300+ reviews that seem to think that unless it is written like a textbook, complete with a dry style, information/facts only, and filled with formulas and theories, it cannot be of any use.
Kelby's style is to give you what you need in the real world. He doesn't spend much time giving you the theory behind what this or that button does and how it effects some arcane aspect of composition/exposure. Instead, he tells you, "put it on this setting and do this and then take the picture." Once you have some experience using "default" settings you can then branch out on your own.
I guess some don't like his humor but I think it's great.
If you don't mind a stuffy, textbook style, down and dirty, just the meat kinda book then you will like this one. If not, you should call your local university and ask for the professor that still refuses to use digital and ask him for a recommendation.

This book is a very good compilation of practical photography tips especially for a novice like me. It is very easy to read, understand and apply in real life. In no time I am starting to shoot good photos and post-process them. It is not filled with photography jargons that would intimidate a beginner; rather it will make the novice (and seasoned alike) become inspired and excited with digital photography. I speak from experience.

This book was disappointing. It should be titled "An Introduction To Digital Photography". An example would be that halfway through the book 2 pages are dedicated to why one should use a filter and a lens hood. I was hopeful that there would be some tips or tricks that were not rudimentary but there were none to be found.

This is a good book for someone starting out in Photography and desiring some simple means to increase the quality of their images. However, there are technical errors in the book in which the set up described does not work with the camera shown. Don't know if the author was thinking about a different camera but a few of the tricks with the D-70 shown in the picture are not possible. If you already have an understanding of basic photography and the use of digital equipment I would recommend you seek out a book that will elevate you skills more. I am a photographer and camera equipment specialist, bought this book to review and see if worth purchasing for new folks at entry level with our business. I have decided no, if you have any photography training or basic skills get something more advanced.

The book might be good for beginners. I don't even think it is enough for amateurs. The book does describe what you need to do step by step, but for the price, I would expect more technique and tips. I am not saying the book is not good, but the information is just too little (for its price).

I recently made the jump from point-and-shoot to prosumer and I wanted to find out more about the business of taking photographs. I therefore (i) spent a lot of time reading DP sites on the web, and, (ii) bought three books: this book, Miotke's Betterphoto book, and Tom Ang's DK book.

This is the only book of the three which I'd rate as excellent in all respects (on Amazon, Miotke's book has a higher rating than this book; I have no idea why).

If you buy one book about digital photography, make it this one. There are eleven chapters:

(1) Getting sharp photos, (2) Shooting flowers, (3) Shooting weddings, (4) Shooting landscapes, (5) Shooting sports, (6) Shooting people, (7) Avoiding problems, (8) Taking advantage of digital, (9) Travel & city life shots, (10) Printing, (11) Photo recipes.

Each chapter consists of a number of (usually one page) topics which are easy to read and quite addictive (I read the whole book cover to cover,
excluding the last two chapters, in one sitting). Some examples include:

Turn off vibration reduction, Don't wait for rain --- fake it!, Formals: Who to shoot first, Become married to your tripod, Shooting on cloudy days, Pre-focus to get the shot, Which aperture to use, Cold weather shooting means extra batteries, Change your ISO on the fly, Showing movement in the city, and so on.

This book contains nearly 200 tips. It's fun to read. The advice is clear and very, very specific (down to tips on which pieces of equipment to buy). I'm going on holiday to Australia in a few days and this and the camera manual will be the only two camera books I take with me. Please believe me: this book really is that good! Buy it!

Scott is great on all his photoshop books, but there are so many better books on Digital photography. (Bryan Peterson's books for example)
This is a very quick read and very little on how to get the photos shown in the book. Also Scott's style of being so full of himself really comes across in spades in this book.

Save your money!

I am an experienced photographer who took a break from it and having got going again recently made the switch to digital. This is an excellent book that covers a lot of the fundamentals in a lighthearted but thorough manner. It reminded me of much and taught me some new wrinkles. So much so that after reading it through the first time and simply enjoying it...I went back and read it again with a notebook. All Scotts suggestions triggered ideas for things I needed to round out my photography kit plus a few Photoshop techniques I just had to master.

This is definitely a keeper.

If you arew looking for a book to give you "step by step instructions", then this is NOT the book for you ... But if you are looking for the best tips on taking pictures under certain circumstances, what equipement you should have to get the best photo...and how to set up for a particuliar shot..then this is the book for YOU !This is a book for every semi pro. I love It !!!

When I got to the "About the Author" part, I thought, I was in front of a very good piece of information...very disappointed
This book must be meant for "Homer Simpson" pushing buttons in his panel without having a clue what is going on. "Oftentimes, it's just which button to push" "and not a whole lot of reasons why". Is that a good approach, if you like photography a little bit??... I do not think so.
Mr. Kelby is taking the easy way and avoiding the challenge of putting very valuable technical stuff in "plain English" ...that's a challenge, he is only tells you "which buttons to push"
On the other hand, Way too many jokes, I wanted a photography book not the comedy channel.
My conclusions, if you are "a bit" serious about photography DO NOT get this book

I had just purchased a Nikon D80 and found myself way over my head trying to understand how to operate this camera in anything but full auto. Scott Kelby wrote this book in a very user friendly manner. His humorous banter through out the book make the reading very enjoyable. In additon, his manner of educating is clear, understandable and and, once again, a pleasurable read.

Have fun!

I bought this book as a gift for my 15-year old sister to go with her first pro-sumer digital camera. Figured she'd learn a few things. Being a semi-professional photographer myself, I did not plan on reading this nor did I expect to learn anything. Instead, I flipped through it and decided to take it to work with me. It was her gift, but I read it from cover to cover in a matter of hours. It's a great book with tons of tips and tricks. Sure, some of them make you say "duh" but then others make you say "duh, why didn't I think of that?"

It's short and simple but I highly recommend it for anybody interested in digital photography.

It seems that only Brien Maloney read the same book I did. No one was helpful enough to say when the silly Cxxp ended and the serious helpful meterial bagan. You have 39 reviews and 38 of them are so far off center that I have decided to end the plans for a review area on my own retail web site.

I buy several hundreds of books a year and have not been this put off since Richard Condon ruined himself with me by the unnecessary merder of a bull fighter many years ago.

This book stinks and those who rated it high throw their IQs into doubt.

I'd like to be tack sharp even if this is just plain text... this book is literally awesome.

It blew my mind, the ease of some hints contained in this book made my photos fly... it is a MUST_HAVE book for any passionate photographer who wants to make the step ahead!

The shooting tricks mentioned by the author are very easy to understand and can be learn quickly.The book covers on how to shoot landscapes, flowers, weddings, sports, people and travel shots like a pro.The author also highlighted the importance of tripod and filters as they are some of the factors that makes the difference between snapshots and pro shots.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is into digital photography.

This 220 page, full color guide to digital photography can help everyone take better digital pics. Each page of this book offers professional tips to make it easy for you to succeed. It covers everything from getting sharper pictures, shooting flowers, weddings, landscapes, and all other types of pictures you'll want to take. It makes it easy for you to you succeed. You'll want to keep the book with you when you shoot !! One of the most colorful and helpful books I have found.

Scott Kelby has a long-standing reputation for books which encourage digital photographers: his latest The Digital Photography Book is a top guide to taking pro-quality photos using the same tricks digital pros use - but it doesn't hold the complexity of similar-sounding guides which try to pack in too much detail for relative beginners. From which button to push to how to achieve more dramatic results from scenes and settings, this book should 'be in the box' of any new digital camera owner.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The book is not completely useless. You can "extract" a few tips from the book. However, al books of this author (yes, I've read them all) are lacking a basic order. It looks like the author never bothered to put things together, simply writing about anything that comes to his mind. For example, he writes about sharp pictures, then, once he gets to a word "flash", he completely switches from the main subject and keeps writing about different kind of flashes you can get from one particular store. Then, while talking about flashes, he gets to white balance, or something else, and keeps talking about that totally different subject. Then, the wedding comes to his mind. Ok, here we go, we talk about weddings, which get us to making sharp pictures, which leads to flashes and lenses, etc., etc. etc. Repetitions, repetitions, repetitions... The "jokes" are very distracting. While reading many things, I was thinking: "what is he talking about, is he out of his mind?" then you realize: "ah, that was a joke". Silly.

I didn't give it 1 star for 2 reasons.

Reason 1 - I like quirky humor. I liked the douglas adams reference of 42. The dark humor relating to the profession. ect.

However, I found myself quickly annoyed by the running jokes. I've been known to yell at a movie I'm watching on tv things like "come on, get on with it!" This is the first time I've done that reading a book.

Reason 2 - The book gives equipment suggestions and what you can expect to spend.

However, this becomes outdated quickly. By the time someone decides to invest in better equipment, it will be outdated equipment, but hopefully cheaper.

The rest of the book is junk. Filler. The value stinks. This is an expensive book for what it is.

There are only two "secrets" of photography that are not secrets. And not worth [...] bucks they want for this book. Here they are. Use a tripod/bipod/monopod and a remote trigger. Lighting, shoot at dawn or dusk, and only at dawn and dusk, (or diffused light)

All the rest of the tricks in the book relating to composition ect, are common sense. And not because after you read them you say "oh, yeah, that makes sense" Many newbies will have these same concepts from the beginning.

I'm ashamed of buying this book and contibuting to the writers/publishers pocketbook.

I read all the great reviews on this book - so I eagerly anticpated reading it! I was put off initially by the authors humor (tack sharp?) - but got past that looking for tips on exposure - flash photography, etc. and while I saw a few of these scattered in and amongst the pages - it just was not enough! There was lots of 'gloss' but not enough detail for my needs. I have many years of film and digital photography experience - so perhaps this book is more designed for the beginning photographer that does not understand tripods and their use among other basic tips.

Even though I knew what was coming from reading other reviews, I was still annoyed and put off by the childish game playing of Kelby's "jokes". Once? OK. Even twice. Fine. But it is a theme and to be honest, distracting and immature. Even to the point of making you angry that you are paying him for such lameness. That being said, there were many helpful things to me in the book. You just have to sort through the blather.

Here's a suggestion Scott. Can the pranks or else get a much better sense of humor.

I'm not big on trashing an author or CD or a book but I'll have to say that I have to agree with some of the people who shared their reviews about this book: author is slightly irritating in the way he writes (lame jokes throw you off - they don't belong in the book). Book offers some of the tips that I personally found helpful but not to the point of what I expected. There are more tips on what weather to shoot in (cloudy, sunny) and what angle to choose better when shooting flowers than how to do so practically, which is what I personally was looking for. Nevertheless, i did find some of the tips helpful (you learn something new everyday). To sum it up I thought book was a bit overpriced for the information you get.

This book has one photo "hint" or recommendation per page. If you are a pro or very serious amateur in digital photography you will get little out of the book. Hence it may be of only a one or two star value. If you are an intermediate photographer you have probably heard much (if not most) of what is in the book. Hence it may only be a three star value. If one is only a novice to digital photography this book has plenty of good advice. Hence for that group it would be a four to five star value. It someone has intermediate to serious film experience (but not digital), the book will provide some useful advice (i.e., equipment, equipment costs, characteristics of digital vs. film) but 3/4 of "hints" are regarding general photo technique (i.e., dawn and dusk best time to photograph landscapes, etc.) and this group should know most of this. Hence for these people this book would have a two to three star value. One minor weakness in the book is that the author spends too much time attempting to be humorous (and mostly fails). His attempts at humor expand the book size by a good 20%. He should reduce humor and save reader's valuable time as well as some trees.

Even though the first review (by Brien Malone) on this book gives 4 stars, Brien's tone really made me think twice about buying this book. I'm so glad I bought the book and ignored Brien's review. The author, Scott Kelby, wrote a book and there are a handful of pages where he makes some jokes -- big deal. The bulk of the book is chocked full of great tips that are very useful and very practical. The author makes very clear when he's kidding and when he isn't -- and the bulk of the "kidding" happens in the first 6 pages when the reader has just begun. Don't let Brien's review fool you, this is a great book. Those who chose not to buy this book due to Brien's review should revisit their decision.

I was almost thrown off by a couple of bad reviews here. I'm glad I decided to give it a look. I received this book this evening once I got off work, and by the end of the night my confidence as an amateur photographer has taken leaps and bounds. There are so many great tips and tricks in here for the amateur photographer that you'll be itching to get out and shoot some subjects using your newfound knowledge.

Yes, the jokes at the beginning of the book are lame, but they accomplish what the author sets out to do with them: build a friendly rapport with the reader and get the sense that you're getting camera tips from a trusted buddy. If you're already a pro, you probably have no business buying this book, except to hand it to your friends who are asking you for tips.

This book is a can't fail launching-off point for any budding photographer who might not yet understand exposure theory, but wants to hit the ground running. I intend to use it as a primer for each outing until I get so comfortable with the material that I no longer need it.

My first stop this weekend: The Oregon Coast in Seaside, Oregon!

Thanks for the great book, Scott! I feel like my trip will have some measurable purpose now, and I won't be just aimlessly shooting.

_The Digital Photography Book_ is NOT the be-all end-all knows-all book of digital photography or even digital SLRs. But it is a really great book if you are like me and want to get one or two steps beyond "letting autofocus do its thing, pushing the button, and hoping for the best" but DON'T want to take a month-long course on how the f-stop mathematically relates to this or that and the difference between convex and concave lenses and so on and so on.

I love taking pictures, but I am by no means an expert. Especially when it comes to SLRs and the thousand different settings you can make -- and potentially screw up. I just recently got my first digital SLR camera (a Pentax K10D) and was looking for a book to help me get beyond taking it out of the box, putting the lens on it, and taking a couple test shots of my parents' living room.

I found that book in _The Digital Photography Book_ by Scott Kelby. It has a very nice easy-to-read conversational tone, and it doesn't get bogged down on technical detail. Yet, it had ENOUGH technical detail that I got a much better idea of how f-stops and focal lengths affect my pictures, and how that in turn is influenced by what type of lens I use.

The book has details about lenses, f-stops, aperture speeds, macro shooting, landscape shooting, portraiture, some brief notes about sports shooting, recommendations about what camera setting work best in which picture settings, discussions of tripods and tripod mounting schemes, the uses of the monopod, and all kinds of other useful information.

I can also say that _The Digital Photography Book_ has whetted my interest for more detail and made me a more adventurous photographer, so I probably WILL one day sit down for a month with a book about the more technical aspects of SLR and DSLR shooting. When I do, it will be in part because of Kelby's message that great pictures ARE achievable without a doctorate in lens and camera mechanics, you just need to get out and shoot and here's how. Thanks, Scott.



I do feel obliged to add a couple of side notes: Scott focuses mainly on Canon and Nikon cameras, as they are the most popular DSLRs out there. Still, most of his information was also directly applicable to my Pentax, and likely to any other brand of DSLR as well. Also, the book does not have a whole lot of information on flashes and flash ratings and flash types.

One of the other reviews complained about the guy's sense of humour. I must admit in the introduction chapter he lays it on thick and it has nothing to do with the idea of the book at all. Just flick through that and get to the detail.

Personally I really liked this book. It breaks into practical chapters (taking pictures at weddings, taking landscape pictures, taking portraits, taking sports pictures) the exact things that people like me are interested in taking better pictures of. That is what it does, it tells you tricks to get better pictures. He suggest some essential items, some straight forward tips, helps you understand why sometimes you're not getting the pictures you want.

This is for a beginner to SLR photography. Not for an experienced photograper. But it's easy to use, easy to read, broken into small sections with a few tips. You will get better pictures after using this book.

He leans a little heavily on Photoshop, but if you really want to take this serious then I guess Photoshop is going to become your best friend anyway!

Now i'm ready for a more advanced book, but this was a great starting point for me.

This compact book is a gem of a find. It would be advantageous for the novice as well as a seasoned photographer. Scott Kelby is knowledgable and has a great sense of humor that makes what normally is boring stuff really fun to read. This book is chock full of excellent, no nonsense, highly applicable information. I find myself going back to it time and again. Mr. Kelby has included not only technical photographic instructions, but includes websites and other sources that are helpful. He includes his own monthly web cast information that to me, has more than paid for the book. I have recently purchased his new "Lighroom" book and find it is excellent as well.

I wish I had seen this book before I bought the others. Finally a Digital Photography Book that get right to the point. Not the boring technicial manuals like most that by the time I've finished, I have no idea what I just read..... I swear most authors must think you need allot of words to describe how to take a photo. He's direct, to the point and most of all I get what he's saying. Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You!!!!!!!!

I just recieved my book based on reviews and I have a hard time putting down the book. I read 70 pages in couple of days and I don't want it to end.
Every page has one tip, which makes it easy to just pick up and read whatever shot you are trying to do.

I really really like it and it is nicely designed with all color.

I recently bought one of the super-zoom point and shoot cameras. While researching, I came across a lot of recommendations for this book, so I bought it. Definately not a mistake. This book is exactly what a new photographer needs. Instead of a bunch of theory, you get real world solutions to various problems you may have getting that great shot.

About the only thing that I think could be improved is the layout of the topics. Since this is so good for a new photographer, I find it strange that one of the first chapters covers wedding photography. There's not a lot of amateurs that would tackle a wedding.

This is my first ever book on Photography...I have always "taken pics" but I never had a good camera, to take real PHOTOS!...Now that I have a brand new D-SLR, this book was amazing! I have since bought 3 more of his other books, he writes wonderfully. And unlike someone else's comments that they did not appreciate his humor, I LOVED it! I read the book over and over, before I even opened my Xmas gift of my DLSR! SO, before I ever had my 1st nice and fancy camera, I knew the proper way to take flower shots perfectly!

I have read several specialized How to/mastering Guides on lighting, posing, composition, photoshop elements and nature photography. This book was a nice review and also included several tips not found in any of the other materials I have read.

Short and to the point---with most major tips/tricks included.

Thanks Scott Kelby for another great resource.

I am usually not writing reviews, but i also found this book very shallow and the only reason not to return it is that shipping exceeds its value.

Its the first book EVER seen with full page advertismnets in the back from companies like B&H and CDW and so on, of which the author claims he is not get anything from.

I found this book useful and was a very quick read. It is basically a bunch of photographic situations and advice on how to deal with them. Overall I was pleased with it and am glad I bought it.
However... his humor is really a waste of time. Whole paragraphs are devoted to not letting a bad joke die. If you were to strip the photo's and the jokes out of this book, it would be 25 pages long.

Like several other reviewers, I find the author's attempts at humor to be mildly annoying. But having said that, this book is still well worth reading and good value for money, particularly for the novice to intermediate Nikon or Canon DSLR user.
The book is simple and easy to read with a number of very worthwhile tips on a wide variety of digital photographic issues.
Just remember the tips and forget the humor.

The book is a definite keeper.

In small book, author succeeds to cover almost all of the aspects of photography while keeping it friendly and fun.
Author doesn't go too much into "why" question nor he goes into the technicalities, never the less author covers each and every topic in more then sufficient depth without putting the reader to sleep :)

Author shares a lot of his experience in very clear and easy to understand manner. I picked tons of tips and knowledge.
This book is organized in a very topic independent manner - that no matter at which chapter it's been opened, reader can go from there without feel of lucking of details from previous chapters.

I think this book will benefit any level, and everybody will be able to pick a thing or two from it. I've been reading and rereading it multiple time, and even so I own a lot of "serious" photography book, this book beats them all.

Highly recommended.

This is exactly what I wanted Short sweet and to the point I give it 5 stars & kudos to Scott Kelby.

I'm going to come straight out and admit it: I hate this book.

Sure, the photography advice is fine. If you're not interested in the theory and you just want to know the best way to shoot X or Y, this book can be quite helpful and would probably be a good one to tuck into your camera bag when you go on vacation.

Unfortunately Kelby's writing is so abrasive to me that despite owning this book and knowing it's on my shelf I will scour the internet and spend hours on trial and error before I resort to consulting it. The author likes to make jokes that I find incredibly condescending. He spends a paragraph spinning an elaborate false definition of the term "tack sharp" only to go "ha ha, just kidding, it just means it's really sharp, like a tack!" at the end. Anyone at all familiar with the term will see through it immediately. Anyone who isn't familiar with it will be pointlessly led on and potentially confused. I can't figure out what the point of these digressions is -- apparently some people find them funny but I found myself wondering if the book needed padding. I felt like the attempts at humor were a waste of paper and of my reading time.

It's also worth noting, although this isn't necessarily a problem with the book, that The Digital Photography Book does not cover the camera theory basics. You won't learn why the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is how it is. You will learn specific ways to do specific things but you won't necessarily know why those things work. Personally I learn better when I understand the why as well as the how, so this doesn't really fit my style.

Four stars for the photography advice. Minus two stars for writing so irritating I can't use the advice.

After purchasing a high-end digital SLR I wanted to get advice from pros so I would not be frustrated or disappointed. This was the first book I bought on topic, and will quickly go to the donation bin and another book will take its place.

The author includes a few good hints, but nothing that really shows what you can do with even basic digital cameras. There are some situation recipes, but nothing satisfying about the exposure triangle - what I believe to be the real key to satisfying photography. The interspersed nuggets of wisdom are embedded in a writing style and humor that was offputting, so it left me feeling that I hadn't gotten a return on this purchase.

I just read the back cover and it clearly says "User Level: Beginner" and that is a good caveat. Even with that, there is much more he could have included to tutor folks starting out on this hobby/profession. Read this in a library and put it back on the shelf. If you invest in a book, look elsewhere.

After 666 reviews not much I can say except this is not necessarily the right book to buy.

Take the time to read some of more negative but constructive comments. Scott has lots of good ideas. He also gives lots of ideas that are either outdated or wrong in the views of other top photographers.

Please, before buying this book take a little more time and review Bryan Peterson's series. And there are others on the internet often free.

If I had never bought Scott Kelby's book (books) I could have saved money on better equipment choices and learned just as much or more with other photographer's books and internet videos.

Now I see Scott even has three volumes in CostCo. At half price they are still not the best choice and go off on studio methods and others less useful methods.

Scott if your listening have a good laugh ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.

I purchased all three volumes of this book and all three contain useful information. My complaint is about the presentation. Maybe I am old-fashioned but I buy books because I want factual information, or honest opinions, and because I expect that I will refer to this written material in the future. The author of these books presents his photographic tips as if "you and I were out shooting" but his writing style is so irritating that I would never go out shooting with him. He seems to think of himself as much a comedian as a photographer, the type that would play practical jokes on his amateur shooting companion, falling to the ground convulsed with laughter. Some books contain passages that deserve to be highlighted for future quick reference. These books contain passages that deserve to be blacked out to avoid reading them a second time.

Before reading this book, I know literally nothing about photography. I bought it because of its high ratings and that it is recommended on some websites.

Although it provides some good tips, overall I am disappointed because it doesn't offer any basics at all. I skipped the wedding chapter and sports chapter because I didn't even know all the basics of photography. There isn't much content in the book, except some random tips and resources. That's why I am giving it a 2 star rating. It's my personal view, but I think your satisfaction level will depend on how much you expect from its price.

For beginners, I would highly recommend Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition). It helps you really understand the most important basics, and thus it's a lot more worth the money.

I was pretty fired up about this book, but as soon as I dove in I realized one thing. That I had read all those same hints and tips on canon and nikon's web sites, they even provide video tutorials.........FOR FREE. In other words, anybody could have written this book. I give this book 2 stars and scott kelby an e for effort.

This book doesn't offer enough info to bother with really. Not enough in depth for the buyer really wanting to learn "Digital Photography". Also I wondered in product recomendations if I was reading advice or advertisment.

I bought this for my wife who wants to learn to use something other then an instantmatic type camera. I had bought her a Z6 and she didn't know where to begin with all of these functions, but didn't want to be shown by me or anyone else how to use it.

The book has helped a lot, now she looks up how to do something and feels she has learned a lot about taking pictures. A lot of practical information without dwelling on theory.

This is a great book for those new to the digital SLR world or just photography in general!!! If you're looking for HOW to do something then this is your book. This isn't recommended for those looking to know the INs and OUTs of photography. This books shares some great techniques. I'd recommend it to a newbie!

I purchased this book to make better use of a Canon EOS 5D full frame digital camera I purchased. The book is straight to the point, it has practical and executable instructions on a variety of items, for instance: how to shoot portraits of large groups of people. How to shoot children. A quick and simple Photoshop workflow. Recipes for the most varied settings like travel photography, portraits, children, marriages. I believe a professional photographer would not be impressed with how simplistic some explanations are, but a beginner to intermediate photographer will appreciate both how simple the recipes are, and how intuitive they are, once you grasp some basic concepts.

The book is so good I am now going to purchase a similar title from the same author for Photoshop. Not that the contents can't be found on the internet, but for the summary of the recipes. Great investment!

I love this little book. It's packed with lots of little details a hobbyist like me can forget very quickly. I love the chapter with tips to take sharper photos. There's just a number of things you can't learn without the help of an expert, so this section alone is worth a lot. I love the way each topic has been separated, and without being too technical, it gives enough information to go out and start shooting and having fun. The only negative is that its pages are starting to fall out. The material used for the pages seems to be of good quality, but it doesn't hold together for too long. It still gets 5 stars, though.

I just bought this book last Saturday and I have read completely through it and it was very good. I would rank myself as a advanced amateur and there were a lot of tips and simple explanations that will come in very handy.
I probably wouldn't advise this book for a professional, but he makes it clear that's not really who this is for.

I found this book very helpful. His humor is slightly annoying at times, but makes for interesting reading. The tips are very good and easy to understand. There is a whole chapter on wedding photography which is awesome. He gives several tips throughout the chapters, and I've already put some of it to use. I would recommend this book to other beginning photographers.

Short and concise articles on hundreds of topics dealing with the SLR camera using as examples the Nikon and the Canon (with more emphasis on the Nikon). Even so, the tips and tricks are to the point and very doable for both of these cameras. Eleven chapters with a tip on each page within these chapters. The amateur gets to try setting up the camera, shooting portraits, landscapes, using the camera when traveling as well as hardware advice...what to buy and what we can probably live without. It should be in the library of everyone who has recently purchased a digital SLR camera.

Whoa, what a book! If you know someone who's just getting started in photography, get them this book. I bought it for my teenage daughter and wound up reading it first. Not a photo be-all-and-end-all, but a great foundation for anyone's learning. Kelby gives the steps for many techniques without diving into theory or techical jargon; he even calls some procedures "recipes". I've been shooting for over thirty years for fun and pay and I got a couple of priceless tips. Common sense delivered in a pleasant, conversational tone. At this price, it's a total bargain. Great Photoshop tips for novices, too.

This book is awesome! Scott Kelby wrote everything you need to know to become a pro photographer. He didn't just write about common sense of digital photography, but he wrote how a cap can be useful for photography, faking rain, and using cable releases. If you want to, but don't know how to get rid of lens flare, shoot people, stitch together panaromas, take pictures of dirt bikes flying through the air, get rid of red-eye, use a flash, take a picture of a flower and make its background in focus, what type of printer to use, what type of paper to use for your printer, what type of tripod to use, how to make your pictures "tack sharp", and tips for taking waterfalls, this book is right for you! This book also includes fake headlines (the first couple of pages), how to talk "professional", and what gear to buy depending on your "type"(budget person, willing to spend more person, or a rich person). If you want to become a professional, earn a living with your camera, or just learn some tricks the pros use, this book is definitely what you need!

Scott Kelby's attempt at humor throughout the book remains an area for improvement, but the great tips he reveals throughout the chapters are worth their weight in gold. Covering diverse topics such as shooting people, weddings, the city, landscapes, flowers, and a few others, you'll learn a number of dirty secrets which the pros use consistently in their daily routine. Even after a quick read, I found myself looking differently at photographs in magazines, and when I take my own. It's an easy read, and it's well worth your time!

Great book at a great price. It's an easy read, and I picked up a bunch of small tips to improve my photography. I would recommend this to the hobbyist - you are sure to pick up some pointers.

A very basic and well written book! For those who want to step into the world of digital photography, you couldn't choose a better first book. Covers about every subject that is essential to understanding the digital approach to photography. And it contains a few good tips in using Photoshop to improve your shots further.

This book is excellent if you are looking for a quick guide/tips style photography book.

It is quick, light and interesting photography book that you can complete it in one or two reading sessions.

The book also includes sample images of the writer which are really professional and inspiring.
He also has good sense of humor and you will enjoy reading his book.

It gives very good and useful working-tips for settings used to photograph in different situationns and occasions, however, it does not illustrate "why" (which the writer says clearly from the beginning it is beyond the scope of his book)!


If you would like to really "understand" and be able to make the decision yourself, I would recommend Bryan Peterson, Understanding Exposure book. You will really love it.

Dont expect complex explanations about your camera system just amazing tips to accomplish professional like pictures (sometimes without knowing how) Good book , excellent color images

This book is an excellent reference. It gets straight to the point on some of the most common issues that photographers face during shoots. I like the fact that it spares me the techno-babble and gets right to the techniques I want to accomplish. In this case size also matters in the sense that the book is not very large so I have a tendency to always have it when I need it.

I have recently been introduced to Scott and his approach to photography and writing. I must say that his style is welcomed and refreshing!

So many other writers get involved in esoteric and highly embellished verbiage that it's difficult to get to the core of what they are attempting to say.

I admit that at times Scott's humor is a bit overdone, to the point of obnoxiousness, but with the understanding that every person has their faults, I'll take his style of writing any day!

This book is direct, to the point and gives the essentials needed to get the job done right in as little space as possible. It's amazing how quickly one can get through the book. Scott waists no time on triviality (other than an occasional dry joke). He says what is necessary and avoids the endless and worthless details that others add just to fill the pages to make a longer book and try to justify charging more money.

This is the second book of Scott's that I have and admittedly I am now a loyal fan of his style. I highly recommend this book, although it is likely best suited for the beginner/intermediate or demented-advanced user.

Enjoy!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting digital photography. It is very well written, easy to read and full of insightful tips. It gets you started immediately with the practical stuff without bogging you down with technical details. The beauty is as you try out the stuff the author talks about, you start catching on to the theory anyway. I have owned this book for 6 months, ready many of it's chapters 6-7 times, and always end up finding something new hidden in the simple do-it-yourself suggestions.

An excellent follow-up to this book is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, which describes more of the theory/technical stuff behind capturing an image but is also full of excellent illustrations and very useful tips.

The info that you need if you own a digital camera and want to really know how to best use it.

Scott Kelby does an excellent job taking the regularly complex tasks of photography and cutting them down to super-simple bite-size pieces that anyone can digest and understand.

The book doesn't only cover techniques on "how to shoot like a pro" but also have invaluable sections such as "how to avoid problems like a pro" which cover everyday issues like avoiding red eye (w/ external flash), shooting in the cold, etc.

Awesome book to pick up when you need quickly accessible nuggets of digital photography wisdom from a pro that doesn't feel like he needs to sound like one :)

This is an excellent digital photography "how to" book. It's not full of technical jargon or photography theories. It tells you how to take stunning pictures with your digital SLR or point-and-shoot digital camera that rival the kinds of pictures the pros get. If you want a digital photography book that tells you, "If you want to take a great pictures of flowers, do this," or "If you want to take great portraits, do this," then you'll love this book. I know I do.

This is a fantastic book covering all aspects of digital photography with dSLR's, although probably a little simplistic for veteran photographers. The author mostly references techniques of Adobe Photoshop elements and/or CS. If you don't already own or plan on buying either of these programs, you may want to look elsewhere. Granted, the basic tips of shooting dSLR pictures are great, and the author covers all types of shooting situations and scenarios. Additionally, the book covers presentation, printing, and even making money with your camera. Fantastic book overall, and highly recommended to anyone getting serious with digital photography.

This is a terrific beginner's book on Photography. It doesn't teach much about photographic theory but the author makes it clear from the beginning that is not his goal. I already understood the basics of exposure, focal lengths, etc. and still found it very enlightening. It offers over a hundred tips and techniques covering topics from shooting sharper pictures to photographing weddings in an easy-to-read format. It's most useful as a reference that you can refer to quickly about particular topics or situations but it also stands up to continuous reading if you want to go through it from cover to cover. If you have just purchased a new digital camera and want to improve the quality of the pictures you take - and fast - this book is hard to beat.Pentax K100D 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Shake Reduction and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Don't like the humor - a little humor is fun - but this gets annoying, then turns distasteful. If the author needs be funny,,, try to write a funny book or find a stand-up club somewhere.
Too much on Wedding Photography - I can't think of a more stupid topic within photography.
I liked the authors excellent photos.

Written in a style which is quite different than most other digital photograph books. It was very easy to read and presented information in a very useful/practical style.

It focuses well on how to use a digital camera and not the technology. Full of useful hints and ideas. I helps the beginner to get up to speed quickly without wasting helps of time on technical terms.

The humor used is "interesting" and might take some getting used to.

I have recently read several books on this subject and this one is by far the best. It makes a complicated subject simple.

This is an excellent book for anyone that is getting into Digital SLR photography. Scott Kelby does a great job of making it informative and not boring. Lot's of photos and helpful hints. I really enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take better photos.

Despite what some have called humor they could do without, I do appreciate the fact that Mr. Kelby tried to include some of his personality in his book. Instead of just spewing out facts and how-to-get-the-shot you want info, Scott infuses a little of his sense of humor while passing on his knowledge. He does a great job of giving you the information you are looking for in order to take your photography to the next level. There are beautiful examples of photographs and clear instructions on how to accomplish getting the same quality shots on your own. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and refer back to it often. I also like how he covered not just how to get a particular shot, but he also includes tips on equipment and post production.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone getting into digital photography and especially those who are getting into digital SLRs and want to take their photography to a professional level. Even if you don't want to be a professional, but just want to take professional looking photos, this book is for you.

The day this book arrived, I read it from cover to cover and was extremely pleased with the ease of use and the recommendations that the author made. This book is great for amateur or vacation photographers like me. I was very happy with my Canon AE1 program for over 25 years but finally bit the digital bullet last year. Although this book is a bit more for the digital SLR user, the recommendations are easily useable on my Sony DSC-H5. I don't think that I will need to purchase other books of this nature, since, this one has all of the info that I will ever need. A good investment.

Good book for the beginner. Does not go into enough detail. The first 5 pages are the only thing I got from this book. I am not saying it is not worth the money ( for around $10.00). I just think he just wanted to get a book out to sell because he needed some fast cash. Each page has about 1 to 2 paragraphs on it along with a beautiful picture. I think he could have given the setting he used on his camera and the setting and placement of his flash for taking that shoot. That would have been the s$!t, along with the description. From what I read about the book it says he will tell you all the secrets that the pro will not tell you. I only found about 4 one really good one that I just never though of. I guess that is worth about $10.00 I guess. To me just a bunch of fluff and showing off what pictures he can take not telling where the flash was placed or the f stop and the shutter speed that is not to techy I think most just starting out photographers could grasp that. It just pissed me off I was all excited to finally find out how the pros do it and he basically tells you what tripod to use what time of day (not hard to figure that one out) to shoot were to angle your camera, shoot in the shade not in direct sun light, things like that. Things you can ask the guy at Walmart selling cameras. Oh and buy the good lenses. This is all common knowledge to me I don't know about the rest of you. Just a bunch of fluff to me. I guess I will keep searching for the holy photo book grail.
If you can find this book for $10.00 or less I say get it and add it to your collection one or two things might be useful. I am just a little disappointed. I guess the saying is still correct you get what you pay for.
I know there is a book out there that has what I am looking for and I will keep searching. I know you all are thinking go to class for this become an intern for some great photographer. I say come on be nice!

I am a videographer and was looking for a photography book that would give me a better and easy way of shooting since video and photo use the same techniques. This book was just my cup of tea. Not only did it give you easy to understand direction but show you what the end results were. I would highly recomend this book for the beginner.

After reading the reviews I expected much more from the book than it actually has! I am very disappointed. There is not much useful information there and not much advice nor hints unless you are really green in the photography field.

Excellent. Wonderful. Great. Concise, relevant material. Easy to read and follow.

i bought this for my fiancee on her birthday. she is an avid wildlife phtogrpaher and wants to expand her horizons. i dont know the first thing about cameras, but i always wanted to know how. scott kelby does and amazing job of keeping it simple and guiding you perfectly through the basic steps of how to use your dslr.
he not only talks about taking pictures, but about gear too. he recommends what products will best suit you without spending tons of money on pro gear. this book is incredible, and he is a funny guy too!

I was looking for a book that would guide me in the day to day use of my digital camera. This book is written for the professional photographer. It is long winded, repetitious and 'cute'. The author takes a page to give information that could be given in two sentences. He takes pages to make 'jokes'.
I felt I wasted my money on this book

Overall this is a very good digital photography book. Kelby's sense of humor is quirky, and even perhaps a little annoying in some areas, but overall it adds to the readability of the book.

The one thing I found frustrating was that most of the web links are useless. I understand he can't control the outside links, like [...] which has apparently decided that sharing some of their gallery might deter us from actually buying their guides, but I wasn't even able to get to [...]

Otherwise, a pretty good, readable book on digital photography.

This book provides a number of basic tips, most useful for those just getting started (like me). It covers a lot of territory...some of which was not applicable to my interests (I can pretty much guarantee I will never photograph a wedding, nor am I likely to shoot portraits of people, but the portrait tips might be applicable to pet portraits, some of which I am very likely to do). I was interested in learning about some of the equipment that pros use, most of which doesn't apply to me as long as I am playing with my Canon S2 IS, but I do want one of those portable hard drives for offloading my memory cards!

The tips offered are "what to do" with little to no "why you do it" ... I'm a "why" person, however, so I suspect more books are in my future. Some of the tips seemed rather basic, and there seemed to be a small amount of repetition, but overall, I got quite enough out of the book to make it worth the purchase. Probably not a keeper, though...one read was sufficient, so I will likely pass it along to another newbie when the opportunity arises.

The author's light-hearted, good-natured humor is sprinkled throughout. I found myself chuckling often, and occasionally rolling my eyes. How-to books can be a bit stiff and impersonal--I enjoy Scott's more personal style.

I really enjoy Scott Kelby. Everything in this book is useful and made me purchase two more of his instructive publications.
It is precisely because of his sense of humor that he is successful...I firmly believe that. Even on my worst days I find humor valuable. The fact that he is one helleva teacher is not a bad thing either. Highly recommended!

Like the title says, " The single best photography book i've ever bought." A few months ago i've started up my own photography company. Only knowing a handful of stuff from college i knew i still needed to learn more. I've must have bought atleast 8 books over the course of 2 months. Then Amazon recommended this book. This book is in lack of a better term. " Idiot proof" It tells you want equipment you need, how much it cost, where u can buy it. The reading is easy as if the author is just talking to you face to face. Its kinda sad how i've learned more about photography in this book then years in college.
But all things aside. IF your new to the photography world and your looking for something straight forward and tells you exactly what you need. But this book. Its thin compared to other books in the subject but packed with USEFUL info. But if you think i'm full of it. Try it out and prove me wrong. Scott Kelby, u rock man.

My husband and I got ourselves a Canon Digital Rebel XTi for Christmas this year. He then got me this book to get us started. I love it! I'm a point and shoot camera person, and wanted some tips to get the most our of our new digital SLR. It's a fun read, with lots of great tips and easy to understand direction to take great photos. I think it's a must have in your library for all digital camera users.

This guy is really funny! Purchased this book to accomadate a older book that does not reference digital photography. Whole class loves this book!

I've read several "in depth" digital photography books before, but I always got too bogged down in the details and usually never finished the books in the past. I bought this book mostly b/c of the rave reviews and it's popularity. I wasn't really looking for a digital photography book. The reviews were right on!

This book drops pearls of photo taking all over the place, and gives you the nitty gritty of how to do it. I'm only half way thru the book, and already my photos have improved, and I don't even have one of those high powered SLR type cameras (yet). Kelby's direct and humorous style set this book apart from other "how to" books. It's a pleasure to read, and the pearls are in very short digestable chapters that are a quick read.

I'm now a big fan of Kelby, and I intend to purchase his book on Photoshop. Then I'll really get my photos looking good.

This book is what any amateur should have, the author describe most of the aspects of the digital photography in a very comprehensive manner, in the language that people understand. No need to be a physician to practice photography, especially when it is used for pleasure only, the book just tells you what setting for what result. Short and precise.
Another aspect, the book is compact enough to carry anywhere, useful when you take general transportation.

A real boon for amateur photographers and those who have photographed for years but without professional training. Each page is a fully illustrated sound-bite of information. You can sample by topic or technical aspect. The author gives plenty of simple/easy tricks that the professionals use along with some slightly more complex tips. But it is all practical, usable, accessible and, most important, understandable! Some tips you may find you've already been utilizing (that feels good) and many new ones will delight you and put new inspiration into everyday photography!

This is a very useful book, which is full of real-world practical digital photography tips. It has been very useful in my transition to digital photography. Light on detailed technical aspects of photography, it quickly takes you to practical answers and gets you involved in taking pictures. I would recommend it to any amateurs that want a quick-start in digital photograpy. It makes a great reference text.

My husband rarely reads instructions but he has read this book cover-to-cover - twice. He is learning so much and expanding his photograhy skills amazingly. I think it might be the best gift he found in the tree this year.

A book of tips, which can be sampled in short sips.

Scott Kelby does it again. He takes a huge subject and makes it easy and fun to understand. There is no technical jargon used in this book...only easy to grasp concepts offered in short chapters. An indispensible book for the newbie to digital photography or to the seasoned photog who is looking for just a little more information.

Photography is like playing golf. No matter how many years you play the game, you still commit basic errors. This book gives me reminders to many problems in d-photography and most importantly, how to avoid them. Also many new tricks are learned. I think I have read the book more than four times and I still keep it handy so that I can grab it when I need it. I really enjoy reading the book as it is written in a very humorous manner.

This book is a good source about digital photography without getting really technical about f stops etc. My daughter looked through mine and liked it so well that she ordered one also.

This is really one excellent book.
You can find one easy to read and very useful information. I am professional photographer, but his book remind me on many useful tips and tricks.
Only one hink that I personaly do not like : for my taste, too much humor in the book. Dear Scot, let your humor sense for your family and friends, please. You are good writer and you made few excellent and very useful books, but your humer is sometims very annoying. Thanks.

This book is great, it's not too technical, but gives a lot of great pointers and guidelines for getting better shots. I was impressed with the quality of the material and the clear explanations. I plan to get a lot more serious with this hobby, and I feel this book has been a great start for beginning this process.

I purchased a Minolta 5D SLR about 8 months ago and was looking for a book containing techniques and when to apply them. I have owned film SLR's but never expermented much, but with a digital expermenting is easy and I wanted to learn more about how to shoot better photos.

I found this book very easy to read and to the point, and have read it cover to cover twice so far. If you are looking for a technical in depth book this may not be for you, but if you want a this is how it is done book you will enjoy this book. I learned several new techniques and will be trying others I have read. Another thing I like about the book is in most chapters there are blank pages for notes, an easy way to cronicle your own results with a particular technique.

This book is great for any beginner in the field of photography...Scott Kelby makes the book interesting and easy to understand. He includes Nikon and Canon settings when you need to know how to set a camera for certain setups, etc.

I shoot for a living, and this is my mini-bible. If you can get by with his smarmy comments, then you will prosper with all the tips. Could have been longer, but...

This book was great. Tremendously informative. Straight-at-you information. Entertaining. Just wonderful

This book is a must have. The tips alone are worth it.
The images help a lot. Easy to understand and apply.
BUY IT!

I got this book series as a present from my grandma, because I am into photography and know at least the basics

I open up this book as excited as ever, seeing all the new information I shall receive to better myself

The first page is entirely him lying about a term then not telling us what it actually means (after reading it twice I think I got it) and that's pretty much the entire book, offering basic ideas inter laden with the basics of photography, for example getting a cable release for when it is on a tripod, aka the reason they were made.

I find this book to be useless to everyone but someone who doesn't know anything about photography and doesn't mind the constant stream of sarcasm.

Yup, I liked this book, it had some great ideas and some small tips that proved very eye-opening. I do, however, feel it should be read with a grain of salt (as should all things, really) because often it reads less like a tutorial and more like an extended shopping list. After learning from so many photographers that "It's not about the equipment you have, but more about how you use it," it's surprising to see this experienced photographer pushing equipment much more than important techniques. Sadly the basic techniques that he advises are somewhat... basic. Then some of the other tips (like where to position the camera when taking a full body portrait, a torso shot, or a head shot) really opened my eyes and had me saying "Oh! I get it now!" If you don't know anything about the rule of thirds or how to use the 'P' setting on your camera then this book is for you, however, don't run out and buy everything he suggests, and definitely read this book ALONGSIDE some more maturely written works like Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure;" one of Kelby's reccommendations which I thoroughly agree with (I say more maturely written because, sadly Kelby is one of the more annoying authors I've read.) I will continue to read the next two installments in this series, because I feel the next volumes may be more targetted to my level of ability, however I will do so with the same grain of salt, and strive to ignore his AWFUL (I really can't stress that enough) puns.

[...]

As other reviews have noted, Scott Kelby's puns are either something you like, are distracted by or absolutely loathe. In this it is a matter of each to their own.

However a lot of the advice in this book is not useful or very one-sided. For example, the section on sports photography (on which their is an entire chapter) may be summed up by saying "it is expensive". To be fair there is some useful advice (such as many of the professionals take two bodies, one with a wide-angle lens and one with a fast telephoto because you *won't* have time to switch lenses) which is why I gave the book two stars.

The most disappointing piece of "advice" was on "Being careful what you shoot". Kelby suggests that you delete pictures if security guards demand it, otherwise they may take your camera etc. They have no right to do this .... the excellent "rights of photographers" by Lawyer Bert Krages tells you about what right mere security guards (and even police officers have) and it does NOT include demanding that you delete pictures from your camera. At best the guards can require you to leave the area (if you are on their property) but they cannot generally demand that you stop taking pictures from a public area. It is true that some will try and harass you, but you are within your rights to refuse to delete your pictures and they (in particular, security guards) cannot detain you. This is even true for government buildings; although with military bases you are probably on your own =).

If Kelby had claimed that you risk being harassed if you took pictures of government buildings, and that you may wish to delete your pictures to avoid problems then that may be sound advice. But he writes that if he had not deleted his pictures he would have probably had his camera removed (factually false -- if this happens it is theft; call the police) -- and encourages photographers to roll over on their civil rights.

It seems that Kelby's ignorance will not stop him from making very authoritive statements, and to me this brings into question much of the other (also very authoritatively) stated advice.

I bought this book because I recently purchased the Canon's Rebel T1. After reading some of the reviews, I thought this would be a great beginners book. However, this book doesn't offer any information that I can not find online or in my owners manual for free. I thought he was going to provide insight and professional tricks and tools of the trade. I feel like I've been ripped off and I'd like my money back, however, I guess this will make for good reading to pass the time away on the subway commute home.

Very Disappointed

I own many photography books and purchased this one because of the Amazon rating. I wasted my money.

If you want to learn photography this book is completely useless, each page just give a tip of how to take a particular photo, but you don't understand why. So maybe you end with a lot of recepies learn from memory, but with not clue at all about how to cook.

I know the author is a very recognized photography, but this is really a terrible book. It's shallow and facilist.

The only good thing I read in the book is in page 192 where the author recommends other books that are actually really good (and easy to read and learn too).

I was extremely dissapointed with this purchase and don't recommend it at all. Not even as an introductory book.

I ordered this first book in the series after reading the second one. This is the better of the two. I am new to digital photography but some of the tips in this book have helped me avoid some common mistakes. For example, don't shot down on flowers, don't cut off joints or how to use light or dark backgrounds to shoot flowers. This book helps with deciding on what camera lens to use explaining the use of filters and basic issues that the beginner or even expert may have overlooked. A must have book!

Due to the large number of five star reviews, I think I was expecting more from this book. Thankfully I don't think I paid much more than $[...] for it, so the fact that I only found about 20% of it helpful, doesn't bother my wallet too much. I felt like a vast majority of the book was a high prices camera shopping list, telling you what kind of equipment you would need that goes into the thousands of dollars (in addition to your camera). Scott does a good job of not playing brand favorites in his equipment recommendations, that said, he recommends all this specific equipment for each type of picture, and between all the lenses, and filters, tripods and equipment Scott recommends, you would need a large SUV to carrying around all that crap, plus a HUGE savings account to blow. It stressed me out to read a book telling me I NEEDED to spend thousands of dollars in additional equipment to get the results he was suggesting. I would find a book that teaches you how to get good results with a normal DSLR and a kit lens far more helpful than this book which tends to lean toward a shopping list.

Great book. Fast read, gives a ton of great pointers for the beginning photographer. I bought both volumes 2 years ago when I fist really started to get into photography and they really helped improve my images by giving pointers on equipment needed to set up a home studio, how to get the best lightingn in various scenarios, how to get sharper images, how to pose people for portraits, tips for landscapes, etc. Great book.

This is a great book for beginners or some one moving from a point and shoot camera to a DSLR. The layout and content are great but if you have some experience either through a photography class high school or other you'll likely not find something you didn't already know.

I saw this book at Barnes and Noble looking for a good book to help me get sharper pictures (which has been my vice.) Coming across this book, I flipped a couple of pages and was sold - I put down the big heavy technical book I was holding and went straight to the register. And I was not sorry that I bought this book, either.

Sure, there is the thing about his humor. I could care less most of the time, except that the beginning is weighed down by him trying to explain to you in detail how the book works, and spending an exorbitant amount of time taking pride over the titles of the first few pages. I learned my lesson - I skipped the intros and went to what I needed.

Already, the first day reading, I was excited and ready to run out and take professional looking photos, I was so encouraged. (It was night time, however, and the irony is he doesn't cover night time photography in his book. Not this one, at least. I can't say for the second book.) I've experimented on my cat and the flowers in my garden and already I can see a difference in my photography. Not only that, but even though this isn't a technical book, I have a much better understanding of my camera!

What I love best about this book (and what truly sold me on it) was the last chapter about "photo recipes". He tells you exactly the environment he was in in order to get the shot, the camera setting, what number to set aperture size or shutter speed (things I had not gotten the hang of yet, so it HELPS), and what equipment he used. The book may be short (just over 200 pages), but it's straight to the point, so you don't need to swim through the technical aspect of things. His examples are beautiful works of art and he even gives us a peek into his bag to see what he brings on shoots. I've also kept in mind some equipment recommendations.

All in all, yeah his sense of humor is a little much, but it's a wonderful glimpse for the amateur photographer as to how to pros work.

Lots of good information here. Had the author not insisted on trying to be funny throughout most of the book I would have given it 5 stars.

As in all of Scott Kelby's books; Scott again brings forward in a very humorous manner, the essentials of digital photography. Although Scott brings out his biases about cameras and techniques, one can use this book in any situation.

First off, I like the way author Scott Kelby makes you feel as if he is taking you out, teach you personally. He takes the mystery out of getting those nice sharp pictures that, if you were like I was, are very elusive. He tells you straight what you need to do, how to best spend your hard earned cash, and shares some great tips and tricks, as well. Besides being very informative, this book is also entertaining. You can read it straight through, but also can get a lot out of it if you pick it up for 5 minutes and learn bit by bit. I am back on Amazon right now to buy his next book.

You know those shots when the planets lined up, a polar bear kisses a penguin, a full solar eclipse during a lightning storm, etc. that you were so stoked to get the pic, only to see it later and have it out of focus, overexposed, what have you...those days are gone. Quit reading reviews and get the damn book already.

The book is amazing. Who cares about the jokes in the first five pages!? If you are going to pass up buying this book because of a few negative reviews about the jokes then thats too bad.

Get it for what its worth. Great and fast tips. Let me just give you an example of how I used this book the other day for a fast tip. They were shooting off fireworks for Victoria Day in our city so I opened the book to the page on fireworks and he tells you straight. Put on a 200mm zoom lens, set your SLR on Manual Mode, Set it for 4 seconds shutter speed, set the aperture to f/11 and fire away. Its just that simple.

If you have to choose one book to buy this is the book. Seriously. I have a lot of photography books right now but this book is my favorite. Its the one i pick up daily and read over and over again. I take it with me when i plan on taking pictures because its a how to. He instructs you on tons of things. On people pics, flowers, around town, sports and so much more. Its a one on one and it is a book that i will not be lending out to anyone. I will however be buying it for anyone i know that is interested in taking great pictures. Buy the book you will not regret it. I promise!

I'm an amateur photographer who wanted a book to show me how certain things were accomplished without all the technical discriptions to go with them. This book is what I've been looking for. I will purchase other books to tell me the techie stuff but for a quick "how'd they do that" fix this is it for me.

What I don't like about the book, however, is Scott's constant cheesy humor. In my opinion it's distracting to the reader and unnecessary. If he wants to be funny then he should write a joke book. I don't mind a little humor here and there, but it's littered throughout the book and very annoying.

All in all, if you're looking for the a book for the same reason I was then give this one a try.

Scott Kelby is a polished professional photographer. There are alot of tips and very helpful information about professional photography.In Chapter one, he is very convincing about "how to" achieve a sharp capture. After all, if it isn't sharp, it doesn't really matter.The chapters on shooting flowers, weddings, landscapes, sports and people are filled with neat tricks and information.
The only reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because of the "I gotcha" jokes in the first two chapters. After I read these jokes, I was on guard the rest of the book. I think the "I gotcha" jokes should be left at the office party, not in an "how to" book.

I found this book very informative. He's humurous approach is sometimes distracting but I guess this makes reading more fun. I couldn't believe that such basic things could be so much more! Book is not like other materials which makes a beginner overwhelmed. I've read so many books, but his book, made me understand and comprehend more what the other books I read meant (hope this doesn't confuse anyone reading this). For me, it gave that, "so, now I understand what the other book was talking about". I just hope there was more..but I suppose Book 2 would provide that :) Beginners would definitely find this book very useful and a good tool to start learning. I suggest before reading anything else, start with this one first, light but informative. Will teach you the basics which would be a good building block.

Definitly this is the book if you know nothing of digital photography other than the point-and-shot technique.
It takes you step by step to the best way to use all those complicated options in a semi-pro or pro cameras.
Even teachs you how to do all that non-technical tricks that makes a picture looks like taken by a pro.
I just wanted to take better day by day pictures (parties, b-days, travels, special ocations) and this book fits perfect.

This is quite simply the best photography "how-to" book I've ever read. Not only does it read easily, it also has a little humor. Most important it is not full of a lot of technical gobbledy-gook. Scott Kelby himself best describes this book on Page 2: "if we were out shooting and you turned to me and said, 'Hey Scott, I want to take a shot where that flower over there is in focus, but the background is out of focus. How do I do that?' I wouldn't turn to you and give you a speech about smaller and larger apertures, about how exposure equals shutter speed plus aperture, or any of that stuff.....I'd just turn to you and say 'Put on your zoom lens, set your aperture at f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away." The entire book is written that way. Buy it. You'll love it!

While I consider photography a hobby, I also considered myself an intermediate amateur photographer. I understood the technical workings of how aperture and shutter speed manipulate exposure, but this book also is a Cliffs notes on how to capture good composition (i.e. content). After reading his book, I went back through and all the photos I've taken that I really liked. The best of the best followed his teachings to a tee. I hesitate to give this review because I want to be the only one who can take good pics (wink), but this book is worth every penny.

I have been shooting for two years with the Digital Rebel mainly macro so he hit upon those points and I realized I was doing things right. The Author gives great hints and inexpensive ways to take pictures, backgrounds etc. What can I say this is the first photography book that I didn't put down. I read the whole thing. My other books I have read a little here and there. I am ready for another more advanced book.

Thanks

I found this book to be very useful and worth every penny. However, the lower corner of the book cover says it's good for you even if you have a point-and-shoot camera and I don't believe that to be true. You really need to have an SLR camera in order to get value from this book. I have one and I learned a lot about how to use it better as a result of this purchase. I would recommend this to anyone who would like to know how to take professional looking pictures without all the mumbo-jumbo lingo that some books offer. I think it's so good that even if I'd checked it out at my library, I'd still go purchase it just to have a copy in my camera bag.

This is probably the best photography book for beginners. A friend lend me this book and a day later I went and purchased my own. You should at least be familiar with what shutter speed, aperture, and ISO is (just google it). Scott wrote this book as if he was speaking to you directly. His jokes got me to laugh several times and his sense of humor is fun. Definitely a must have

This book is very easy to read. The book gives a lot of easy pointers that will make your pictures stand out from the ordinary photographer.
The author puts his own brand of humor in the book that you may or may not like. I personally liked it.

This book will help you build upon any knowledge you have of photography or help you develop a base for one. The author speaks to you on a personal level and tells you what he does and how it helps. Definitely helps give a better understanding of why and how you take a great shot!

The book itself is cheaply made, it fell apart in my hands on the first read. There are some good tips to be learned if you can stand the author's "humour", where he's repeatedly provided pages of nonsense followed by "I'm just kidding!" I'm certain that the average three year old would find it hilarious, however if you're over that age and not mentally challenged you are more likely to find it distasteful at the least.

It's worth wading through at the library if you're already involved in photography and looking for some extra tips. Otherwise, there are thousands of books on photography to choose from, have a look at some others and wait for the the re-edit of this one.

This little book looks pretty from the outside, and has some good colour photographs but the author's irritating "humour" grates on MY nerves, anyway - maybe you won't mind. He has a number of hobby horses that he rides to death - for example, he mentions the necessity of using a tripod in almost every second sentence. Fine, good advice in most cases, but pleeease, let's move along!!!

He also tends to reduce everything to a "recipe" - lists of things to take photographs of at a wedding; a precise description of how to photograph a flower (a - against a white background, b - against a black background.) Perhaps if you want to take some technically good photographs with a decent camera and you have very little creativity of your own, this might be helpful.

I have been a photographer for most of my life and I was unsure what I might find in this book would be useful to me. I was extremely surprised at what incredible tips and suggestions the author makes to take better and the best pictures possible. This is an good book for those people with Nikon cameras. Being a Canon man, I found tips for Canon cameras as well but not as detailed of instruction and it was for a Canon camera whose style was older. That was the only negative. This is a semi-how-to book. Telling you how to compose your pictures and what tools you need but hot holding your hand the entire time. Each tip/suggestion runs only one page for most subjects. Even for the experienced photographer this book is still a goldmine of tricks. This book is convenient enough to travel with so I feel I will probably take it with me on photo trips to assist in any time I need a little "how to" compose that shot from Scott Kelby.

I have been using cameras for about 40 years and considered that I was at least competent in their use. I learned more in the 3 hours that it took me to study the book than in the past 40 years. This should be required reading for all serious photographers. Perhaps it could be used to replace the almost useless manuals supplied by manufacturers.

Scott Kelby did an excellent job of writing this book. If you're a photographer or wish to be one this book is a quick read, easy to read, and you'll get good knowledge from it without all the technical aspects to it.

When I bought this book, I assummed it would be like other camera books: difficult to understand etc. Scott Kelby has not only a great eye for photography, but a way of writing that is both easy to understand and humorous. He changed my quality of pictures so I get amazing shots almost effortlessly. Case in point: I did a photo expo in Dec 2006 and sold nothing. In March of 2007, after reading the book, I entered another expo and sold 15 pictures. It is that good. This is a book you won't lend out.
~Alicia Bailey

Easy to read and very concise. Not bogged down with a lot of technical info that most people could care less about. Rather, the book offers recipes on how to achieve a certain shot. Also some basic concepts and equipment you need and why. Some of the humor in the book was very funny and much of it fell flat, but over all made the book that much better to read. This book is perfect for the new photographer looking to improve the quality of the photos. I can not recommend this book enough to casual photographers looking to greatly improve how they take photos.

I looked at the photography books on line and this one was one of the most reviewed, so I figured for $11 it was worth a shot. Just buy it. It was addicting. I'm a slow reader and I read it in short intervals over a few days. I found my self stopping to try the suggestions. It was great! I purchased the lowest price recommended tripod(Manfrotto 3021BPRO rather than 3011) and I love it! Although it is laced with rather silly humor, I found myself laughing every time. A great read and much more useful than any of the camera specific books I've read.

This book is essential for any Photographer that wants to become a professional. It teaches you in a very concise and spefic manner hundreds of different shooting scenarios you will need to master.

You will not be disappointed in buying this book if you are truly interested in becoming an expert Photographer.

This book helped not only get started with my first SLR, but it also was great suggesting equipment and other things to consider while out shooting. The different subjects covered may not all relate to your focus, but there is something for everyone. Scott's humor keeps the book offbeat and fun to flip through. I keep it in my gear bag always and refer back to whenever I need to. Worth so much more than you'll pay!

I bought this book for quick tips for improving my photography. He provides you with concise practical information for those not interested in reading pages and pages of detail. For instance, he states you can take pictures of flowers as if they were outside with the morning dew by purchasing them from the store and using a spray water bottle. I followed that tip and spent 4 hours photographing my flowers. That is simple and practical but I would've never thought of it. His ability to provide tips on a variety of subjects was impressive.

I give him five stars for sharing the methods used to take some of his more creative shots. Some photographers provide "breathtaking" photos but do not dare to give you any real insight as to the time or the method used to capture the moment. He provides that information.

His jokes are very cheesy but I appreciate his attempt not to take himself too seriously although he is serious about his work.

Scott's book gives it to you straight. How to chose the proper settings for your digital SLR to get the shot. Not full of a lot of theory and background, just what you need to do. Lots of good advice on accessory equipment that makes the job easier and more effective.

My title really says it all. This book is written in plain English with examples and easy to follow logic. The author does use a bit of his personal humor in the writing which may or may not be your thing but its easy to skip the chapter introductions and dive directly into the excellent meat of each section.

Very quick read and packed w/ practical tips on how to get the best w/ your camera. Doesn't go into a lot of detail but mostly a book on tips to get the most from your camera. His humor is a little cheesy at first, but his advice is spot on. Great for beginners.

I enjoyed the book from cover to cover and caught myself laughing out loud on occasion. The clear cut and simple strategies provided by the author are priceless to anyone interested in picking up a camera and walking away with a decent shot.

I really got a lot out of this book. It was clear, concise and great for digital photographers who know their camera and how to use the various settings. The text is not overly technical, it was an easy, informative read! I would highly recommend it!

The review is right on, and has helped me already. Scott Kelby relates well to those of us who need the "gimme the bottom line" kind of help. Has a good sense of humor as well.

this book is true to it's description, it's tips on how to make your pictures look less amateur. nothing more, nothing less. Just tips, such as what lens to use, filter, tripod etc. a lot of things amateurs don't implement when taking point and shoot pictures.

at first i wanted to give this book only 3 stars, but i re-read the description and thought that it would be unfair to the author to deduct stars because the book IS true to it's description, I was just expecting more out of it. when i bought the book i thought it would be more on teaching photography. it's not, it's just tips. I still have to buy a different book to understand digital photography better and to understand the Exposure Triangle = aperture, shutter speed, exposure

Plus, i think i'm in love with Scott, so i couldn't give him less then 5 stars ;D

Scott Kelby gets right to the meat of the matter and tells you how to take the shot or get the picture you want. Short, concise, and to the point. Great book for someone who wants to learn how to do it after reading the instructions. BONUS... Scott is also a comic...you will be entertained!

In my opinion Mr.Scott Kelby and his staff couldnt write a bad book if They tryed
His style and manner of writing are exactly what they are HIS not copyed or taken from other books or scripts Just His
In His book of DIGITAL Photography Scott DOES WHAT MOST DONT HE makes YOU feel that he is speaking to you and you alone the reader.
You are taken on a Journey with him into the realm of digital from selecting a card to photographing or should I say capturing in reality what your feelings are saying to you at that time what a journey outstanding and a real good time No More Worry No More careing if someone sees your photos and looks at you and your camera and you know what they are thinking what are they doing with that camera. Well after this Book you feel GREAT BECAUSE YOU FINALLY UNDERSTAND and You Begin to have FUN with your Camera and Enjoy seeing and capturing that moment or that sight that only your Brain and Heart saw and now others CAN SEE IT TO if YOU WANT TO SHARE
Thanks again Scott for shareing that piece of yourself
there Just arent enough stars to click on

Kelby is the best. Even those of us who think we are pretty darn good photographers can benefit from this no nonsense how to book which covers most of the map on digital photography.

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. It is simple enough for anyone to understand and still gives useful info to even the pros. I teach digital photography at our local college. I found the book useful, and so do my beginning students.

I am a novice to photography and this book seems great. I've only just started it, but I think it will be very handy. So far, I recommend it!

This book is easy to read and is plastered with the author's dry but witty humor. The author's humor coupled with the light-hearted down-to-earth approach make this book very amusing and easy to read.

The book does not cover the technical aspects of photography, such as aperture, ISO and shutter speed setting in grand detail - which the author pointed out is not the goal of this book.

Think of this book as a personal companion or a quick reference guide filled with scene-specific techniques on how, what, where and when to shoot in different situations. Not only does the book answer the previous sets of what/where/when/how questions, but also the why. For example, why shoot a photograph of a flower on your knees instead of standing up? Why diffused lighting works best for floral shots and why you should include a foreground, a middleground and a background in landscape photography. Kelby makes seemingly general techniques that once seem mundane to the average photographer/photo-viewer now an indespenable tool of the trade.

The author's chapter on photo gear recommendation near the beginning of the book is also a plus for beginning photographers. Although this book is geared toward D-SLR users, the techniques employed can also be used for point-and-shoot compact users as well. Remember, this book's main objective lies in the techniques of digital photography and its compositions, not the techinical configuration of a camera.

All in all, this book is one of the few photography books that deserve a spot in my photography library collection.

The format is superb. The writing is succinct and funny and the content is spot on (tact sharp). I read the amazon.com reviews and decided if this book was anywhere close to as good as peole said it was, I had to have it immediately. I paid alot more at my local store, but it was worth it to get it the same night. I have since purchased another copy of it to send to an experienced photographer friend. No matter how experienced or inexperienced you are with photography you are guaranteed to find useful tips because of the wide range of topics (wedding, sports, travel), this book will pay for itself in savings on equipment and potentially costly mistakes. It's a fun read written in a style so funny you will laugh out loud, handy reference and inspiration. One caution: If you do not own a SLR, reading this book will probably end up costing you at least $500 to upgrade, but you will be happy you did. Enjoy!

I'm glad I bought this book because it's a great reference, but I did feel like a lot of it was common sense. If you have never taken a picture before, or you have no idea how photography works, then this book is right up your alley.

Just bought my first digital SLR and this book is amazing. Just about everything I need to know, plus some extras. I found the perfect printer in here also. Great book!!

If you desire is take quality photos with or without a SLR camera, you should get this book. This book will inform you of what went wrong on a bad picture and how to make sure the next picture comes out great. Remember when it comes to great photos, there isn't always a guarantee that you may get a second chance.

This is one of the most useful books I have ever owned. When I got it, I read it cover to cover, twice. Now I keep it in my camera bag to refer to whenever I need. Simple, easy tips to just take great photos.

This book is now only easy and fun to read but is filled with tons of ideas on how to take great pictures in every kind of situation. Grab a marker and start reading you'll be happy that you bought this one. It is a keeper.

Having bought the SLR equipment and experimented on my own for a while, I bought this and two other books (B.Peterson - Learning to See Correctly and J.Miotke - Digital Photography) to get me moving and hopefully avoid some pitfalls.

Kelby's book provides a good, if brief, basic common sense introduction to the subject and related periphery, with useful practical guidance. It is well illustrated. All three books have much in common (e.g use the golden section in composition) although this book includes a section on wedding photography which the others don't and none deals with metering choices.

Overall the book met my immediate needs rather well and I learned a lot from it. It could subsequently have continued to provide a useful quick-reference text for the future, were it not unnecessarily long winded, repetitious (I don't need to be told x-times that film costs money and digital is "free") and interspersed with the author's (self designated) "humour" which is at best out of place and is not what I was buying. Without all the padding it could be half the size, correspondingly faster to read and easy to carry around.

At first reading, I was apprehensive because of Kelby's style, but overall I really enjoyed the tips as they were easy to think about and gave great examples of what to do to improve your photos, where to go for resources, etc. Would definitely recommend for anyone looking to improve their photography skills.

The book was written in a very down to earth way. Scott shares some of his favorite settings so you can try the same settings on your camera. He mentions several products in his book that are very good. Scott has written this book in a very non-techinal way. I find myself refering back to the book all the time even when taking pictures. I would recommend it to anyone that owns a digital camera.

This is the easiest and most enjoyable photography book I've ever read. As someone contemplating the jump from advanced digital to Digital SLR, I learned a great deal about the best techniques to make the most of my existing and future equipment. Scott's sense of humor adds levity to a subject that can quickly become technical and boring. This was a lot more than just a "photography for Dummies," but kept the conversation at a level that everyone can understand and enjoy.

After reading just two pages I felt that I had gotten more than my money's worth from this book. My les cap is off to Scott Kelby. Well done!

This book is a great introduction to using a DSLR. It touches on many aspects and types of photography and is thus a great overview. The tips are all clear and accurate and reading this book inspired me to try out the tips and buy more in-depth books on digital photography.

The author writes clearly and keeps the text intresting from cover to cover.

This book was great for learning little tricks to improve your digital pictures. It is written in easy to understand language without a lot of jargon. I would recomend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about digital photography.

I am in a photography class and the teacher suggested this book. It has a let of useful information

Compré este libro revisando las muy buenas críticas que tenía y me ha servido muchísimo. El libro no te habla sobre aspectos técnicos de la cámara, te dice... "quieres tomar una foto que salga así... entonces coloca esta configuración y apreta el obturador". Es buenísimo sobre todo si quieres ver resultados rápidos y como base para luego entender los detalles técnicos.

Totalmente recomendado!

Scott Kelby has done it again. This man, a true photographer, as well as master of Photoshop, as introduced a new travel size book complete with beginner tips and professional ideas and even creative approaches to the smallest or biggest project. I would consider myself an intermediate photographer and photoshop user, and quickly buying most of Kelby's books, and what a true investment. I hope someday to meet this man at a convention or something. THANKS AMAZON!!! THANK YOU SCOTT KELBY!!!

For anyone new to digital SLR photography this is a great book. It's a quick read and you can learn something new on every page. Great to hang onto for a quick reference.

Best book I've read about this subject recently. Highly recommended for begining digital photographers, a very fast read, yet comprehensive.

I learned so much from this book! The information given is so easy to understand & well written. Subjects are broken down into individual pages, so you learn a lot without having to go through an extremely technical explanation which are a lot of times more confusing than not. I highly recommend this book.

Scott Kelby sure made iy easy for me to understand the basics in Digital Photography. Excellent work Scott.

Me gusta mucho la fotografía, pero solo desde hace unos meses que la empecé a tomar más en serio. Me compré una SLR (Nikon D50) y comencé a leer en internet de todo sobre fotografía. Iba muy bien en la parte teórica, pero me seguía faltando el conocimiento para aplicar la teoría en las fotos, y asi poder tomar fotos tan buenas como las que se ven de fotográfos expertos. En esto último es que el libro es fundamental, ya que no se da vuelta en términos muy teóricos, sino que enseña como usar la cámara en distintos escenarios en las que uno normalmente la utiliza. Desde retratos hasta paisajes, todos los trucos para tomar mucho mejores fotos.
En mi caso existe un antes y un después de este libro. Una vez leido y puesto en práctica, la fotografía se me hizo muchísimo más entretenida.

Im new to dgital photography, and Ive learned a lot from this book. If you have manual control on your digital camera - this book is what you need to start learning. Its basic, but Ive done some awesome photography with Scott's help. Highly recommended for beginners.

When I first got this book, I thought I was just going to skip the pages and read what interested me, but I ended up reading the whole thing in almost a day! It's really helpful and explains A LOT! A definite must have.

This is really a GREAT book. Scott loves what he does and it really shows in his books. If you are interested in photography or considering getting more interested in digital photography, buy this book. The examples are most helpful. I've read several dozen photo books in the past 12 months and I rank this one in the top 3 of all those I have read. This book is about digital photography and is not a rehash of a book made for film cameras. I suggest you buy it now.

What's there not to like...... as a beginner in digital photography and brand new dslr camera owner, this is a bring-along book. No fancy terms, just a lot of good info. So he put a bit too much of his personality in it, so what! If you want all tech terms, get a very technichal book. For people like me it's a goldmine. And now it's 2006's book of the year at Amazon... well deserved!

the best digital photography book I have ever read... Easy to understand,joyfull and funy expression... Every digital photographers must have this book to take better pictures with their digital slrs... Still thinking? Hit the order button and realise the taste of digital photography especially with your Canon and Nikon dslrs

After reading this book, I can only say "Wow!" Clearly-stated suggestions, excellent ideas and wonderful layout on even the most basic principles. If you have a digital camera, even if its not an SPR, then this book is for you. It'll take your pictures to an all-new level, and you'll be glad it did.

I purchased the Digital Photography Book on the advice of a professional photographer, because I am an amateur. When my granddaughter saw the book at my house, she was infatuated with it, because she is a blooming photographer. When Christmas came around, I ordered one for her for Christmas and you should have seen her eyes light up!

The style is a little too breezy for me. Instead of telling jokes, etc. the author could have used the space for more information.
Also the book was mainly for Nikon and Canon SLR cameras, which should have been reflected in the title page somewhere, so that those of us who do not own them could be advised.

As a beginner in digital photography, I was more than a little pleased to find Scott Kelby such an easy read for me. He made the process of setting both subjects and camera in a way that was easy to follow and I am recommending "The Digital Photography Book" to all my friends who are intrested in photography. I will be happy and eager to buy and read other books by Mr Kelby. Thanks again, DonVega

This book was my first introduction to Scott Kelby and I am now a fan. Scott simplifies complex subjects with a conversational teaching style. His humor never feels as though it gets in the way. In fact, his humorous writing voice is an effective way of helping the student realize, "Hey, relax. It's not as technical as you might think." While reading this book, I truly felt as though I was in safe hands.

This is an extremely readable crash course in (digital) photography from which any novice can benefit. I especially enjoyed the "If you want to take this kind of photo, then do this" section. No technical mumbo-jumbo: If you are looking for your first book on photography, this one would be an excellent choice.

UPDATE: 04/16/2007
Hey, I decided to try out one of the techniques explained in this book. I wanted the "trails of light" picture with cars at dusk/night. I took pictures from one side of the Golden Gate Bridge at dusk. Using Scott's techniques, the pictures turned out fantastic. It was easy, much easier than one might expect. Thanks, Scott.

I have tryed to learn the basics of photography, but all the books were confusing and could teach you little. After reading this book I went on Amazon to see what else he wrote. The book is very informative and one I have learned the most from. If you are trying to get the most from your photos and want a pros help without all the hype this is a great book. I put this book in my gear bag and have used it many times to get the most of my photos. There is not one item in this book that was not of help. Again great book great author

Not only did Scott find interesting ways to explain simple and not-so-simple shooting techniques, but he always found a way to make me laugh. The book is hilarious and informative. If you are just getting started in photography or want to get a head start on going to the next level this book is a MUST READ!!! I recommend it to everyone who tells me they want to be a photographer.

Scott Kelby said he intended to write this as if two friends were out shooting photos and you asked how to do something, and you'd get a simple straight forward answer. Well, that is exactly what he accomplished. This is a very useful and helpful book. Well thought out and organized. There's one tip per page along with a photo example. It's all right there, no flipping back and forth between pages to see what Mr. Kelby is talking about. And of course there's Scott's unique brand of humor to keep the book lighthearted and moving along. I've recommended this book to several friends and they've all enjoyed it and found it useful.

It is a great book to show the tricks that helps your photo look like pros.

Considering its price, I would say that this book beyonds its price very much. It covers shooting skills in every espect, photoshop skills, and other tips on choosing equipment. If you are a very beginner or amateur photographer who serisously want to improve your skills, this book is something you must have.

Great book for all digital camera users. It is written in very understandable language for the beginer as well as the more advanced user. I am very pleased with this book and highly recommend it.

The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby has a great deal of suggestions to help improve your photo taking skills. It is easy to follow and would be as asset no matter what brand of camera you are using. I am never disappointed with a book written by Scott Kelby. He also writes Photoshop books that are awesome. His books have been invaluable to me.

Offers a lot of great tips. Easy to understand.
Humor was a little too much but nothing but great information.

As Scott Kelby himself says on the back cover of this book, his approach is to share how-to tips as if you were out with him on a photo shoot. The approach is very accessible and easy to follow. I've read a few other books that were very helpful in terms of creating a good composition, getting a "creative" exposure, but Scott's book really helped me with some nagging questions I've had. For example, I got into digital photography so that I could photograph my kids' sporting events to take better portraits. I've always wondered how to get better sports pictures in low light and his section on shooting sports gave me the answers I needed and identified a "sweet spot" shutter speed and optimal ISO settings. Also, in a section on "Avoiding Problems like the Pros" he provides important tips such as the fact that batteries have shorter lives in cool weather, or how to change your lens and avoid dust, or other reasons the pros use lens hoods.

I've been very curious about the use of RAW format, but didn't know the first thing about what is possible in terms of post-shot processing with RAW vs. JPEG formats. I've been shooting in JPEG-Fine for quite some time, and I've been running into some problems with my shots related to over/under exposure with limited options for fixing the problem with my current software. Scott talks quite a bit about what you can do in Photoshop and I found it very intriguing. He didn't get into the how-to details surrounding Photoshop in this book, but he did get me interested in it by showing some great effects created in Photoshop. In fact, I've decided to buy Photoshop Elements 5.0 (better for a newbie like me...) and his step by step book on the product (The Photoshop Elements 5 Book for Digital Photographers - Scott Kelby) because his book appears to have the same no nonsense, tell it to me straight, type of approach that I liked so much in this book - at least that's what the reviewers are saying...

Scott also has a great section at the back of the book entitled "Photo Recipes to Help You Get 'The Shot'" where he'll show a particular type of photo effect, such as single subject shot of a flower, portrait with soft directional light and natural skin tones, or smooth and silky water and dramatic skies in a landscape shot, and tell you step by step what you need to do to replicate the exact shot demonstrating the affect on that page. It's really great and it's given me some ideas on things I'd like to try. For example, I want to try playing with slower shutter speeds for more dramatic movement shots necessary to capture people dancing, or a band playing a concert. He shows how to do this in the book.

Scott also has a great sense of humor. I won't spoil any of his jokes, but in addition to giving you some great advice on photography, the book is an enjoyable read.

This book is filled with great tips for getting better photos out of your digital SLR camera. Although targeted at an audience new to digital photography, there's something for everyone here and it's nice to have all these tips consolidated into an easy to read book. Even though I've been using my digital SLR for about three years now, I still found many things of interest in this book.

The author also has a nice sense of humor, e.g., "Now I can push the shutter again and again, and in my head I just see a smiley face instead. Why? Because I'm insane." ;-)

A fun quick read.

Kelby makes it clear from the get-go.... he's not interested in lecturing... he'll just tell you how to do something just like he'd tell a friend out on a shoot with him. After reading the book, I'd love to go out on a shoot with him. I learned a lot, I still go back to the book frequently and he is very easy to read. Great book for digital photography and especially if you own a digital slr.

Don't waste your money. Scott's writing is offensive. Basically, he uses this book as an opportunity to express his very poor sense of humor. His shooting suggestions are trivial and familiar. He holds himself and other so-called "pros" in high regard. His writing is very poor and just a lot of fluff and personal opinion, basically nonsense. Also, there is a lot of advertising. Frankly, I am surpised this book got published. My advice is to save your money. Don't spend it on this book!

I paid $14.60 of this book at Amazon, and I'm glad I bought it. If you have more time than money, don't buy this book--you can probably find most of the suggestions on the web for free. The thing is, you have to take the time to find them. The great thing about this book is that all the very-useful suggestions are in the same place. That's why I gave this review the title I did. There are good hints for avid photographers who are just shooting for their own satisfaction (like the section on Taking Travel and City Life Shots), or for more serious photographers who might want to make some money doing this (Like the section on Shooting a Wedding). I'm satisfied enough to consider Scott's other books, though I have not ruled out other authors.

Listen! Do you want to learn photography? Do you know the shutter-apperture marriage and want to learn how to position your camera and take great shots? Do you want to get better if you are just starting photography? Then this is a PERFECT book for you.

Ok. Yes, there are a few annoying jokes - I did not find them annoying thou.. But if you want to play along with the writer of this book, you should get into his jokes... He said this is a companion book... and he is just trying to be friendly and next to you while you take the shot. He is breaking the moment with a joke - which for some can be annoying - but if can call it silly, then you are going to get the best ideas for your next photo shoot...

Yes, get this book... If you are a pro, you might know everything in this book. But if you are not a pro... then get the book. Is worth the money. Even in 5 years you will get back to this book...

Yes, I like the book a lot. I just got it yesterday, and I went through the first 50 pages... And no, I do not get any profit out of this review...

Cheers!! and have fun taking photo shots!

- Gives you practical advices
- Written with humor
- Talks to both Canon and Nikon users (Including the instructions given in text \ images)
- Assumes you know nothing, great for beginners

The reason I didn't choose the 5 stars rank is because I'm one of those guys who looks for the theory behind
the practical advices, and I think you won't find too much of that in this book..
(Scott Kelby: "This isn't a book of theory - full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts.")

In my opinion, the overall is good, I enjoyed reading it.

Straight-shooting, easy to read, no holds barred writing. Fits my needs, interests and attention span.

As other negative reviewers have noted, there is a *lot* of worthless mockery and jokes and gotchas around the real wisdom in this book. If you have loads of time and enjoy sifting through trash to find gems, grab this book. Otherwise you're better off with free web resources, like Ken Rockwell's site, that get straight to the point.

Wish the author would write "cliff notes" for this that removed all the junk and mocking tone.

I bought a DSLR camera to take better pictures of both family and my son's sporting events, which I succeeded at. Then, I wanted to "step things up" and take even better photos so bought this book based on amazon reviews. If you are pretty new to DSLR's and want to know more, this is the book for you. The advice and hints in the book are brief and to the point; Kelby does not go into massive detail that only the serious professional can understand, but takes his teaching down to the amateur level so even the newest DSLR owners can majorly improve their photo-taking.
I want to add that I also purchased books 2 and 3 recently and even though a few of the points in the books are repetitive, by combining all the great things I have learned in all three books, I feel I am now on my way to being a serious photographer instead of a wanna-be. I now know what ISO to use when, what mm to shoot at for what, what modes to use and why, how to use my flash correctly in all types of lighting, how F-stops work and why, etc, and can do so on the fly to take the best shot possible. Thanks Scott Kelby for a great set of books!

All three volumes are written in the very same manner: one big picture on each page (like 1/3 from each page) and some text under it. Even though, i liked all books (right now I'm finishing the third volume), I love the way how the books is written (I always had the impression that Scott is right next to me and explain me various stuff), I learned some stuff but I feel like I want more than that.

Even if the book claim to be for amateur photographers, the price for various accesories is way over an amateur budget. I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling too comfortable paying more than $300 for a light difuser or a light box, $200-300 for a tripod, and more for lights, lenses and so on. Also, most amateurs won't spend too much on an advanced digital camera like those presented in all books. I own a D40. Is low entry, I know, but that's the trick: I'm an AMATEUR, I don't want to spend a fortune on cameras and camera accessories.

I'm gonna to review the kindle version of this book, since there are already tons of reviews about "the contents" of the book, but not really the kindle version. Firstly, the price is halved. With that said, you are not going to have the paper version quality of the book, and $10 dollar still seems a bit steep consider following drawbacks. Secondly, it's a black-and-white version, meaning, you don't get to see the nice colorful pictures as in the paper version. Well, to be fair, you know the kindle is black-and-white only, so you would expect this at the very beginning. Nevertheless, the pictures (in the gray scales) are decent, and helped to illustrate the photography points. Thirdly, the book is converted to the kindle version very cheaply. I mean, it just feel like someone used a cheap software to convert the pdf into a hacky e-book, and you would expect amazon's official version does better than that: the pictures and tips are no longer fit in one page (well, granted since you can change the font size on kindle), and you often see a half page picture with no text below it; but more importantly, sometimes the text got cropped at the end of a page, and you see a wacky black half line there, fortunately, the next page recovers the last two lines in the previous page. The content of book section is usable for jumping into different chapters, however, because each tip deserves a hyperlink there, you need to flip many pages to get to the next chapter.

To summarize, the kindle version of this book is usable, with a few cracks of bad formatting. The gray pictures are somewhat helpful, though definitely worse than the colored ones on paper. The only one benefit of the kindle version over the paper version is that it does not add weight to your existing kindle :p, and slightly cheaper price.

With that said, this is a great book for digital photography. The tips are very helpful, and the book is fun to read.

"The Digital Photography Book" I have found excellent, I have completed several digital photography courses, and have many books on the subject, this one is so different. It is step by step, it covers those topics (although not in intense depth) that you spend hours on the net trying to find the answers for. (Usually after you have covered the topic elsewhere, but you can't remember the exact details or what course you learnt it in)eg "How do i set the camera up for panning" or "How do I frame this type of landscape". The book is great size to carry with you, has these great little section at the back of the book with "Recipes" for getting most of the popular type of shots taken. All in all a brilliant little book that gets picked up far more than I thought it would. And its great resource material for when I am planning to take certain type of shots. A quick easy to understand refresher.

Juanita

This is a must buy book. I am not a book reader fan, but when it comes to Scott Kelby way of arranging the book flow it becomes interesting.

Personally I don't like to read but this book was pulling me to read every chapter and wanted to complete it in order to know what is hidden in the next topic.

The book goes straight to the point, it's like going to a photo-shoot spot with a professional photographer. When you have a question of how to take a particular photo, what lens to use, what accessories you need to use, what is the camera setting that your camera must be, etc. and need a pro to answer it, then you can simply take out this book, check the index for the title you need, go to that page and wala you will get your answer.

The only thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a practical and not theoretical book, i.e. this book will not give you what is ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, Exposure, etc. in details and what are the difference between them and shows you the result between each ISO setting and so on, rather it will provide you how to use all this in order to get the desired phot result.

In conclusion, my advice if you are new to photography and want to know the basics in order to be a pro, first buy a book that explains the basics of photography (such as: The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Miotke, which I have and it's a very useful book), and then buy this book because as I stated above this is a practical and not a theoretical book.

I like the style and the spirit of this book. The author's writing style is far too corny and frankly a waste of paper in some cases. The information seems to be credible and accurate, but this is sort of the hitchhiker's guide to photography. If you're looking for a fun sort of trial and error type of guidebook, this would be a good one.

My sister sold me my first Digital SLR and she loaned me her copy of this book. She said it was the best around to help with the basics. After using hers for a month I purchased my own copy to have. This book is good for any digital camera owner who is starting out and would like to know some of the basics. Kelby has great ideas and lets you know some of the do's and do not's with equipment and other products as well as the best way to get certain shots with your camera. Good read.

This book is a fantastic learning tool as well as a great reference guide. Easy to understand the tools he is passing along. I felt it was very helpful as I learned a lot. I am still learning this book is a great step towards moving forward in my hobby/love for photography. Oh I must say that one of the big things for me is that he talks mostly about Nikon and Cannon cameras. I happen to have a Nikon so this was great for me. I highly reccomend this book to anyone just starting out or just looking to learn more.

This book was a great help, I'm a beginner in photography with some experience from taking graphic design in college. If your looking for a book of explanations on how to get the shot this book is not for you. If you want to learn in easy terms and how to get great shots without all the technical jargon that goes with it BUY this book immediately. Scott will show you a shot and then basically say ok set the F-stop to this, iso to this and point and shoot. He gives some great pointers on what equipment and includes price ranges e.x. if you have a lot of money go buy this, if your on a budget then you can get away with this piece of equipment. He will go over times of day, lighting and angles and points of view to increase you ability to take great shots and so much more. Definitely worth the price and will make you a better photographer whether its taking family photo's, selling stock photos or just a hobby.

I don't know what I read that led me to believe I would find value in this book.

It is very basic and if you have been shooting for even a short amount of time it will be of little or no value.

Interestingly I found little about digital photography within and so the title is even misleading.

I bought this book based on reviews here. I had used 35mm years before and was reentering photography as a "serious" hobby after some years away and some years of point and shoot cameras. The book is okay and certainly not a waste of money. The info contained could be found in just about any decent book on photography. There was nothing here that I found extraordinary or wonderful. His approach.... "I'm right with you"... is okay as well, but didn't add anything for me. He is pretty devoted to Canon and Nikon equipment as well as Photoshop. This book may appeal to you a bit more if those are your cup of tea, but essentially it shouldn't matter a great deal.... although at times I kind of felt like I was reading ads for his favorite products. I would advise looking around for a book with more info.... possibly one with more info on your specific camera. (I found a book with: as much basic info on photos and written specifically for the functions of my camera by searching the camera name and "field guide" here on Amazon.) All-in-all this book isn't a bad thing, but I suspect something better awaits you!

I've been away from "real" photography for many years, and rather than dust off and upgrade all my old 35mm equipment, I decided to jump in with both feet and go full digital SLR. Unfortunately I came to realize I had forgotten almost all I once knew (or thought I knew) about SLR photography. This as it turns out is an excellent way to get back in, or if you are new to this, a way to get started. Once you get past his rather odd sense of humor, Scott Kelby does an excellent job of making everything about digital SLR photography very plain and understandable. I love his use of "shoot by example" with his simple examples and explanations. Rather than lengthy dissertations about how a camera or lense is made, he simply tells and shows you how to make good pictures happen. Using this book as a building block I have been able to get a toe hold on my SLR photography and will now be able to build upon his teachings and begin rebuilding my photographic skills. Because I read this book before making any purchases, I was actually able to make several decisions on what equipment I bought based on information I picked up within the pages. I have already loaned the book to another neophyte, and have requests from another because of the excellent way in which Scott teaches. I highly recommend this book to anyone at the beginning stages of digital photography.

Looking at the title and buying online withought benefit of thumbing through the contents, you might get the impression that this is an all encompassing book on digital photography. The price should have been my clue. Each page contains a half page, or less, of text with a photo above. The text clearly explains what you need to do to capture a similar image. Scott's book is not a primer on digital photograpy but rather a collection of tips that I personally found very helpful, once you get beyond the lame humor. Scott's recommendations for printers were particularly useful. I expected more from the book, but for the price it's a handy reference. The book is small enough to fit in your camera bag or pocket of a backpack so you can reference it easily on your shoots.

I have been working with film cameras for years but found the information in this book to be very helpful in adapting what I knew to my new digital equipment. I have recommended this book to friends and bought one for my brother-in-law who recently bought his first dslr. It should be the first digital photography book you buy.

The information is presented just as if Scott was standing there talking to you. Not full of technical jargon but very informative. He likes to throw some of his personal humor, and you don't always see it coming but it helps to make it a good read.

I've always been a "dabbler" in photography but 6 months ago I decided to take it a bit more seriously and treat myself to a Digital SLR. This will be my second photography book, the first being the "Nikon D40 Field Guide".

I really liked this book..........I guess you want to know why?

This book is a great "wide and general" book. The way it is written is as a series of recipies/advice on how you would shoot a particular shot. It is grouped together into logical chapters: weddings, sports, portrait, landscape. Each is a page long and focuses on one specific thing. The style is supposed to be as if you had asked a specific question: "how do I do....XXXXX". You get the answer. There's a drawback to that which I'll come back to.

To me, that is a great way to layout the book. You can - as I have just done - read through the whole book and pick things up. Then later on, when you have that specific question you can come back to 1 page rather than have to search through the whole book.

As I said, I'm an enthusiastic amateur. The book is certainly written in an amateur style - there's no myriad of complicated ackronyms or goobildygook. I certainly picked up a lot of good information from the book.

Things to note or beware of:

A lot has been written about Scott's writing style and humor (or lack of). Personally i didn't mind it. I didn't find it insulting at all. To me it seems like he's trying to breakdown the barrier of the super-elite techno geek - which no doubt he could be given his extensive experience. Apart from the first chapter it's not that prevalent: if you read Brien's review that's practically all of it that he's pulled out.

The main criticism for some will be that he doesn't explain in this book WHY you do X, Y or Z. I understand that criticism and it's true, but that would make for a much longer book. This book aims to give you a little bit of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects.

In my mind you need to balance this book out with 2 others: 1 book that is specific to what your camera can do (like the D40 field guide above) & 2 an uber-techie book explaining exposure.

The book is general and may focus on areas you aren't that interested in. The wedding photo section, or shooting flowers section or the sports section (where he starts by saying you'll need $$$$$$'s of gear to do sports well) will not be of interest to everyone. However it's still good to read those sections and understand a little bit more about photography.

This book is only 1 tool in your photographic arsenal. IMHO it does that job very well.

this will be a book that I carry in my camera bag. It gives great tips and tells you how to set the camera to "get the shots".

I am just learning how to shoot with a dslr and this book has been invaluable.

Several others have helped me understand the camera and the theory but this one simply tells you what to do to take better pictures in a step by step way.

Highly recommend.

I was very impressed w/the way this book was put together. It is very easy to understand. I believe the info contained in this book will really come in handy. In fact, I plan to get the part 2.

Author has sense of humor and explains tricks and techniques of digital photography with humor and plain English.

This book was recommended to me by a friend that won a photography competition. He said this book is very easy to read & understand and that it is a must if I want to get serious about photograpy. He was right. This book is very helpful and I have already ordered its second part.

A perfect beginner's photography book. I reread it 5 times within the first week or so of buying it, noticing new bits and pieces each time. If you're a beginner, just buy this book and you won't regret it.

This book has helped me out so much. My shots have improved ten fold. I highly recommend this book for people needing to improve their photography skills.

After reading several reviews and checking the book out at a local store I purchased it on the spot. I'm also ok with Scott's humor and I think it kept the book light hearted enough. I really like the point of view and how he just explains things as if you were just chatting with him (As he meant this book to be and says so in the beginning). It's a very easy read and quick reference.

I read the book not once but twice and found Scott's presentations very short and concise. Each page of the book has an item of interest with a very informative narration. I would recommend this book to anyone starting the love of photography.

This is a great book with the follow-up book #2 for any one wishing to improve their technique and performance in digital photography.

This Book is one of its kind and Scott Kelby is really a person of knowledge, if any one who wants to start learing photography as a hobby or profession, the knowledge shared in this book is absolutely fantastic I will be soon ordering more titles written by him soon......

This book is great for beginners. There is a lot of helpful information, ranging from equipment to techniques for different types of photography. I think that this book is perfect for someone like me who is looking to transition from point and shoot to DSLR.

His humor is tolerable if you keep in mind that he's trying to be light hearted. Early on he states that his intent is to give advice to you as he would to a friend. I suppose his humor is intended to be endearing.

The information in the book was very helpful, easy to read and had great tips.

I purchased both this book and the second volume. I can best describe the value of Kelby's books by telling you the following story. I thought I was lending these books to a good friend who's a very highly experienced and gifted professional photographer. After a couple of days he called me and told me how much he liked the books and that it was so nice of me to let him have them! Guess I'm buying them again. Both of us really like Kelby's sense of humor - reminds us of our own conversations. I found the Photoshop sharpening techniques he describes to be superior to all the ways I've tried. Just this one little trick more than paid for the book. Kelby's photos alone make the books a worthwile purchase. I would highly recommend these books as required reading for anyone starting out. They'll most certainly be useful for experienced photographers as well.

i love this book because it doesnt give me headach. most book i always have to take a break.. this book teach me alot. i just want to keep reading it. i was kinda sad that it's over at the last page. I bought a camera.. it's on the way now.. this help me know the basic of the camera. its great for beginner.

I read this book with great pleasure. It is a must for every beginer.

I bought this book after purchasing my camera, but didn't review it closely enough.
When I had a specific need to get some good shots, I went back to this book and studied it closely.

The learning and depth really occurs with the explanation of the manual settings on most popular brands.
Namely, White balance, ISO (film speed), shutter speeds, F stops and Burst mode, for quick sequential shots.

Understanding these settings, and practicing with your camera, will improve your photographs. You can then return to the book, for a better understanding of the tips.

Many times, I'm trying to recapture exactly what my eyes are seeing at the moment not end up with something that is starkly lit by a "flash bulb". These settings, with the help of the book will give you a good understanding (or at least a lot of practice will) of how to capture the moment.
I never realized how much better shots can be without the flash. Users really need to try to force themselves away from the "auto" setting on their camera, except for the MOST basic shots.

With storage space so cheap, it's so much easier than the days of film and film processing to get the practice you need.

The downside of the book is that it tries to cover almost too much info. (lenses, filters, kids & old people) I think some of this could have been left out, and focus around manual settings could have been covered in better depth.

I think the book is a very good starting point, and should also be used as an ongoing reference until you are comfortable with your brand of camera and its settings.

This is a great book if you want to improve your photography. To move to the next level of photography, you need to read this book. Scott is witty and this book shows you different ways to really great shots. K. Frank

I am an assistant wedding photographer aside from my regular job as an accountant. I have read this book and I can say that there are so many great tips! I love how he says "if you want this type of picture, you do this". I took a photography class, and got a bit confused with the numbers, and I was so glad to have run across this book. It has helped me tremendously! After reading this book, I also read his book on Photoshop CS2, and that has helped a lot too, as I bought the software, but knew nothing on how to use it.. now I take great pictures a lot easier, thanks to his cool tips, and I can use Photoshop CS2 like a pro.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book- you will not be sorry you did.
Here is a funny thing. I was at a wedding, and noticed the photographer (i was not shooting this wedding) used a lot of the techniques he said to use. I asked her if she read the book, and she said that is her "photography bible".

I've been casually shooting for years, but wanted to start getting serious. I got The Photography Bible, which is a good introduction to all the basics of photography, but that's about all. It doesn't really give you much practical knowledge or advice for how to get out there and take great pictures.

This book took up where the other left off excellently, though you could easily start using it as a complete novice and really start improving your photography. In fact this book is geared specifically for the complete beginner. The author's sole purpose is to get you taking better photos as quickly as possible and he therefore leaves out a lot of the technical jargon and explanation. He teaches you only what you need to do with your camera and setting to get a specific result. I could see this direct approach being a detractor for those wanting to know why to use a certain shutter speed, aperture , ISO or flash and if you want to know the science behind photography, this book is not for you, but it will be perfect if you're a beginner and simply want to get out there and improve your photos.

There are plenty of technical manuals out there for photography. This book is for everyone else. I highly recommend it!

Other reviewers have noted Mr. Kelly's slightly odd sense of humor --- I really didn't mind it that much, and in fact it was pretty much entirely isolated to the intro to the book and the chapter intros, so if it bugs you just skip those sections. The rest of the book is full of fantastic tips, ranging from the obvious-to-anyone-who-has-taken-a-picture to those that made me go "Huh, I never would have thought of that."

I guess my only complaint (if I had one) is that he never mentions any equipment I use (I have an Olympus dSLR). To be fair, that doesn't really matter since his tips aren't equipment-specific (and he makes a point of mentioning it at some point), but it made me feel a little left out.

Unless you're a professional photographer, you'll probably learn some great stuff from this book, so it's well worth the really cheap price (plus it's chock-full of full color pretty pictures).

What a fantastic book. I really cant say enough about how much this book just stripped away all the B-S and gave me exactly what I was looking for. Sure, I have other books to tell me all the background details (which will take years of study to master) but in the mean time this book helped me hit the ground running. One quick afternoon of reading and the very next day my shots had improved. I will be immediately purchasing the second volume.

One caveat - you need a sense of humor. Kelby has a very dry sense of humor that I found just endlessly entertaining, but I do notice that a few people prefer their books to be boring. If you like boring instruction manuals, this book is not for you.

This is probably the best how-to photography book I've ever read. This covers only a few topics that general consumers are interested most. This book is very easy to read. This is a vertical dissect of the interested areas. Instructions are very clear and precise. This helps you to the take reasonably good (if not professional) looking pictures very quickly. From there, you would have enough skills to expand your horizon. Enjoy!

once you get past the authors humor the book has good content and is full of good advice. I have put his hints to work in photoshop and taking pictures. I'm new to DSLR but have used 35mm SLR and high end P&S cameras for a few years. I own several other books by Scott Kelby, all are good. I would recomend this book.

I never expected this kind of books to be so enjoyable before reading Scott Kelby's work. It's no doubt the best guide for any DSLR amateur and fan, like me, for many years just shot around without any pro knowledge but only passion and love for life. Almost Every page provides me fresh realizations for phtography and I believe my experiences have improved a lot under Kelby's instructions. Many fascinating photos are presented inside which yield a most straightforward way for teaching.
Besides, I prefer the useful Tips always come at the bottom of a page. They are not only wisdom for shooting but also wisdom for life.

This is my kind of book! If I wanted to wade through tons of theory, I would get one of the 400+ page photography books on the market; I really don't have alot of time for all of that. I know some purists out there will scoff at this kind of book, which, along with Volume 2, get to the meat of the subject. I personally find getting to the meat of the subject extremely helpful. This allows me to not only get a particular shot I am looking for with a minimal amount of figuring things out, but it also provides a great stepping stone for me to experiment more and go beyond. And I personally enjoy his humor. More than once, I got a good chuckle at some of his remarks. The looks of the book are nice as well. Each page gives a wonderful photo example, as well as Scott's take on a particular photographic subject, instructions, and helpful advice. I own several books by this author, and have not been disappointed by any of them.

I am a Nikon (D200) user. I do not use a lot of instruction manuals but realized the true potential of the camera by reading Digital Photography, both Volumes 1 & 2. I am a recreational photographer, running a buisy Ob/Gyn practice and already seeing better quality shots. You will understand that I read many books and journals but Digital photography(both) are easy reading. I even gave an additional copy of volume 1 to one of my son. The funny comments broke the dull format of textbooks.

Wendel

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1

I sell my work to magazines and I have found that this book is one of the best for the working photographer that I have in my library. It doesn't tell you how your camera works, or about f/stops or shutter speeds. What it does is to help you when you are on a shoot. As Scott Kelby explains this book, he says that it is like your on a shoot with someone who is a real big time pro. You turn to him/her and ask, "how is your camera set up to take this shot?" And then explains how you should set your camera. Each page is a lesson, with a picture at the top of the page, and the lesson below as to how the results were arrived at. I love this book. I have taken pictures since 1958 and never had a good flower picture until I read this. I sell my work to magazines, and I have found that this is a good book to own. In fact I have purchased a second copy for my son, and have advised others about the value of owning this book.

Strong statement? Not if it helps you the way it helped me.

I found this book on the basics of digital photography with an SLR camera to be very useful and easy to digest. The author uses light humour and a very personal approach to inform without being pedantic. The format looks more like a magazine with some advertisements included and the liberal use of photos and useful hints makes it very readable for the beginner. For instance, the author recommends using a monopod at sporting events (tripods are banned at my ballpark)to get sharp closeup images.

There are other books available that cover the more technical aspects of photography but this is a good read for those who prefer to learn by just using their equipment without getting wrapped up with a lot of jargon. It can also be a good reference book (only 209 pages long)for someone who wants to improve their technique because each subject has a brief explanation which usually covers the point. As someone who has recently purchased a digital SLR I will make good use of this easy-to-read book on the basics of photography.

Some may find the humor in this book a bit off. I found it refreshing. What I especially liked is that the tips are short, sweet, and to the point. Each one is on a single page though some grow over several pages. He's done a great job with basics and some not so basics. If you want a step by step, blow by blow technical manual then this is not for you. If you want a book that gives you techniques for better pictures and what to look for then grab this book. I also recommend book 2 which is NOT a rehash of this one. A welcome sight for a second book in a series.

Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book is an excellent guide to getting the most out of your digital camera.
As the new owner of a Nikon D40X DSLR, Scott's tips on how to shoot like a pro are already paying dividends for me.

I'm sure they will benefit anyone looking to improve their mastery of the digital medium.
I'm sending a copy to my father with a note to throw away all the other photo books he has and to focus on Scott's easy, step by step directions.

Want to shoot weddings like a pro?
It's in there.
Want to capture landscapes like a pro?
It's in there too.
Want to know the best time of day to get those postcard perfect wildflower shots?
Oh, yeah...in there.

Scott also gives you the low-down on equipment, detailing tripod and lens choices based on your budget, not his.

Scott concentrates on what the pros do to get "The Shot", without all the jargon and double speak of other books.

I'm re-reading it and will keep it in my camera bag for years to come!
Thanks Scott.

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1

I have been an enthusiast of the digital camera for the last three years.
Although I am self taught I decided that it is time to slow down investing my money into the photo equipment and start to invest into the post processing and knowledge in general.

I decided to get this book based on the reputation of Scott Kelby.
My overall feeling is that this is an excellent book for a novice wanting to know more about digital photography.
I found that just about 80% of information in this book I already poses and use every day when shooting. I did find a couple of gems in this book and will keep it as a recipe book for future reference. For instance there was a simple guide to making a nice background glow for a wedding photo portrait. That was very useful. Just the thing that I needed and also the reason why I decided to buy the The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby.

I am one of these unfortunate souls that do not identify with Scott's sense of humor but it is easily overcome by skipping a page or so every now and then.

In conclusion, get this book if you are new to digital photography. Get this book if you want to have a recipe book and want to reconfirm your knowledge on things like framing your photos, choosing subjects, overcoming common problems, choosing the right accessories etc. Do not get this book if you are a seasoned photo enthusiast or professional as there will be no value in it for you

Regards

Peter

PS I am currently reading Volume 2 of this book and find that there is more stuff in it for me... more on this will be in the review to of Volume 2 book

This book and its companion (vol. 2) are terrific and have given me great ideas, however, the quality of this book is pretty poor. I am not sure if it is just my copy or others are similarly affected. Mine has pages falling out and sections coming apart from the binding.
It is just over my 30 day return limit for Amazon, so I am screwed I guess.
If you buy this book MAKE SURE your pages are intact and don't start falling out.
Steve

Using my hubby's Amazon account (sorry dear) I have to voice the following:

I am in agreement about the TACK SHARP - that REALLY annoyed me. I like Kelby's humorous conversational writing style, but there were two major "GOTCHA" attempts within the first two chapters of the book.

Keep up with the humor Scott, but, please stop patting yourself on the back over fooling the reader. This type of stuff makes your reader lose faith in you, and also makes your reader feel like an utter moron and not want to believe anything you write. It's almost like we're gun-shy, waiting for you, at any moment to say "HA! JUST KIDDING!" from that point on.

You are an amazing talent, and a WONDERFUL teacher. Please don't degrade your skills and gifts with these misleading and semi-insulting attempts at humor. Thrill us with your cornball puns and silliness, but dump the out-and-out false leads.

OK, off my soapbox. I didn't see the need for this book. Waiting for a kid to finish Karate practice, I went to the local B&N and got a coffee. I picked up this book, and began reading. I bought it so I could continue reading, and purchased book 2 as well.

Ya done good Mr. Kelby. There was many things here I didn't know, and some were embarrassingly simple - I felt ashamed that I did NOT know them. Lo and behold, I read the steps to sharp images. Tripod - check, cable release - check. Mirror lockup - yeah, uh, it's a custom function I've never used... uh ok, someday.

Last night, we had a lunar eclipse. I raced home 1/2 through, grabbed my camera, 500mm f/4, tripod, shutter release, and off I went to a PERFECT viewing spot (nice and DARK). Setting up, I remembered "Oh yeah... Kelby's mirror lockup... hmmm, yeah, lemme try that". OMGOSH!

I was thrilled with some of my exposures - the moon was beautifully sharp (admittedly I did shoot a few before I remembered his advice...)

OK Scott, I am officially un-mad at you for your poor choice of humor (but don't start it up again!). Here's a sample of an image using mirror lockup:
http://westernimagphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/4378171_ekuFx#257186474

YES, this was worth every penny - so much so that I've recommended it to six different photographers in the two weeks I've owned it, and they've found it very useful as well.

I am fairly new to digital photograpy, and although the book offers some useful tips, it was not what I expected. Most of the tips offered in the book, I have found just browsing the internet. More details of the tricks the pros use would have been more helpful.

The book contains several good tips for a photographer, but the way it is written is sometimes too enoying. I don't fancy reading half a page of bad humor to get to the point the writer has. If you can live with these drawbacks you get several tips rather cheaply.

Using this book should immediately improve the photography of beginners and intermediates. It's organized around specific instructions telling how to handle most commonplace photo situations. The writing is clear and free of technical jargon. The colorful illustrations are large and detailed enough to be quite helpful. The indexing and organization make information easy to find.

Reviewers who objected to the book because of supposedly heavy handed and unfunny attempts at humor must have been in truly sour moods when they wrote. Digital photography isn't exactly a laugh riot, but the author's attempts to lighten things up are unobjectionable and don't get in the way of clarity and effectiveness.

Highly recommended.

The cover looks boring -- especially with the "Digital" branded generic camera on the front. But it's an amusing and useful little book. The photo-on-every-page motif gets old, especially when it forces text to break over two pages unnecessarily.

A very informally written book, almost awkwardly so at times, but very easy to read and informative. Sounds like something I'd write if I knew a lot about photography :)

I bought several similar books, this is definitely the favorite. Full of tips.

This is one of the best and most popular books on digital photography anywhere. I have several books on photography, and this is one of the best. Packed with lots of great tips and information, this is an enjoyable read. Oh, and did I mention the photos are beautiful?

I second the opinion of Brien Malone (San Diego, CA), "Good info, but Kelby's "fooled ya!" sense of humor is a NUISSANCE," December 9, 2006.

Scott writes with a very matter-of-fact style that gives the reader only the information needed. He doesn't attempt a dissertation or get bogged down in the minutia.

He does, however, attempt humor, which is both annoying and distracting. In fact, there are several paragraphs where he pretends to explain something only to add a jovial "just kidding" at the end. My time is valuable; I'm reading a photography book to learn how to take better photos, not indulge Mr. Kelby's poor attempts at being funny.

Notwithstanding, the information is concise and I will most likely purchase his newest book, Digital Photography Vol. 2, in the future (i.e., when I can buy a used copy on Amazon for cheap).

Generally a very useful book. Each topic is presented in a bite-sized chunk, never amounting to more than a full page of text, along with an appropriate picture. It's an easy book to pick up, read a page or two at a time, and file away the hint so you can use it when you are out shooting. The humor is a bit of a distraction, but easy to get past. The tips are very useful and on-topic. Overall, a win for any photographer.

This book has helped me tremendously in conceptualizing the different aspects of photography and of how to properly use my camera. I thought my pictures were fine before but this book has taken me to the next level! I enjoyed the light humor that pervades the book; it certainly keeps one's attention. I also think how each page is self-contained with a sample picture for illustration helps in minimizing cognitive load. It is a well written book and a great tool for helping one progress from the novice level toward the amateur level.

this book is to read. i would say that i am above a beginner, who this book was written for, and i still learned some valuable things. It if fun to read and because of how it is written you can easily pick it up during little breaks and never get confused.

The shipping has been delayed six times on this book allready and amazon will not let me cancel it. I love amazon and haven't had any problems with numerous items that I have ordered here, but this is an exception. Do yourself a favor and order/buy it elsewhere.

THE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK

The Digital Photography Book serves as a quick reference guide for beginners to intermediate photographers on issues from focusing to what equipment to purchase; from composition to the digital printing process. The book is relatively short and each point or technique that he discuses, only takes a page to explain. The writing technique of Scott Kelby in this particular book, makes the reader feel as if he were out on a photo shoot with you. As Kelby says in his introduction, he is giving tips as if you were a buddy of his out shooting photos with him. He is trying to give pointers for everyday situations such as weddings, people, landscapes, and travel. He gives almost 200 tips. Some of his tips are oversimplified and not every situation he describes can use his "technique", but his general rules will help produce better photos for the everyday photographer. The tips he does give can also be used for film photography. When Scott does explain a technique, such as shooting flowers, he does it in a straight-forward, easy to understand practical method without a lot of technical jargon. Yet, each tip has enough detail that I got a better idea of how F-stops and focal lengths affect my photos. I also learned how and what lenses to use. Not only does the book give shooting tips for special situations, it talks about aperature speeds, macros shooting and a page about sport shooting.
At the back of the book, there is a Chapter entitled "Photo Recipes to Help You Get the Shot", where Scott shows a particular type of photo effect, such as smooth and silky water and dramatic skies in a landscape shot, and tells you step by step what you need to do to replicate the shot.
Along with Scott's helpful hints and techniques, he offers suggestions for equipment that can be used to help make the photos you are taking turn out better. Scott talks about the equipment you need over and above your camera to get the shots you want; i.e, tripod, ballhead, cable release, and level. He gives suggestions from the most expensive to the least, even gives alternatives you can use in a pinch. When he does recommend new equipment, he is very specific about the band and model.
After reading this book, I have it in my camera bag and take it everywhere with me. I look at it at least a couple times a week. There is always a situation where I pull it out and refer to it. It is a great resource book without all the technical jargon. As a beginning photography lover, this is just the book I needed, but I would also recommend it to more experienced photographers, just for insight into how another photographer shoots certain situations.

This book and Bryan Peterson's book, "Understanding Exposure" should be on every photographer's book shelf. They are both excellent, very readable, and have superb advice for anyone wanting to improve their photography. Highly recommended.

I have it. What I like about it is it gets straight to the point. You want to learn about how to take a certain type of photo? It tells you how to do it. It's like a recipe book for getting specific types of photographs that you want. The binding in the book could be better, but that's a manufacturing issue, not a content issue. For content I give it 5 stars. For the book binding (or lack therof), 2 stars. (Mine started falling apart the 3rd or 4th time I leafed through it, unfortunately.)It's still worth having, though, for those times when you know what kind of shot you want and have no idea how to get. Great for beginner DSLR users.

very specific on the techniques how to get great images, i really learned a lot from this book since i was just starting.

I read this whole book on a flight from NY, to Puerto Rico, very informative and easy to understand for people getting ready to delve into the world of digital slr cameras. Great tips and easy to follow steps to get great pictures in no time... I have yet to purchase a DSLR camera but i'm pretty confident in knowing that I can learn to take excellent pictures fast with this book at hand. I even picked up some great tips for using compact pocket style cameras.

This is the book to read if you're anythig less than a pro. Kelby's writing style makes you a)not want to put it down and b)understand it because he's humorous and tells it like he's a teacher in the field. I carry this bok with me all the time and drill myself on his simple lessons. Buy it you won't be sorry

This is a great book to learn...or refresh yourself...about photography techniques. It is written in a casual and entertaining way, while presenting lots of information. Additionally it offers suggestions on different kinds of equipment that will help a photographer shoot the kinds of photos desired...and it offers budget choices from inexpensive to "you better be making lots of money." It's a good read and a book to keep around for referral as well.

Scott Kelby's "The Digital Phototgraphy Book" is a must for every photographer. As a professional photographer, I refer to it constantly to confirm my approaches. It is clear, concisely written and humorous. The format and layout is easy to follow and addresses virtually every photographic situation. I recommend it highly.
Tom Sales

This is book for everyone and anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of digital photography. Scott is very personable, it seems as though he's right there with you. He is "very down to earth" in his writing style. Everyone will be able to understand and make sense of things. I found him to be humorous, which makes for great reading and helps me to remember details when presented in that format. I only wish I could shoot with him in real life, as he is truly a great teacher. Enjoy this book, I have 10 other digital photography books, and none compare to this one!

my boyfriend loved this book that i bought him. it had great tips and the writer is hilarious!

This book is worth buying. Not if you are a professional,, but most others would find it benificial. Very helpful tips for taking great photos.

It's an interesting and useful approach. Create recipes for a variety of shots and shooting styles. It is satisfying to the novice to get the results without having to learn the theory behind it all. As Kelby says there are many boks which discuss that.Unfortunately Kelby's attempts at humour in this book are over the top, distracting and sometimes offensive. "Humorous" topics include beating someone to death with a tripod; kicking over another photographers's tripod and delighting in the tinkling of glass as his lens shatters on the ground. Shooting photos when intoxicated... "kidding..sort of". This kind of stuff makes an otherwise good book a tough read sometimes. Its a great head start for DSLR newbies to see how certain shots are taken without having to wade though the theory. But the irritating, disrespectful 'humor' is something you have to overlook to benefit from this book.

Everything S Kelby writes is always great in my opinion--and this one is good too. I am sure I will use it more later. At the time I was searching really more for the basics of photography as related to my camera and camera theory in general--but I have found someone to help me there. I am very glad I purchased this book that will help me more and more as I learn about photography.

Although this book is for digital photography, most tips and tricks described in this book can easily be applied to manual film cameras as well. If you're an advanced amature photographer, you'll find many tips are just common sense and you're probably know many of them through the years you've been messing around with cameras. However, things that you'd think you already know and should or shouldn't do when taking pictures are easily forgotten due to nervousness or there are way too many things to remember, and that separate the pros from the amatures. Scott Kelby's writing style is plain and straight forward, very easy to follow. I would recommend this book as a howto book for beginner amature photographers and as a reference book for advanced amature photographers as well.

The Digital Photography Book is full of very helpful information for the beginning photographer. I have found it immensely helpful. The content earns Scott Kelby 5 stars! ON THE OTHERHAND: the binding fell apart before I was half way done reading the book. The quality of construction is very bad, worth only 1 star, thus the overall rating of 3 stars. I can't remember the last book I bought that fell apart so fast.

This is not a book about digital photography. Well, at least most of the book is not about digital photography. This book is about taking photographs in general. And, yes, it does have good tips. Really though, any camera user would benefit from it if they are a beginner.

If you already know how to compose a photograph using the thirds rule and understand leading lines etc, then this book might be too elementary for you.

I'd appreciate this book more if he went into a little more explanation about why you always take a picture of a flower with F2.8. He just says "If you want it good, put the setting at X". That doesn't help me apply to other situations. I don't need a long dissertation, but *some* explaining would help a lot.

And, this book fell apart the first day I purchased it. Literally, pages fell out of it as I was looking at it.

I found this book to be a great starting point for someone like myself...I've been interested in photography for quite some time, but had never ventured much beyond the simple Point and Shoot. I had recently purchased a Canon 30D and felt I needed something to help me get some good shots and introduce me to the DSLR.

I really like the format of the book, essentially a 1-2 pages dedicated to each subject, telling you exactly what you'd want to know if you're just getting started. It had a number of great recommendations on products, tips, etc.

I enjoyed it so much, I've already purchased this for other friends/family getting started with DSLR. He's got a different sense of humor, however, I for one, actually enjoy it for a change of pace.

I recently rented his other book: The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter) I was looking for a book that would give me the details of how to post-edit my photos in Photoshop, this book provided me with a lot of good details and how-to's.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this author.

I found that I have already improved after reading this book. The tips are very helpful, even for those of us without any camera experience. The book is easy to read and very organized. My only complaint is that the book is poorly made and fell apart.

When you buy a book you want it full of information not half pages. I was disapointed with this purchase. This book was streached to make it close to a hundred pages . The binding fell apart in the couple hours it took to read it . Scott Kelby dose alot of time wasteing and rambling in his own mind and jerks you around with it . Some of his humor has good truths ,but I bought this book for the title I gess . I have bought a couple books by Rob Shepperd Adobe Camera Raw for Digital Photograghers Only and Landscape and Nature Photography now they are well writen and full of everything you need & want. I can't say I did not get some good information from Scott Kelby just expected more then received. All camera referances are Canon and Nikon.

If you're like me you don't want to spend too much time in the beginning learning the theory behind every aspect of photography. Rather you want to learn what works mixed with a little of the why. This book does just that. I use it as reference. It gives tips such as the best focal length and f-stop to shoot portraits or how to shoot a flower, moving race car, athlete in motion, beautiful sunset, and much more. This way I can take pictures now, and learn the theory at a more leisurely pace. Otherwise, I would have drowned in the theory trying to glean out the pertinent facts to ensure that my picture turned out the way I wanted it too. I refer to this book so much that it is starting to fall apart.

This book has about 200 paragraph vignette's covering a broad range of topcis but there are always key areas that aspiring photographers want to get better on. Unfortunately many of the pages are unrelated to actual photography, printer recommendations, memory card management, etc.

Good basic book though I don't think it would truly replace any of the staples from folks like Rick Sammon, Bryan Peterson or Derrick Story

I have found that I love Scott Kelby's style of teaching. He is humorous and very interesting at the same time. I have learned more from this book than any class I have taken.I will continue to read anything he publishes!

As a novice, most of the books I found were too technical. The author throws in humor to relax the beginner. As he gets to the nitty-gritty, he gives you the answer without the technical explanation. Such as how to set depth of field when you're shooting a landscape. The deeper explanation can be found later, if your're interested. This book was recommended to me by many camera clubs and I'm glad I have it.

Mr. Kelby really knows what he's doing with a camera, and the tips are excellent, from getting better landscape shots to keeping your subjects' eyes open. Something for every level of experience.

This is short and sweet read with plenty of quick tips on improving your shots in almost every situation.

I really liked the "cook book" format- If you want this shot, then do this. It's great to pick up practical knowledge and see immediate results without diving into more technical explanations.

That bad part is Scott Kelby's jokes and analogies. Sorry Scott!

A while back I bought a copy of this book and just when I was in the last paragraph it grew legs and walked away at work. Liking the book so much, I ordered another copy. It's very simple and to the point.

This book is better than I thought it would be. Unless you already know everything about photography, this book will be a great resource for you. I've been using film (and recently digital) SLRs for over 30 years. I wish I could have had this book a long time ago.

This is a absolute must have for every serious shooter or the beginner looking to learn without wanting the technical explanations. Great info on everything from equipment to advice on shooting situations and preparation. I've read it several times, and use it as a quick reference source.

The author's sense of humor bugs me at the beginning of early chapters, but I tend to be very focused. I am an advanced amateur.

This is a very good book, especially if you are in the "sophomore" stage of photography (no longer a newbie, but far from being a pro). It's breezily written, and has useful easy-to-read tips on almost every page. The writing is VERY approachable, and the author does a good job explaining difficult technical concepts to the reader.

I do agree, however, that the author's jokes wore thin after the first fifteen pages or so. I also think the book is a little slim. Still, I'd happily recommend it.

This book takes the practical approach of giving specific instructions and camera settings to achieve specific photo results. It's like having a mentor along with you as you venture into digital camera usage. The author also uses a humorous style to deliver the technical advice, adding to the book's 'readability'.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of Scott Kelby books, especially the "Killer Tips" series. I highly recommend them for any Photoshop and Illustrator users. This book is in the same kind of format, and is clear and concise. Yes, his humor is a little silly, but after the first chapter it's only the first page of each section. Some reviewers made it sound like that was the entire book, and that is just not the case. I would not recommend this book for advanced users though. It's a great jumping off point for beginners because it gives some general guidelines and settings for several photo situations. It is easier to know what buttons to push to get a great photo, then learn why those settings work. And this book will help you do that.

Excellent book on photography technique tips that might take years to develop. Save yourself of trial and error time wasting. Get the book then go out and try the techniques yourself. It won't make you an instant seasoned pro but definitely will save you time on the learning curve. Kudo to Scott for writing the book.

This book is somewhat basic and I expected it, but mostly what I was looking for. If you don't have time to read long articles this is the cliff notes of all of that, and great for a busy person with kids! With Scott's hints, I can point and shoot many of my SLR shots.

This is great book for everyone, beginners and advanced. Well written in plain English. Great color photos, clean layout, and a very low price. A must have reference book. I hope Scott Kelby writes more non-Photoshop specific titles.

I am a beginner armature, the book is a easy to understand, very practical field guide for taking great photos. Companied with color photos on every page, it's beautiful to look at, easy to carry. The author is precise, straight to the point, and entertaining at times. Highly recommended.

This book was just what I was looking for.

I just loved this book and I recommend it to any new photographer.. "Like me" :)

The writer included a lot of useful examples attached with pictures. Reading this book will give you the impression of having the writer as an experienced friend who can help you improve your pictures.

I really liked this book. It is some sort of photography for dummies, but it touches some of the fundamentals that we are all supposed to know, but forgot about it. It also has a couple of nice product recommendations.

I'm planning on buying several copies and giving them to my friends.

I love this book. It explains clearly how to shoot pictures
in a prompt manner. I am learning so much. It is the best I have ever owned.

This is a very good book I love the way Scott Kelby tells you how to do something. He explains it in very easy to understand text. and shows you a lot of pictures to explain what he is doing. I love all of his book even the one he wrote on the Ipod. I will always buy any of his books. Thanks again

The book was very good but covered to many biginner examples.

good condition, good content. havent had too much of a chance to read yet. its actually for my husband :)

I LOVED this book! It is a must for digital photographers! It gives great tips in everyday language so it's easy to use! My photography practices have improved!

This is a really easy and helpful book for who is getting start DSLR. A pretty worth book.

This book has proven very useful, especially after stepping up to a digital SLR...there's a lot to know to take decent pics, and this has a LOT of answers. Highly recommended.

I must say this book taught me so much in such a short period of time.
Scott Kelby has a unique way of helping us understand alot of techniques that in the past seemed very difficult. It just seemes so easy to learn with this book. I must say Mr. Kelby also seems like a very likeable person with alot of humor, and a few good jokes along the way. Some of them i read back to my wife, and she got a laugh.
I liked this book so much that I just purchased Kelbys photoshop elements 5 for digital photographers. Another excellent read. I will review that book also. Great book, great author. Just buy it!!

All the terms are made easy to understand.
Pictures help with explanations.

An entertaining little guide.

Great tips and very straightforward instructions.

Not very in-depth into the theory of photography but then it doesn't pretend to be.

i am a professional photographer and i am not ashamed to say that i learned from this book some really cool stuff, this book is for every one.
and it's good fun to read it.
i wish that there will be more books like this on the market

This book is great for beginning photographers who want straight to the point tips without joe blow giving them next to you. Tells you excatley what to put your camera on and what scenarios to do it in.

I found this book to be interesting specially if you are a newbie in digital photography, or at least you intend to know a little bit more on how to make some photos look like professional photos.

Scott gives you an approach to photography like a friend would do on the field, and for someone who doesn't want to have all the "why's" answered with technical details, this may be the stuff you are looking for.

Scott's humour also gives you this friendly approach, although sometimes he exaggerates...

In the overall, this is a nice book to someone who wants to aspire a little bit higher than just taking holiday photos.

This is a perfect beginners book. It is as if he takes you on a shoot.

I've new to SLR cameras and was very intimidated by my new dSLR. This book does a fabulous job of giving you some basic "how-to's". As the product description mentioned, it is like he's out on a shoot with you... I really enjoyed this book. I also gave it to a friend, another newbie, and she's giving it as a gift to a very talented amateur photographer friend of hers... they both liked the book that much!

I bought several books on digital photography and found the pointers that Scott Kelby gives in his book to be very useful. His advice on various aspects of photography is great although he might put in a little too much humor.

The Digital Photography Book is a gem. As with Scott's Photoshop books, the style is easy to follow and full of useful morsels as well as his characteristic pithy humour. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to become a better photographer.

This is an ok book for beginners. It helped me advance my skill but I don't feel its taken my photography to the next level as I had hoped.

Scott Kelby writes this book with a wonderful sense of humor and he makes the photography concepts he is explaining very easy to understand. Instead of just writing out a lecture on photography concepts, he tells the reader what exactly they need to do in order to take certain kinds of pictures. He covers many kinds of photography, such as nature, travel/urban, sports, weddings, and portraits. He provides some great tips on how best to compose your shots so that they turn out really well. I have taken his book out shooting with me and have used it as a reference guide for when I know I want to take a certain type of shot. It works out great! This is definitely the perfect book for anyone who is interested in photography and wants an easy way to get better and taking pictures.

I really found this book helpful. I am new to photography and appreciate simple, practical advice.

Scott does an excellent job of demystifying digital photography techniques for those of us who want to take better shots without having to get an advanced degree in photography. His mixture of humor, candor, and can-do makes it simple to follow and absorb. Further, the book serves as a ready reference handbook to take with you on photo shoots. Highly recommended!

The book could of been pocket size if he didn't joke so much and talk about his family. I did find what he did have to say worth while when he got to the subject. I found some helpful pointers that have helped with my photos.

I have learned so much from this book. I love the format, one tip on each page. I am about half way through and looking foward to the rest.

This book is an excellent resource. I bought a second copy for my father-in-law.

I have read some of Scott Kelby's other books and I have always been impressed. His sense of humor is terrible in a way I can appreciate, but the advice is ultimately useful. I think its written in a way that makes it easy to read even if the jokes make you groan. More importantly the advice is genuinely good help. Granted is equipment is nicer than anything I can afford at the moment, but he tries to offer the best advice he can both for the equipment he recommends and the techniques he uses.

I love this book and its very practical and straightforward approach to photography and I carry it alongside my journal now when I travel because its become that indispensable. Last year I took some classes at a community college for digital photography and found myself swamped with technical notes which confused me more than anything. However, with Scott Kelby's book he has a great approach to how he teaches he categorizes scenarios and tells you exactly how to set your camera in that situation. His reasoning is that if you do the correct adjustments enough then you'll learn by experience on what to do in future similar scenarios. Quite honestly for someone who enjoys taking photographs that's how I want to go about it and not feel like I have to figure a Calculus formula to snap a shot of a gazelle or something.

Scott Kelby is great! Not only some very useful information for the amateur photograper, but a casual source for equipment recommendations as well. I've learned a lot from this book while enjoying a few laughs along the way. This man has great writing style....you'll find him well worth the price.

This book is a GIFT for any film photographer transitioning to digital.
No nonsense material written effectively to engage a digital newbie.
Scott Kelby's sense of humor makes the information easy to digest and enjoy!

This book is easy to read and understand. Granted, it is written with the novice in mind. On the other hand I have been involved with photography for over 50 years and I still found something in that book that opened my eyes. As I was reading though the book, I found my self saying "Oh that's right" or "I forgot about that"

Buy it.

I wasn't sure about this book when I ordered it, but, it has turned out to be a goldmind of information. You can learn as little or as much as you want at each sitting. Each page has something different. It very quickly and easily tells you how to set up for different situations and shots. I know I will referr back to this alot. It makes a great reference book.

This was an impulse buy waiting in the checkout line of barnes and ignoble, and I'm glad I got it. Earlier in the shopping day, I went through their collection of digital photography books, and at least half of the pages were on photoshop manipulations. I don't want to mess with photoshop, but get things right in the camera to start out with. This book has a lot of tips and tricks (some obvious, some not so obvious) explictly for getting things right in-camera.

Being new to photography, I wanted to get up and running - and taking good photos - without a lot of trial and error. Theis book gives you the exact method to use in almost any situation, thereby giving you the best chance for a memorable photo. Great tips on equipment too - what you need, as well as what you do not. Thus the 5 stars.

I just bought my first DSLR and though not unfamiliar with some picture taking tecniques....it was refreshing to read more and learn more about getting the best of your DSLR.
In easy to understand language.....and cutting to the point without all the Techie mumbo jumbo.....it helped me learn more and get out and start shooting a lot faster..........now i have to just learn ,not to be tempted to buy all the accesories discribed in the book.

Scott Kelby is not only a good and very entertaining writer, but has also given us a simple, direct, and clear guide to good photography. He skips the arcane technical discussions and just tells you how to get the shot you want under specific conditions. There is a chapter for just about everything, although the book is fairly short. For me, his book is like having a more experienced photographer on hand to help me get the most out of my digital SLR. I have given this book as a gift as well, and the recipients say the same thing. I'd say the book is aimed at "advanced beginners", but anyone could benefit from Kelby's wisdom and experience shared here. Buy it.

Scott Kelby is a wonderful author. I am a new digital slr user and the book is so very helpful. The price was great at nearly half of the book store price. I received it quickly and am very satisfied with this purchase in every way.

Though it may be somewhat redundant, this title is great for beginners because I was able to get quick tips on different ways to shoot captivating photos. By going straight to the settings on the camera (and not explaining the different mathematics or science behind it), Kelby made it a lot easier (& more fun!) to get into the different types of shots.

Just be careful -- I along with probably everyone else that has read this is now yearning for a DSLR so that I can have better control over my photos!

No matter how long you have been shooting Digital, you will find something that is new and relevant to help you. Scott Kelby's writing style is straightforward, freindly and humorous. It is one of the few photography books that I wanted to re-read immediately.

I enjoyed this book very much. A lot of useful ideas on various aspects of digital photography. Centers around both Nikon and Canon cameras.
Worthwhile!

THIS IS A GREAT DIGITAL CAMERA BOOK ON HOW TO GET THE BEST PHOTO'S OUT OF YOUR CAMERA. IF YOU HAVE A CANON SLR DIGITAL YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS.

To be honest, I've had this book in my collection for quite some time and hadn't read it yet. After reading the reviews about Mr Kelby's 'poor attempt' at humor, I thought I should read it. I will be honest....I LOVED IT! Not only is there so much great info on photography, but the humor was a relief from alot of the 'stuffy' photography books out there. This was the first photography book that had me laughing and gave me straight forward tips and tricks on making better photos. I have already ordered the rest of the series and am looking forward to any future books. Mr. Kelby, if you read this, keep your sense of humor in the books!!!

Pros: Good read (very entertaining); you will take better pictures; easy to understand (not too technical)
Cons: I wish it had exif data for all the pictures instead of just the last 10 or so; geared toward Canon/Nikon users but still works for all DSLRs.

An excellent introduction to those looking to learn how to use their camera and is applicable for those with a SLR or a point and click. The books do become a bit redundant if you buy the series, however while he tends to repeat himself on occasion from book to book, it is likely for those that only buy one of his series. So for you out there only looking to buy one of his books your in luck however I would highly recommend the series.

As a long-time "prosumer" experienced with film, point and shoot, and dSLR photography, I highly recommend this series. I noticed that the reviewers who do not like the book still think the advice is worthwhile. Kelby's books are full of brief, easy-to-understand tips that will help you capture phenomenal photos. What I really like is that you get quick information on the settings required for a specific type of shoot (i.e. sports, fireworks, landscape, etc.). If you are new to digital photography and need to learn the basics, start with the "Digital Photography for Dummies" and then get this book.

Got this book and it is very interesting and fun to read. The author doesn't go on and on, but makes it like a conversation that you would have with someone while you were out shooting. Doesn't go into needless jargon that is useless, just gets right to it!
I have already learned a lot, and I just starting experimenting on manual mode. Make the jump and get this book and get off auto mode already! You can do it!

Has some good info it but nothing that can't be found in pretty much any other book on digital photography. His writing style is extremely annoying and he spends more time talking about how to make images better in Photoshop than actually taking better pictures. He also wastes countless pages with jokes that run on forever. When he does get to an interesting topic (like how to to take better sunset photos), he blathers on for two paragraphs and really says nothing...no info on settings at all.

Get The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series)for a much better introduction to digital photography.

No, wait. Fooled you! That was a just a cheap headline to draw you into my review. But don't worry, I'll discuss ghosts in a moment....

I will admit that I did not buy this book. I was looking for a good introductory book for my talented young nephew, but I knew he wouldn't get past the terrible writing and truly stupid, incessant "oh, just kidding!" lines like the ones I am mocking here. The tips seem legitimate, but rather than photographing ghosts, I would suggest a ghost writer. (Get it? Do you see what I did there? I started out with a "ghost" reference, but then I cleverly turned it around to mean something else!)

This book can be quite useful as a learning tool for budding photographers. It is frustrating to read, however, mainly due to the countless time-wasting "gotchas". I was immediately annoyed to learn that he lied about the term "tack sharp" in the opening chapter. He said: "TACK stands for Technically Accurate Cibachrome Kelvin, and SHARP stands for Shutter Hyperfocal At Refracted Polarization". Now this may seem like technical terms, but it was actually all made up. There are countless, plainly stupid gotchas like this all over the book. Half the time you spend reading this book will be wasted on these not-so-funny, lame, jokes.

I also do not like the tone of the book. For example, the author simply tells you to shoot landscape only in around sunrise and sunset. (He then proceed to tell a lame joke about Joe McNally killing a person who dared to break this rule with a tripod). This may be the norm in professional circle, but I think a beginning photographer may want to at least explore during day time. In other books, the author generally patiently explains the different results from different lighting condition. While they tend to urge the reader to shoot during twilight, they also give helpful tips on what to do should you want to shoot in broad daylight.

This book is a time waster, go buy Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye. Both books are awesome and they do not waste your time with senseless jokes.

I first grabbed this book as a complete amateur who only knew that taking a picture required me to click a button. Kelby's writing style and easy going nature made it easy for me to understand what he was talking about and enjoy reading his instructions. I'm not very technical when it comes to photography so I was thankful that he made it possible for me to understand and execute his tips. I believe every starter should grab his books, I loved this one so much I ended up purchasing the other books in this series as well. If I could give more than five stars I definitely would.

I highly recommend this book if you are just starting out or have not been a serious photographer. It's most useful as a reference that you can refer to quickly about particular topics or situations but it also stands up to continuous reading if you want to go through it from cover to cover. If you have just purchased a new digital camera and want to improve the quality of the pictures you take - and fast - this book is hard to beatThis is a terrific beginner's book on Photography. It doesn't teach much about photographic theory but the author makes it clear from the beginning that is not his goal. I already understood the basics of exposure, focal lengths, etc. and still found it very enlightening. It offers over a hundred tips and techniques covering topics from shooting sharper pictures to photographing weddings in an easy-to-read format.

I enjoyed the book very much. I got some real good tips from it. We all know one of those tips might be the difference from being a good photo to a great picture.

This is a great book on photography. It reveals all the secrets as to why professional photographers' pictures turn out the way they do. I have found this book to be very helpful, no matter what camera you're using. In spite of this, though, this book would be more useful if I had an SLR (which I don't have, but intend on getting in the distant future...).

I bought this book for my dad, and wondered why he never used it until I picked it up. It's got some good photographic tips in it on some of the common features on DSLR's, but the content isn't that well organized (arranged by genre rather than by technique) and on each page you've got to filter through a couple of paragraphs of unfunny jokes to get to the point. A lot of the advice is prescriptive, i.e. it tells you how to create formulaic shots rather than understand the principles of photography so that you can innovate. For amateur photographers trying to make some money or feel out different types of photography before investing in equipment, this book could work. However, if you want a quick guide to creating visual effects this book requires a lot of sifting, and if you want something to provide perspective on taking more original photos, it won't help.

This book is good if you're looking for an easy-to-read book with quick ways to improve your photographs. However, I felt this was also one of the book's downfalls as well. If you're like me and want to know WHY these changes improve your pictures, I highly recommend Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition).

this book is helpful within the first 5 pages!! cant wait to get deeper into it and improve my skills. Comfortable to read with the writers easygoing style.

the book arrived with the cover slightly bent but otherwise good condition!

These books are clearly written and don't waste time with a lot of complex theory. They simply tell you what equipment and techniques you need to take great photos. Excellent.

I have read a few books on photography and while some of them have been pretty good, this book takes the prize. It is a very simple book to read, but the lessons are very powerful. I think I like it so much because it doesn't get bogged down in the details. His approach of writing to you as if you are a friend out on a shoot with him is very helpful. I think it is what makes it so simple in nature, its like he is saying hey use this setting for this shot. And after the shot is taken he lets you know really quick why you did it that way. Looking forward to reading Volume 2 and 3, plus really excited to puts these lessons to the test!

I bought this to help my girlfriend get into photography. I'm somewhere in the intermediate skill range, and already have a solid understanding of the technical aspects of photography. Reading through this, I found that I agree with a lot of Kelby's tips. There were also quite a few that useful to me, even at my skill level. His results-oriented approach works really well.

I found only two (glaring) problems that really need to be revised in the next version (and I don't see how the editor even okay'd them in the first place).

1) Skip the first chapter. As others have noted, Kelby takes the reader on a wild goose chase of lies and misdirection. This is in bad taste especially for a beginners book, since they are not going to know when you are BS'ing them or not. It follows the formula: "this is the secret of photography .... gotcha! You are such a gullible sap!". You can read the chapter on Amazon to see for yourself.

BUT the rest of the book is not like this. That's why I urge you to just skip the first chapter. I urge Kelby to dispose of it and save some trees.

2) The author overuses the word "pro". If you can go for even one sentence without encountering it then you're probably not reading this book. He seems to be under the delusion that novices walk around all day bouncing that word around their head. It becomes meaningless. Someone please send him a thesaurus. Or just drop some of the occurrences altogether. It's already understood that we want to take better pics.

this book came recommended to me and it met all of my expectations. It was easy to read and understand I loved it.

The focus of this book isn't technical detail and theory. It's a quick start intro to digital SLR photography, for people who are new to it. Kelby is straightforward and to the point. Experienced photographs may have different opinions than Kelby. Don't worry about that. This book is for beginners. It's intended to give the reader a running start, with their new digital SLR.

Note: As a partner for Kelby's book, I bought Tom Ang's "Fundamentals of "Photography", which is all about technical details and theory. Kelby's book shows me what to do, and Ang's book can give me the background on why it worked.

This was the first photography book I bought and I read it all as soon as I put my hands on it!
Great for begginers, with tips for all kinds of photography and orientation for getting better shots in any situation. I'm definily going to keep this book with me, on my case, everytime i'm out shooting.

I find this approach to the many things covered to be just what I need. As an accomplished photographer there are many times I need to double check or have a quick review. And this book does it. I have given it as a gift to people just starting out and they enjoy using it too. I have six photos in the Smitsonian and really appreciate this book!

As an amateur photographer (at best), I found this book entertaining, easy to read and just as easy to follow. This book has great tips, and is one of the best that I have found out there. Kelby does not really teach you the "science," but rather what he would do in certain situations. It is written as if you are standing beside him at a photo shoot, he more or less directs you to which settings you should change and when, not necessarily why.

I have found this book a very good introduction to digital photography. I have friends that improved their knowledge and their photos from some of Kelby's insights. I personally enjoyed Rick Sammon's book. Rick Sammon's Digital Photography Secrets Rivchin

I already had this book and really enjoyed it. When my granddaughter became interested in photography I thought she would get a lot out of it. When I found out that she was getting a new digital camera for Christmas I decided to order this book as an addition to her presents from us. At last report she was reading the book completely and liked it a lot.
Johnny

I purchased this book because I recently got a Canon DSLR also from Amazon. I am a total beginner when it comes to using a SLR. So I got this one because of the gret reviews. This book is very good. Easy to read and very informative. I've also bought a couple of others, but like this one the best. I am planning on also getting the volumes 2 and 3 in the near future.

I had to buy this for a digital photography course. Scott Kelby is a great photographer and his photographs prove that. Even I, as a long-standing amateur, picked up a few new tricks.

I found his lame humor at the beginning of the book distracting, though. Sure, he's a funny guy but anyone serious about learning all the tips of great photography may be annoyed at the wasted words. It wouldn't have hurt to have added a few more technical descriptions of how certain tricks work.

What I really enjoyed were his special tips at the bottom of many pages. Those were the ones framed and shaded in hues of green. Another bonus was mentioning both Nikon and Canon features when there were differences between the two brands' terminology. A few added Adobe Photoshop tricks also round out the information in this slim how-to book.

I would recommend this book for someone who already has taken a few good photographs and who is familiar with her own camera. But for someone more determined to turn pro, there are more technical and just as simplified books out there.

4+ stars

i bought this book for a friend who is "into" photography, yet didn't have any background on how film photography works vs. digital photography, film theory, etc. This book is really informative, has great illustrative step by steps,and gives the reader a good grasp. Very instructional,not hard to understand.

I learned a lot after reading this book. The author used easytechniques in how to take pictures like a pro! I am a beginner and want to learn about photography. The author gave very simple suggestion about what to use when you do this..and do that thing...

It's packed with much informations for Canons, Nikons and even point and shooter cameras. It's user friendly.

I hate reading books... seriously... they bore me! I haven't put this book down since I bought it! THE BEST BOOK OUT THERE!!!

I will try to make this short. I have currently decided to really learn more about photography and take better advantage of the camera that I purchased earlier this year. This book is geared more towards those who own digital SLRs but many of the latest point-and-shoot cameras (such as my Canon SX10is) are capable of capturing great photographs as well. This book can help those of us who have not decided to invest in a DSLR rig yet as well.

This book will inspire you to push yourself and does not beat you up with photography jargon. Do not pay serious attention to the reviewers who gripe about the humor. It is easily ignored. This book is more about helping everyone take better photographs and is absolutely great for beginning photographers.

Very good basics, written in very casual form - leaving a lot of the technical details as much as possible, to make sure the readers could grasp the concept, understand and remember the useful tips.

I actually bought Volume 2 first (a printed copy on actual paper!) because I consider myself an advanced amateur photographer and could probably skip most of the Volume 1 content. I liked this book enough that I gave Volumes 1 and 3 a closer look. These books are priced a bit high for printed copies. They're aren't very long and are a pretty quick read. Most pages aren't completely filled. So, I decided to get the Kindle editions of Volumes 1 and 3 to read on my iPhone and PC at home. I don't own an actual Kindle device. Photography books are next to useless on currently available e-ink screens like the Kindle's. I had hoped for better results on the iPhone and PC when viewing these books, though. The images are there (another user said the images didn't display at all on his Kindle...), but on the iPhone, they are so overly compressed and low-resolution that they are nearly useless for their intended demonstration of photographic techniques. The PC version of the Kindle reader also suffers from this problem. The PC version currently does not allow you to zoom in on photos either, though, that is supposedly a "coming soon" feature. Not that it will do any good unless Amazon does something about the image compression and resizing. Books tagged as "photography" books should have special care taken with images they contain. The images are half the point of the book!

As an amatetur photographer, who mostly shoots outdoor photography, I found that this book provided me some very quick tips, application of which showed almost instantaneous improvements to the quality of my photographs. There are some advanced topics too, so, you shouldn't grow out of it too soon.

This hold-my-hand-and-show-me-how you do it, is really great for a newbie but if you know what you are doing then just stay away from it. Am a gret fun of scott, I watch his every week photoshoptv and have several of his books. This one too what I should warn you about is the second one which is totally rubbish just capitlizing on this which is good enough.
if you need to be told what to do on each and every step then this is the book. I think wedding photographers can get alot out of it, its full of tricks for them.

Book didn't come as soon as I had hoped but when it arrived I was very satisfied.

I'm totally new to photography. This book provides some very good, practical advice, especially for beginning photographers. It's not an extensive how to book, but it gives you some good info how to achieve certain shots. Definitely recommend it to anyone starting out in photography. It's not a techy kind of book.

Quick tips, not so much theory as many other photography books, makes you feel by reading "The digital photography book" as if you were attending a seminar; where what students are looking forward to hearing is "how this shot was taken" or "what to do" in a certain situation.

I admit I didn't appreaciate much Scott Kelby's sense of humour but this book gave me a push to take much better photos as an amateur photographer.

Have already read the 2nd volume and looking forward to starting the 3rd one.

This is a very practical, down-to-earth book that you can actually use and not have to learn all the technical details. I have picked up a bunch of good ideas that I have immediately put to good use.

I'm always a little hesitant to buy a book like this without flipping through it a little bit first but a friend had already recommended it. Scott Kelby is a wonderful author. The book is both informative and entertaining. I am just a hobbyist but often find myself going back to reference this book. I took me no time at all to read this book and really look forward to reading the second and third. (I bought all three right away.)

Scott Kelby does a good job giving amateur photographers the tips and tricks they need to go from simple to good. Although he doesn't take the time to talk about what the concepts really mean (such as aperture, shutter speed, focus, etc.) it is easy enough to go thru the book without having this knowledge.

What I like the most is he gives the specific settings you need to take great shots. He also tells you what he was thinking when he took some of the photographs in the book. Each page is basically it's own chapter. There is sometimes an illustration and some text talking about it.

If you want to quick, general, easy-to-understand guide to digital photography, don't hesitate to pick up this little gem. I also suggest you move on to Volume 2 when you're done, because that's where the really magic is...

As a novice in digital photography, I found this book to be very straight to the point, organized and very practical, and easy to understand. My photos definitely improved with this book...

So easy to understand and very helpful! I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

Finally, a book in a language I can understand! Awesome for a beginner like me :O) Definitely get this book!

for all beginers and it's a really a good way to start photographing ! the language is plain simple and its directs you to the point staight. i highly recommend this book. I got Vol. 2 and planing for the 3rd!

Right to the point. On page 90, the silhouettes explanation was VERY short and vague. But, nevertheless a good book for beginners!

Sometimes, the jokes and fun stuff got a bit much, but the tips are good. For me, choosing aperture and shutter speed is always a challenge, as well as the Program, Aperture, Shutter & Manual settings on the Nikon D80. Scott's tips are good. I can reread them again and again to help remember. I also liked the mix of camera techniques and Photoshop Elements tips. I recommend the book.

The Digital Photography Book is great for any level photographer. I've been shooting since 1970 and bought the book more for review than anything else. I found it was well written and it had subjects that I was interested in. Great book for beginners, and semi-pros.

I am new to photography and finally purchased my first DSLR camera (Canon50D). Now after reading the entire manual, I wondered what I got myself into. It has all these great features, but says nothing about how you should use them to take great pictures. So my next step was too look for a book that would introduce me to digital photography using a SLR camera. Well this book delivered. Scott makes the book easy to read and even makes it easier to pick up the camera and start shooting. Though his humor and intellect, I've managed to stop using all the auto settings and to started to shoot in the other modes that the camera has. He provides instructions on how to use certain features on a Nikon or a Canon which makes it relative to the camera you are using. He even gives suggestions on equipment and work arounds if you don't have the "professional" equipment. Each chapter is on a separate type of photography, and gives you the practical answers that anyone can understand. I loved this book so much, that I ended up buying the next 2 books in the series.
So if you are just starting out, or want to take you skills to the next level, then this is a great book.

This book was a great help with lots of tips. It is very easy to read; I kept it in the car for when I was waiting somewhere and it was very easy to read here and there and still get very valuable information. Great tips, nice photos, great suggestions on equipment without being a "sales pitch". I would recommend this book for anyone looking to improve their digital photos.

This is the best book on Digital Photography I have ever read. Usually most books of this type are so full of technical stuff I don't understand that it bogs me down and I quit reading the book. Scott Kelby writes this as though he is standing next to you explaining in laymans terms how to do things with your digital camera. I only have his first book and I have learned so much from him. It's easy to read and interspersed with humor. He is easy to understand and I can't wait to purchase his other 2 books. Check out Scott's books, you won't be disappointed.

I love the writing in this book. Funny and witty and entertaining while teaching you some basic photography tricks. Loved it.

I recommend Scott Kelby's books to anyone looking to learn about photography. The books are easy to read and well written. He doesn't bog you down with the minute
details of digital photography. He shows you a picture and how to setup your camera to shoot something similar. I find Scott's style more helpful than understanding exactly how the CMOS sensor in my camera works, like some books try to teach. The book is geared toward Nikon and Canon cameras but anyone can use the information in the book. You would just need to use your cameras manual to find the settings. After reading his Digital Photography Books I'm planning to ready Scott's Photoshop and Lightroom books.

This first book offers so many tips in easy to read format with beautifully colored pictures! I now have all 3 of The Digital Photography books from Scott and pick them up constantly for tips. He is like the president over the national photographers group I think and I trust what he has to say. I have never owned such easy but informative books! The size makes them easy to pack around with you! Must buy!

I think that this has been a great resource for me since I bought my DSLR. I don't think his humor is as bad as many of the other reviewers have said. If you don't like it you can always skip the intro to each chapter. After that it's cold hard facts.

I was perhaps Hoping for a little more details when you were shooting the manual modes in your camera and a little more technical explanation in what the different modes in the camera mean, but i suppose you have to buy all his books wich i cant afford i would like all in one book! aniways he does give some good shooting tips i do recomend it.

An excellent book which has easy to follow instructions for learning how to better utilize your dSLR. If you are one of those people (like I am) who hates math equations and technical jargon, this book is definitely a must-have! Id recommend this book to anyone starting out in photography who wants more than just to point and shoot.

Usefull for any photographer at any level. Highly highly recommend this book and the volume 2 book. Kelby provides great advice, tips that I still go back to once in awhile.

This book is awesome along with all the other Scott Kelby books. I would highly recommend all of them. I read this thing daily to get ideas and learn how to take better shots. A must have book!!!

The book is well delivered and does exactly what it says it does.

Imagine yourself out with a buddy (in this case the author, Scott Kelby) on a photo shoot. You get to ask Scott any questions you'd like about photography and instead of him answering in any technical jargon, he simply informs you of what settings to use in what circumstances.

I particularly enjoyed the sections on Portraits & Landscapes.

It's a very quick read and serves as excellent reference material. Outstanding buy for the money.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more techniques of digital photography. Although you can use a lot of techniques featured with a point-and-shoot camera, the book was written for those with a SLR camera. If you don't have an SLR, be careful, it'll make you want to get one.
Great book!

This book like his other is excellent. There is not much more to say. Gives you many useful tips and pro tricks that really make a difference in your pictures.

A wonderful book. It is written in such simple language but at the same time covers all aspects of photography in detail. Scott has a wicked sense of humour as well which makes for great reading.

I bought this book because I already knew something about photography, but wanted to take it to the next level. And that's precisely what this book does. The best tips ever.

The Digital Photography Book

Bargain price to get an insight into how the pros do it. Follows the usual Kelby style with accent on doing something rather than theory. Quirky humour makes the lessons go down just a little easier.

Lots of basic information, presented in a likable style, with enough tips to please anyone. You won't become a master of digital photography reading this book -- or from reading any of the two very similar followups -- but this book is a painless way to acquire a foundation without having to study very hard. Kelby is the master at doing this, and sort of the Dan Brown of digital imaging. If you don't have a lot of exposure to photography, this book will certainly satisfy your initial curiosity.

My Wife loves this book, She read it and gave it to one of her friends. Then I bought her the 2 book set and pre ordered the third book to be out later this year.

I am fairly new to photography and I thought this book offered a good deal of insight into the world of digital photoraphy without all techinical reasons for why photos turn out the way they do (I can learn all of that later). Being a beginer, I thought the book was geared for me and I think it could help anyone that has hit a "plateau" in their photography. I also really like Kelby's writing. The book was a fast, informational read that was laced with the author's own brand of humor that I thought was great. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to get started in photography.

Scott Kelby is an articulate, humorous writer that explains "how" to take digital images without the "whys" to quickly propel a person into taking some wonderful images. Read his book The Digital Photography Book, whether you are a beginner or advanced photographer, to learn some valuable tips that will make your photography that much better. He is the best, clearest writer out there on Photoshop and digital photography.

I do not regret buying this book because it contains many useful hints. It also contains many hints of little use. It contains absolutely no information to allow the reader to get a better understanding of the underlying principles of photography. To be fair to the author he made this quite clear early in the book. This book is a very light read or maybe even a browse rather than a read.

Super easy to read and straight to the point without vague information that gets you lost through the pages. Fully loaded with pictures and plenty of examples! Its detailed and leaves you satisfied with each answer. Love it.

much good general info however some of the material requires an SLR camera to be fully useful

The digital Photography Book is a great source for getting better photos. I read this book in two days and immediately put what I had learned to work. After just a little practice, I was able to sell my first photograph to a local shop owner. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to take better pictures or even getting into professional photography. Scott Kelby does a great job of giving the information in a fun and straight forward manners. He is an amazing photographer and excellent teacher. I'm looking forward to reading books 2 and 3 as well.

I find this book really helpful. It has a good number of advice that should be taken into consideration by any type of photographer.

If you're new to photography, digital SLRs, or coming back to photography after some time off, this is a great series of books. Get both of them. The format is simple and there are lots of examples. It's very practical and down to earth. Highly recommended.

Short concise instuctions for the novice at digital photography. Great helpful hints on flower photography. I will be looking forward to books 2 and 3. I started out with black and white with a twin refex cameras in college in the 70's and moved to the 35mm format. With the advancement in technology, digital darkrooms can be for photographer to go with full control over your own pictures. These series of books in the clear, down to earth format of the author, will be helpful for any persons ability. Highly recommend!

The humor and information contained in this book has you glued to the pages from the start.

If you are serious about photography and have a desire to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible then this is your book.

I left photography many years ago after several years as a accomplished shooter with a 35mm. I was often hired for events and weddings.

I recently decided to return but the world of digital is vastly different then film. I am a fast paced learner who wants the facts. This book provided just that. Every page was a package of insight. It got to the point with tools and tricks and the mixing of humor kept it light and enjoyable.

If your looking for an in depth study of digital photography than this isn't the book for you. If you want it fast and to the point so you can get back to shooting more successfully, then this is your book.

The information in the book is very good and I am learning as I have a need and also learning by practicing the info in the book. The only problem is finding the dvd files that came with the book and the plugins that came with it. They don't just show up in Elements. You have find them in your computer and figure out how to get them to come up.

As a novice photographer, I wanted to supplement my learning by purchasing this book along side both of Bryan Peterson's offerings. It is very easy to read and much of what's shared is practical.

I have to be honest though, I got extremely annoyed with the sarcastic humor. I found much of it insulting to the reader.

Other than that, I think a lot of his tips should help to clear up the mystique of mastering my dslr and simply shoot impressive photos. As a beginner photographer, I still believe that this book is a must have in a photographer's library, if nothing but for reference from time to time.

Seriously. I bought this book when I bought my first dSLR camera because I was a little intimidated by it. After reading chapter 1, I got a pretty good idea of the basics of my new camera and felt comfortable enough to get some really nice shots. The amazing thing is, I decided to pull out my old point and shoot camera which the dSLR was to replace and see if I could take better pictures with it using the techniques in this book. The result was pictures 100 times better than those I took before. For a minute I questioned whether it was really time for me to upgrade, and whether I spent all that money for a dSLR too soon. But whatever, I'm over it.

This book offers extremely practical advice for getting pictures in the settings most consumers find themselves taking pictures. Vacation, weddings, kids, etc. It simplified for me which settings I really need to pay attention to and which were nice-to-haves. I actually read this book while on vacation and found myself taking better pictures day-by-day, chapter-by-chapter.

The author also offers practical advice on equipment, with an eye toward cost. This information is sometimes hard to find online because article and forum topics focus so much on the latest and greatest stuff which, not coincidentally, is the most expensive. I knew I would be spending money on more stuff, but now I feel like at least I have some guidance.

I love this book and I'm pretty sure I will be reading it a couple more times because there is so much great info in there. That said, if you've done a ton of research and reading already or if you're a professional (obviously), this book is not for you. If, on the other hand, you've only used a credit card sized point and shoot until now and you've just bought your first dSLR camera because you're getting ready to have your first child (like me), this book will definitely help you get the most out of your camera.

I bought this book upon the excellent reviews here in amazon.com, honestly, i benefited from the book, let's say 60%, as I already know the other 40%.

This book is an excellent choice to read when you have an interest in photography. It's very easy, direct to the point, and delivers the receipe of many photos that when you see, you just say, WooooW.

So recommended.

Scott Kelby keeps it easy to understand and to the point. You need to read this one.Thanks, Ed Griffith

Writer is well known and experienced in digital photography field. I used to be a film SLR amateur photographer and moved to point and shoot later due to constraints.

I am planning to take up digital photography more seriously and this book was a good start to rekindle my interest in Digital SLR photography. It helped in building my online shopping cart and provided good pointers for research. After reading this book I have more realistic expectations about my budget and photography.

You need not be top photographer or a professional or a Digital SLR owner to find this book useful. This book can be used by average photographer, it has valuable tips for any photographer (including point and shoot photographer).

Enjoyed my reading and could not stop reading this book.
Some interesting learning's:
- A small trick like using a white board/paper or black valvet/valour cloth as background when photographing flowers or portrait.
- Why you need tripod, we all know that but still we don't think we need one.
- How to show size.
- How to use different weather for photography
- Tips for panoramas

This book will not explain you some basics like depth of field etc. So if you know what is 'depth of field' and other basic stuff about SLR photography and do not want to die reading about it again and again this book is for you.

I found this book very helpful for someone who has just decided to pick up a camera and start taking pictures. The language is casual and easy to understand. The advice on equipment was practical and much appreciated. If you have much experience with photography you might want something more advanced or technical. I read some people say you should just read the manual and go play, which sounds fun, but I wouldn't recommend doing that. If you want to take really nice photos this book is a nice companion to your manual. It even directs you to areas of your manual to show you how to adjust certain features for different effects. If you are able to read the manual all the way through, good on you, but I think most beginners will find this book helpful. Just try not to get annoyed by the jokes on the first couple of pages, they are bad. Don't let that stop you from getting a lot out of this book.

I like The Digital Photography Book because it is packed with quick tips from how to improve your flower photography to how to keep your subjects from blinking and ruining your shot. This book tells you what setting to use for the occasion and lighting, not necessarily the why. Each tip is kept to one page and although most could easily read through the whole book in a day, you will return to reread the tips often. As your photographic images improve, and they will improve, you will find your walls filling with the results of your labors.

This is a great reference book for anyone who is starting out in photography or wanting to take their photography to the next level. I do photography as a hobby and am always looking for how I can take better shots.

It is easy to read, doesn't get bogged down in the technical aspects except where needed and just focuses (pun intended) on capturing what you see and how you see it.

It seems that whether you actually use a SLR camera or a point-and-shoot, whether you take pictures because you like the art or just are interested in capturing family memories, you will have more tools to make the photographs just that much better.

I purchased this book last summer on Amazon.ca and it was a great introduction to SLR photography -- very easy read. (I could do without the lame humor.) Read this and never use auto mode!

Book is really great for beginners and photo enthusiasts. Text is written in easy language, but I would prefer not so much practical tips, but more theoretical ones. Anyway great book for anyone, who has started to make photos and needs more tips and tricks.

This is one of that books that you must have.
Good information for beginners and advancer users too.

This book haven't disappointed me. It is really full of great complete tips for beginners like me at that time.

Easy to read and follow. Very helpful tips. I like how the author will give variations on costs for equipment.

This is a great book with great and easy access to a variety of tips for a wide variety of situations.

I am a beginner photographer and this book answered every question I had in simple, easy to follow instructions. I took a beginner class after reading this book and the instructor taught EXACTLY as this book did. The book is clearly written with sample photos on every page. The author makes the book enjoyable to read with humor and to-the-point instructions. I would recommend this book to beginners, as well as professionals who want to add to their skills.

I'm new in this world of photography so i don't know much of it. But what i like of this book is you can take it wherever you go to take pictures because it talks about almost every kind of shots with easy indications and advices. I've seen other books with too specifics explanations that you read but cannot take them with you.

I bought this to supplment a curriculum we were using in school. This step by step guide has been fantastic. Not full of jargon, but easy "how to" instructions that teach much like a field guide. We all have enjoyed it very much, and have learned a lot, quickly.

I have at least a dozen digital photography book. I'm a beginner in digital slr photography and this book had been so much help for me in understanding how to set my D80 and take better pictures. This is by far the most helpful book I've ever read. Very good for beginners.

This book was informative and interesting. From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't det it down. Scott Kelby explains how to create more professional-looking photos, and explains this in plain english, with a good dose of humor thrown in. I carry this book with me whenever I carry my camera.

I consider this an excellent non-technical book with many tips and guidelines for improving your photography. If you could have only one book on the subject this may be the book to have. Every tip is illustrated with a color picture. My thanks to Scott Kelby

I purchased this book thinking it would help me learn what all the dials on my Canon camera do. It brushes by the subject, but really didn't help me with MY camera. It establishes sound fundamentals of shooting. I do take better pictures from reading it, but I really want to learn what all the terminology means.

The attempted humor neither adds nor takes away from the content.

I just received your Digital Photography Boxed Set - Volumes 1 & 2. My immediate reaction was to the poor quality of paper that your books are printed on. It's unfortunate that you skimped on the paper. This is nothing more than magazine quality paper stock at best. I suggest you find another publisher. Very disappointing.

This book is seriously amazing. Especially if you are a beginner. My dad loves it even more than I do I think. I am a photography student and have spent a ton of time with my camera and I learn at least one thing on every page. I highly recommend this book and any other book by Scott Kelby

This book gives a strong emphasis on practical camera skills. While Kelby does focus on the fundamentals, he also tries to show how they can be used in different circumstances to obtain the effects you desire.

This book teaches you how to achieve results you want without the theory behind the advice. It does so in an entertaining way. There were a number of bits of information in the book that I found made it more than worth what I paid. For example, I had always wondered how photographers got such blue skies. Now I know! I wondered if there was a site on which to sell photos. The book covers that. Plus, the author shares his favorite cameras, tripods and printers.

This book is good to have, it doesn't teach the techniqual parts of photography but it does help with different techniques for different situations, like shooting flowers, weddings or sports. I am still learning how to use my camera so I'm not using this book that much, yet

This is a great introduction to photography, giving you all the initial information you need to capture that perfect shot. While not infused with technical information, the author gives you the foundation you need to improve your photographing skills.

Great read for amateur digital photo enthusiast. Lots of good information presented in a very readable format.

This book delivers what the author promises. No Technical jargon or useless theory. Just follow the recipes for the type of pictures you want and click. This book can be independent of the first volume, but the advice in both books are worth their weight in GOLD

Excellent book for those wanting to learn more about digital photography. I gave it 4 stars, because it is not a true beginner's book- you must already have a basic knowledge of how your camera works. That being said, it is very informative and expands your basic knowledge.

I was hesitant about buying this book after reading some of the negative reviews concerning the corny humor. Now that I've read it, the information presented was worth a few groans and skipped paragraphs. While a "pro" wouldn't need this book, I think almost everyone else could get something out of it. The price is right too. (I just ordered the sequel.)

I have to agree with one of the other reviewers about the corny style of humor that Kelby has. But if you can get past that (it's not THAT big a deal imo), there are some great nuggets contained within these pages.

I was about to write that this could easily be classified as a "library" book where you would be better off borrowing it instead of owning it, but after thinking about it, I realize that I find myself wanting to go back and re-read this.

I think it's just because there are SO many tips, you can't possibly retain it all if you just sit down and read it through.

I also think there is a little much in there about weddings - could/should probably be a separate book imo. You are either a wedding photog or you are not. If you aren't, this whole section is likely not interesting to you.

Anyway, I will be buying the second one in this series as well.

4 stars for value, content and "reusability". -1 star for writing style. I swear this guy could be my dad...thinks he is a lot funnier than he really is! :) Kidding Dad, you know I love ya!

I also plan to buy his not yet released Photoshop Elements 7 book which I hear is excellent.

I read a lot of reviews on photography books before deciding to purchase this one. It is great. There is so much information in there that I did know about. I have wanted to improve my photo taking so I would have less editing to do in Photoshop. I believe the information in this book will help me with this. It is written in a way the people who aren't experts can understand. I can't wait to try out some of the tips that are in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve the way they take photos.

Thanks for the prompt delivery and excellent shape the photography book was in when delivered. My son is very happy.

This is a really great book for any level of photographer. John Crippen, photographer & writerAnimal Portraits with the Digital Photography of John Crippen: Learning Photography with Animals Scenic Photography Using Examples from the California Central Coast: A Visual Guide to the Central Coast and Digital Photography

This Scott Kelby book on digital slr photography is an excellent first resource. It makes many economical recommendations to help you wade through the myriad choices that exist in the dslr world.

The book is laid out as if you are asking scott questions and he is answering them. It is not a book for someone who wants the nitty gritty technical detail of photography, more the type of book for someone who just wants to take good pictures.

Scott is a good writer, and he is pretty funny, which helps keep your interest. It is very readable. I also recommend the sequel to this book.

Perhaps the best single, all encompassing book out there on the basics of digital photography. Inexpensive and chock full of great advice.

This book has lots of great tips and walk through instructions on a lot of camera settings. The writer also has a great sense of humor he throws in there. Really enjoyed this book and finished it in 2 days. Good buy.

worth it if your are interested in learning a bit more. i would suggest buying a couple/few photo books to get different opinions and ideas- different people learn from different sources. but great book...

I can't say enough good things about Scott Kelby.Since I read Volume 1&2,my photos have improved immensley.If you want to know more about your camera than you ever did,get these books.Scott explains in detail how to take great photos.He tells you what equipment he uses and makes recommendations according to what you can afford.This is by far the best investment I've made.I am now planning on upgrading to an DSLR! Thanks Scott for these books.

Scott Kelby demystifies digital photography methods often used by the pro's and does it with his a little humor thrown in. If you want to learn methods and skip all the technical jargon this is the book to buy. I highly recommend this great little tips and tricks book.

I am really enjoying this book. The tips are quick and simple resulting in better pictures. Great book.

I am a bit torn on rating this. My wife loved this and the second volume, but much of it (65%) was so basic for me that it did not add much value. The balance was very good. If you are brand new to the world of SLRs I would say it is a must have.

I recently brought my first digital slr and was looking around for a book that would explain how to get the best out of my camera.Scoot kelby has written this book so well,he gets straight to the point.He gave me lots of tips that I would have never thought of.I've had this book for 24hrs and I can see the difference in my photography.I would be still clueless without this book.And as for his jokes,I don't have a problem with them.I actually think hes funny so if you pass this book up you'll be missing out on a lot.

Yes, he thinks he's a lot funnier than he is... but this book is full of great info for beginning digital photographers. I especially like the perspective that he offers on accessory equipment. He explains where the additional equipment will help so that you can prioritize your purchases.

And, note that this book is really set up for dSLR owners. Point and shoot camera users could benefit from the advice on composition, lighting, etc., but he quickly progresses to talk about add-on lenses, flashes, etc. That really will only serve to taunt point and shoot owners.

I bought this book for my fiance for Christmas. She loved it. She has already learned a few new tricks with her camera. I read some of the other reviews and almost didn't get this book because of the author's humorous approach, but now I'm glad I did. That's one of the aspects that my fiance likes about the book.

If you are new to digital photography and you want an easy to read and understand book that will help you improve your photography skills, this is the book for you. Each section has lots of valuable tips, that anyone can duplicate. Each of the major types of photography (portraits, landscapes, etc.) is discussed. In the back section of the book, you will also find examples of some of the author's photographs, and a detailed description of how the shot was achieved.

After I read (or tried to) several digital camera tutorial books, I was so happy to come across this book. Most camera manuals and instruction books tend to be dry, over-technical and crammed with complex theory and explanations. I found myself perpetually overwhelmed with trying to grasp basic concepts.. until reading this. Scott Kelby's humorous yet down-to-earth writing style kept me engaged and WANTING to read more. In addition, I found most of his topics to be practical to apply and practice without getting bogged down in unecessary tedious details. I've learned more about shooting technique in his first volume alone than I have in about six other camera books combined. A sure winner!!!

I love the way this guy presents his subject matter. He explains things simply and has pictures to go along with it. I have both of his books on digital photography. Buy them both, you won't be dissappointed.

Great book. Have been using a digital nikon D 70 and D80 for 5 yrs but learned a bunch of great stuff just in the 1st chapter.

Hello, I found this book to be just as fantastic as all the other many reviews here.

The only problem (kind of funny) I had with the book, is that I read it so many times that the binding is coming apart. Not too many of my books can say that.

Now that amazon is making it so affordable, maybe I'll pick up another.

andy

A good read for the starting level. However, there are some tips for everyone, and perhaps things that are not necessarily forgotten, but you need to remember. Certainly worth the price.

I consider myself a newbie or amateur when it comes to photography, specifically DSLRs. After purchasing my first SLR a few years back I decided to learn some tricks by reading through the owner's manual.

Fast forward a few years later and I've managed to take some great shots with my camera, but I was looking for that next level. I decided to give this book a shot and was thoroughly impressed.

First of all, the book is a quick read. Each page covers a specific topic and the author is straight to the point. The premise of the book is that Scott Kelby shows you a shot, then tells you how to mimic the results using your own camera. If you're just starting out, this is exactly what you're going to want to know. I've been able to put some of the techniques to work and I am looking forward to using a few more. The $12 I paid for the book just made the price I paid for my camera worthwhile.

This book is especially great if you own either a Nikon or Canon DSLR, since Scott shows you the menus and settings you have to go through to take shots. Also, you get some tips on equipment you may want to look into and some Photoshop tricks.

Overall, the book packs a lot of information into a small package with some wit and humor. This is a must-have for anyone getting into digital photography.

I totally LOVE this book - a recommendation when I started photography with my D80. I learned lots of tips from Scott to get me going. My lifesaver, when I went travelling - couldn't have survived without it!

Unlike a previous review, I liked the humor. Reading a dull, 'school book' is not my thing. You can learn a lot from this book and not fall asleep doing it. I have read several of Scott's books and like them all BECAUSE they are funny at the same time they are teaching you the facts that you need to take good shots...or work an Adobe program. I'm just a serious amateur, but I've shot some events that are important to friends and the information in this book was valuable.

This is a great book that is very easy to read and follow. It is filled with great tips that you can apply immediately. You will see an improvement in the quality of your photos. I'd recommend this book to all photographers; novice or advanced.

Very clear and concise solutions for clearly described special and not so special situation. Warning: it made me order a lot of extra equipment in order to try out many of the same things the author describes. You will learn a lot of tricks and develop a closer personal relationship to your photographic equipment. The time I spend with mine has increased dangerously. Highly recommended.

This, and Vol. 2, are essentials for the serious student of digital photography. They are sized just right to carry in your camera bag.

Plenty of useful tips for beginners. Instructions are clear, worth buying
Please read this book more then once to really pick up the points.

I was so impressed with Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book" that I immediately bought his "The Digital Photography Book" #2. Scott has a wayof telling you how to use your photographic equipment and skills to produce very professional results. He skips over the 'technical jargon' and gets right to the settings and setups. Anybody who has ever tried to figure out Adobe Unsharp Mask will love this book for its straight forward advice.

I have read this book from cover to cover. It is full of very good advice about tricks to improve your pictures. It is not a photoshop book (Thanks GOD!!)it is a book to help you to get better as a photographer.

I was looking for a true beginner's book to digital photography and this book came up first on Amazon and with so many great reviews I decided I needed to head to the bookstore and really look through this book in person. I was somewhat disappointed when I discovered this is not quite a true beginner's book but does include tips when shooting in certain situations. Each page presents a scenario which then offers tips/tricks/solution IF you were presented with the issue.
While reading through this I did pick up some tips to keep in mind but not enough for me to actually buy the book.

If you want a completely non-technical approach to shooting better (great?) shots in various common senarios (eg outdoors, weddings, flowers, sports, etc), this is exactly the right book for you. It's a short read, but you'll have a hard time remembering all the valuable things that are in this book!

One of the reviews mentions here mention how the author uses some weird humor in chapter intros, but don't let that distract you. The author admits he wrote most of those intros while smashed, and I believe it. If you want, just ignore the chapter infos. The tips are definitely very valuable.

As the cover suggests, this is mainly for people with dslr's, so you're not going to get the most out of this book unless you already have one (or are planning to purchase a new one). Those with lesser cameras will still benefit from this book, but as this book makes clear, (digital) photography can be a very expensive hobby.

I have been unable to put the book down. I read a bit, go shoot some pictures and beging the process over. I had worked in the business in a prior life and have had a lot of experience with film DSLR and large format equipment. This is a great transition for someone who is now back into photography and making the big switch to Digital.

Take this little book on every photo trip you go on because you won't know what to do without it. Each page has one "how to" technique on it. Look up what you want to do, say "I want the background sharp" & he tells you what to do, if you need the technical reason you can look it up later in another book. This is a have to have.

Scott Kelby books are my favorites!
Scott answers all of my questions at the exact moment I have them.
It is like talking to a friend.
Yes, his humour at times drags you down BUT you can always just skip the first chapter of each section and ta da, you have everything you need without the distractions. (or read the whole thing and chuckle away).
Amazing color photos. Tricks and hints abound in this book and volume 2.
I highly recommend any beginner and advance photo bugs out there to buy these two volumes.
I read them both very quickly and use them for constant reference.

I bought this book (Digital Photography) along with
The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography.

The Betterphoto Guide was a lot better. Unless you plan on attending a wedding, I would go with the BetterPhoto guide, especially if you want to learn how to control lighting, and exposure.

have recently purchased an SLR Nikon camera. love the thing but know that I am not using it to the full potential.
I am hoping this book is my aanswer to all my woes.
I have looked it over and it appears to be user friendly and that is always a help.
I am pleased with my choice.

This book is a must have for any beginner thru advanced amateur. I'm in the advanced amateur category. Gives you solid opinion. You can choose to investigate or accept; regardless, this is inexpensive advice you can use to great value. Buy it or give as gift. I cannot wait for an updated or new version. I will buy the next gen of this book immediately.

Scott Kelby delivers excellent IDEAS what you can do with DSLR, both of his book should be One Book.
I recomend it for everyone.

I wish I could understand the more technical aspects of a camera and photography. I found this book easy enough to understand as I went through and tried to duplicate the work this author had done. It takes time regardless of what we know what we want to know. I am glad to have this book in my collection to go over points I am forgetting when I don't take photos daily.

Dear fellow amazon.com shoppers,

I bought volume 1 and volume 2 of Scott Kelby's books together with my Pentax K200D. As a photo-enthusiast and DSLR starter I really enjoyed reading this two books. Both read very easy and takes you in a fast pace through the basic and intermediate know-abouts of professional digital photography. Volume two picks up right where volume 1 stopped, so both books actualy make 1 big total package. The author doesn't bother you with too technical explanations but takes you with him on a shoot as a friend would do. Every chapter he describes how to best do this and that. Starts with landscape shooting, all the way to sports, macro, weddings, nighttime shooting etc. Every chapter is dedicated to a certain discipline and gives you more usefull information than you'll be able to remember the next time you go out on a shoot. So the book grows with you as your experience grows. You read the chapter again, ie. Landscapes, and hey: i forgot about this and that, let me try that the next time when I'm in the mountains. When you control every discipline described in these books, then and only then you can move on to more technical and specific books. The chapters read very fluently with a great deal of humor and pragmatic 'aah, so that's how they do it' moments.
For the price, get both at once as you really need both to get going!

Good luck improving your photografic skills!

Great book to get you "into" digital photography. Reading it makes you feel like he is standing there looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do and how to do it.

I purchased this book on the recommendation from the store where I purchased my SLR camera. I was looking for a book that will tell me the terms of using an SLR camera in English and be a fun read. Well, I have read the book from cover to cover several times now because I pick up new things each time I read it. I liked this book so well that I purchased it for my Brother-in-law so he could learn to use his SLR camera better and I just purchased it for a friend of mine who just got an SLR camera and wanted to learn more.

I really enjoyed this book for all the great info and tips. I like the way it was broken down for each topic covered and lots of great images for examples. The author does have quite a sense of humor, but I rather enjoyed it and it kept things interesting without being to over the top. A lot of great topics covered from recommended equipment such as filters, tripods, printers & and even paper. Great recommendations on website and couple of tips for adobe. Also recommendations of creative approaches to taking photos and not just explaining settings to use on the camera fir certain situations. Must have for any owner of a DSLR.

bought this book as a gift for my sister as she just got a new dslr. She found very easy to read and quick to search for what questions she has. Great tips especially for starters. Great book to keep as a reference, good physical size too makes easy to carry around whilst still learning.

This little book is exactly as advertised. I use a compact camera for extensive travel trips and a digital SLR for other photo shoots. Scott Kelby presents material that provides tips useful for both kinds of cameras. Primarily for amateurs who want to improve the quality of their photographs without a lot of additional effort.

Love this book ...................Lots of great information within!!
Great price and great service...........Thanks Amazon!

Scott Kelbys writing style is that of a friend telling you how to do something like a professional. He doesn't take the fun out of things and still promotes self exploration as well as experimentation but in this the first of a series of books he shows you how he and other pro's do things.
If you're a budding photographer who wants to find out how to do the cool things in photography without sitting in endless hours of lectures or reading through hundreds of pages of information you already know this book is perfect, the information is precise and to the point yet not written in a condescending way.
Scott makes some great suggestions for both photographic equipment and additional stuff that just makes the job easier. He doesn't get involved the in the Nikon V Canon debate, he just shows you what he does.
Highly recommended reading

I had just purchased an SLR camera and was totally confused! This book is written in an easy to read fashion ...even easier that the "For Dummies" book! There are easy examples such as "If you want to take a photo that looks like this, then do this". I carry this book with me when I go out shooting now.

This is a must have for anyone who is familiar with photography and wants to move up to the next level. Scott has a great way of explaining things in a straight forward matter and making you understand the more technical side of this sometimes confusing field.

I think I have bought this book 5 times for friends who are getting into the field and would recommend it to anyone.

It's so simple and makes you understand what you need to do to know your camera

Bought this book to start getting more detailed information about photography. This book helps you to learn some tricks to get better photos, it is a very practical book, the author goes straight to the point when describing what camera settings to use in each situation (aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc) without going too deep into the physics of how the camera and lenses work. If you are just migrating from point-and-shoot cameras to SLR/dSLR, this book is definetely recommended.

I had a tough time finding reviews for the Kindle version for this book - I wish Amazon would have an option to separate them out. I have volume 2 in paperback. I was hesitant to get a Kindle version for one reason - the Kindle version does not have color nor are the photos very good. And that is why I rate it 3 stars - it is not going to be the same as the book itself.

However, the photos and images are included in the Kindle version which I think is still a good thing as it helps to fully understand the particular subject.

I don't have volume 1 in book form and can't compare them side by side but the Kindle version appears to be the same (based on how volume 2 is).

I bought the Kindle version because we Kindle users always have our Kindles with us and whenever one is out taking pictures it's good to have those tips with you. And it works just fine on the Kindle for looking them up.

They didn't break the tips out on separate pages like the book. I am not sure why except it may have made the file larger and with the photos taking space it may have been a mess. But it doesn't create a problem that I have found yet. The full table of contents is there and also appears to work correctly (I didn't try every single one).

I know a lot of people complain about his humor - it is bad. But I can understand his intention - just like computer people, they try to make their profession more important by intimidating amateurs (with good reason). This is his attempt to make you feel more comfortable. It doesn't bother me that much, I still get the tips.

The sample is not going to help you decide. Amazon needs to fix that by making it the first chapter, not the TOC or acknowledments or other worthless info.

But his info is very good, lots of great tips for taking better pictures.
Some complained about it being for beginners. If you are that good, why are you looking for a how-to book?

Update: It appears that they didn't do a lot to port this book over to the Kindle - the index is still listed but with no references, just a list of words. It doesn't create problems but adds a few unnecessary pages.

Easy to read and understand. Gives simple tips to correct problem photos, lighting, appeture. Very good book for the beginner and helpful tips for more serious photographer. Some unnecessary "wild goose chases" that take up space and don't teach you anything but I the author is just trying to keep it lighthearted and not so technical. I actually purchased volumn 2 as well and it has less of the "chatter".

Scott Kelby gets into to every aspect of digital photography that is importent to me and does so with the language that makes it easy to understand. Good job.

i bought this for my husband. he is into digital picture taking. he says it is the best book he has seen on the subject. to the point and very easy to read and understand. so that is what i say .. i stand by him in his evaluation

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I can't wait to get out with my camera and try out these tips! I've read several Scott Kelby books and have loved them all.

Is a good book. If you need deep knowledge about photography, isn't a good purchase. It have a lot of tips.

This book is the first title by Kelby that I've read. As a newbie to digital photography, I wanted something credible, yet with simple, straightforward content. Kelby's work here is a perfect match to what I was seeking. He is very much the professional, as his photographs and credentials attest. Despite his lofty status however, he comes across as very personal in these entertaining, informative pages. He shows a quirky sense of humor over and over, which I admire in dealing with a subject that could easily be over-technical. He also gives information that is practical -- I found myself again and again taking my camera and seeing exactly how I would use the tips he provided.

Kelby gets an easy five stars here -- I'd give six if they were available! I've got his second volume on this same subject, and look forward to reading more of what he has to share.

Don't want to learn through a complicated classroom. This the book for you. Tells you how to get the shot with out giving a lecture on all the settings and theory of how to get the right picture.

Great how to without tons of theory. Just good advice.

Super cheesy chapter introductions, but not overly distracting, and overall an excellent book for the beginner and intermediate photographer.

BUY THIS BOOK!! Dont waste your time at the library or searching the internet...you will not be let down. This book has humor and it gets right to the point. It doesnt over talk each subject. It is plain and simple!! It is small enough that you can keep it in your camera bag and be able to flip through it to find just the right instruction for your situation. I am so glad my friend recommended this book to me and I am SURE you will be pleased too!!!

This is a nice book for people who like a bit of humor in their learning - and are prepared to read through it to get the tips. It's a nice straightforward book but I think I would have like a little more information on specific shot set ups (different landscapes etc.) and maybe some project ideas.

This is a nice little fast/easy to read book, with a lot of tips. If you're advanced (in any way) there's other books you might want to read instead.

I've been taking photography classes since high school and been reading books since then. Everyone with the exception for a few offer the same advice, follow the rules and then take the picture. While this method offers much more depth and knowledge why things are done, it's very hard to point someone new to do "xyz" without getting confused.

The idea of this book is a bit different, here the author "talks" to you as if you were shooting together and you simply asked him a question. I really enjoyed reading this book as it is similar how I would explain photography. Instead of explaining rules I would simply show how it's done.

That being said, I don't think this book alone would be a good resource for a new or even experienced photographer. Scott Kelby skips over the details but as far as I know, he still explains critical items. Overall, I really like this book and give it to friends who are just starting in photography. Yes, it's not perfect but honestly which is easier to read. This book or the manual that came with the camera?

This is one the best books I've ever read on Photography. Scott cuts through the crap and give the reader clear easily understood directions on how to take great photos with a digital camera. Once I've mastered what's in book I, I'll certainly move on to book II.

The author does have a quirky sense of humor, which I found funny, personally. However, this book does offer clear and direct ways to improve the pictures you take, without going into pages of detail on photography science and theory. Although this won't be the last book I ever get on the subject, it is an excellent choice as one of the first.

This book is so valuable I would have paid three times its current price. Kelby reveals the common sense behind the mystery of f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, exposure, aperatures, and every other alien thing that tends to intimidate beginning SLR camera users. He shows example pictures of what the camera settings discussed will produce, and provides the "recipe" for many of the common kinds of shots people go for. It's very readable, even "front to back" like a novel. I highly recommend this book!

I downloaded the sample to my Kindle and only received the part of the table of contents. It may be better to start the samples with the first chapter, not the beginning of the book. Because this is the second book that's had that particular problem on the Kindle.

After checking the book out at the local library, found it helpful.

I found the book's humor tiresome. But I liked the easy to understand explanations. The book is geared toward the Nikon and the Canon. So if you don't have either of those models of camera, I'd suggest having your manual handy while you read.

He did a good job explaining pictures by taking shots from different angles, explaining time of day, use of background, etc which can be applied to any camera. Using a tripod and a remote shutter release also was included.

However, when it came to the settings, some of them would work, and some wouldn't. For example, he said to set your camera on f-11, and my camera only goes up to f-8.

He also explained making the conversion from film to digital. Film users are always aware of how much each picture cost, while with a digital camera, you're only concerned with how much memory you have left and you can screen the pictures immediately deleting any poor shots as you go.

A lot of the suggested gear mentioned in the book is no longer available.

I'm glad that I was able to get the book at the library, because otherwise I wouldn't have purchased it based on the partial table of contents provided in the sample via my Kindle.

At the time of this review, the Kindle version is cheaper than getting it at half.com. And of course, you don't need to wait to receive the Kindle version.

I'm waiting for a Kindle version of Volume 2.

For anyone who has ever thought to themselves, "Just tell me what I'm supposed to do...never mind all the technicalities", this book is for you. I have never been disappointed by a Scott Kelby book and recommend several of them to both my photography and graphic design students.

An excellent photography book with excellent tips. A must read book. Anyone can get something out of this book. A must read book and a must keep book to read again later.

I am an amateur photographer with not a lot of free time on my hands. I loved this book, because it was short and to the point and got straight to the essentials of taking good photographs. For example, all the photography books talk about the need for a tripod, but which one do I get? There are about a billion choices. I don't have the time to do extensive research, so it's nice that the book gives some suggestions. Also, finally a book that gives you great hints, like how shoot fireworks. I loved the author's sense of humor, although some of the reviews criticized it. It makes reading more enjoyable. I highly recommend this book.

This book presents a wide variety of topics for achieving the results you want from your digital camera, point & shoot or DSLR. It is in a "just in time learning" format and helps you get the best shots possible. Get Volume 2 while you are at it!

and a reasonable read. he even has a sense of humor. He gives you a scenario and then tells you about how to do or correct it.

This book is fantastic. It must be the bible for anyone who starts to shoot. The results are much, much better than I expected. Thanks to Scott for sharing his experience.

I had already learned some things I didn't know. I enjoy his humor throughout the book

This book is an interesting read and handy reference. I find especially useful the last section that is a "If you want to take a picture like this, do this" section. In one to 1 1/2 pages each, the author give simple hints on how to set up specific kinds of shots. I intend to work through these sections and learn what I can hands on.

This is not a theory book but a book of practical hints and advice for a variety of situations.

I bought my first SLR camera a month ago.I was looking for a good reference book on how to use it and take full advantage of my camera. THIS is the book; very easy to read understand and practice. Also Scott Kelby is giving amazing tips for any budget So YES digital photography is also for people with limited budget. It is a great book if you are a beginner in SLR photography or a beginner in digital photography in general.

A great book especially for any enthusists and serious amateurs. Covers alot of the basics and the way Kelby approaches this is great.

This book is great for beginners like myself. This book has useful tips and tricks. I still look it over every once in a while to refresh my memory. It even tells you how they take the beautiful shots that are inside the book.

Amazon reviewers are thoughtful and intelligent (most of them). I use them religiously before buying anything. I will use Scott Kelby's 'cut to the chase' method and say this book is incredible. I'm more on the amateur end of the spectrum, but I needed a straight forward "how to" book to get me through the simple everyday tasks I want my camera to perform. This is a must have for the amateur and intermediate photog. All the other 431 reviews are correct this should be 5 stars.

This book has good information especially for amateur photographers. Advanced amateur photographers would probably not find much new here but for me it is a great reference that compliments my camera's manufacturer's user manuals and a user guide written by a third party (I have a Sony A700 DSLR). I also enjoyed the humor of the author, it puts things in perspective.

If you are planning to get serious with your digital SLR this is a wonderful book to get you started. Many important aspects of photograpy are explained in a simple way, and if you follow the tips in this book you will actually take better pictures.

I don't allways find Kelby's jokes funny, but in this book they are mainly concentrated to the introduction to each chapter so you can easily skip them :-)

I have to add that I have also bought vol 2 of this book, and it seems equally good.

This book was very helpful. The tips was great and straight to the point. It's perfect for the new comers to photography like myself. I'm looking forward to reading Volume 2.

I strongly recommend this book for anybody who wants to learn digital photography. The author gives a lot a tips and hints to get a grasp of what photographs should watch out when taking pictures, retouching them or buying gear.

Sure, this book is not a digital photography bible, and the author's humor is quite annoying. But his down to earth, straight to the point explanations are very helpful.

If you are looking for a book to start exploring the world of digital photography, this is the book to get.

So, after reading a few books, it was amazingly refreshing to read a book, JUST FOR digital photography. I noticed int he corner it says it works well for P&S cameras as well, and I have to question that. There is a lot of the concepts in the book that carry over, but not very well.

While I am currently using a P&S, I plan to rectify THAT situation in the coming month, so I am reading this book with the future in mind.

I really like how he explains concepts simply, like a buddy telling you how to do something, instead of having a book that tells you WHY... he just tells you WHAT. (with a few whys tossed in). I think this is a GREAT way for the absolute newbie to get their feet wet. It also has a LOT of wonderful tips for amatures and above.

I think the BIGGEST weakness, is how much Photoshop is shown throughout the book. I am an elements user, and really felt left out, except for a few spots. I don't know that his book is "high end" enough, to be discussing a $650 program, that he seems to base most things on. I think a heavier emphasis on elements would have been better.

I want to point out, overall, this book IS a 5... but I do have a few issues with it... I don't believe any are worth knocking the book down to a 4.

Both this book and Volume 2 are full of good tips for taking better photos. I've been shooting for over 25 years, so I'm used to opening books and seeing a certain amount of material that I'm already familiar with, but I still learned a lot. I like the format and Kelby's direct and to-the-point style. The books are designed so that every page covers a certain aspect of the topic at hand and provides some kind of useful tip. There isn't a lot of prose, just a 'do this' kind of approach. It helps if you have some experience, because he doesn't spend a lot of time on the 'why' of what he is saying. In many cases you have to think about it and fill in that part of it yourself. However, this approach has the advantage of not burying the 'what' under lots of theory. I highly recommend these books no matter what your level of expertise. Follow his instructions and you will become a better photograher (unless you're already a pro).
Beware of one thing - Kelby's sense of humour. He does state in the very beginning that you can skip the chapter introductions, as they are just his chance to have a little fun and crack some jokes, so don't take them seriously. If you do, you'll find yourself wanting to get your hands on the non-existent "Floral filter 1B" or whatever he calls it. His humour is a little corny at times and maybe there is a little too much of it, but he did warn you, didn't he?

I got the kindle edition and I have enjoyed it very much, filled with great info!

I got a lot of good tips out of this book. I liked his writing style which made it an easy read. Skip the first several pages if you are not into lame jokes. Not near as bad in volume 2, which I also recommend.

this is the Best book for digital photo tips, very good info from an expert, written with great skill as not to be bland or boring
as Scott says he writes as if he was standing next to you giving you verbal advise.
i thoroughly reccommend this book to any one looking for simple straight forward uncomplicated info.

El libro es excelente para gente que va empezando en el mundo de la fotografía, Scott da Tips para casos especificos, sin tanta teoría, como él mismo lo comenta en el libro son los consejos que le daría a un compañero que sale a tomar fotografías con él.

The tips Scott provides in the first few chapters alone make this book worth it. I can't wait to read Volume 2.

Like the title says, it was very helpful. Lots of useful tips of the trade and I really enjoyed how it was written. Each page is a new tip and written like you were out on a shoot with him and were asking questions. He lays things out as if he were just telling you how to do it, not necessarily going into details about how it works, but what steps to take to get the shot. Great book for beginners, I highly recommend it.

I bought this book a year ago when I switched to a digital SLR. Wow, it's incredible. Scott's method of presenting the information clearly and concisely makes the book awesome. He throws in a bit of humor-which made me laugh out loud-but the content is what really makes it a stand-out book.

I based the purchase of my tripod and several other "critical" gadgets on this book and I have been very happy with the huge jump from "okay" photos to pretty nice photos that non-photographers sometimes claim could "be on a post card" or say I should enter them in a contest. I've got a long way to go, but realizing that things like a polarizing filter, a good tripod (with a ball head), a bubble level for the hot shoe, a shutter release, etc have helped my photos so much.

I definitely recommend this book to the person who currently uses a SLR camera but doesn't often shoot with a tripod, wonders why their photos are not as sharp as the pros, and just wants some great tips for shooting.

This book is an easy laid back reading material. The writer puts some humor into the subject matter with enough technical information not to get you lost in the details. I find this book effective for those who are leaving the pocket camera setup and moving into the introductory SLR such as the Nikon D40 or Canon. The writer offers a wide range of picture taking situations and covers a lot of helpful camera features. I also like the advice this book offers on camera gear and digital support hardware. The author even touched upon some available software and editing programs. I find this book extremely helpful for those who want to get the best out of their first time SLR use. I may be buying the second "step up" book on digital photography from the same author soon.

I find Scott Kelby to be easily understandable and a good place to start. To gain a complete understanding of the art of capturing light by using a digital camera requires much study. Scott's books are a good place to start building a foundation.

For a long time from podcasts, articles and books I was collecting tips on how to take better pictures. With this book, there is no need for that. Everything is in this book.
One tip per page, concise, like all Kelby books, this book will give you advise on how to take better landscapes, portraits, etc.
I only wish at the end the book it had a tip-per-line summary that you can carry in your camera case.
For that price, I highly recommend it. If at the same time you buy the volume 2 you get free-shipping from Amazon.

First book to own for Digital Photography. Nice layout with photo examples. No naked girls though :(

This book is very helpful for the beginning slr photographer, and even those semi-pros that spend more brain capacity being creative rather than technical. The book is easy to read and provides many simple, practical tips and advice. Scott manages to answer "why" without too many details. Yes, his humor can be pretty cheesy -- but he reminds me of just a regular good-natured guy. Other than the few introductory pages where the jokes are most annoying, this book is 95% good, solid info. Well worth the low price.

Scott Kelby really let's you know how to take better photographs. While this shouldn't be the first book you read about photography, it is still a must have in your library. You must know some basics about photography to really apply his advice but his recommendations are the same ones he shares with the pros. I learned a lot from this book and highly recommend this purchase.

April 2008 update:
Pick up Volume 2 as well. A great read.

This book gets to the short and sweet, most of the time. Kelby still injects his "humor" but thankfully it's a lot less than previous books. Perhaps he is taking the hint from online reviews? I doubt it, not with that ego. Anyways, an excellent source of quick reference info for the beginner or intermediate photographer. For me it was well worth the money spent. Each page covers 1 "tip" in its respective chapter. Due to this sort of "efficiency" this book is one you can put into your camera bag and take along with you for a quick reference guide. 4.5 Stars.

Scott Kelby is a master instructor. He's easy to understand and fun to read. All digital photographers should have this book in their library.

If you are looking for a technical training manual for photography ... keep looking. If you want a direct and to the point helpful learning guide, this is your book. Scott has a great talent for imparting helpful wisdom to improve your shooting and even post processing. I was not expecting to learn any PhotoShop hints but I learned an invaluable one. I love this book. It has been a great learning experience. Now I will move on to Part 2.

I loved this book. It talks about equipment which is very overwhelming for beginners, discusses different shots, and many other useful information. I loved the book!

This is a reference book for on the spot situations and also when just browsing with camera in hand.
It's a handy size so it can be carried around with the camera.
Very quick and simple solutions to individual situations, no heavy plodding through a 2 inch manual.
I thoroughly recommend this book for all photographers.

This is a short quick read of many single-page topics that every digital photographer should own. It's content is superb, and the insight and tips make this a reference book to carry in your bag after reading. A must buy!

I found this to be the best photography book. I pre-ordered Volume #2 the second I heard about it!

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

I read all the reviews and bought the book(anyway). True the "humor" is pretty lame(doesn't have a leg to stand on),but the techniques discussed are NOT!!!! What a Great book for the beginner to advanced beginner. Will definitely buy Book II !

A very useful and interesting book that all the enthusiasts of photography had to have.
Easy to read and to understand with images of extraordinary beauty and technical perfection.

I understand that Kelby probably has a sense of humor that wont be liked by many but his book is genius. He attacks all the problems you would have on the field during a shoot and teaches you everything you need to know. Its like being with a professional photographer and getting all the tips with a little bad humor. Buy this book and see if all the great tips inside arent worth a little torture. You will definatly be happy after this purchase i guarantee it!!

This book is interesting and very useful for specially amature. Most of the techniques are practical.

What a great book for anyone looking to learn about photography! I have several informational books on the subject, but i find myself going back to this particular one more often than the others.

The layout of the book is very easy to navigate and very informative. Each page gives you a tip along with an example, not to mention the teriffic illustrations. Buy this book and Exposure by Brian Peterson and you're off to a good start.

I have applied several of the tips and techniques to my photographs since reading this book and found them to be well worth the nominal purchase price. Example: Chapter 9 - Shoot the Details. Rather than trying to capture too much of one large thing, I have used this tip and been rewarded with a more powerful photo. And in Chapter 4: Where to put the Horizon Line AND Object Placement (found in Chapter 11) -- simple, yet effective ideas for better pictures. Actually pretty much common sense suggestions, but generally not practiced by the amateur/weekend shooter (me). I have read many reviews where people rip on Kelby's quirky sense of humor; sometimes I agree. Most of it I read through and obtained the bulk of the information and put it to good use. You will not be disappointed with your purchase. Highly recommended. Volume 2 is out now and I will likely purchase that as well.

A friend gave me a $15 gift certificate and I had to do some hard shopping to find an item in that price range. This book was a fantastic discovery. Its primary audience is the DSLR user, but it is also loaded with tips for the average point 'n shoot user. It is as good a 1-volume reference as I have found in this price range. Save your money for more gadgets, and buy this book. It's a bargain.

The book was well written and easy to understand. I finished it in just a couple sittings. Reading it was well worth my time. Infact I already preordered his Volume 2 book.

I picked this book up at a Barns & Noble (sorry amazon...) the other day. I'm about half way through it and I love it. I'd consider myself an intermediate photographer, and this has helped me out quite a bit already.

This covers a lot of the basics and lets you in on some great suggestions. I love this book, and bought a copy for my younger sister who is studying photography now. Covers a lot on Nikon DSLR's, which was helpful to me.

Lays the foundations for great photography in a quick and easy to use format. He suggests equipment as well as tips on photography. Covers wedding photography, landscape, city and portrait photography. You'll improve your photos almost overnight. The humor is sometimes lame. Scott knows it, but he continues write books like this he can write all the bad humor he wants.

Highly recommended.

This is a good and simple book. Doesn't focus on all the technical details, just gives good suggestions. I find myself refering to it again every once in a while to get new ideas for photos. Very well written and broken up into great one-pagers. I'd also recommend his photoshop book, which is excellent.

Scott Kelby is gifted when it comes to relaying information. Without using a lot of technical babble, he's able to relate the information necessary to make you a better digital artist. I've used several of his methods and have already seen improvements in my work, digitally speaking. He's got a funny sense of humor and this made reading the book easy and enjoyable. A recommended read for sure!!

I actually don't think I have ever read an entire photography book but not only is this one informative but it has humor also. It explains digital photography in easy to understand step by step instructions. Best book I have ever bought on the subject. It is a MUST HAVE!

I enjoyed reading this book and I must say I didn't find the author's humor to be a problem. Maybe I just don't mind corny.

In any event, the book does have lots of photography hints, some obvious and some not so obvious. One simple example that I really think is useful (and have used myself for years) is to take photos of signs so one can remember what castle, church, monument, museum, or town a photo was taken in. By the end of vacation and 700 or more photos, I have been saved many times by that simple trick.

There is probably something in here for beginners to intermediate shooters and for those who (like myself) were once pretty good SLR users, abandoned the film genre for point and shoot digital cameras and have now returned to use digital SLRs after some years away. It is both a refresher and also stimulated me to reread my camera manual to find out how to use some of the tips on my Olympus digital SLR camera -- he focuses (pun unintended) on Nikon/Canon cameras but as the author points out, the discussions are relevant to all digital SLR cameras.

It is an inexpensive book and I think it will prove to be well worth the small investment if I catch just a few special shots I would otherwise have missed. I already see how that is very likely.

This book was easy for me to read and understand. Of course, I'd taken a photography course already. So it was a great compliment to what I already knew as an amateur photographer. But the author has a sense of humor and explains things in such a way that, I think, even someone who had no photography classes may be able to understand.

I have several books by Scott Kelby. They are full of great tips and are written with a sense of humour which makes it impossible to put them down untill you reach the last page. This book is well up to his usual high standard and as a reference book, will be well thumbed in a very short time.

I am an aspiring photographer who has read all of the main theories and concepts in other books and online (by the way, Canon has a great online tutorial to learn about Digital SLRs and photography http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/ ). Anyway, the book is going to get right to point about what you need to buy, set up, or do to get better pictures for different scenarios. I really liked his to the point techniques without the technical stuff behind each one. He makes it clear in the beginning that if you want to learn more about photography and all the principals that this is not the book for you. This is just a quick guide on how to make better photos in various situations. I found it funny, easy to read, and exactly what I was looking for to improve my shots.

This is a must-have book for all entry-level or advanced photographers. I don't give it a 5 because he writes in a way I don't like too much.

This book is an easy read and I have enjoyed having it. I'm new to the manual settings on my camera and this one is a great addition. I recommend this book.

Excellent overview, with many professional hints and tricks. Well written, by a true expert, who has written many books dealing with digital image pro