The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3/Scott Kelby, Berkeley:  Peachpit Press, 2009 (243 p.)

This is the lengthiest of Scott Kelby’s first three volumes of The Digital Photography Book.  Volume 3, again picks up where the previous books ended and assumes the reader has either read the previous volumes or has a solid understanding of the tips there.

The chapters in volume 3 closely parallel those in volume 2 but there is a little less emphasis on “people photography” and a shift back to a bit broader coverage of topics.  One chapter which many less experienced photographers will find quite useful covers lenses and associated topics.  Also, previous information on shooting landscapes has been expanded to include the more general topic of outdoor photography.

Continuing previous practices, this volume closes with two chapters covering pro tips and photo recipes, or techniques used to capture selected sample images.  In both volumes, these two chapters provide some of the most useful and easiest to read information.  This is the one area where Kelby slips back into an emphasis on portraits and studio work.

While Peachpit rates this book as a Beginner Level volume (consistent with volumes 1 and 2), my view is that it is starting to move into areas that are for slightly more advanced photographers.  Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate recommending the series to any digital photographer.

As I noted in my review of volume 2, you can purchase volumes 1, 2, and 3 as a boxed set at considerable savings.  These books are also available in eBook form (for both Kindle and Nook readers). 

Digital Photography Book, Vol. 2

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2/Scott Kelby, Berkeley:  Peachpit Press, 2007 (223 p.)

To quote Scott Kelby from Chapter 1, “This is volume 2 of The Digital Photography Book and it picks up where the last book left off (so it’s not an update of that book, it’s new stuff …”  In the same manner as volume 1, Kelby approaches this volume as though he and the reader were out together on a photo shoot and the reader asked how to do a particular task.  The result is an easy to read volume, not overloaded with technical details but instead filled with useful information.  At 223 pages, you get another 200 or so helpful hints or ideas on how to make your photography better.

Volume 1 provided broad coverage of almost every photographic subject.  While volume 2 continues this coverage of multiple areas, the emphasis leans strongly toward “people photography” with longer chapters on lighting, building a studio, portraiture, and wedding photography.  It also includes shorter chapters on landscape, travel, and macro photography but these are clearly not the emphasis of this volume.

Like volume 1, volume 2 closes with two chapters covering pro tips and photo recipes, or techniques used to capture selected sample images.  In both volumes, these two chapters provide some of the most useful and easiest to read information.  As is the case with the rest of volume 2, the emphasis of these two chapters is people photography.  Kelby’s dry humor remains, primarily on the introductory pages of each chapter, and can be read or ignored as the reader prefers.  As a tease, I found his story of his recent contract with National Geographic to be particularly humorous.

Peachpit rates this book as a Beginner Level volume but unless you are a true expert, any reader may find helpful information included.  This is particularly true for photograhers who, like me, prefer areas other than photographing people.

Another good volume that is well worth the investment (by the way, you can get volumes 1, 2, and 3 as a boxed set at considerable savings). 

Digital Photography Book, Vol. 1

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1/Scott Kelby, Berkeley:Peachit Press, 2006 (218 p.)

The first volume of a series of four (as of March 2012) books written by Scott Kelby on digital photography techniques, this book quickly departs from the typical reference volume filled with both comments on how and reasons why a photographer should do anything.  Instead, Kelby approaches this as though he and the reader were out together on a photo shoot and the reader asked how to do a particular task.  The result is a 218 page book that contains about 200 one-page hints on how to make your photography better.

While you can read the book cover to cover as I did, you can just as easily pick it up and read a chapter or even a page or two on a specific topic of interest.  Each chapter is devoted to a general area of photography like flowers, weddings, landscapes, and sports and most can easily be read in a single sitting.

For those who have not read other books by Kelby it may take a little time to appreciate the humor that he injects throughout the book.  Although this is primarily limited to the introduction and first page of each chapter, it occasionally sneaks into other locations.  If the humor bothers the reader, they can skip the introductory pages with no loss of content.  For the rest of us, it offers a nice break as you are going through the book.

I will be reading the other four volumes of this series over the next few weeks and add comments on them as they are completed.   Peachpit rates this book as a Beginner Level volume but unless you are a true expert, any reader may find helpful information included.  Chapter 11 may be of particular interest to more advanced photographers.  In this Chapter, Kelby discusses techniques for taking specific photos which can be useful when trying to capture a certain mood or appearance.

Overall, a good book that can be read by photographers at all levels regardless of the type of digital camera they use (even those who use their smart phone as their only camera may find some of these tips valuable).  One quick note in closing, because this book was published in 2006, some of the software versions mentioned are slightly dated but all of the software remains available just in newer versions.

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less/ Sarah Glidden. D.C. Comics; New York. 2010 (p. 206)

This is a memoir of Sara Glidden's Taglit- Birthright Israel tour, an organization which offers free Israel tours to 19-26 year old, who have never been to Israel. It chronicles Glidden's roller-coaster of emotions and thought processes as she traveled to different parts of Israel.  The graphic novel is a great format for expressing Glidden's youthful angst as she tries to reconcile her conflicting perceptions of the land and people she encounters. I wouldn't exactly call this a fun read but in its own way a coming-of-age story.