The Digital Photography Book, Volume 4

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 4/Scott Kelby, Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2012, 219 p.
This volume continues the format of the three earlier volumes with each chapter dedicated to a single major subject and composed of a series of one page vignettes that can be read in order or reviewed individually. Like Volumes 2 and 3, Volume 4, 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 first three chapters in volume 4 (Shooting People, Using Hot Shoe Flash, and Using Your Studio) concentrate on photographing people, primarily in a studio situation. While I’m sure the tips offered here are excellent, I have little experience to draw on in this area since my principal focus is outdoor and nature photography. Chapter 4 supplements the information provided in Volume 3 on lenses and associated topics. It is followed by chapters on natural light, landscapes, travel, and sports. Two chapters new to this volume cover HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography and digital video. As Kelby indicates most photographers fall into one of two camps – those who love HDR and those who hate HDR. While I have seen some good HDR, my leanings are toward the latter group because most HDR work I have seen is poorly done. Although my camera has video capabilities, I have elected to not pursue this.

Continuing previous practices, this volume closes with two chapters covering pro tips and photo recipes, or techniques used to capture selected sample images. These two chapters provide some of the most useful and easiest to read information because you have clear examples of the technique being covered.

While Peachpit rates this book as a Beginner Level volume (consistent with the other three volumes), my view is that, like Volume 3 it moves 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 all volumes in the series as a boxed set at with some possible savings. These books are also available in eBook form (for both Kindle and Nook readers).

Gabby

Gabby/ Gabrielle Giffords, Jeffrey Zaslow, Mark Kelly, New York: Scribner, 2012. (p.320)

She was a United States House Representative. He was an American astronaut. They married, and just as they weathered a long-distance relationship and came to terms with fertility problems, everything changed on January 8, 2011. While meeting with constituents at a Tucson grocery store, Giffords was the victim of an assassination attempt. Six people died, including a 10-year-old girl, and many others were injured. News organizations erroneously declared the congresswoman dead. This book tells the story of Gifford's amazing recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury as well as Kelly's true love and sacrifice in their marriage. The books is written from Kelly's point of view, and it details life before and after the shooting.

Coral Glynn/ Peter Cameron, New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012 (p.221)

A novel in the English domestic fiction genre with a twist. A young nurse, Coral Glynn,  in post-war WWII rural England arrives to take care of a sick elderly woman. The manor house also contains a moody, war injured son and calculating housekeeper cook. The reader is soon embroiled in a murder mystery. Not my cup of tea, but the writing is so engaging that I read this short novel in several long sittings.

Arcadia/ Lauren Groff, New York: Hyperion, 2012. (p.291)

A story told in thirds through the eyes of Bit, offspring of hippie parents of the 1970s. We see the world through Bit's perspective as toddler, a teenager, and as a grown man. The voice of child-Bit is the most haunting and compelling one to this reader. The novel chronicles Bit's life as it was formed by this idealistic rural community. He provides a lens of perception that is haunting, beautiful, and at times frightening. A book to be read in earnest.

The Monsters of Templeton/Lauren Groff, New York: Hyperion, 2008 (p.361)

If you like wacky stories with unusual characters and a historical overview, you will enjoy this novel by Lauren Groff. A young graduate student returns to her hometown to live with her mother in the house she grew up in and to take stock of her life. Sounds like a rather conventional framework for a novel but in the hands of Groff, it is anything but. Wilhelmina Sunshine Upton, the protagonists delves in to her family tree and the history of her town, loosely based upon the history of Cooperstown, New York. Interesting personal relationships and raging hormones of all kinds play a prominent role in this loopy and humorous story.

 

 

The Descendants / Kaui Hart Hemmings

A pointed look at a family in crisis. The book received a resurgence in popularity due to the film adaption. Hemmings beautiful crafts the story of a family patriarch Matthew King and his two daughters as they deal with the coming loss of their flawed wife and mother. The character of Joanie (renamed Elizabeth in the movie) comes to life through the memories of her husband, daughters, family and others. King and his daughters make the decision to visit individual family and friends and notify them the decision to take Joanie off life support, when they discover that Joanie was having an affair and set off to find her lover. A subplot focuses on King's role in deciding what to do with his family's ancestral land.

While the book is thin, it's not a quick read, but it holds your attention every step of the way.

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).