A good place to start with digital photography (Digital Photography: A Beginner's Guide - Steve Bavister)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Digital Photography: A Beginner's Guide - Steve Bavister
Date:	19/10/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Jargon free and easy to read

Disadvantages: Could do with a bit more information on taking photos

Digital photography has now all but replaced film photography for the home user and most people agree that digital camera performance has easily outstripped that of film. This increase in performance, together with the much cheaper running costs (no film to buy) has ensured that digital photography is the way to go for most photographers.

Many digital cameras are easy to use, but there is no denying that one aspect is far more complicated than film photography was twenty years ago; that of photo manipulation of the final image.

The new digital photographer has therefore, two techniques to master; taking photographs and manipulating them to get the best image possible.

'Digital Photography' by Steve Bavister advertises itself as the 'perfect beginner's guide'. The book's aim is to take the new user, stage by stage, from choosing a camera to creating the perfect image.

The book is jargon free and aims to give the reader all of the tools and techniques needed to take good photographs, without bombarding him or her with f stops and focal lengths.

The equipment needed is considered first and the author takes the reader gently through the various specifications of a digital camera, highlighting the important features. The other equipment requirements are described too; PC, software, and peripherals.

The section on taking photographs is easy to read and understand and written in a friendly helpful style that's unlikely to overload the beginner. Focusing, exposure, and sharpness are all discussed with tips for ensuring that the common pitfalls (such as blurriness due to long exposure) are avoided.

The important subject of composition is explained too; the rule of thirds, placing the horizon, and the power of diagonals; all will help the reader to take good pictures. Again, the text is jargon free, but reading it, I could not help feel that it wasn't comprehensive enough to be a good guide to a new camera user.

A mere 42 pages are used to explain how to take good pictures, whereas the remainder of the book (92 pages), is given over to describing how to modify the images once taken.

The latter part of the book is comprehensive. Here, the author goes into great detail on how to manipulate photographs. Starting with the simple techniques of sharpening, adjusting colour and brightness, he soon progresses to quite advanced techniques such as adding movement and creating panoramas.

The author's easy writing style and obvious skill at photo manipulation, guides the reader through this complex subject in simple small steps. There is no doubt that Bavister makes what can be a daunting subject seem easily manageable; not an easy task!

As would be expected of a book on photography, the pages are chock full of interesting images which have clearly been taken by an expert. Many of the images in the book are used to describe the various adjustment techniques, but it's really impressive to see beautiful images used in such a way. The reader can clearly see the effect of changes to the photograph, finally resulting in a stunning photo anyone would be proud to have taken.

As a guide for the beginner in photography, this book is very useful. The no jargon approach works extremely well and the care taken by the author will pay dividends with anyone unused to digital photography.

The guide to photo manipulation is as comprehensive as it is effective, but I feel that the section on taking photographs could do with a bit of extra information. Because of this, this book does not succeed as well as the market leaders, however, as it is available from £2.76 from Amazon, it is worth a look.

Summary: A good guide for the newcomer to the world of digitial photography