equipment

Maybe i like this book so much because it synergetically combines so well two things that this author loves - photography and writing.

As a life-long film photographer, now making the switch to a digital camera, i'm finding all i need to know in this book, to get the right camera and accessories, digital processing tools and work flow and to use them for the greatest creative power.

It's unusual to find discussions and examples of practical work flow. It's much more common to see tools or effects discussed with no insight as to why, when or where to use each of them. Photoshop is a case in point - a huge collection of powerful image processing tools, with hardly a hint as to what to do with them.

This book (with its many, many color photos) gives you the why's, the when's and the where's, while staying focused on the practical implications of everything for the photographers daily work.

I was happy to see that effects on the photographer's wallet are also considered, as Ken follows two parallel tracks through the book. One is for the pro, who's tools must be the best available in spite of the price, and another for the "prosumer", who must often find the least expensive solution that will get a job done "well enough".

Another thing i like is the balance between camera, computer and software chapters. This is not just another Photoshop book, though it does go into considerable depth on that prime digital photographer's tool.

In the interest of honesty, i'd like to disclose that i am a friend of the author's (which is why i know what a good photographer and writer he is). But don't let that stop you from having a serious look into this fine learning tool.

I'm impressed with Ken Milburn's insight into producing top-quality digital images. His tips are not always those found in other books on Photoshop or digital photography. For example, Ken recommends slightly underexposing all photos you shoot. Too much light, he explains, can wash out details. But if the subject is slightly underexposed, then lighting can be adjusted in Photoshop without loss of fine details. That's a very useful tip that I had not read anywhere else (in my PS books, at least). He also affords readers sufficient photographic evidence to convince them to use RAW format whenever possible. I shoot in RAW mode all the time now.

Not all of Ken's techniques will be new to digital photographers. The need for a fill flash, uncluttered backgrounds, and a good photo printer are ideas that seem a bit incongruous in a book offering much more advanced advice in later chapters. I think the author was just trying to target as broad of an audience as possible.

Upon reading this solid guide, you will probably notice Ken's preference for 3rd party plugins/filters. He's the first Photoshop author I've read who so strongly advocates the utilization of extra plugins instead of the direct use of Photoshop's built-in technologies. While Scott Kelby would tell you to add a duplicate layer, apply Gaussian blur, and then reduce opacity to accomplish a given task, Ken touts the power of $200 plugins that accomplish the same goal more quickly and sometimes more effectively. Fortunately, comparison photos are often provided to illustrate the differences between the results of Photoshop techniques vs. 3rd party plugins.

Overall, this book is worth owning if you would like some useful tips and tricks from a pro. Just keep in mind the author's bias toward 3rd party products, and expect a few sections on topics that are perhaps too elementary for the rest of the book (e.g., "Take Good Care of Your Printer").

There are many books available explaining how to make the most of Photoshop or how to get everything you can out of your digital camera. While this book goes into some of these topics, it goes a step further by looking at it from the point of view of a professional photographer. This insight is particularly welcome, which shifts the focus of the book from knowing how to use Photoshop to how to be a better photographer.

The author takes the professional photographer's perspective (although this book can really be read and enjoyed by anyone serious about digital photography), which includes discussing issues such as storage, cataloging, CCD basics, and software. The author discusses some of his file naming techniques, shows some of the tools he uses, and provides recommendations for camera purchases.

Rather than simply rehashing the same Photoshop tricks available in every other digital photography book, the author shows what professional photographers do (bracketing photographs) as well as different software that might be better suited for a specific task (stitching software to combine many individual photographs into one large image). Naturally, many other image manipulations are discussed, however, the central point of the discussions are always how to make a better photograph. I found discussions that focused on the photograph rather than the software tool very refreshing and quite interesting and useful.

The author wraps up the book by providing some ideas on how to break into the business as a professional photographer. There is a discussion on printing photographs and how to create some beginning marketing materials. In all of these discussions, the focus remains on the photograph. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to individuals interested in a book that gives you more than the rest of the digital photography books out there.