General

This book is aimed at the photographer who is making the transition from a point and shoot camera to a full featured camera with controls for aperture, shutter speed and focus, and lens focal length selection. The authors start out with what they call the "basics": cameras, lenses, composition, light, exposure and other building blocks of good pictures. They then present a "World of Subjects", that is, a look at pictures by content. After talking about "Making Pictures under Pressure", they finish up with a brief section on computers and photography.

The chapters on the basics are both highly simplified and boringly detailed. At the same time they leave out critical information about the basics. For example, in the chapter on film, they spend a few pages discussing the difference between "pro" films and amateur films without saying very much except that there may be a difference. For the average photographer, who may be unable to find pro films in his local outlet, this certainly doesn't merit the lengthy discussion. However, the comparison of slide films and print films leaves out any mention of the wider exposure latitude of print films. The fact that print films can take in a greater range of light, so that bright tones are not burnt out, while shadows show detail, is an important consideration for many serious photographers.

I suppose the discussions of subject matters might prove helpful for an inexperienced photographer going out to shot a new kind of subject, but many of the specialty books dealing with subject matter will prove far more helpful.

This book advertises itself on the cover as "Revised & Updated with the latest in digital technology" but there is no mention of digital cameras until almost the last thirty pages of the book. Given that digital cameras now make up close to half of all camera sales, this is ludicrous. It feels like the chapter was added when someone suggested that something had to be said about digital photography. My litmus test for whether a book deals adequately with serious digital photography is the handling of white balance. This book makes no mention of it.

But my biggest complaint about this book is that after discussing the details and the subjects, the authors never really tell you how to make the transition from equipment and technique to taking pictures. Serious photography involves capturing a photographer's vision (which can be as simple as recording how cheery Aunt Tillie is or as weighty as considering the destruction of the environment). All the technique must be tied to this goal. The authors never get there.

As a general introduction to serious photography, this volume falls short in several areas. On the other hand, it might prove an occasional useful reference. I haven't read many comprehensive introductory photography guides lately. However, although it dealt primarily with nature photography, I think John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide would better serve someone just getting into serious photography than this book, and I'm sure there are many similar volumes available.

...this book contains almost every topic (although I never understood why a photography How-to needs to tell me how to load a film, since every camera comes with a manual).
It starts very basic (e.g. aperture vs. exposure time reciprocity), explains films and even covers specific problems (such as shutter speed for depicting falling snown etc.).
It's a book for beginners (although the essays about and from famous photographers and their tips are whorth reading for everyone). After purchasing this book you definetely don't need to look around for any other introduction. It serves well as continuous reference for upcoming questions (e.g. "How long should I expose the moon without blurring it?").
After reading this book (or if you already stepped beyond this stage in photography) you'll only need to look for advanced books. Including inside covers as Greycards is simply clever and very handy.
I rated this book "only" with 4 stars for I was already looking for some advanced advice or "insider tips" as given in John "Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide".
PS: I puchased its two companions "Landscape" and "People and Portraits" as well. Though both books are nice they only include little that's not already mentioned in this valuable guide!

Probably every photographer, whether amateur or professional, has dreamed of being a photographer for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Robert Caputo, a photographer who has had work published in the magazine, and Peter Burian offer suggestions for taking photographs like those found in the magazine in their book THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHY FIELD GUIDE. Though the book has some information on digital photography, it is intended primarily for film users. It has some basic information about photography basics: camera, film, lenses, composition, film, exposure, flash, etc. The information presented in this section is probably better for review for photographers who know the basics rather than those who are new to using the camera. Perhaps the book's greatest strength would be the suggestions for taking action shots, nature shots, and people shots. Examples of work from highly regarded photographers are used to demonstrate the suggestions offered. The book may not be as complete as other books on the subject, bit its compact size and excellent organization makes it a perfect guide to use in the field when a quick question arises.