Digital Photography Bible

Aimed primarily at the serious hobbyist or business professional, the Digital Photography Bible functions very well as an introduction to taking, retouching, storing, and publishing digital photographs, as well as choosing equipment and software. Instead of a step-by-step how-to on a particular application--like most of the books in the Bible series--this one is more of a discussion of the many different aspects of digital photography. Some topics--for example, emergent technologies--get only a cursory glance. However, for the most part, the book does a good job of covering everything you need to know to get started.

Launching into digital photography means making a succession of comparisons, and this book has done most of the legwork for you. It examines the different brands of cameras and accessories, as well as the hardware and software you'll need to process the images, from printers to papers. Appendices chart out the comparisons and list 46 pages' worth of digital resources--from Agfa to Zing Network, an online digital-image community offering unlimited free storage.

Author Ken Milburn shares his experience as a photographer, with tips and tricks on how to take a good image, whether it's the basics of high-quality photography or technical insights into working a digital camera--such as compensating for shutter lag or the usually excessive depth of field. He touches on several image-editing applications, but devotes the most time to the basics of using Photoshop.

If you have extensive experience taking and processing conventional photos, but have yet to dive into digital, you'll be able to appreciate how the book weighs all the variables involved. If you've committed yourself already to a particular camera and software, you still will benefit from the help on how to get the most from them. The author's gallery of color photos shows examples of different problem-solving techniques covered in the text, and the companion CD-ROM contains demos of many of the applications discussed, including Photoshop 5.5. --Angelynn Grant