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Aimed at professional photographers making the transition from film to digital, and also appropriate for serious amateurs and hobbyists, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques introduces the reader to the tricks of the trade, drawing on the workflow expertise of professionals in the exciting emerging world of digital imaging.
This substantial 466 page volume is gorgeously illustrated with color photographs and/or screen shots on about every page, and unlike some digital photography books, takes you beyond straight photographic imaging into the world of photographic art using software tools like Photoshop (both CS and Elements 2.0), Corel Painter, and various plugins and filters. The software orientation is strongly tilted toward Photoshop CS, since it's the most popular and powerful photographic imaging program available.
I should note, however, that this is not a Mac-oriented book. All of the screen shots in the book are from Windows, and while the Macintosh does get mentioned, is usually just passing acknowledgment. However, in deference to the fact that Photoshop was first a Mac application, Milburn has graciously opted to give Mac keyboard command shortcuts first place in composite abbreviations, for example: Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-D.
In any case, photography techniques are computer OS platform agnostic, and Photoshop works pretty much the same on the Mac as it does in Windows, so aside from the Windows interface borders uglifying its otherwise very attractive aesthetics, the book should be equally useful to Mac users as it is to Windows folks.
Digital photography: Expert Techniques is straightforwardly organized in 13 chapters, plus an Introduction and an Index. At the beginning of most chapters is a section entitled "getting started" which outlines the basics of the topic addressed. Throughout there are also frequent sidebar boxes containing tips or expert advice on specific points not covered in the main text.
Milburn says that a conundrum he faced in conceptualizing this book was whether to try and make easy for everyone to understand, or to assume that readers who bought a book like this would have at least passing familiarity with Photoshop. He decided (rightly, I think) on the latter course, so while novices interested in the topic shouldn't be necessarily discouraged, they might want to also purchase a Photoshop book for beginners.
Another choice Milburn made was to focus on mid to high-end digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras that are capable of producing high-quality RAW format image files, and if your preferred image editing software is a program other than Photoshop, since this book is more about workflow than procedures in a specified program, you should be able to adopt the techniques discussed to other software-- the open source GIMP image editor for instance.
Chapter 1, "The Digital Photographer," discusses qualities and functions of digital cameras such as CCD sensors and memory, and also recommends various camera accessories, and computer and printer items. There is a sidebar on "professional" vs "prosumer" cameras, and computer system requirements. Reflecting the author's PC orientation is his specifying a 2.4 gigahertz CPU as the minimum clock speed to consider. (Photoshop actually works very nicely with G4 processors of considerably less than half that clock speed). The chapter concludes with a discussion outline of the digital photographer's workflow.
Chapter 2 is entitled with the Old Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared," and pursues that theme with more workflow hints and accessory checklists and suggestions. The bulk of the chapter is dedicated to 13 topics for composing and shooting with digital cameras.
Chapter 3, "Bringing Out The Best Picture," switches from the camera to the computer, with particular attention to importing RAW images, of which Milburn is an enthusiastic fan. The chapter also covers doing some basic initial exposure corrections (a topic returned to in Chapter 6), and how to have your image files organized on your hard drive, as well as archiving and backups to other media.
Chapter 4, "Panoramas," is a tutorial on shooting and "stitching together" ultra wide angle photographs, which may be composites of 10 or more individual shots, made either manually or using Photoshop's Photomerge command in Photoshop CS and Photoshop Elements 2.0, or other panorama stitching software.
Chapter 5, "Photoshop Selections, Masks, And Paths," takes the reader past Photoshop's basic image correction features and into more advanced image manipulation techniques, in this instance selecting particular areas of an image for modification while leaving the rest of the photo as is. Making successful selections is tricky and requires development of various skills. This chapter points the way. The chapter also addresses making "knockout" -- removing the primary subject of an image from its background, using third-party software.
In Chapter 6, "Basic Digital Photo Corrections," we return to more general image correction, armed with what we've learned in the previous chapter. This time around Milburn addresses things like extending tonal range, color correction, using pen tools, burning, dodging and blending, increasing resolution, and making high-quality enlargements using Photoshop's (" 110% enlargement" filter. There are also short tutorials on using the other image-sharpening tools such LizardTech's Genuine Fractals, S-Splice 2, nik Dfine 1.0, and Sharpener Pro 1 as well as sections on correcting image distortion and softening images for effect.
Chapter 7, "Converting Photos To Paintings" takes us beyond photography into the realm of graphic art, or more accurately a hybrid of photography in graphic art -- ergo: making your photos look like paintings using both Photoshop and Coral Paint 8, as well as hand painting photographs and creating watercolor type defects with the Watercolor filter in Photoshop or the buZZ Pro.
Back to photography again in Chapter 8, "Special Photographic Effects," which explains how to turn ordinary photographs into something extraordinary, with motion blurs, color reinterpretation, custom backgrounds, the and the use of a variety of filters. Also covered are creating black-and-white photos from color shots, and using sepias and duotones, hand coloring, and making "Polaroid transfers" without a Polaroid camera.
Chapter 9, "Retouching And Rescuing Photos," is about restoring and/or eliminating flaws from otherwise desirable shots. Topics covered include restoring youth, removing stains, eliminating junk from landscapes, using cosmetic emphasis, focusing light on the main subject, prettifying your subject, and cloning details.
Into the world of photo fiction with Chapter 10, "Creating Fictitious Photos, which instructs us on how to make a pseudo-photographic images of scenes and situations that never existed in reality -- at least has depicted. There are tips on making skyscapes more interesting, selecting images, populating landscapes, Phuket shooting elements specifically for compositing, bending and warping images to fit, creating collages, and much more.
Chapter 11, "Color Printing," is all about making great hard copy prints from your digital images using computer printers, covering care of printers, camera calibration, and choosing successful paper and ink combinations.
Chapter 12 with is about a issues associated with getting as prominent exposure, so to speak, of your photographic work as possible. Entitled "Use Photos To Sell Yourself," this chapter covers framing your prints, creating portfolios, creating a limited-edition book, and making personal postcards.
Or you could "Sell It To The Web," which is the title of the 13th and last chapter of Digital Photography: Expert Techniques," which includes tutorials on creating the digital slide shows, optimizing images for Web display, watermarking to protect copyright, and making Web animations.
My main complaint (other than those Windows screenshots
)about the book's formatting is that it would be really helpful for navigation to have chapter numbers included in the topic fields at the top of each page.There is a tremendous amount of useful information in this book, and it is one that you will likely return to again and again for reference. That is: if you really are serious about learning and using advanced digital photography techniques. This is really not a book for beginners or amateurs who are not interested at working to hone their craft. It is really more like a college textbook then a consumer manual, albeit a very attractively presented textbook.
Milburn is right in his caveat. You really need to get up to speed with Photoshop before tackling the techniques described in this book. If you fit the profile of a Photoshop-savvy serious digital photographer, amateur o professional, and you'll find plenty of inspiration and value in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques.
Digital Photography: Expert Techniques
Professional Tips & Workflow Strategies for Using Photoshop to Enhance Your Digital Photography Skills
By Ken Milburn
March 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00547-4
400 pages
$44.95 US, $65.95 CA, ÂŁ31.95 UK
Downloadable Sample Chapter
Chapter 3: Bringing Out the Best Picture (PDF)
For more information, visit:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/dphotohdbk/
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