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Personally, I'm not sure where I fit in this spectrum. A long time ago, I made my living as a professional photographer (no artiste, just mostly with weddings and portraits), and I used to do a lot of darkroom work for my own enjoyment, so I'm at least passingly familiar with somewhat sophisticated photographic practice, but definitely old school. I have some high-end camera hardware, or at least it was thirty-odd years ago, but my digital cameras are pretty pedestrian, the most advanced one sporting a mediocre 3.2 megapixel resolution, and I use Photoshop Elements, not the full-zoot Photoshop CS application.
Consequently, along with reviewing Digital Photography Expert Techniques journalistically, I was curious to see whether I would find what it can teach me relevant to my photographic interests and needs these days.
Of course, digital photography is in many respects as much about software as hardware, and Mr. Millburn assumes a familiarity with Adobe Photoshop in his readership audience, as well as focusing, so to speak, on the use of DSLR cameras with higher megapixels (still a moving target), interpolationless resolution, interchangeable lenses, and capable of producing high quality RAW image files. The book is intended to be equally useful to both Mac and Windows users, an objective facilitated by the fact that Photoshop works pretty much the same on both platforms.
First a few notes about format and design. Digital Photography Expert Techniques is a big, hefty, trade paperback measuring 9 3/4" by 8" by 7/8" and weighing a couple of pounds (guesstimate), so it's no "handy pocket guide," but the dimensions provide plenty of room for content even allowing for generous white (or shaded) space on its 390 pages, most of which are illustrated with photographs or screenshots in full color. In short, this book is very attractively laid out, and a pleasure to peruse.
The book is structured in 12 chapters, plus an appendix and an index.
Chapter 1, A Plan for Nondestructive Workflow, puts the books organization into perspective, explaining the central thematic concept of start-to-finish workflow and the rationale behind it.
Chapter 2, Be Prepared, is a tutorial on getting ready for shooting, setting your camera, what accessories will be handy, a section on using histograms, learning when not to shoot RAW, light monitoring tips, tricks for steady shooting, and hints on using tripods and flash. Much of this is a refresher in good basic camera technique that anyone from beginner to pro can probably find useful.
Chapter 3, Bridging the Gap, is about using the Bridge - an image management tool now included in Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements, as well as other Adobe Creative Suite applications, replacing what was called the Browser in earlier Photoshop versions. In Adobe Creative Suite, the Bridge is a standalone application that can be used to categorize, manage, and open files - sort of like iPhoto, but much more powerful and sophisticated. This chapter gives you a thorough grounding in its use.
Chapter 4, Streamlining Camera RAW, goes into detail about using camera RAW files whenever possible,. Actually, chapters 4 through 6 are about using working with RAW files, the caveat here being that only high-end digital cameras as yet support RAW in Adobe's Digital Negative (DNG) format, but Ken Milburn believes it will eventually become a universal standard for serious digital photography. The chapter also discusses the superiority of versatility and control you get processing RAW files in Photoshop CS2 as opposed to Photoshop Elements, although Elements does provide a Camera RAW workplace.
Chapter 5, Nondestructive Layering, carries on the Camera RAW tutorial, focusing on using layers for nondestructive editing without affecting anything else you've done with the image, including new layer features in CS2.
Chapter 6, Nondestructive Overall Adjustments, shows how to use nondestructive adjustment layers, with particular emphasis on color balance, hue, and saturation.
Chapter 7, Making Targeted Adjustments, returns to general image editing, and discusses making and using selections, masks, and tools that pertain to only portions of the image.
Chapter 8, Repairing The Details, is about fixing things - repair and retouching techniques that minimize destruction of the image, with tutorials on using Photoshop healing tools, the Clone tool, changing an object's color, photo restoration, tips for glamour photography, architecture photography tips, and much more. I found this chapter particular fun, and anyone who cares about getting the best out of their photographs will find plenty useful to learn here.
Chapter 9, Collage and Montage, discusses making one image from multiple images, using the chapter title's eponymous techniques, which have become colloquially known as "Photoshopping" an image, and which has been employed in several notorious news image hoaxes recently that we know of, and probably a lot more that we don't. I agree with Ken Milburn that using collage and montage is only ethically sound in the context of art or illustration, and never in news imaging, although the opportunity is there and I'm sure the temptation is great.
Hold that thought for Chapter 10, Creating the Wow Factor, which moves along into the world of "FX" - special effects. More technique tutorials.
Chapter 11, Special Image Processing, discusses such procedures as in need stitching to make parent as, extending dynamic range, and converting photos into "paintings."
Chapter 12, Presenting Your Work To The World, is a discussion of the most effective techniques for sharing your images for pleasure or profit - "output at last." There are sections on printing, creating portfolios, posting images on the Web, creating digital slide shows, and selling your pictures.
There is also an appendix on Workflow Alternatives - a brief discussion of some software alternatives to Photoshop.
In summary, buying, reading, and digesting the content of this book is certain to make you a better photographer and image editor, whether you are an ambitious beginner or a seasoned pro making the transition do digital imaging. Ken Milburn does a fine job of explaining the techniques covered in language that won't confuse amateurs so long as they have a basic acquaintance with Photoshop, while not provoking yawns in more advanced readers. No mean feat. To answer my question, yes, I did find the book, at least certain parts of it, highly relevant to my current photographic interests and needs.
It's not inexpensive at $44.99, but I think most readers will be convinced they're getting their money's worth, and the book has no serious deficiencies I was able to identify, other than perhaps that its formidable size and weight make it a bit of a handful for casual reading.
This book would also make an excellent Christmas gift for the serious digital photographer on your list.
You can read more about Ken Milburn here:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/experttechniques2/colophon.html
Title: Digital Photography Expert Techniques
Second Edition: October 2006
ISBN: 0-596-52690-3
Pages: 404
For more information, visit:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/experttechniques2/
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Charles W. Moore
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This is a very informative review. Digital Photography Expert Techniques looks like a very interesting and comprehensive photography book.