Description
A completely updated full-color guide co-written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning National Geographic photographer and a photography instructor This is a must-have resource for amateur photographers serious about improving both the quality of their photographs and their proficiency in the digital darkroom. The book is the perfect combination of a technical treatise on digital imaging and an artistic exploration of light, composition, and form. Perfect Digital Photography, Second Edition has been completely revised and updated to cover the latest cameras, including digital SLRs, and the sweeping changes in the way photographers catalog, process, and manage digital images. The book has an increased emphasis on building an efficient workflow using Camera RAW files and Adobe Lightroom, the new workflow application, and Adobe Photoshop, the preeminent image-editing software. This is the only four-color book to guide you through the entire photographic process, from composing photos through archiving and printing.
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5 customer reviews (average rating:  )
 OK but not perfect. August 9, 2008 I class it as OK but not perfect - it helped me to improve the functional value of the owners manual supplied with the SLR. Good coverage of range of relevant topics, but seems to lack the instructional value that the descriptions suggest. Also it devotes almost half the book to printing, scanning etc.... Buy Now!
 Disappointing Photoshop Primer. May 29, 2008 I asked for this book as a gift, and was happy with the first 30 or so pages. At that point it turns into a photoshop primer, with step-by-step instructions on how to manipulate your image. But what if you don't have or use photoshop? Too bad. I've had a couple of classes in Photoshop Elements, but that's not enough to penetrate this book.
Bottom line: this is not a photography book, this is a photoshop book. What if you'd prefer to take better photographs so that photoshop is not necessary? I'm not sure, but don't get this book. Buy Now!
 Perfect Digital Photography. May 28, 2008 I am new to photography but I am also the type who gets deep into things. This is a really beautiful book. The author is obviously an incredible artist. He writes in a passionate way and even when he needs to get technical he never loses that passion. It is a step by step introduction to Digital photography written by someone who has been out in the field for years. It has become my bible. A professional photographer I know said it helped him get "back to basics" in the non condescending meaning of the word. Buy Now!
Reaching for perfection with "Perfect Digital Photography". June 6, 2007 This book deserves a 10 star rating, as it is not only well-written, but the information is worthy of continual review. It doesn't talk about non-essential gimickry, but instead how to caoture and transform the essence of light. Examples include using GRAD filters, scrims, reflectors of gold versus silver, and black to absorb light --creating shadows when there are no shadows. Gold and silver reflect 80 to 90 percent of the light into shadowed areas of the face or body, depending upon the size of the reflector. The black "absorbers" also come in various sizes depending upon the subject at hand.
I've been in film photography for a long time and am familiar with the photographic terms that span both mediums. However, I'm a begineer when it comes to digital processing and digital photographic terminology.
This book is inexpensive and chock full of important information that was barely touched in two local digital courses on which I spent over $200. If I learn how to use levels, curves, and layers properly, the book will surpass those local courses tremendously. But, there is more important information in the digital processing lab that I know nothing about and a world to explore.
Therefore this is a book with which to grow and improve my photographic skills and to use as a digital photographic bible. It is definitely worthy of more than the inexpensive sticker price.
I thank the authors and editors for making "Perfect Digital Photography" available, and my daughter, Heather, for giving me this book for my 65th birthday. Buy Now!
Good Information. March 17, 2007 First off, this is written for the more "serious" amateur. It does, therefore, figure that you are probably something of a photographer to begin with. He refers to f/stops and other "more technical" photographic terms. I am just beginning to get into photography, so some of what he was talking about was above my head. This is not a bad thing. While I may not use all this information at this stage (I only have a Point & Shoot Kodak), if I decide to get into this more and get a true SLR or DSLR, this will come in handy.
Having said that, there is a lot of good information for a lowly beginner such as myself. It is written in a fairly easy to understand way so even us true amateurs can understand. The addition of the section on Photoshop is also a wonderful thing. One may as well learn to use all of the 'tools' of the trade. Some may see Photoshop as a crutch; I feel it is a good way to perfect the picture you took to get it to be more of what you saw when you first snapped it. Why suffer with a picture that is less than perfect when you did everything correctly when you can contrast it better or sharpen it up?
All in all, this is a book very worth picking up, whether you are a true beginner, a harder core amateur, or a total professional. It will teach everyone something, regardless of skill level.
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