Book: The Digital Photography Book (Volume 1) by Scott Kelby

Scott Kelby’s The Digital Photography Book isn’t a encyclopedic photography book. The approach doesn’t carefully build on a knowledge base or explain all of the particulars of exposure before telling you how to press the shutter release. Instead, it’s a more informal tips book for photographers of all level of experience.

Each chapter is divided into topics that are covered in a single page. Each page is well illustrated and Kelby cracks plenty of jokes and keeps things light. If you’ve got five minutes to spare you can pick up the book and get something out of it. I read the whole thing by keeping it on my nightstand and reading a little every now and then.

Chapters on technique explain how to make better pictures of particular subjects, such as flowers, sports, weddings, people, and landscapes. For an example of how one of Kelby’s straightforward tips improved my photographs, see the Franklin, TN pictures post and the notes at the end.

Other chapters are more oriented towards technical how-to topics like printing and getting sharper pictures. I like the fact that Kelby has tips for using inexpensive and easy to find materials, such as using a hotel shower curtain as an improvised light diffuser.

The Digital Photography Book is camera-agnostic for the most part. You can use this book whether you have a point and shoot or a DSLR, though some techniques will require a DSLR. When he does delve into particulars that require advanced settings on a DSLR he gives directions for Canon and Nikon (but not for Sony, for instance).

I can definitely recommend the book. Anyone who owns a digital camera will discover useful techniques and ideas for creating better photographs.

More from Scott Kelby

Kelby has a blog, Photoshop Insider, though it’s very different from the book and is aimed at a professional audience. He has an interesting piece today about the Kelly Clarkson photo retouching dustup. His take? Of course it was retouched – all celebrity magazine cover photos are retouched – but the original photo probably looked better than the other photos people are using for comparison. That’s because good portrait photographers make their subjects look good in the first place. Read the whole thing.

Kelby is also the driving force behind the Worldwide Photowalk, which organizes photographers in cities around the world to get together and take pictures. Photographers submit their best pictures and there are prizes for the winners. The winners will be announced today at ScottKelby.com. LATER: the winners.