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December 09, 2024

The Basic Book of Digital Photography: Book Review

By Wendy Robards

The Basic Book of Digital Photography, by Tom and Michele Grimm.

Digital photography is fascinating, fulfilling, and just plain fun. Little wonder that in relatively few years it has become far more popular than film photography. (It was 1994 when the first consumer digital camera appeared.) In our fast-paced times, we all want instant gratification -- and that's what you get with digital photography. There's no more waiting for the film to be processed to see how your pictures came out. These days you can literally point and shoot a camera -- and immediately see the results. - from The Basic Book of Digital Photography, introduction -

Are you still using an "old style" camera, but want to switch to digital photography? Have you recently bought a digital camera, but find yourself overwhelmed with the new terminology and all the things it can do? Have you had your digital camera for awhile, but want to get more out of it including better photos? If your answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then you might want to pick up a copy of Tom and Michele Grimm's latest book.

The Grimms, both veteran photographers and authors, have been recognized for their classic guide to photography (The Basic Book of Photography) for more than 30 years. Now they've written the ultimate guide to digital photography with 400 illustrative photos and organized into eighteen easy to read sections and two appendices.

I resisted buying a digital camera for a long time -- instead relying on my reliable 35mm Minolta which my dad gave me for my sixteenth birthday. But when that camera broke and I found I could not get the parts to fix it, I was forced to reconsider my options. My purchase of a Nikon digital camera was one of the best decisions I've made ... but I quickly discovered that the amount of knowledge I needed to use it to its fullest capacity was a bit overwhelming. I could have used the Grimm's guide!

The Basic Book of Digital Photography covers the most elemental aspects of the craft up to the more complex ideas. Whether you have a simple point and shoot or a more complicated SLR model, the book provides easy to access guidelines. Individuals who are considering purchasing a digital camera will find the section on choosing the right camera helpful. There are also sections which deal with lenses, accessories, and settings; as well as teaching you the best way to use the settings on your camera, special techniques for shooting, creative composition, and even transferring your images from camera to computer, organizing them, editing them, and finally printing them. I found the section on shooting video the most helpful as that is one aspect of my camera I have neglected to learn.

I can recommend this book for beginning digital photographers, as well as those who are comfortable with their cameras, but want to improve on their photography. I know I will continue to reference this helpful guide as I grow more and more comfortable with my camera.

Four stars out of five.



Catch all of Wendy Robard's reviews in her fabulous blog, "Caribousmom".

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Article © Wendy Robards. All rights reserved.
Published on 2010-02-01
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