Last updated 4/19/2004

Digital Photography: Expert Techniques

Digital Photography: Expert Techniques
Author: Ken Milburn
Publisher: O'Reilly
471 Pages ...... $44.95
ISBN 0-596-00547-4
Professional Tips & Workflow Strategies for Using Photoshop to Enhance Your Digital Skills

O'Reilly's new Digital Studio series is geared toward turning high-end users into authoritative experts. Ken Milburn wrote Digital Photography: Expert Techniques for serious photographers who are crossing over to digital or who want to make their workflow more efficient.

This is a quality book with specific instructions for organizing a professional workflow for taking and processing photographs. The author, Ken Milburn, recommends using a digital single-lens reflex with a standard hot-shoe for flash and the ability to output RAW images. He recommends the other equipment a professional photographer should have, and describes how to get better pictures with it. As one example, I doubt if you will find a better description of how take and process panoramas anywhere.

About two thirds of the book contains instructions and processing sequences for using Photoshop CS and other high end applications to produce professional results. High quality photographs illustrate before, after, and often during the processing. There are many examples where Ken Milburn starts with what I would consider a good photograph, One I believe most photographers would be happy with. Then he shows the difference that makes a superb photograph , and tells you how professionals do it. When another product can improve upon a Photoshop CS result, Ken shows what it does and how to use it.

The book ends logically with making prints and using photographs to sell yourself as a professional photographer.

Digital Photography: Expert Techniques clearly describes how to do things such as using the image itself to make a selection from an image, but it does not provide detailed step-by-step instructions that even a beginner could follow. You should have at least a basic understanding of Photoshop, and have Photoshop CS, or a version of Photoshop that is close to it, when you study this book. If you do not know how to use Photoshop, Ken recommends Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS One on One for the beginning and intermediate user.

For more information or to purchase a copy, go to
http://www/oreilly.com