1+1+1 for 365, day 36: a guide for digital photographers

TODAY'S QUOTE:
“Some photographers take reality...and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.”  - Ansel Adams (American photographer, 1902-1984)

TODAY'S BOOK:
Digital Photographer's Handbook by Tom Ang

There are very many good books about photography on the market, and good ones do not come cheap - so for one of them to sell more than half a million copies, there must be something about it that makes it worthwhile. 

Tom Ang's books get rave reviews because he really manages to demystify the subject. He is a professional photographer, has presented TV programmes on photography and as senior lecturer in photographic practice at London's University of Westminster, also has that academic background working for him in this book.  It is virtually a short course in digital photography and excellent for beginners, but it does not stop there.  It is beautifully presented, and is also logical, has a useful glossary  useful and covers everything from choosing equipment to image editing on computer.


As can be expected, the pictures and other illustrations (around 1000 of them) are great - and every hint, tip or piece of general advice is clearly illustrated with a relevant photograph.

I enjoy this book a lot and keep it on my desk as a very useful reference.  But I also consult it before I take pictures when I know that my technical knowledge is limited and where I'm not sure how to do certain things with the available equipment.

Tom Ang shows you how to avoid and fix problems and in the end it also makes me a better photographer.  But more than that, I've learnt more from his book regarding image manipulation than many software guides and books will do - because his advice is from the viewpoint of a photographer and not from a purely computer program-related angle.

If you like this one, Tom Ang's other books include Digital Photography Masterclass, How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures From Your Digital Camera and The Complete Photographer. I've paged through my brother-in-law's copies of the latter and I would not mind owning it or any of the others. 

If you are going to buy only one book on digital photography in addition to the book that came with your camera and those books about photography that date from the time before digital cameras (I have quite a number of those), then this would be a good choice. Also see the website note below, because Tom is very generous with his advice online as well.

Just reading this book will not make you into a great photographer, but it might certainly help.  I have a lot to learn still, even though I have been clicking away for decades.  Not all of us can afford really top-of-the-range equipment, but all of us can learn to develop our eye,  to make the best of existing equipment and also to improve on pictures using imaging software such as Photoshop.  In the end you have to get out there and take pictures.  Lots and lots of them....


TODAY'S PHOTOGRAPH



What picture to choose when the topic of today's book is photography?  I chose this one simply because it is a personal favourite of a winter scene at Sutherland in the Northern Cape

TODAY'S WEBSITE

Whether you buy Tom Ang's book(s) or not, he has fantastic advice anyway on this website:
http://www.idigitalphoto.com/   Go there - if you enjoy photography and want to learn more, this is an exceptional resource.