Digital Photography Pocket Guide
Book Review by Tom ZinnemanI enjoyed reading this book. It only contains 114 pages, so it took less than an hour. The book contains a lot of useful information on how to operate and use a digital camera. The information is quite compact, well organized and amply illustrated (black and white photos). The author, Derrick Story, is a professional photographer and has a good feel as to what should be provided in a pocket guide such as this.
This book is divided into three chapters: What Is It, What Does It Do, and How Do I …. The first chapter, What Is It, provides a quick reference to many, if not all, of the features (external components) of a digital camera. It is organized by component location, namely the front, top, back, and bottom of the camera. Each component is also rated at one of three levels: Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced. Most digital cameras contain all of the components labeled as Basic, whereas only the more advanced cameras contain the components labeled as Intermediate or Advanced.
The second chapter describes how to use the various camera components or controls. This chapter is organized alphabetically from A to Z, starting with Aperture Priority and ending with Zooming. The third and final chapter, also the longest, includes 15 tips and techniques for taking pictures. For example, there are sections on taking outdoor portraits, taking pictures at weddings, taking pictures from the stands at sporting events, shooting in museums, and shooting landscapes. There are even discussions on sending pictures via Email and printing your pictures. The Appendix of the book contains several reference charts, such as an exposure compensation guide and white balance settings, that provide a quick memory reminder.
As the title implies, The Digital Photography Pocket Guide is small enough to fit in a large pocket, purse, or, most conveniently, a camera bag. If your digital camera did not come with a manual or a poorly written manual, this pocket guide will help to fill the void. I recommend this book to those amateur photographers who would find a quick reference in the field to be useful.
Digital Photography Pocket Guide
By Derrick Story
Copyright 2003
O’Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472
800-998-9938
www.oreilly.com
Retail - $14.95; 114 pages
Return to Review Listing 2003