The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Scott Kelby, author of the groundbreaking bestseller “The Digital Photography Book, Vol. 1” is back with an entirely new book that picks up right where Vol. 1 left off. It’s more of that “Ah ha—so that’s how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip the techno jargon; packed with stuff you can really use today, that made Vol. 1 the world’s bestselling book on digital photography.

In Volume 2, Scott adds entirely new chapters packed with Plain English tips on using flash, shooting close up photography, travel photography, shooting people, and even how to build a studio from scratch, where he demystifies the process so anyone can start taking pro-quality portraits today! Plus, he's got full chapters on his most requested topics, including loads of tips for landscape photographers, wedding photographers, and there's an entire chapter devoted to sharing some of the pro's secrets for making your photos look more professional, no matter what you're shooting.

This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘When I use my flash, the background behind the person I’m shooting turns black. How do I fix that?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture on flash ratios, or start a discussion on flash synchronization and rear curtain sync. I’d just say “Lower your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. That should do it” Well, that’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

This isn’t a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly another 200 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Excellent book - A must read (Ann Y. Chan, San Francisco, 2008-11-18)

If you are interested in Digital Photography, this is the book for you. Scott Kelby did not go into technical details for the photography tips, instead he would just tell you what f-stop or shutter speed for taking certain types of shots. Wonderful book. Highly recommended.

Helpful, but not as much as volume 1 (J. Savona, Japan, 2008-11-15)

As a beginner photographer, I found volume 1 incredibly helpful. I felt that after reading it, I'd saved myself about 6 months of annoying "why didn't I think of that ages ago?" realizations. Tips like using a UV filter (using one has saved a lens already for me), or taking an indicator shot before and after a series of panoramic images, are just useful. Unfortunately, volume 2 starts scraping the barrel. The tips here are useful, but you'll likely figure them out on your own if you've read book 1 and/or are a thoughtful photographer. Good, but not great.

Handy purchase! (T. Rine, AR, 2008-11-15)

I received this book quickly,and in good condition. The book is well laid out to use for a quick reference guide and very easy to understand. I also purchased the second edition and I am happy with it as well. Scott has some wacky humor to go along with learning, easy to overlook if that's not your reading type. I will add this book to my growing library, it's a keeper.

Waste of money (A. Nguyen, MO, 2008-11-15)

This book only for beginer. If you have read other books about photography you do not need this one.
-Page 13 "Drag the Shutter" to see more background. I could not understand what he meant.
-He wrote: " First, set your camera to shoot in program mode. Then, aim at your subject and hold the shutter button halfway so your camera takes a meter reading of the scene. Look in your viewfinder and see the f stop and shutter speed your camera chose to properly expose your subject, and remember those two numbers. Now switch to manual mode and dial those same two numbers. If the camera showed speed of 1/60 of a second, to drag the shutter you'd need to use a slower shutter speed, right? So try lowering the shutter speed to 1/15 of a cecond and take the shot". The problem is: If I lowered the speed two stop the photo would be overexposure, if I also lowered the speed and closed the aperture two stop the photo still got right exposure without the flash.
-Page 21 "Rear sync Rock(& why you should use it)
As matter of fact if I change from leading curtain to rear curtain sync the amount of light fall on the sensor remain the same. I think that in this topic he want to talk about slow-speed-sync.

Great Book (B. Hom, Berkeley, CA, 2008-11-11)

This is a must have for amateur photographers trying to learn the tricks of the trade. I highly recommend it.