Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography 2.0: Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images Featuring Adobe

I found this book to be fantastic and would give it more stars if I could. The interesting things about books is that they have different impacts on people, and I can't guarantee that this book will work for you. So, I want to explain what I like and why so you can make a good decision for your own needs. First, the production, layout, concept, and execution of the book are all outstanding. The book is printed on glossy paper (and takes a highlighter very well), and the font is thin but very attractive and readable. This book for me was a perfect textbook for composition, exposure, white balance, and other technical aspects on the shooting side. It is also as good a text on working in the digital darkroom using Photoshop Elements, which makes it a rare resource. It does not cover all the Elements tools and would not be the only Elements book in your library, but that is not his purpose. The Elements issues apply the most important tools and his advice on which to use under different circumstances. You could call it an applied shooting and Elements book. Rick Sammons provides a large set of photos, with before and after shots to illustrate his points, whether about shooting or the use of Elements in the digital darkroom. I found that I was aware of a lot of his tips and suggestions, which helped reinforce what I already know. And there were many new ideas and observations that will help me improve my photography on an end-to-end basis, from planning and equipment through printing. He has divided the book into several parts to cover his themes. There are 98 short lessons that are designed almost exclusively so that you can read without needing to refer to either your camera or Elements. Once you have absorbed the lessons, you can use the book as a reference while you shoot or work in your digital darkroom. In many cases, Rick combines several important points in a lesson focusing (no pun intended) on before and after shots. For the shooting aspects, he is brave and open enough to show some of his shots that are clunkers, or at least not his best work, explaining why they fall short of good photos. He will then show the same shot or scene using the correct techniques for the reader to compare. He always gives information about the shutter speed, focal length, ISO, and other information to help readers understand his point and how to improve their work. He also is genuine enough to point out that pros are not perfect. He also points out that he and virtually every pro he knows use autofocus for the most part and that they even use program modes under certain circumstances. He makes it plain when to use the auto features and when to move toward taking more control of the camera. I tend to write reviews of the books I really like, so my average ratings are high, but this book was fun to read (he has a good sense of humor but is more controlled than Scott Kelby). If you are looking for a comprehensive text for DSLRs and Photoshop Elements, this i

Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: ([email protected]) Authors: Rick Sammon website: www.ricksammon.com Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Pap/Cdr edition (October 2003) Released: 2006 Pages: 512 pages $ 40 USA 50 Canada ISBN-10: 0393325512 ISBN-13: 978-0393325515 Strengths: Very easy to read for all levels of photographers. Superb photography and examples to illustrate examples how brilliant photos were made along with comparison and contrasting view, ideas and perspectives which give the user much to think about in terms of photography in general. Utilizes Adobe Photoshop Elements but regular Adobe Photoshop can used as well. Weaknesses: None found. Novice/Intermediate/Advanced Rating: 5/5 I found an article by this author in a photography magazine. I was intrigued by his clarity of thought and ideas. After contacting him, I found out about his website and this great book. Now in the second edition, I decided to review his ideas related to digital photography. As an educator and photographer, I always have more to learn and this book has everything I want. Ricj Sammons is an award winning photographer. I thought it most interesting to read how and when he started with his photography and developing his skills. This information in this insightful book, introduces basic technical picture. At the same time, the tutorials and information, convey information about the art of photography while communicating advanced digital techniques. If you think that this book is only for advanced photographers, you are wrong. This second edition includes all the image editing tips while using the features for the popular Adobe Photoshop Elements application. Of course, users can use regular Adobe Photoshop for the lessons but knowing all these lessons can be applied with the lesser but still very capable Elements, is really good to know for all users but especially those who can't afford the full version of Adobe Photoshop. File format discussions now has information about Camera RAW files which is most helpful because more and more photographic enthusiasts are trying to use and work with RAW format. These hands-on instructions and insights by the author are especially welcome to all who are working their way to creating better photos by using RAW. Each "lesson" has one to two pages. Within the 526 pages, there are 170 new color images that have been added from the previous 1000 color photographs. These spectacular photo are great stimuli for visualizing what the author is " talking about. " In addition the author brilliantly compares photos and succinctly adds wisdom with each sentence. He points out the many ways and manner with which the photos are better with a different view, angle, idea or adaptive use of the camera. With the easy reading style, the reader can identify how the author has made the photo better. Then the user can adapt and utilize their

I bought this book about 3 months ago . This book as well as its earlier edition changes my concept about digital photography. One thing that I am missing in the 2nd edition is the absence of Adobe photoshop CS2 treatment. I think that would be more attractive option. The approach of Rick Sammon is wonderful. He covers picture for almost all the remote corners of the world, specifically Asian and South American countries. I strongly suggest this book for everyone involved in digital photography.

I really feel that this book is full of excellent tips and lessons for digital imaging. He covers an incredibly wide range of topics that would be useful to people of any skill level, but he has a wonderful way of addressing these techniques in a straight-forward and uncomplicated way that makes it easy for beginners to learn. I had the opportunity to listen to him speak and the breadth of experience he has behind him is impressive. If you get this book, you truly are learning from the expert.

Lots of people claim to be digital photography experts and will sell you a book. However, Rick Sammon actually IS the expert. This book is written in a down to earth manner but addresses photographers at all levels and makes some more difficult concepts very easy to understand with a laid back approach. Part of the magic in this very large and all-inclusive book (almost 500 pages) is that Sammon has "been there" and "done that." The author has traveled far and wide and is considered an expert in travel and wildlife photography. Many of his shots are used to illustrate key concepts throughout the book and are presented in vibrant and accurate color. The book comes with a tutorial CD as well. All in all, this book is a great value and great addition to the libraries of photographers of all skill levels.