The Art of Digital Photography

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful but unhelpful
Review: First off, a book about digital photography where almost none of the photos were taken witha digital camera? I wasn't very happy with that. It had some great photos, but didn't offer enough information about how I could take similar shots. It was just too general.

Rating:
Summary: A pretty-looking coffee table type book
Review: I agree with the reviewer who was unhappy that a book called The Art of Digital Photography contains only photos taken with film. What's digital about this book? There are no helpful techniques suggested, digital or otherwise. This is more like a promotion for Adobe Photoshop & a plug for a few of the author's talented friends than anything else. Not recommended.

Rating:
Summary: In Defense...
Review: I wanted to write in defense of this book, which some people have been disappointed in, according to other reviews. I admit that the title is misleading, and that's probably the fault of the publisher, rather than the author.
I'm a traditional (35 mill) photographer who was thrilled to find a book like this. I was looking for something that would teach me how to convert my old pictures to a digital medium, and Ang's book has all the answers, as well as lots of inspiring ideas. I hope people won't be put off by the other reviews, because, for those of us who still use film but who want to enter the digital age, this is a fantastic book and a great find.

Rating:
Summary: any photographer can become a digital photographer
Review: The Art of Digital Photography

The first thing you should know about this book is that we think it's the best-looking book on digital photography on the face of this planet. Well, we worked very hard at filling it with first-rate photographs and digital images. The second is that 'digital' in digital photography means an exciting new dimension and extension to photography: it means any photographer can take part - from any holiday snap-shooter to highest paid professional. You do not have to use digital cameras. You don't even need a scanner. All you need is a computer - which all of you reading this probably do have anyway. Don't be ham-strung by those stuffy know-it-alls who circumscribe the concept to their own technicist ends. Any photograph can become a digital photograph; any photographer can become a digital photographer.

My book shows you how to bridge all that you know and love in photography with the tremendous potential and power of digital imaging techniques. To prove it, the book is itself a testament to desk-top capabilities: the quality of the reproduction is first-rate yet all the scanning and pre-press production was produced on my very ordinary desk with equipment that you don't have to sell your house and family to own and use yourself.

Like to know how digital photography can provide really cost-effective record-keeping for your research and expeditions? Like to understand the confusing business of resolution and colour reproduction? Like to see work-shop examples of how great images were put together? Want to know how to reproduce traditional print techniques using a computer? It's all there, in The Art of Photography. And a whole lot more. The book doesn't assume you know anything about computers or even much about photography, but it does (because I do) respect your intelligence. And it doesn't palm you off with pictures of rubber ducks and children's tea-parties or snaps of DisneyWorld: we wanted every picture to count - each illustrates a point, but also stands as an image in its own right.

I loved writing this book: it was exciting to work on and an exciting time to work on it (and it gets better by the day). Of course I hope you enjoy it, but more than that, I hope you are challenged and inspired and motivated by it. After all, isn't that why you buy books in the first place? Do let me know what you thought of it (and tell me about the bloopers, if your fingers just can't help themselves.)

Tom Ang

London

Rating:
Summary: Nice to look at, but disappointing
Review: The design is a treat for the eyes, and there's plenty of good ideas and information too, but this book is really misnamed. It's actually about scanning and digital editing; virtually none of the photos were taken with a digital camera, a fact that's not explained until the very end. And the explanation is pretty lame (digicams aren't ready for prime time). This is half a book about digital photography. I wanted a whole one.

Rating:
Summary: Vital for beginners and advanced digital workers alike!
Review: Tom's lucid, elegant prose explains the most complicated concepts painlessly and interestingly. Beautifully illustrated with the author's remarkable photographs, this book is comprehensive, witty, and an invaluable reference work for beginners and advanced digital artists alike. It also inspires with a selection of the work of Sandy Gardner.