Complete Guide to Digital Photography: Ian Farrell

Read the reviews and glad that I purchased this book. I am a bit more advanced than just a beginner and though really interested in photography have found other books and internet information challenging and hard work. This book is the best for guiding you through from beginner level and keeps your interest rather than being a pick up put down and up again book. Simply explained methods and use of your camera and also printers/scanners/editing suites and how to get the best out of your camera and how to do it, all simple to follow reading. One I found I could just pick up and read and have an instant better understanding of what it was about. Good product in the presentation of the book for the money this is a real bargain and would recommend to any budding photographer in comparison to any other photographic book.

What a great book for starters like me. Its includes a lot in little text. Composition, Exposure, street photography, weddings, portraits... these all could and do fill entire books! The author tackles them in 2 to 10 pages. That's awesome. It also dedicates a good portion of the book for post processing photos at the computer station. Its a jack of all trades not a detailed essay on one principle. If the reader understands this, its great. Where it could be improved? That's easy: every shot should've had the camera settings and kit used mentioned. Seems only (most) of the assignments have this. Its would provide great insight to some shots. Nevertheless, where this information is provided its good. Also, for instance, portraiture does not mention if a shot needs to be half or 2/3's, where the cut should be: between joints, not at them (legs-wise I only personally think above knee) which is mentioned in the earlier composition chapter - this just means you need to read the book thoroughly which one should anyhow ;) . I picked this book to fill the general photography discussion and 'Shapshots to great shots' from John Batdorff for my camera to fill the gap between a camera manual and the principles of photography. There are another couple of books I liked most specifically composure and exposure, but lets walk before I can run.

At first sight, the Complete guide to Digital Photography looks like an excellent guide for both beginner and more experienced photographers. Comprehensive, readable and good looking. One minor niggle, though. As the owner of a DSLR and Fujifilm X20 compact, I was irritated by text on pages 10-11, appearing next to a picture of the latter, stating that 'The limitations of a compact camera include slow reaction times when shooting pictures and limited control over depth of field'. Anyone who has used one knows that, far from possessing these limitations, the X20 is a highly capable camera which can hold its own in these and many other respects with bigger, bulkier and often not as beautiful-looking DSLRs. Either Ian Farrell has not used an X20 or he was not responsible for using the picture of one as an illustration of what would be fair comment about cheaper, more down-market compact cameras. My worry, not having read the book yet in depth, is that it has been updated with too little care and precision, if not by Ian himself, by his publishers. Hopefully, the error I have described, and any others of a similar kind, will be corrected in any future revised edition.

I spent some considerable time in a book store perusing the photography manuals on offer. I kept coming back to this one. It is well laid out clear and concise. It gets you to the point without the usual waffle. At the time however I baulked at paying £16.99. I am so glad I did as the price I paid on Amazon [£9.60 including postage] makes me feel I have a gem at an absolute bargain price. Chapters are interspersed with "assignments" encouraging you to put into practice what you have learned from the book. Included in the chapters is a guide to photo editing and retouching with photoshop...........the digital darkroom. Ian Farrell can be proud of this publication.

This book has been the perfect companion for me. Helping me get a lot more out of my camera and gaining a better insight into photography in general. Well written, perfectly explained, with enough information and ideas to get you moving and improving, whilst remaining easy to understand. A great book for the beginner and amateur photographer.

It must be a problem keeping digital photography books up to date, because (in my view) there is so much built in obsolescence as well as genuine innovative development to stay informed about. This book is a success in that critical area. To my eyes the outside of the book is just awful, and a very casual design job. However, the inside is a different story, nicely designed, thorough and with good images too. Recommended.

A really good book that touches upon many aspects of photography with useful insight into today's digital world. Certainly worth it for the luddites, or those wanting to upgrade from a point and shoot or camera phone. One nice aspect is that the author does not reject the use of camera phones and is quite supportive of different camera formats. I would deem it excellent for younger people that show an interest in photography - the book has enough content to appeal to a wide age group. Photography has been a hobby of mine and recently have been upgrading and adding to my DSLR kit. Personally I found the book a little too generic. So far I have found Syl Arena's books to be excellent for those wanting to take their photography to a higher level.

Ian Farrell explains the intricacies of operating a digital camera with simplicity and detail. The examples and case studies are excellent. In the fallow period of dark autumn days this is a complete work for the overhaul of our camera techniques. It is amazing how few of the many alternatives we use, but Farrell does expand the knowledge and operational choices of aperture, focus, ISO and shutter speed. This is an excellent reference library for the dedicated amateur photographer.

The book is in perfect conditions, it seems brand new. Fast shipping, no problems at all. The guide is a master work by Ian Farrell recommended.

The itself was exactly what I was looking for. It definitely is a comprehensive guide for beginners in all aspects of digital photography from different shooting techniques to utilizing software like photoshop.

This book is very informative and written in simple language. You get to know many things about your camera and photo editing as well.

El libro explica muy bien todos los conceptos básicos de la fotografía. Yo he aprendido mucho con el y lo utilizo actualmente como libro de consulta

This book is great. It breaks everything down in terms understandable to an average person. I found it to be a smooth read with explanations of technical terms and I did not feel lost in translation or confused in anyway. This book is my photography bible and a great companion to my camera's technical users manual as well as any basic and advanced photography classes.