The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Scott Kelby sure knows his way around a camera. And even better? He knows how to help US find OUR way around a camera, too! Here’s a guy with tons of experience, an unmatched portfolio, all the killer gear at his disposal, and a unique ability to actually distill any given shot into some very basic steps even a novice could duplicate for great results.

You might remember our post last year on Mr. Kelby’s simply titled tome, The Digital Photography Book. Since we loved his first volume so much, we knew we had to check out his second volume and provide a full report.

Of course The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 isn’t the first how-to aimed at helping hobbyists learn some of the secrets of the trade, but as far as we’re concerned it’s definitely the most practical. While the first volume is a general overview of digital photography and divides its guidance into various types of photography (weddings, flowers, landscapes and people each gets its own chapter), the second volume devotes significant time to lighting as well as chapters on studio equipment, macros and “getting the shot,” among other topics.

If you’re like us and don’t have the patience to decipher the technical jargon in photography textbooks, when you’re making the transition to digital photography you don’t really want to know the physics of light and what computations your camera goes through to create the image you see. What you want to know is: how did (insert your favorite photographer here) get that shot? And Mr. Kelby answers that question succinctly by show-and-tell.

For example, page 89 describes how to take advantage of window light by actually showing a picture of the photographer in relation to the model and instructing you how to setup the shot. Page 32 illustrates a practical method of shooting sunset portraits with off-camera flash, once again providing a picture as an example of a successful shoot. Wondering how to use your fish-eye without a ton of distortion? The answer is on page 112, again with a complementary illustration.

Whereas most overview photography books either dumb it down with overly elementary information geared toward complete novices or overly complex information intended for students of the art, Mr. Kelby’s book manages to cut to the chase with practical, easy-to-follow steps that ensure great photos. We highly recommend it.

And it’s quite affordable, too! Amazon is our favorite place to buy books, and it seems to have the best prices for this series. The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 is currently listed at $16.49. And if you haven’t picked up Volume One yet, it’s only $11.99. Plus, Keith and I were excited to see that Volume Three is available for pre-order. We can’t wait!