Photography for Beginners Box Set: 2 in 1 (Thomas Reed)

Photography for Beginners Box Set: 2 in 1
(Photography for Beginners Exposed; Photography Composition Uncovered)
Thomas Reed
Afflatus Publishing
Nonfiction, Photography
**+ (Bad/Okay)

DESCRIPTION: Maybe you have a digital camera, but can't seem to get good results - the pictures always look flat or out of focus, too dark or too light. Or maybe you're in the market for a new camera. The author, a working photographer, offers advice and tips, explaining simple photographic terms and discussing how to make the most out of any shot. This box set contains two books:
Photography for Beginners Exposed: Reed explains the difference between camera types, the pros and cons of different lenses, and the meanings of such mystifying yet essential terms as aperture, f-stop, and ISO settings.
Photography Composition Uncovered: Reed discusses the importance of choosing a subject and paying attention to the background, with more on focal length and other subjects.
A Kindle-exclusive title.

REVIEW: These two titles suffer mostly from oversimplification and a lack of tangible examples to illustrate his points. For photography books, there seem to be very few pictures... save when they're advertising other Afflatus titles. Reed also has some follow-through issues; he spends time talking about manual film cameras (by now, more of a specialty item than a common camera that a beginner photographer might consider purchasing), but doesn't talk about different film types, and his discussions of software (as essential to the process today as a darkroom used to be) are virtually nil - instead, he mentions physical filters, which won't attach to the average beginner camera without an adapter... sometimes, not even then. It makes me doubt that he's as photo-savvy as he claims to be, or wonder if he hasn't updated his skills to include modern tools and techniques. I also found the ads intrusive. If you have no other books on the subject and find it as a free download, as I did, it might be worth a look.

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How to Take Great Photographs with Any Camera (Peter Creighton) - My Review
Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter (Rick Sammon) - My Review

Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter (Rick Sammon)

Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter
Rick Sammon
Wiley Publishing
Nonfiction, Photography
***+ (Okay/Good)

DESCRIPTION: Once upon a time, no professional photographer would admit to using something so lowly as a simple compact camera. In recent years, however, digital compacts have come up in quality as more and more features become standard. With a little forethought and education, any amateur shutterbug can get excellent results without breaking the bank on a high-end dSLR. Professional photographer Rick Sammon explains some of the features and options available on today's powerful compact cameras, offering tips and tricks on everything from camera selection to the "digital darkroom" of Photoshop Elements.

REVIEW: A reasonably fast read, this book demonstrates the power and versatility of today's smaller cameras. Sammon compacts plenty of information in a fairly small amount of text... perhaps too small. Or maybe he simply assumed that most of his readers would be pros, or at least more experienced amateurs than I am (being closer to the clumsy hack end of the skill scale.) He also focuses exclusively on Photoshop and related plug-ins; I understand that that platform is the industry standard, but there are plenty of powerful (and cheaper) alternatives for those on a tighter budget, and it might've been nice to acknowledge some of them in a book touting the wonders of thrifty photography options. Overall, though, Simmons presents some interesting hints alongside his inspiring work; I think I just need to read it a few more times before the information can truly sink in.

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How to Take Great Photographs with Any Camera (Peter Creighton) - My Review

How to Take Great Photographs With Any Camera (Peter Creighton)

How to Take Great Photographs With Any Camera
Peter Creighton
Peter Creighton, publisher
Nonfiction, Art/Photography
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Thousand-dollar SLRs, hundred-dollar casual cameras, cheapie single-shot jobs from the grocery store... in this day and age, when even phones come equipped with a lens, there are more options than ever for the amateur photographer. But, really, to get anything decent, you have to spend a hefty chunk of your paycheck, don't you? Not necessarily. The author, a professional photographer, explains how a little basic knowledge can make any shot better, no matter what camera you use.
A Kindle-exclusive title.

REVIEW: A quick and easy read, this eBook delivers exactly what the title promises. Creighton demonstrates how much of photography hinges not on the equipment but on the person holding the camera. With brief overviews of composition, lighting, and other concepts, he gets his point across in a way that even the greenest would-be shutterbug can understand. Of course, anyone interested in real, professional-grade photography can and should seek out further instruction elsewhere, but for the casual picture-taker who wants to improve their snapshots, this is a good choice.
(I notice that there is an Extended Edition of this title available via Amazon, as well. I cannot speak for its content, as I only read the original during a freebie download window.)

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