Digital Photography Expert Techniques, Second Edition

By Ken Milburn
October 2006
Pages: 404
ISBN 10: 0-596-52690-3 | ISBN 13: 9780596526900
(5) (Average of 2 Customer Reviews)

Description

Expert advice and pro strategies help photographers at every level become more competent in their work routines. Through step-by-step procedures based on hard-nosed experience, professional photographer Ken Milburn describes a complete workflow sequence that begins with essential photographic equipment and digital darkroom setup, and ends once finished images are in albums, exhibits, web sites, or publications.
Full Description

Whether you're a new photographer or an experienced pro, this book will guide you through the labyrinth of options and choices you face from the moment you see a photo opportunity to the time you share your final results. And it will help you minimize the time needed to fix your mistakes along the way.

Through step-by-step procedures based on years of experience, professional photographer Ken Milburn describes a complete workflow sequence that begins with essential equipment and preparation, takes you through detailed editing techniques, and ends with your finished images looking the way you want, ready to be shown to the world.

This completely revised edition of Milburn's original bestseller teaches you everything you need to do before, during, and after the editing process.

Be prepared with the right equipment
Get the basic shots right
Organize your photos and find the gems
Make reversible adjustments
Refine your images with care
Use special effects cautiously and tastefully
Publish and share your images effectively

You'll also learn advanced techniques with Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements, though this isn' t a typical Photoshop how-to book. Milburn's workflow strategy ensures that high-production jobs are done professionally with a minimum of frustration. With Digital Photography: Expert Techniques, you'll become a better (and more profitable) photographer.

Featured customer reviews

A long read - because it is that good, January 11 2007

Rating:

Submitted by Jeremy Hall [Respond | View]

I was anxiously awaiting this title to arrive in the mail, particularly because of its emphasis on "expert" techniques. Though I didn't find every page riveting, the book on the whole fulfilled my expectations.

If you have jumped into the world of serious amateur or semi-pro photography, you no doubt own an SLR camera. It is a must. After continuing to shoot JPG for awhile, you venture into the world of RAW files. This is a whole new world with incredible possibilities. What you quickly find is your hard drive quickly fills up with RAW files and you have a hard time knowing how work with those files in any sort of time-conscious workflow. You let them pile up into a perpetual of backlog.

Ken Milburn knows his stuff, and has developed a highly effective workflow for processing, organizing, presenting and publishing his photos. His experience shows through in each chapter as he opens up his entire process for everyone who reads this title to learn from. Though I found some of my own workflow techniques already matched his suggestions, I found numerous suggestions I hadn't previously known or considered that have helped improve my effectiveness. Efficient and effective workflow is the overriding theme of this title.

Though much of the books training focuses on post production, namely in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop, a couple of chapters at the beginning get you optimizing and improving your in camera approach as well. Past the workflow theme, there is plenty of time spent on giving your photos the "wow factor" you have always wanted. What I enjoyed most was the improved techniques taught in the "non-destructive" phase of digitally developing your photos.

I recommend this book to anyone who is shooting a high volume of photos, particularly those that may be working their way into portrait photography for hire. Adding the habits and knowledge gained from this title will make you a much better professional as well as the ability to output top notch photos.

comprehensive workflow guide, December 28 2006

Rating:

Submitted by Dave Graham [Respond | View]

As a photoshop novice, I was interested to see what I could get out of the software. Ken Milburn's book is a fantastic starting point - it covers, in generous detail, every aspect of the photographic workflow, from setting up your camera through to setting up and using Adobe Photoshop to process your images.

The writing is clear and concise, as you'd expect from an O'Reilly book. Ken clearly knows a lot about his subject and litters his pages with tons of useful advice and practical examples not only of what to do, but also *why* you should be doing it this way.

Several co-workers have pestered for a look at the book, at which point they promptly went off and bought their own copies!

I'd say that you need to know a little about your digital camera, and have a passing knowledge of Photoshop in order to get the best out of this book, but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone wanting to get more from their photography.

Read all reviews

Media reviews
"Very few authors have the ability to discuss complex subjects with clear, open, readable style; Ken Milburn does that very well indeed. Much more than a rehash of a Photoshop owner's manual, this book provides a well-crafted roadmap for creating and delivering a large number of very high quality digital images quickly and professionally. For the serious hobbyist or pro looking to streamline his or her digital photographic work methods, this book is highly recommended. "
-- Charles I. Maas, Amazon Reviewer

"I find Ken Milburn's book to be an excellent resource for all digital photography afficiandos that want to get the most out of their images and learn how Photoshop can fix or repair nearly any problem that can be found and viewed on a computer. If you are a graphic designer or work with digital images on a daily basis, you owe it to yourself to pick up this great book that will most certainly add to your skillset... no question!! "
-- Daniel McKinnon, Amazon Reviewer

"Are you a photographer who is serious about producing the highest quality photographs in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible? If you are, then this book is for you. Author Ken Milburn, has done an outstanding job of writing a 2nd edition of a book that focuses on digital SLR cameras that have higher megapixels of noninterpolated resolution, interchangeable lenses, and larger, more noise-free sensors. "
-- John R. Vacca, Amazon Reviewer

Read all reviews

See larger cover

"Ken Milburn's approach to each topic is simple, concise and to the point. He does not assume that you know everything on each topic; instead he makes his points and allows you to determine if the content is relevant to your needs. Because of this, I have gained from this book a lot of insight that is lacking in other books on photography."
--T. Michael Testi, Blogcritics magazine