Tony Page reviews the latest ebook from the Digital Photography School

I’m taking time out from the awful grind of processing several thousand of my own images for the web to review Neil Creek’s latest offering on photographic post-production. Let’s hope you think my words are worth your time reading them!

dPS’s new eBook – Photo Nuts and Post is the third instalment in the Photo Nuts series by professional photographer Neil Creek.

Called "Photo Nuts and Post", this one is a follow-up to DPS staff writer Neil Creek‘s previous books "Photo Nuts and Bolts" and "Photo Nuts and Shots".

According to the blurb on the sales page, "It tackles post processing head-on and gives you the tools and the courage you need to make it work for you".

Well, does it and should you buy it? Read on to find out what I think (spoiler: at the present price, probably, but there are some limitations you should be aware of),

(By the way, the ebook actually isn’t in the format represented in the image on the right, see below)

If you want to check out the sales page, it’s here:
Photo Nuts and Post (yep, that’s an affiliate link, I get about US$8 if you buy the book, but I suggest you read my review first to find out whether you should).

What you get:

1. Photo Nuts and Post: (110 pages in all) covering a basic but pretty wide-ranging coverage of post-processing, including work flow and image storage.
2. One hour of screencast videos which walk you through a number of the techniques talked about in the eBook. These videos are hosted on a password protected page on the DPS site (no download required).

Note: I only got a review copy of the main Neil Creek eBook, so my comments only cover that, can’t tell you anything about the videos.

So should YOU consider buying "Photo Nuts and Shots"?

It’s certainly a realistic price at US$19.99 during the initial launch period (don’t know when this ends, but usually in around a fortnight). No word on any extra prize opportunities or anything at the moment, but I’ll let you know if anything is announced. You shouldn’t really pay much attention to that stuff, anyway, because the real question is whether it’s right for you – are you going to get anything out of it, is it worth you spending both your time and money on it?

Well, my answer to that is, it depends (now where have you heard that before..?).

If you’re a dead tree person (admission: I often am) and want to print it out, probably not, because it’s in a 16:9 widescreen format and doesn’t fit either A4 or letter size paper very well. Looks fine on screen though. But there are so many images that depend on proper colour rendition to make their point that this probably wouldn’t be a good idea in any event. Of course, the effectiveness of the before and after comparison images also depends on the accuracy of your screen’s colour calibration, but this factor is ignored in the book, see later.

Click to see bigger image

In an earlier review, I mentioned that I thought Neil’s strength is clearly in his landscape photography, and he has some excellent examples in this book too, but there are also plenty of people shots. As before, his book is really a personal statement of his own approach to photography, and none the worse for that. He intends it to be read along with the previous "Bolts" books and claims it teaches you "how to turn the photo you’ve captured into a finished, polished and appropriately prepared photo for whatever need you have, whether it be sharing online, printing or publishing in a book". This is a very ambitious statement, and frankly is simply not the case as regards traditional print publishing requirements, but read on.

Does it fulfil its aims?

Short answer: if you’re in its presumed target market, yes, but it has necessary limitations on the depth of information and techniques discussed because of the book’s length. On the other hand, some sections, like that dealing with work flow and storage, are quite detailed and really invaluable.

Is it value for money?

If it’s right for you, I’ll give this a "yes" at its current price.

Is this book suitable for you?

Firstly, who is the target market and are you in it? I think it’s fair to say that most of the information contained in Neil’s book is suitable for the photographer who’s not dealing with the post-processing of a large number of images on an ongoing basis (e.g. a wedding photographer). If you’re in that category you should be looking up Guy Gowan (http://www.guygowan.com).

But that’s OK, for as Neil says, he’s concerned with creating "a file suited for the intended use of the image. In the majority of cases, this is the creation of a JPEG file suitable for sharing online". So don’t look for detailed information on preparing a CMYK file for press production here, this book is mainly for someone who is looking to process his images one by one, with a probable intention of sharing or publishing online, either by email or in most cases via file-sharing/storage sites like Smugmug or the site that unfortunately trashes your images, Facebook. And that’s most of us, right?

What’s in it?

Here’s a shot of the contents page. As you can see, Neil pretty much covers the ground you’d expect in a general post-production guide, with topics on file management and workflow, editing and processing tools, with first some general comments on the nature of image files and colour. He follows this up with some processing walkthroughs (apparently paralleled by the videos) showcasing some practical techniques. The section on common problems is OK on analysis but a bit light on solutions (frankly, you can’t fix everything) and Neil follows this up with an interesting section on "Creative Processing" which may stir a few feathers amongst the traditionalists.

Click to see bigger image

It’s 110 good-sized pages including the intro and ad at the end, but although there’s plenty of type the wide scope of Neil’s subject matter means that for the most part he can’t go into great detail on any particular topic.

Lots of text, but solid information

As I said about his earlier book, there’s a lot of text in this ebook, but this time I think it’s more clearly laid out and makes better use of sub-heads and other graphic devices (well done, Naomi!). I also think Neil’s writing style has improved, becoming more fluid and conversational. The way he injects more of himself into the narrative speaks of his growing confidence as an author, presumably buoyed by the success of his previous books.

What about the photos?

Click to see bigger image

How about the photos? Effective use of Before and After pairings, as well as sequential process shots, are a great help in getting Neil’s points across, although he’s strongest in his landscapes. But this is essentially a practical book, and I’d say the use of images really adds to its accessibility. Also, you can’t forget the videos, which I presume take the form of screencast presentations (Camtasia or Screenflow type) taking you through actual (Lightroom) processing examples.

Click to see bigger image

Some caveats:

Software: Although Neil says that his advice is meant to be as software agnostic as possible, the fact is that if you use Lightroom or Photoshop you’ll get the most out of this book. To be honest, if you’re seriously interested in photographic post-processing you’ll need to be using one or both of these (you might get away with Photoshop Elements).

Omissions: Neil fails to mention screen calibration as a factor in post-processing or the way your photos are likely to appear to someone viewing them on their own screen. If your screen is not calibrated then you can’t know whether any alterations you make will have the results you intend. That’s why all professional photographers go to great lengths to calibrate their screens, it’s step 101. Of course, the way a viewer of your photos has their screen set up and indeed, the lighting conditions under which they’re looking at them also has a major bearing on the way your images appear, but if your own screen isn’t calibrated to the accepted standard measurements you’re really giving yourself a handicap to start with.

I’ve already mentioned CMYK press production, but there’s very little detail on the various sharpening techniques/options for output here either. I appreciate space limitations, but I don’t think Neil’s recommendation of simply leaving it up to your online storage service (presuming that you use one) to output an acceptable resized image cuts it, when you’re authoring a book claiming to "turn the photo you’ve captured into a finished, polished and appropriately prepared photo for whatever need you have".

Should you buy this book?

If you’ve read my comments above, you should already have a good idea whether this eBook is for you.

• If you’re an expert Photoshop maven, to be honest, you won’t find a lot new here, and I wouldn’t bother.
• If you’ve yet to get into processing your files after pushing the shutter release, or you have played about with it but feel you need to get a better understanding of the process, I think you’ll find this a useful buy.

To quote the sales page: “If you’re intimidated by the idea of processing, don’t know how to make your photos look amazing like the pros, this is the resource to show you how to go from bland to brilliant.” Well, to be honest, that’s a bit of an advertising overstatement. But at US$19.99 and with the practical, wide-ranging scope of the topics covered it has to be a good buy as an introductory text. It’s probably worth it just for the section on workflow and how best to organize your images.

As Neil says in his conclusion: ‘No matter your skill level, processing will make for better looking photos and make you a better photographer. If you haven’t processed your photos before, or struggle with the techniques, stick at it and you will soon see the results."

Interested in buying Neil’s eBook? Hit my cunningly disguised affiliate button below and you’ll be taken to the sales page:

The post Will “Photo Nuts and Post” Improve Your Images? appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Tony Page reviews the latest ebook from the Digital Photography School

This latest eBook "kit" Darren Rowse has just put out under the Digital Photography School banner is a bit different from his previous ones, in that the main ebook isn’t written by a photographer. Yes, it purports to tell you how to "Go Pro" but it does it from "the other side of the tracks", the marketing point of view. This may be of interest to you (or it may not, read on to find out or bail now to save yourself suffering my prose), but does it do the job?

Called "Going Pro – How To Make Money Through Your Photography", this book is essentially about marketing your stuff. It doesn’t cover the nuts and bolts of setting up a photographic business, or go into any technical aspects of a particular pro photography field. What it does do is talk about making money from your photography by giving you info on where and how you could sell your services or images. It deals purely with the US market, and the resources are US references. However, the general principles and ideas would be applicable to many other developed countries, and on the whole it gives a fair, if basic, summary of the various options and techniques you have for marketing your photographic skills.

(By the way, the ebook actually isn’t in the format represented in the image on the right, see below)

If you want to check out the sales page, it’s here:
Going Pro – How To Make Money Through Your Photography (yep, that’s an affiliate link, I get more this time, about US$12 if you buy the book, but I suggest you read my review first to find out whether you should).

What you get:

• Going Pro: How To Make Money From Your Photography (91 pages in all) to help you sell your images the way you want, by Kelly Kingman, who has been a magazine photo editor, and is a published writer on food, art and culture.
• 2 hours of Audio downloads of interviews with pro photography marketers Susannah Conway, Charles Borst, Suzanne Sease and Christina Villaflors.
• Getting Published in Photography Magazines, a 28-page practical primer on getting your photos published, by pro photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich.

Note: I only got a review copy of the main Kelly Klingman book, so my comments only cover that, not the other two items.

So should YOU consider buying "Going Pro"?

At the 40% reduced price of US$29.99 (regular US$49.99) during the two week launch period, this package is more expensive than Darren’s usual products: so is it worth it?

Well, my answer to that is, it depends (yes, I know, you’ve heard that before).

First, the practical details. Starfish Blue did a good job on this book; it’s well laid-out with attractive typograhy, and easy to read columns in a landscape format that prints out OK in letter or A4 size should you prefer a hard copy. Personally, I’d prefer a cheerier colour scheme, but that’s just me. Not so many photos to swoon over, but frankly they’re not the focus of the book.

Click to see full-size

The strength of this book lies in its interviews and well-written research. Kelly Klingman – who advises on producing eBooks – has put together a very readable summary of the various ways you might be able to turn a shekel or two from your photographic skills. If you go through it you’ll get a fair idea of the basic requirements and marketing techniques you’ll need to master to get a start in the various areas she covers. These are, in differing levels of detail: Editorial, Photojournalism, Commercial, Wedding & Portrait, Fine Art, Stock, and other fields like workshops, tourism and graphic design. Kelly writes that "Going Pro is about finding out who wants your work and how to get it in front of them".

Does it fulfil its aims?

To a degree, yes. You’ll benefit most from this book if you have little or no experience of the photographic industry. Even if you don’t live in the USA, the book will give you a good overview of the business of marketing your images and skills; there is a lot of worthwhile, solid advice here. And the insights from the various interviewees are interesting even if you are already working professionally.

Is it value for money?

If you think it may be of interest to you, I’d say go with it. The information Kelly has put together will definitely be useful to you if you’re seriously thinking of earning some cash from your photography, and provides a more realistic approach than other "going professional" advice I’ve seen.

Is this book suitable for you?

This book will probably go down well with most DPS readers, because while they might not consider becoming full-time pros, they’d still like to earn something from their photography, and this book will give them a fair idea of what it’s all about. The sections on stock and editorial photography, and the fine art discussion, will probably seem the most relevant, but you should also check out the portraiture chapter for ideas.

What’s in the book?

Here’s a shot of the contents page. As you can see, there’s a lot of ground covered, so don’t expect tremendous depth in any one field. But this information is based on experience, as evidenced by the interviews, and there are plenty of gold nuggets lying around waiting for you to pick them up.

Click to see full-size

It’s got 75 pages of content with a 10 page appendix of relevant USA resources and links (although quite a few are useful for non-US residents).

What about the photos?

Don’t buy this book for the photos. They’re mainly there to break up the text. This book is NOT about the photos, it’s about the information served up between them.

Should you buy this book?

If you’ve read my comments above, you probably already have a good idea whether this eBook is for you. Even though I have had a career as a professional photographer, including travel photojournalism, I still found Kelly Klingman’s book an interesting read, and I know that the information and advice she and her interviewees provide is pretty much on the money (if you’ll excuse the pun…). But there’s a lot more to the actual practical reality of becoming a professional photographer – no matter which field you choose – than you can learn from a book.

Having said that, I realize I’m talking about working as a full-time professional, whereas many people considering buying the "Going Pro" kit will be thinking more of an additional part-time income. In that respect – although some of my fellow professionals might disagree – I really believe that with a good dose of determination, appropriate skills and a bit of luck, someone who reads this book and puts some of its recommendations into practice will be able to make some money from their photography, especially in the editorial, portrait, fine art and maybe stock fields. Local businesses (like real estate) might also be useful prospects.

But one caveat: make sure you’re confident about your technical skills before you start, otherwise you’ll buy into a whole lot of grief and nervous stress.

Kelly Klingman writes that "This eBook is based on the conviction that if you hone your skills and commit yourself to building a strong body of work, you will find a market for the types of images you love to create".

Well, maybe. But just because you like taking certain types of shot doesn’t mean that somebody’s going to pay you to do it. And we should never forget the "working" in "working photographer". When you "go pro" (or even "part-time pro") it’s a job, not a hobby. It takes a lot of determination to succeed, and talent is not enough. Anyone who makes it at any level deserves respect; could it be you?

Interested in buying the "Going Pro" eKit? Hit my cunningly disguised affiliate button below and you’ll be taken to the sales page:

The post Will “Going Pro” Help You Make Money From Your Photography? appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Tony Page reviews the latest ebook from the Digital Photography School

Well, here we go again, Darren Rowse has just put out another ebook under the Digital Photography School banner, but this time it’s a bit different, in that it’s not by a long time professional but by Anna Gay, who’s only been really interested in photography for a couple of years, but has shot to fame largely through her 365 self-portraiture projects on Flickr.

Called "The Art of Self-Portraiture", with a sub-title that’s not strictly relevant of "Anna Gay’s 365 Days" (it actually only refers to aspects of this project in passing) this 52 page ebook (OK, 48 pages without the ads and TOC) is one of the most original and interesting publications DPS has put out. And I say that as a reasonably hard-bitten professional photographer for (too) many years.

(By the way, the ebook actually isn’t in the format represented in the image on the right, see below)

If you want to check out the sales page, it’s here:
The Art of Self-Portraiture

Yep, that’s an affiliate link, and as usual I get about US$6 if you buy the book, but I suggest you read my review first to find out whether you should (you should).

But on to the Review…

Should YOU consider buying "The Art of Self-Portraiture"?

It’s certainly a bargain price – 25% off – at US$14.95 during the initial launch period (which ends at midnight on 31st May Eastern US time). And you’ll get a one in gazillion, well, maybe 4,000, chance of winning a new IPad2 along with your purchase. But the real question is whether it’s right for you – are you going to get anything out of it, is it worth you spending both your time and money on it?

Short answer: yes, and I’m a stingy bastard when it comes to assessing photo books. Not because it’s full of high tech wizardry and consummate professional skills (although it has its moments) but because Anna Gay has learnt her stuff by dint of hard practical experience, and is honestly forthcoming about what she has discovered.

What’s more, she’s original, for God’s sake, what sweet relief!

And another reason to invest your hard-earned moolah in this eBook is that it will really help you improve your photography, especially if you’re just starting out in this field, and not only with your self-portraiture, but in many other aspects of your craft as well.

Grunge Backgrounds, Clear Writing and Lots of Photos.

Well, the grunge backgrounds are only on the first page of the chapters, which is probably a good thing as they make the text difficult to read. But the rest of the book is well laid-out with attractive graphic call-outs, and easy to read columns in a landscape format that prints out OK in letter or A4 size should you prefer a hard copy.

Click to see larger size

What’s in it?

Here’s a shot of the contents page. There is a sizeable introduction from Anna, and her book is split into seven chapters: Tools, Lighting, Composition, Focus, Post-Processing, Inspiration, and Self-Portrait Projects. One of the notable things about Anna’s style of photography is her low cost approach. She didn’t have a lot of cash when she started out – for the first year she didn’t use a flash, only available light – and she’s great at "making do" in original and ingenious ways. As a guerrilla travel photographer I particularly admired her $5 spray-painted silver umbrella!

Click to see full-size

Anna holds nothing back and has a warm, friendly style of writing. She takes you through the various aspects of self-portraiture as she discovered them, with practical tips and suggestions for you to develop in your own way. She also provides some project exercises for you to try which are designed to advance both your photographic skills and personal confidence, the way she herself learnt without the benefit of this book to guide her.

What about the photos and layout?

What you see is what you get:

Should you buy this book?

If you’ve read my comments above, you should already know my opinion on this and have a good idea whether this eBook is for you. And if you don’t think it’s for you, you’re wrong, so there. Apart from anything else, it’s a good read and a fascinating look into the way Anna developed into the photographer and social media phenomenon she became.

In his introduction, Darren maintains "the practice you get in photographing yourself will not only help you grow your photographic skills – but it can also be a lot of fun, give you an avenue to express yourself and give you some creative shots to use with friends and family and online". I’d second that, although I personally try to avoid inflicting my ugly mug on the unsuspecting online public other than when I’m assured it’s for "branding purposes". Still, you may well be better looking (not difficult, especially if you’re female).

Interested in buying Anna’s eBook? Of course you are! Hit my cunningly disguised affiliate button below and you’ll be taken to the sales page:

The post Should You Let Anna Gay Put You In the Picture? appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Tony Page reviews the latest ebook from the Digital Photography School

Last time Darren launched a DPS book, I copped a few comments from my list about the lateness of my review, so I’ve made an effort to get in early on this one.

Not easy, I might add, as our travel web site has gone ballistic over the last couple of months necessitating an upgrade to our server and software, and I still have thousands of UK and Germany images to process and my belated Guerrilla Photography e-Course to complete. All good fun, of course…

But on to the Review…

Called "Captivating Color", this is the second DPS e-Book from freelance travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich, whose "Transcending Travel Photography" was published by Darren last year. This one’s a lot shorter, but if you buy in the first week you get a second e-Book from Mitchell, "Seeing the Light" as a bonus.

(By the way, the ebook actually isn’t in the format represented in the image on the right, see below)

So should YOU consider buying "Captivating Color"?

Short answer: yes, if you’re in the market for good basic info on using colour in your photography and similar info on using flash and available light: US$14.95 for both Mitchell Kanashkevich’s “Captivating Color” and “Seeing the Light” e-Books is a no-brainer.

(If you want to check out the sales page, it’s here:
Captivating Color. Yep, that’s an affiliate link, I get about US$6 if you buy the book, but I suggest you read my review first to find out whether you should).

But there are a few caveats. Let’s get on to the review.

A Quick Read and Lots of Photos

“Captivating Color” is a quick read at 49 pages including the intro and ad at the end, and there are a lot of photos, In his disclaimer at the front, Mitchell emphasises that his book isn’t “about some sort of precise, scientific approach to color” and while that’s a fair comment, don’t write off the information in it as purely subjective, it’s firmly based on scientific and technical principles even though they may not be there in black and white (or any other colour)

(One technical point here, contrary to what Mitchell says (p.40), warm colours have lower colour temperatures, cooler colours, higher ones. This could cause a bit of confusion and should have been picked up in editing.)

If you’re a dead tree person (admission: I often am) and want to print it out, there’s good news this time as the e-Book has been formatted to print out OK on A4 or letter size paper. Looks fine on screen too. Here’s the cover:

Click to see larger size

What’s in it?

Here’s a shot of the contents page. The Introduction says the eBook is made up of four chapters, but there are in fact three main sections: "Some ideas and theories on color", "Controlling color during the shoot", and "Controlling color in post-processing".

The writing is clear and non-technical, and although there’s nothing new about the principles and concepts put forward, Mitchell’s use of his photos to explain the practical implementation of them is well done and should prove very useful to his target audience. In fact, this practical illustration element is undoubtedly the strongest feature of the e-Book, giving a valuable insight into the way he personally approaches a particular subject.

Click to see full-size

The comments on "visual weight" and the second section on "Controlling color during the shoot" are really expansions of sections of his previous e-Book, "Transcending Travel", you’ll find many of the same topics in both. As the images are also drawn from similar subject matter (Asia, Eastern Europe) those of you who bought the earlier book might feel a degree of deja-vu, and I would like to have seen a bit of variety myself. Having said that, the photos are of excellent quality and in general good illustrations of the point he’s making. The underwater image of the turtle in particular should be singled out as an exceptional piece of work.

The third section dealing with post-processing firmly grasps the nettle that some other authors minimize or avoid: the undoubted truth that few of the spectacular images we see these days have not been improved by the magic of Photoshop, Lightroom or another graphics program. Yes, Mitchell does take Photoshop and Lightroom as his example software, but that is simply recognizing the fact that these are the best solutions available. His screenshots of tool details are helpful, and his advice, although basic, is simple and to the point. He doesn’t shrink from showing how he has altered his own images, with clear before and after shots. Refreshing.

What about the photos and layout?

What you see is what you get:

Should you buy this book?

If you’ve read my comments above, you should already have a good idea whether this eBook is for you.

• If you’re an expert enthusiast, or you’ve already read a lot of photography books, you probably don’t need this unless you like collecting.
• If you’re a relative beginner, you’ll definitely find some useful and worthwhile information in this book, despite its brevity.

In his introduction, Darren maintains "color is not always at the front of our minds" when we take photographs. I don’t think that’s true of most people, in fact I’d argue that colour is one of the first thing we notice about a subject; of course, making effective use of it is a different matter. If you want to go deeply into colour theory and the technical aspects of using colour in your photography, this is not the book for you, but as a short, practical introduction "Captivating Color" is a worthwhile buy, and with this two-for-one deal, unbeatable!

Interested in buying Mitchell’s eBook? Hit my cunningly disguised affiliate button below and you’ll be taken to the sales page:

The post Should “Captivating Color” Capture Your Cash? appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Tony Page reviews the latest ebook from the Digital Photography School

If you’re on any photography connected list, you’ve probably heard (there’s been a lot of sales emails from the usual suspects) that Darren Rowse has just put out another ebook under the Digital Photography School banner, and it may be of interest to you (or it may not, read on to find out or bail now to save yourself a minute or two).

Called "Photo Nuts and Shots", this one is a follow-up to a previous book "Photo Nuts and Bolts", which was put together by DPS staff writer Neil Creek based on his blog posts. It’s the first book by Neil with entirely new contents and he’s written and photographed it himself.

(By the way, the ebook actually isn’t in the format represented in the image on the right, see below)

If you want to check out the sales page, it’s here:
Photo Nuts and Shots (yep, that’s an affiliate link, I get about US$6 if you buy the book, but I suggest you read my review first to find out whether you should).

To start with let me declare an interest, Darren helped me market my own Guerrilla Travel Photography book last year, and he’s one of the most reputable personalities on the internet: this alone is enough to make many people buy anything he produces on trust if they’re in any way interested in the subject matter. Apparently he’s sold 3777 of "Photo Nuts and Shots" in the first week and that’s basically sight unseen, so there’s no doubt this one will be as successful as those DPS books he’s marketed in the past.

So should YOU consider buying "Photo Nuts and Shots"?

It’s certainly a bargain price at US$14.95 during the initial launch period (which ends in a week’s time or so, around February 11). And you’ll get a one in gazillion chance of winning a new Sony DSLR along with your purchase. But the real question is whether it’s right for you – are you going to get anything out of it, is it worth you spending both your time and money on it?

Well, my answer to that is, it depends.

If you’re a dead tree person (admission: I often am) and want to print it out, probably not, because it’s in a 16:9 widescreen format and doesn’t fit either A4 or letter size paper very well. Looks fine on screen though.

Click to see full-size

Neil’s strength is clearly in his landscape photography, and he has some excellent examples of his work. His book is really a personal statement of his own approach to photography, which he decided to take up professionally a year ago. He intends it to be read along with the previous "Bolts" book, and in conjunction with his upcoming "Post" book which is to deal with processing your images after shooting. It’s designed to be a "comprehensive guide to improving your photography through technique and attitude", quite an ambitious rap!

Does it fulfil its aims?

My answer: if you’re in its presumed target market, yes, but with reservations.

Is it value for money?

If it’s right for you, no doubt on this score, definitely yes.

Is this book suitable for you?

Firstly, who is the target market and are you in it? I think it’s fair to say that most of the information contained in Neil’s book is suitable for the photographer who’s just graduated to using a DSLR. That’s not to say many of the principles he explains are not just as important for you if you’re an expert enthusiast, they are, but you’ll almost certainly know most of the stuff already. On the other hand, we all need a refresher course every now and again…

What’s in it?

Here’s a shot of the contents page. As you can see, Neil pretty much covers the ground you’d expect in a general photography guide, with topics on light, composition, exposure, and some general thoughts on his personal approach. Although there’s an early couple of spreads on the histogram and clipping which might put a few technophobes off, they shouldn’t worry because the book as a whole steers clear of heavy duty technicalities, concentrating more on general principles and description.

It’s 111 generous pages including the intro and ad at the end, but although there’s plenty of type the wide scope of Neil’s subject matter means he can’t go into great detail on any particular topic. He does provide links to other sources, though, which are helpful.

Lots of text, but solid information

As I said earlier, there’s a LOT of text in this ebook, and even though it’s laid out in columns the often one word titles and lack of sub-heads can make it a bit hard going at times. It does tend to read a little like a textbook, going from general statements and explanations to more specific recommendations, and sometimes there’s too much stating of the obvious, e.g. "Not all tripods are equally stable. Cheaper, lighter tripods will also be less stable. Heavier, more solidly built tripods are generally more stable..". But there’s plenty of good, worthwhile information there, even if the style is a bit ponderous.

What about the photos?

How about the photos? Some excellent material here, especially in what is obviously Neil’s first love, landscapes; you can really feel his affection for his subject matter. He should definitely consider doing a landscape book, with an emphasis on the images rather than the text. I didn’t feel that some of the other shots used to illustrate points were as successful as they might have been, and some were simply too small. I particularly liked the dramatic black and white "film noir" shot on page 102, but on the whole the model shots were the weakest part of the book. But then, you wouldn’t be buying this book for its pictures alone, more for the information value.

Should you buy this book?

If you’ve read my comments above, you should already have a good idea whether this eBook is for you.

• If you’re an expert enthusiast, or you’ve already read a lot of photography books, you probably don’t need this unless you like collecting.
• If you’re a relative beginner, you’ll definitely find a mine of useful and worthwhile information in this book, although don’t expect a lively read.

Is this (to quote the sales page) “the best creative photography guide on the market”? Well, to be honest this is clearly not the case. But at the low price and with the wide-ranging scope of the topics covered it has to be a great buy as an introductory text.

And that’s what Neil intends: as he says, “It is my goal with Photo Nuts and Shots to introduce you to some of the most important skills and concepts behind good photography, make the complexities as simple and clear as possible, and set you on the right path to expanding your own abilities. “

Interested in buying Neil’s eBook? Hit my cunningly disguised affiliate button below and you’ll be taken to the sales page:

The post Is “Photo Nuts and Shots” Right For You? appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Get rid of blurry photos due to camera shake: hold your DSLR steady using these tips from Tony Page of Travel Signposts Photo. You can get sharp photos at surprisingly slow shutter speeds if you follow a few simple steps.

Holding Your DSLR Camera

The Reason Why

Why is it blurred? Well of course, it can be out of focus, but let’s leave that aside for the moment and deal with that later. Maybe because you used too slow a shutter speed, maybe the subject was movingly too quickly, maybe you’ve used too big a magnification on your telephoto lens. There’s a common factor in all of this, and that is: Movement. Today we’re going to talk about camera movement, and you know, often the simplest solutions can be the best. So let’s look at the most basic thing, how you’re holding in camera, because if you’re not holding your camera steady, your shots are not going to be sharp. A small movement at the camera can mean a big movement at the subject that you are actually taking, and that can easily lead to blur.

Let’s look at the DSLR

Okay, there are two main cameras we’re all using, right? The DSLR(the single lens reflex) and of course the Point-and-Shoot. Let’s split this into two, and first of all talk about the DSLR, because it’s more straightforward! Most pros like a heavy DSLR and there’s a reason for that, because frankly it’s a lot easier to hold a heavy camera steady than it is to hold a light one. That’s why, for example, point and shoots are so difficult to hold steady.

All right, let’s look at the DSLR. Most of them nowadays have a grip on the right-hand side, so there’s a tendency just to hold the camera in one hand. Of course the shutter button is also operated by the same hand, and there’s a problem there. Because in fact it’s more liable to lead to shake if you’re just operating things with one hand without proper support. So the way I do it is to take the weight of the camera in your left hand – go on, weigh it in your hand – and then you move your right hand in and use that to operate the shutter button. And you know by taking most of the weight in your left hand you can actually operate the shutter more smoothly – squeeze it gently!

Nowadays you’ll also be able to use the zoom but you could also focus with the fingers of your left hand as well. So try it. I know it’s easier – I do it myself – you hold the camera when you’re wandering around, you hold it in the right-hand grip but when you’re actually shooting transfer the weight to your left. Honestly, you will find it does work better and you get steadier shots.

Stage Two is to look through the viewfinder

Right, so now we’ve got a good firm grip on the camera. Stage two is to look through the viewfinder and this gives us another chance to further stabilize our camera, because we can press it against our forehead. I’m not saying you use some kind of death grip and ram it against your forehead with power, just hold it firmly against your forehead, and while you’re at it, no flying with the elbows, get them in to the side of your body, and stabilize them against your body. Think about it, basically what you’re doing is making a tripod out of your two elbows and your forehead, you’re actually holding the camera more firmly that way.

Now of course, if you’re not standing firmly on your two feet, the whole thing is a waste of time. If you’re wavering around on one foot or with one foot slightly up on a rock and you can’t stand straight, it’s a waste of space because you basically you’re going to be wavering around anyway no matter how firmly you hold the camera at the other end of your body.

Don’t breathe in!

Okay, so now you’ve got your feet firmly planted, you’re holding your camera firmly against your forehead, and you’ve got your elbows into your sides. Now, breathing. A lot of people have different opinions about this. I’ll tell you what I do. When I’m taking a shot, I breath out, I take the photograph and then I breathe in. I find that if you’ve had a good breath, and then you’re breathing out, you tend to be more relaxed whereas if you’re holding your breath, you tend to have a bit of tension there. But your mileage may vary.

Well, that’s about it for holding the DSLR steady. Next time, the Point-and-Shoot, or more politely, the compact camera. Until then, this is Tony Page from Travel Signposts Photo wishing you: Good Shooting!“

The post The War Against Blurry Photos: Holding Your DSLR appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Get rid of blurry photos due to camera shake: hold your Point and Shoot (compact) camera steady using these tips from Tony Page of Travel Signposts Photo. It might be more difficult keeping your Point and Shoot steady than a DSLR, but you can still get sharp photos at surprisingly slow shutter speeds if you follow a few simple steps.

“Tony Page here from Travel Signposts Photo again, and we’re still on the subject of the Dreaded Curse of Blurry Photographs and how to avoid them. Today we’re going to talk about point-and-shoot or to be more polite, the compact cameras and how to hold them steady. As I said before this is much more difficult than holding a DSLR (single lens reflex), and there’s a reason for that, it’s because they’re so small, they’re small and they’re light. That’s why pros like heavy cameras: it’s because it’s easier to hold a heavy camera steady.

No viewfinder makes things more difficult

Okay so here we are, we’ve got our cigarette-pack size compact camera with its LCD on the back. Now the manufacturers, to save a bit of money, have done away with viewfinders on most of these cameras. That’s another big problem, because without a viewfinder we can’t use the tripod method that I mentioned before of holding the camera against our forehead and bracing it that way. Of course, if you have a viewfinder that’s better, although the viewfinder in these small cameras don’t tend to be very good, frankly.

Don’t be a windmill!

So let’s assume for the sake of argument you haven’t got a viewfinder. Now which bright spark thought up this design as far as consumers are concerned I don’t know, because we have all seen people wandering around holding their cameras out at arm’s-length, squinting in the sunlight at their LCD, trying to work out whether or not they’re getting a good shot. You see the cameras waving around in the breeze like windmills.

The only way we do get a sharp shot – or that we get away with it – is because we’re using a fast shutter speed in bright sunlight. But we’ve all had that disappointment when the light is maybe not so good and the camera automatically selects a slower shutter speed, of finding out that our photos are blurred. Now maybe if you just want to use them very small, they’ll still be okay but if you want to use them any size at all, you have to be more careful.

How to hold your Point-and-Shoot

Okay, so what are we going to do with this? We can’t put the camera up to our eye, so we have to hold it at least a foot or two away from us. Now don’t hold it out at arm’s length. This is the secret. Try and brace your elbows against your body – I know it’s difficult! First of all let’s talk about holding the camera horizontally. You’re holding the camera with two hands and you can maybe brace it by holding your thumb on the bottom and the left-hand finger up the side, and with the right hand you’re operating the zoom with the thumb and the shutter with your finger. Now frankly I find it totally impossible to zoom smoothly and take a photograph at the same time. I always first select the zoom I’m going to use and then concentrate on taking the image.

Don’t forget you’ve got to squeeze the shutter very carefully, because with a small camera it’s so easy to get the dreaded ‘Slanties’ – hey we’ve all done that! I remember Helen my wife used to have a lot of problems with that and to be blunt, I did too. No matter how softly you squeeze that shutter sometimes the horizons are just not straight. So you’ve got to be really careful on that. Squeeze it slowly and don’t press to hard and jab at it, otherwise you’ll never get it straight – trust me, I speak from experience.

Putting it all together

Okay, so let’s sum up: we’ve got our elbows braced against our body, we’re holding the camera in two hands and we’re squeezing the shutter very slowly. Now vertically you may well find that you can put the index finger of your left hand right up the side of the camera and put your thumb along the bottom. Then carefully brace the camera with the thumb of your right hand and squeeze the shutter button slowly with the index finger of your right hand. That’s the best you can do. Where possible try and get closer to your subject and don’t use a long telephoto because unless you’re using a fast shutter speed – and we’ll talk about later – you will find it very difficult to get a stable photograph.

Well, that’s about all for the point-and-shoot at the moment. It’s not easy to shoot steadily with a point-and-shoot camera. Usually it’s safer to use a faster shutter speed whenever you can. I’ll close off now, so until next time this is Tony Page from Travel Signposts Photo wishing you: Good Shooting!“

The post The War Against Blurry Photos: Holding Your Point and Shoot Camera appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Using a tripod is the best way to get rid of blurry photos due to camera shake. Find out about tripod types, how to choose the best one for you and using it with these tips from Tony Page of Travel Signposts Photo.

“Hi, I’m Tony Page from Travel Signposts Photo, and in furtherance of our continuing war against the Curse of Blurry Photographs today we’re going to talk about that accessory we all hate but we wish we had with us when we haven’t got it: yes, the tripod.

You need a tripod

Now there are lots of tripods, different types made out of steel, magnesium, titanium and now carbon fibre; and all have one thing in common: they are a nuisance to carry around. But they’re very useful, in fact, essential if we want to take certain type of photographs. If you need to take photographs with long exposures there really is very little substitute. There are substitutes, we’ll talk about those later, but first of all let’s look at the tripods.

Types of tripod

Now this one is my trusty Gitzo: it’s made of steel, I believe and weighs about 3 kg. I carried it around for a long time as a travel journalist, still do occasionally, but it’s quite heavy, although it’s very useful, especially for beating off marauding thugs in downtown Manila or the occasional pack of dingoes in outback Australia. However if you’re on holiday it’s not the kind of thing you want to be carrying around with you all the while.

This one is a carbon fibre tripod. This is what I use now, it weighs about a kilo, and and you can have different heads on it, as you can with all my tripods. Of course it’s a Gitzo, and carbon fibre, so yes, it’s expensive, but you can get plenty of cheaper tripods that will do okay. But beware, you know that cheap tripods are very often cheaper for a reason.

How to test out your tripod

Here is a good way of testing out your tripod. Put it up to its maximum height or at least to that height at which you’re most likely to use it. Now, put your hand on top of it, you don’t have to have the camera on it, put your hand on top of it and move it backwards and forwards. The tripod should not move all and in fact that’s the really amazing thing about these carbon fibre ones, you know. When I first got one I thought ‘uh-oh, these legs are very thin, they’re going to be flexible, it’s going to be a bit shaky’. It’s not, it’s amazing, if you put your hand on top of it you can’t move it at all from side to side and the rigidity is astonishing, and that’s what you’re paying for.

So that’s the first thing to test when you’ve got your smaller or cheaper tripods: test the stability. It’s absolutely no use whatsoever to get one of those tripods that wave about in the wind or quiver whenever you touch them when there’s a camera on top of it. And don’t forget that if you’ve got a really heavy camera you’re going to need a more rigid if not heavier tripod.

Strained wrists or trapped fingers?

The next thing to check about tripods is how they go up and down. Now you’ve got a choice here, generally one of two, trapped fingers or strained wrists. Just joking, but I tend to like the twist method, you can see it on this Gitzo here. Others swear by the clips. I find those clips tend to catch on things and sometimes they get a bit too much dirt in them. But you pays your money and you takes your choice. Another thing to look out for, and you’re seeing more of this now, are the tripods where the legs can reverse for packing, that can be helpful, and another thing is to make sure your tripod legs really go out quite flat because it’s surprising how often you can get a good shot from a very low viewpoint. On some tripods you get to 45° and you’re stuck, so give that a go.

Don’t forget a cable release

Okay, that’s about it for tripods, except to remind you that one thing you should always have with you if you’ve got a tripod and that’s a cable release. There’s not much point in having a tripod and then hitting your finger on the release and giving it a bit of vibration that way. So do get a cable release, they cost little and they don’t take up much space. You can use a timer, of course, but a cable release gives you more precision, and when you want to take that night shot of that car coming past you just at the right time a cable release is the only way to go.

That’s it for tripods, next time: Monopods. Until then this is Tony Page from Travel Signposts wishing you: Good Shooting!”

The post The War Against Blurry Photos: Using A Tripod appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.

Using a Monopod is a great way to get rid of blurry photos due to camera shake if you don’t want to carry a tripod. But monopods have their limitations: find out about choosing and using a monopod with these tips from Tony Page of Travel Signposts Photo.

“Hi everyone, Tony Page from Travel Signposts Photo here again, and in our continuing War Against Blurry Photographs at this time we’ve enlisted the help of every travel photographer’s favourite third leg: yes, the monopod.

Monopods are stabilizers, not tripods

Okay, monopods are not so good as tripods, let’s get that out of the way straight away. Monopods should be seen as stabilizers rather than as tripods. There’s an obvious reason for this, you can’t use a cable release with a monopod and they’re not free-standing. The principle of a monopod is relatively easy. You are part of a tripod: one of your legs forms one leg of the tripod, your other leg forms the second leg the monopod is the third. The cameras is mounted on the top of the monopod and placed firmly against your forehead so that you are basically forming a tripod.

As you can see there are a few problems here, and not the least of which is when using a point-and-shoot camera and you want to focus on your LCD, you are really defeating the whole purpose of the thing. Because when you think about it, even if you’ve got your elbows jammed against your body and you’re holding the camera as firmly as you can, when you’re looking at the LCD it’s never going to be possible to hold it as rigidly as you can when you looking through, say, a viewfinder of a DSLR and you’ve got it firmly against your forehead.

Different types of Monopods – and hidden advantages

That said, there are many different types of monopods. First things first, check your tripod, because you can often unscrew one leg of your tripod and use that as a monopod. You will in that case of course need an extra ball and socket head on the top of your monopod so that you can mount the camera on there and get it at the right angle, otherwise it’s impossible to use. The next thing is to look at the bottom of the monopod’s leg. Some monopods these days have got a fluid head actually mounted on the bottom designed to make it easier for you to move and pan the camera around. But it’s really not necessary, especially for still cameras, and I believe it’s best to keep things simple.

Now there are other advantages of monopods, of course, they are extremely useful as a walking stick if you twist your ankle or if you’re on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela when they can be used as a walking pole. However, apart from that it is true if you want to be sneaky in museums, they can easily be disguised as a walking stick and, you know, it’s easier to get at least some photos inside there. However, I wouldn’t be advising that for one moment, you should completely stick to all the rules.

Monopods well worth considering

Okay, that’s it basically for monopods. They’re well worth considering, not the least because although a lot of us don’t want to lump around a tripod, we may consider it with a monopod and if you’ve got it with you, that’s half the battle. However, if you are using a point-and-shoot my advice is to use a mini tripod or one of the other methods that I’ll talk about in a later episode. That’s all for now, so until next time this is Tony Page from Travel Signposts Photo wishing you: good shooting!”

The post The War Against Blurry Photos: Using A Monopod appeared first on Travel Signposts Photo.