Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Photo Book
Comment: I'm about halfway through the book and so far it is just as enlightening as his book on nature Photography!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works Great for Me!
Comment: I found this book to be fantastic and would give it more stars if I could. The interesting things about books is that they have different impacts on people, and I can't guarantee that this book will work for you. So, I want to explain what I like and why so you can make a good decision for your own needs. First, the production, layout, concept, and execution of the book are all outstanding. The book is printed on glossy paper (and takes a highlighter very well), and the font is thin but very attractive and readable. This book for me was a perfect textbook for composition, exposure, white balance, and other technical aspects on the shooting side.
It is also as good a text on working in the digital darkroom using Photoshop Elements, which makes it a rare resource. It does not cover all the Elements tools and would not be the only Elements book in your library, but that is not his purpose. The Elements issues apply the most important tools and his advice on which to use under different circumstances.
You could call it an applied shooting and Elements book. Rick Sammons provides a large set of photos, with before and after shots to illustrate his points, whether about shooting or the use of Elements in the digital darkroom. I found that I was aware of a lot of his tips and suggestions, which helped reinforce what I already know. And there were many new ideas and observations that will help me improve my photography on an end-to-end basis, from planning and equipment through printing.
He has divided the book into several parts to cover his themes. There are 98 short lessons that are designed almost exclusively so that you can read without needing to refer to either your camera or Elements. Once you have absorbed the lessons, you can use the book as a reference while you shoot or work in your digital darkroom. In many cases, Rick combines several important points in a lesson focusing (no pun intended) on before and after shots. For the shooting aspects, he is brave and open enough to show some of his shots that are clunkers, or at least not his best work, explaining why they fall short of good photos. He will then show the same shot or scene using the correct techniques for the reader to compare.
He always gives information about the shutter speed, focal length, ISO, and other information to help readers understand his point and how to improve their work. He also is genuine enough to point out that pros are not perfect. He also points out that he and virtually every pro he knows use autofocus for the most part and that they even use program modes under certain circumstances. He makes it plain when to use the auto features and when to move toward taking more control of the camera. I tend to write reviews of the books I really like, so my average ratings are high, but this book was fun to read (he has a good sense of humor but is more controlled than Scott Kelby). If you are looking for a comprehensive text for DSLRs and Photoshop Elements, this is fantastic. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book with great photo/ examples, insights and techniques/tips
Comment: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography
reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)
Authors: Rick Sammon
website: www.ricksammon.com
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Pap/Cdr edition (October 2003)
Released: 2006
Pages: 512 pages
$ 40 USA
50 Canada
ISBN-10: 0393325512
ISBN-13: 978-0393325515
Strengths: Very easy to read for all levels of photographers. Superb photography and examples to illustrate examples how brilliant photos were made along with comparison and contrasting view, ideas and perspectives which give the user much to think about in terms of photography in general. Utilizes Adobe Photoshop Elements but regular Adobe Photoshop can used as well.
Weaknesses: None found.
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced
Rating: 5/5
I found an article by this author in a photography magazine. I was intrigued by his clarity of thought and ideas. After contacting him, I found out about his website and this great book. Now in the second edition, I decided to review his ideas related to digital photography. As an educator and photographer, I always have more to learn and this book has everything I want.
Ricj Sammons is an award winning photographer. I thought it most interesting to read how and when he started with his photography and developing his skills. This information in this insightful book, introduces basic technical picture. At the same time, the tutorials and information, convey information about the art of photography while communicating advanced digital techniques. If you think that this book is only for advanced photographers, you are wrong.
This second edition includes all the image editing tips while using the features for the popular Adobe Photoshop Elements application. Of course, users can use regular Adobe Photoshop for the lessons but knowing all these lessons can be applied with the lesser but still very capable Elements, is really good to know for all users but especially those who can't afford the full version of Adobe Photoshop.
File format discussions now has information about Camera RAW files which is most helpful because more and more photographic enthusiasts are trying to use and work with RAW format. These hands-on instructions and insights by the author are especially welcome to all who are working their way to creating better photos by using RAW.
Each "lesson" has one to two pages. Within the 526 pages, there are 170 new color images that have been added from the previous 1000 color photographs. These spectacular photo are great stimuli for visualizing what the author is " talking about. " In addition the author brilliantly compares photos and succinctly adds wisdom with each sentence. He points out the many ways and manner with which the photos are better with a different view, angle, idea or adaptive use of the camera. With the easy reading style, the reader can identify how the author has made the photo better. Then the user can adapt and utilize their own photographic in a similar situation or endeavors.
This is a great book for novice to advanced users. It is for anyone who wants to upgrade their photographic techniques, no matter what level you are presently involved. The price is right and the book is filled with ideas and helpful views. The author not only handles the tutorials in a easy to read fashion but allows the reader to focus on the reasons for making the photos better. The author allows you to "think" and "peer inside his mind." In this way, the user "sees" how the photos were originally taken but also how the next "version" improved the photo to a higher level. In the same way that the author has taken his photographs to different levels, he is also " communicating to you how to come along for the ride." That way when you are in a similar situation or environment, these new found methods can be practiced.
The author has completed a masterful visual and composed text that is stunning in many ways. The photos and the book are not only a "journey for reading, " they are a feast for your eyes, learning and making better photos for now and in the future. What more could you want for improving your photographic skills? The title says that it is a " complete guide." I can't fault him for that part of the title. I am still reading the book to learn more myself to complete more of my photographic education.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography 2.0
Comment: Pretty good. He's a little egocentric, though, alot of the text is just him talking about how he took his photographs. However, there's alot of handy information to be gleaned from listening to an experienced photographer gloat. ~_^
Customer Rating:
Summary: One star for each good section
Comment: This book was fantastic from Page 1!
(... All the way to page 161.)
Then I'm afraid the author spends about 200 pages on topics clearly outside his expertise. He seems a good and enthusiastic photographer and while most of the photography sections were review, I found them engaging and full of useful reminders.
But I couldn't stomach his spouting on the digital side.
He seems clearly out of his element. Most of the information was at least somewhat wrong, and some was laugh-out-loud silly. (For example recommending using PDFs to e-mail images to friends instead of the pervasive JPEG standard.) His advice on choosing Mac versus Windows was balanced (good), but missed the salient points like tolerance for errors, desire to be more "mainstream", and what your friends have. Virtually all the technical content is extremely pin-point dated, as well, which makes the book useless in this area about 12-months later.
His product mentions are the other offensive point.
He omitted any mention of alternatives! I can understand the strong (if unmerited) weight placed on Photoshop Elements--after all, it's in the book's title. But to only mention one specific name-brand plug-in filter or some specific memory-card rescue software without ANY mention of the dozens or so other options is unforgivable. It's either lazy or a sell-out to sponsored product placement. (I expected him to say things like, "Your camera uses a device called 'Sandisk Extreme II' to store its pictures...") I would not be surprised if Adobe Marketing had first crack at editing this 450-page advertisement.
I don't review things often. And it's usually when I find something so disappointing that I must warn people against it.
Bottom line: (a) I would find the book worth the read, for the first 160 pages or so, if you can borrow it from a friend or library. But skip from page 161 to about 350 where he gets back into some useful (albeit lightweight) photography tips.
Better yet, (b) get a separate good book on photography (there are hundreds), and get some *other* dedicated book on just digital workflow or Photoshop, or whatever.
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