Scott Kelby books are my favorites!
Scott answers all of my questions at the exact moment I have them.
It is like talking to a friend.
Yes, his humour at times drags you down BUT you can always just skip the first chapter of each section and ta da, you have everything you need without the distractions. (or read the whole thing and chuckle away).
Amazing color photos. Tricks and hints abound in this book and volume 2.
I highly recommend any beginner and advance photo bugs out there to buy these two volumes.
I read them both very quickly and use them for constant reference.

The information in the book was very helpful, easy to read and had great tips.

I bought this book (Digital Photography) along with
The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography.

The Betterphoto Guide was a lot better. Unless you plan on attending a wedding, I would go with the BetterPhoto guide, especially if you want to learn how to control lighting, and exposure.

I purchased both this book and the second volume. I can best describe the value of Kelby's books by telling you the following story. I thought I was lending these books to a good friend who's a very highly experienced and gifted professional photographer. After a couple of days he called me and told me how much he liked the books and that it was so nice of me to let him have them! Guess I'm buying them again. Both of us really like Kelby's sense of humor - reminds us of our own conversations. I found the Photoshop sharpening techniques he describes to be superior to all the ways I've tried. Just this one little trick more than paid for the book. Kelby's photos alone make the books a worthwile purchase. I would highly recommend these books as required reading for anyone starting out. They'll most certainly be useful for experienced photographers as well.

I am an Art educator at the university level and a collegue recommended this book as a text for my Digital Photography class. I purchased it for review and was totally disappointed. If I wanted a book of tasteless humor I would have asked for one. It is insulting and dumbed down to a degree that may explain the popularity and success it has achieved. That being said, for my pains I did learn one photoshop shortcut.

i love this book because it doesnt give me headach. most book i always have to take a break.. this book teach me alot. i just want to keep reading it. i was kinda sad that it's over at the last page. I bought a camera.. it's on the way now.. this help me know the basic of the camera. its great for beginner.

I read this book with great pleasure. It is a must for every beginer.

This book is a must have for any beginner thru advanced amateur. I'm in the advanced amateur category. Gives you solid opinion. You can choose to investigate or accept; regardless, this is inexpensive advice you can use to great value. Buy it or give as gift. I cannot wait for an updated or new version. I will buy the next gen of this book immediately.

have recently purchased an SLR Nikon camera. love the thing but know that I am not using it to the full potential.
I am hoping this book is my aanswer to all my woes.
I have looked it over and it appears to be user friendly and that is always a help.
I am pleased with my choice.

First off, I like the way author Scott Kelby makes you feel as if he is taking you out, teach you personally. He takes the mystery out of getting those nice sharp pictures that, if you were like I was, are very elusive. He tells you straight what you need to do, how to best spend your hard earned cash, and shares some great tips and tricks, as well. Besides being very informative, this book is also entertaining. You can read it straight through, but also can get a lot out of it if you pick it up for 5 minutes and learn bit by bit. I am back on Amazon right now to buy his next book.

You know those shots when the planets lined up, a polar bear kisses a penguin, a full solar eclipse during a lightning storm, etc. that you were so stoked to get the pic, only to see it later and have it out of focus, overexposed, what have you...those days are gone. Quit reading reviews and get the damn book already.

Scott Kelby delivers excellent IDEAS what you can do with DSLR, both of his book should be One Book.
I recomend it for everyone.

This book doesn't offer enough info to bother with really. Not enough in depth for the buyer really wanting to learn "Digital Photography". Also I wondered in product recomendations if I was reading advice or advertisment.

I wish I could understand the more technical aspects of a camera and photography. I found this book easy enough to understand as I went through and tried to duplicate the work this author had done. It takes time regardless of what we know what we want to know. I am glad to have this book in my collection to go over points I am forgetting when I don't take photos daily.

Dear fellow amazon.com shoppers,

I bought volume 1 and volume 2 of Scott Kelby's books together with my Pentax K200D. As a photo-enthusiast and DSLR starter I really enjoyed reading this two books. Both read very easy and takes you in a fast pace through the basic and intermediate know-abouts of professional digital photography. Volume two picks up right where volume 1 stopped, so both books actualy make 1 big total package. The author doesn't bother you with too technical explanations but takes you with him on a shoot as a friend would do. Every chapter he describes how to best do this and that. Starts with landscape shooting, all the way to sports, macro, weddings, nighttime shooting etc. Every chapter is dedicated to a certain discipline and gives you more usefull information than you'll be able to remember the next time you go out on a shoot. So the book grows with you as your experience grows. You read the chapter again, ie. Landscapes, and hey: i forgot about this and that, let me try that the next time when I'm in the mountains. When you control every discipline described in these books, then and only then you can move on to more technical and specific books. The chapters read very fluently with a great deal of humor and pragmatic 'aah, so that's how they do it' moments.
For the price, get both at once as you really need both to get going!

Good luck improving your photografic skills!

Great book to get you "into" digital photography. Reading it makes you feel like he is standing there looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do and how to do it.

I purchased this book on the recommendation from the store where I purchased my SLR camera. I was looking for a book that will tell me the terms of using an SLR camera in English and be a fun read. Well, I have read the book from cover to cover several times now because I pick up new things each time I read it. I liked this book so well that I purchased it for my Brother-in-law so he could learn to use his SLR camera better and I just purchased it for a friend of mine who just got an SLR camera and wanted to learn more.

I really enjoyed this book for all the great info and tips. I like the way it was broken down for each topic covered and lots of great images for examples. The author does have quite a sense of humor, but I rather enjoyed it and it kept things interesting without being to over the top. A lot of great topics covered from recommended equipment such as filters, tripods, printers & and even paper. Great recommendations on website and couple of tips for adobe. Also recommendations of creative approaches to taking photos and not just explaining settings to use on the camera fir certain situations. Must have for any owner of a DSLR.

bought this book as a gift for my sister as she just got a new dslr. She found very easy to read and quick to search for what questions she has. Great tips especially for starters. Great book to keep as a reference, good physical size too makes easy to carry around whilst still learning.

This little book is exactly as advertised. I use a compact camera for extensive travel trips and a digital SLR for other photo shoots. Scott Kelby presents material that provides tips useful for both kinds of cameras. Primarily for amateurs who want to improve the quality of their photographs without a lot of additional effort.

Love this book ...................Lots of great information within!!
Great price and great service...........Thanks Amazon!

I bought this book after purchasing my camera, but didn't review it closely enough.
When I had a specific need to get some good shots, I went back to this book and studied it closely.

The learning and depth really occurs with the explanation of the manual settings on most popular brands.
Namely, White balance, ISO (film speed), shutter speeds, F stops and Burst mode, for quick sequential shots.

Understanding these settings, and practicing with your camera, will improve your photographs. You can then return to the book, for a better understanding of the tips.

Many times, I'm trying to recapture exactly what my eyes are seeing at the moment not end up with something that is starkly lit by a "flash bulb". These settings, with the help of the book will give you a good understanding (or at least a lot of practice will) of how to capture the moment.
I never realized how much better shots can be without the flash. Users really need to try to force themselves away from the "auto" setting on their camera, except for the MOST basic shots.

With storage space so cheap, it's so much easier than the days of film and film processing to get the practice you need.

The downside of the book is that it tries to cover almost too much info. (lenses, filters, kids & old people) I think some of this could have been left out, and focus around manual settings could have been covered in better depth.

I think the book is a very good starting point, and should also be used as an ongoing reference until you are comfortable with your brand of camera and its settings.

After reading the reviews here on Amazon I have to say I was highly disappointed in this book. Instead I would recommend Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) which the author of this book recommends himself.

This book is full of lame jokes about shoving other photographers down and breaking their equipment to "get the best shot." There is no clear explanation of how shutter speed and aperture work together to give you the proper exposure. If any of my family or friends asked me if I thought this was a good book on photography, I would tell them to avoid it at all costs.

This is a great book if you want to improve your photography. To move to the next level of photography, you need to read this book. Scott is witty and this book shows you different ways to really great shots. K. Frank

I had just purchased an SLR camera and was totally confused! This book is written in an easy to read fashion ...even easier that the "For Dummies" book! There are easy examples such as "If you want to take a photo that looks like this, then do this". I carry this book with me when I go out shooting now.

This is a must have for anyone who is familiar with photography and wants to move up to the next level. Scott has a great way of explaining things in a straight forward matter and making you understand the more technical side of this sometimes confusing field.

I think I have bought this book 5 times for friends who are getting into the field and would recommend it to anyone.

It's so simple and makes you understand what you need to do to know your camera

Bought this book to start getting more detailed information about photography. This book helps you to learn some tricks to get better photos, it is a very practical book, the author goes straight to the point when describing what camera settings to use in each situation (aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc) without going too deep into the physics of how the camera and lenses work. If you are just migrating from point-and-shoot cameras to SLR/dSLR, this book is definetely recommended.

I am an assistant wedding photographer aside from my regular job as an accountant. I have read this book and I can say that there are so many great tips! I love how he says "if you want this type of picture, you do this". I took a photography class, and got a bit confused with the numbers, and I was so glad to have run across this book. It has helped me tremendously! After reading this book, I also read his book on Photoshop CS2, and that has helped a lot too, as I bought the software, but knew nothing on how to use it.. now I take great pictures a lot easier, thanks to his cool tips, and I can use Photoshop CS2 like a pro.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book- you will not be sorry you did.
Here is a funny thing. I was at a wedding, and noticed the photographer (i was not shooting this wedding) used a lot of the techniques he said to use. I asked her if she read the book, and she said that is her "photography bible".

I had a tough time finding reviews for the Kindle version for this book - I wish Amazon would have an option to separate them out. I have volume 2 in paperback. I was hesitant to get a Kindle version for one reason - the Kindle version does not have color nor are the photos very good. And that is why I rate it 3 stars - it is not going to be the same as the book itself.

However, the photos and images are included in the Kindle version which I think is still a good thing as it helps to fully understand the particular subject.

I don't have volume 1 in book form and can't compare them side by side but the Kindle version appears to be the same (based on how volume 2 is).

I bought the Kindle version because we Kindle users always have our Kindles with us and whenever one is out taking pictures it's good to have those tips with you. And it works just fine on the Kindle for looking them up.

They didn't break the tips out on separate pages like the book. I am not sure why except it may have made the file larger and with the photos taking space it may have been a mess. But it doesn't create a problem that I have found yet. The full table of contents is there and also appears to work correctly (I didn't try every single one).

I know a lot of people complain about his humor - it is bad. But I can understand his intention - just like computer people, they try to make their profession more important by intimidating amateurs (with good reason). This is his attempt to make you feel more comfortable. It doesn't bother me that much, I still get the tips.

The sample is not going to help you decide. Amazon needs to fix that by making it the first chapter, not the TOC or acknowledments or other worthless info.

But his info is very good, lots of great tips for taking better pictures.
Some complained about it being for beginners. If you are that good, why are you looking for a how-to book?

Update: It appears that they didn't do a lot to port this book over to the Kindle - the index is still listed but with no references, just a list of words. It doesn't create problems but adds a few unnecessary pages.

I had a tough time finding reviews for the Kindle version for this book - I wish Amazon would have an option to separate them out. I have volume 2 in paperback. I was hesitant to get a Kindle version for one reason - the Kindle version does not have color nor are the photos very good. And that is why I rate it 3 stars - it is not going to be the same as the book itself.

However, the photos and images are included in the Kindle version which I think is still a good thing as it helps to fully understand the particular subject.

I don't have volume 1 in book form and can't compare them side by side but the Kindle version appears to be the same (based on how volume 2 is).

I bought the Kindle version because we Kindle users always have our Kindles with us and whenever one is out taking pictures it's good to have those tips with you. And it works just fine on the Kindle for looking them up.

They didn't break the tips out on separate pages like the book. I am not sure why except it may have made the file larger and with the photos taking space it may have been a mess. But it doesn't create a problem that I have found yet. The full table of contents is there and also appears to work correctly (I didn't try every single one).

I know a lot of people complain about his humor - it is bad. But I can understand his intention - just like computer people, they try to make their profession more important by intimidating amateurs (with good reason). This is his attempt to make you feel more comfortable. It doesn't bother me that much, I still get the tips.

The sample is not going to help you decide. Amazon needs to fix that by making it the first chapter, not the TOC or acknowledments or other worthless info.

But his info is very good, lots of great tips for taking better pictures.
Some complained about it being for beginners. If you are that good, why are you looking for a how-to book?

I've been casually shooting for years, but wanted to start getting serious. I got The Photography Bible, which is a good introduction to all the basics of photography, but that's about all. It doesn't really give you much practical knowledge or advice for how to get out there and take great pictures.

This book took up where the other left off excellently, though you could easily start using it as a complete novice and really start improving your photography. In fact this book is geared specifically for the complete beginner. The author's sole purpose is to get you taking better photos as quickly as possible and he therefore leaves out a lot of the technical jargon and explanation. He teaches you only what you need to do with your camera and setting to get a specific result. I could see this direct approach being a detractor for those wanting to know why to use a certain shutter speed, aperture , ISO or flash and if you want to know the science behind photography, this book is not for you, but it will be perfect if you're a beginner and simply want to get out there and improve your photos.

There are plenty of technical manuals out there for photography. This book is for everyone else. I highly recommend it!

Easy to read and understand. Gives simple tips to correct problem photos, lighting, appeture. Very good book for the beginner and helpful tips for more serious photographer. Some unnecessary "wild goose chases" that take up space and don't teach you anything but I the author is just trying to keep it lighthearted and not so technical. I actually purchased volumn 2 as well and it has less of the "chatter".

Scott Kelby gets into to every aspect of digital photography that is importent to me and does so with the language that makes it easy to understand. Good job.

i bought this for my husband. he is into digital picture taking. he says it is the best book he has seen on the subject. to the point and very easy to read and understand. so that is what i say .. i stand by him in his evaluation

Is a good book. If you need deep knowledge about photography, isn't a good purchase. It have a lot of tips.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I can't wait to get out with my camera and try out these tips! I've read several Scott Kelby books and have loved them all.

This book is the first title by Kelby that I've read. As a newbie to digital photography, I wanted something credible, yet with simple, straightforward content. Kelby's work here is a perfect match to what I was seeking. He is very much the professional, as his photographs and credentials attest. Despite his lofty status however, he comes across as very personal in these entertaining, informative pages. He shows a quirky sense of humor over and over, which I admire in dealing with a subject that could easily be over-technical. He also gives information that is practical -- I found myself again and again taking my camera and seeing exactly how I would use the tips he provided.

Kelby gets an easy five stars here -- I'd give six if they were available! I've got his second volume on this same subject, and look forward to reading more of what he has to share.

Don't want to learn through a complicated classroom. This the book for you. Tells you how to get the shot with out giving a lecture on all the settings and theory of how to get the right picture.

Other reviewers have noted Mr. Kelly's slightly odd sense of humor --- I really didn't mind it that much, and in fact it was pretty much entirely isolated to the intro to the book and the chapter intros, so if it bugs you just skip those sections. The rest of the book is full of fantastic tips, ranging from the obvious-to-anyone-who-has-taken-a-picture to those that made me go "Huh, I never would have thought of that."

I guess my only complaint (if I had one) is that he never mentions any equipment I use (I have an Olympus dSLR). To be fair, that doesn't really matter since his tips aren't equipment-specific (and he makes a point of mentioning it at some point), but it made me feel a little left out.

Unless you're a professional photographer, you'll probably learn some great stuff from this book, so it's well worth the really cheap price (plus it's chock-full of full color pretty pictures).

Great how to without tons of theory. Just good advice.

Super cheesy chapter introductions, but not overly distracting, and overall an excellent book for the beginner and intermediate photographer.

BUY THIS BOOK!! Dont waste your time at the library or searching the internet...you will not be let down. This book has humor and it gets right to the point. It doesnt over talk each subject. It is plain and simple!! It is small enough that you can keep it in your camera bag and be able to flip through it to find just the right instruction for your situation. I am so glad my friend recommended this book to me and I am SURE you will be pleased too!!!

This is a nice book for people who like a bit of humor in their learning - and are prepared to read through it to get the tips. It's a nice straightforward book but I think I would have like a little more information on specific shot set ups (different landscapes etc.) and maybe some project ideas.

This is a nice little fast/easy to read book, with a lot of tips. If you're advanced (in any way) there's other books you might want to read instead.

I've been taking photography classes since high school and been reading books since then. Everyone with the exception for a few offer the same advice, follow the rules and then take the picture. While this method offers much more depth and knowledge why things are done, it's very hard to point someone new to do "xyz" without getting confused.

The idea of this book is a bit different, here the author "talks" to you as if you were shooting together and you simply asked him a question. I really enjoyed reading this book as it is similar how I would explain photography. Instead of explaining rules I would simply show how it's done.

That being said, I don't think this book alone would be a good resource for a new or even experienced photographer. Scott Kelby skips over the details but as far as I know, he still explains critical items. Overall, I really like this book and give it to friends who are just starting in photography. Yes, it's not perfect but honestly which is easier to read. This book or the manual that came with the camera?

This is one the best books I've ever read on Photography. Scott cuts through the crap and give the reader clear easily understood directions on how to take great photos with a digital camera. Once I've mastered what's in book I, I'll certainly move on to book II.

What a fantastic book. I really cant say enough about how much this book just stripped away all the B-S and gave me exactly what I was looking for. Sure, I have other books to tell me all the background details (which will take years of study to master) but in the mean time this book helped me hit the ground running. One quick afternoon of reading and the very next day my shots had improved. I will be immediately purchasing the second volume.

One caveat - you need a sense of humor. Kelby has a very dry sense of humor that I found just endlessly entertaining, but I do notice that a few people prefer their books to be boring. If you like boring instruction manuals, this book is not for you.

This is probably the best how-to photography book I've ever read. This covers only a few topics that general consumers are interested most. This book is very easy to read. This is a vertical dissect of the interested areas. Instructions are very clear and precise. This helps you to the take reasonably good (if not professional) looking pictures very quickly. From there, you would have enough skills to expand your horizon. Enjoy!

once you get past the authors humor the book has good content and is full of good advice. I have put his hints to work in photoshop and taking pictures. I'm new to DSLR but have used 35mm SLR and high end P&S cameras for a few years. I own several other books by Scott Kelby, all are good. I would recomend this book.

The book is amazing. Who cares about the jokes in the first five pages!? If you are going to pass up buying this book because of a few negative reviews about the jokes then thats too bad.

Get it for what its worth. Great and fast tips. Let me just give you an example of how I used this book the other day for a fast tip. They were shooting off fireworks for Victoria Day in our city so I opened the book to the page on fireworks and he tells you straight. Put on a 200mm zoom lens, set your SLR on Manual Mode, Set it for 4 seconds shutter speed, set the aperture to f/11 and fire away. Its just that simple.

I never expected this kind of books to be so enjoyable before reading Scott Kelby's work. It's no doubt the best guide for any DSLR amateur and fan, like me, for many years just shot around without any pro knowledge but only passion and love for life. Almost Every page provides me fresh realizations for phtography and I believe my experiences have improved a lot under Kelby's instructions. Many fascinating photos are presented inside which yield a most straightforward way for teaching.
Besides, I prefer the useful Tips always come at the bottom of a page. They are not only wisdom for shooting but also wisdom for life.

The author does have a quirky sense of humor, which I found funny, personally. However, this book does offer clear and direct ways to improve the pictures you take, without going into pages of detail on photography science and theory. Although this won't be the last book I ever get on the subject, it is an excellent choice as one of the first.