Digital Photography has caught on like wild fire. At no other time in human history have so many people been taking pictures. I feel this is a good thing as it means in decades to come we will have our past history documented like no other time in history, that is assuming we can come up with a good way to backup all of these digital treasures, but that topic is for another time.

 

Many people buy a digital camera and it is their first camera. Or, they have had film cameras in the past but aren't sure about the differences between film and digital. While both are photography there are differences between the old traditional photography using film and the new modern photography using silicon. Even people that have had digital cameras before are often not as knowledgeable as they should be. There are very few things in life where a person can say "I know enough. I am not learning any more about this."

 

Digital Photography The Missing Manual is the perfect book for these people. If your new and just starting with digital photography you will get a lot of information on the hardware, software and techniques that can help you get the most from your computer, software and help you get the best images from your digital camera. You see it isn't about what camera you own or how much you paid for it. Photography more than anything else is about having a good time and taking pictures of the things and people you care about. Now, if you aren't new to digital photography there is still a lot you can learn from this book. Like how to best manage your image collection, how to backup your image collection, how to fix basic photo problems, how to move beyond simple snapshots and more.

 

This is a full color book, it is loaded with screen shots and it has many little sidebar articles throughout, things like Viewing Data About Your Images, Choosing a Color Space and more. The book is easy to read, very thorough and really takes you from the basics through image correction, enhancement to printing to e-mailing your photos and more.

 

Chapters:

Chapter 1: Digital Camera Basics
Chapter 2: Pointing, Shooting, and Basic Composition
Chapter 3: Beyond the Simple Snapshot
Chapter 4: Getting Photos onto Your PC
Chapter 5: Organizing Photos on Your PC
Chapter 6: Storing Your Photos Online
Chapter 7: Backing Up Your Photo Library
Chapter 8: Organizing and Backing Up with Elements
Chapter 9: Basic Photo Fixes
Chapter 10: Rotating, Cropping and Resizing with Elements
Chapter 11: Elements Quick Fix Tools
Chapter 12: Advanced Photo Retouching with Elements
Chapter 13: Creating Special Effects
Chapter 14: Sharing Your Photos Online
Chapter 15: Emailing Your Photos
Chapter 16: Printing Your Photos
Chapter 17: Creative Photo Projects

If you're new to digital photography or even an intermediate user there is a lot this book can teach you. It is easy to read, easy to understand and it is laid out very well. It covers PC programs like Google Picasa, Kodak Easyshare, Adobe Photoshop Elements and more. It is important to note that this book covers Windows only! This is a must have for any new or semi-experienced digital photographer.