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Digital Photography: A Basic Manual
This thorough, concise, and easy-to-use guide to capturing digital photographs provides an entire step-by-step course for budding digital photographers. All concepts are fully illustrated with sample work by internationally renowned professionals, representing editorial work, photojournalism, and everything in between. Topics covered include essential information for both film and digital photography, such as exposure controls and shutter speed, as well as digital-specific information on image editing, printing methods, and even file storage. The first digital textbook by legendary photography teacher Henry Horenstein, Digital Photography is the best guide yet for aspiring digital photographers, essential both for photographers transitioning from film to digital and those learning the art of photography for the first time.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2011
13 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Henry Horenstein
60 books12 followersHenry Horenstein (b. 1947, Boston) is an American artist photographer. Henry Horenstein has worked as a photographer, teacher and author since the early 1970s. He is the author of over 30 books, including a series of photographic textbooks that have been used by hundreds of thousands of students over the past 30 years. In 2003, Chronicle Books published Honky Tonk, Horenstein's documentary survey of country music during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Honk Tonk was also presented as an exhibition by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2006. His work has been collected by many institutions including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.; the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Library of Congress; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Henry Horenstein current lives in Boston and teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 16, 2012
Equally engaging and informative, whether for the beginner, or more seasoned digital photographer looking to improve technique.
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual I feel teaches more than the basics when it comes to the DSLR, DSLRs, or the hybrid cameras on the market. There were a few times I found myself having to go over chapters again to clarify things, not because the book is not well written, but because there are some aspects of digital photography that can be quite confusing. For example, when it comes to lenses and their focal, length, and angle of view of different lenses it can be quite time consuming if you would like to learn more than the basics. For me, these were some pages in the book I just could not quickly skim through without some confusion.
The introduction of this book has a Quick Start Guide which is helpful for those who have never used a digital camera before. From there you move on to Chapter 1: Digital Capture, which lists the different types of cameras available on the market. This part of the chapter then goes into more details on different types of cameras while covering some specifics of each type of camera. Then the main focus turns to the digital camera itself. Specifics then covered on the digital camera are the image sensor, pixels and image processor. You are also given basic information on setting up a digital camera and you are taught about file formats, image sizes, white balance and miscellaneous camera settings your camera may or may not have. It continues into memory cards, types and speed, and transfer rates. This section on memory cards I found interesting and helpful, especially the information about how memory cards come in different classes and how they are rated according to their speed, also called data transfer rate. All of which affects how fast a memory card can capture a picture or how fast the card can transfer photos to a computer. This chapter ends with miscellaneous camera capture equipment and trouble shooting.
Chapter 2: Camera Lenses, begins with information on the camera lens itself and its focus and auto-focus capabilities, including its reaction to low-light, reflective surfaces, snow, sand and sky, close-ups and the also the manual focus mode. This was another chapter that helped me by teaching me why my camera behaves the way it does when in auto-focus mode during certain times. This instilled in me more confidence now to switch to manual focus and use it more often when my needs are not met with auto-focus. In the next topic, Exposure, I learned about aperture, exposure, and f-stop. Here I learned the most commonly available f-stops which include whole f-stops, and full f-stops. It also goes into more complicated lens aperture changes, partial f-stop, half f-stop and third f-stop. One important aspect I learned here was that a lens is described (mm on a lens) according to its widest f-stop. This is the widest it can open, which explains why fast lenses are the most expensive lenses on the market due to their large aperture. Another thing to keep in mind is also the higher the number of your lens the smaller the lens opens. The chapter continues with disadvantages and advantages of different size lenses and with minimal instructions on setting f-stops due to the wide variations in cameras. The information after this point gets a little more complicated with the focal lengths and millimeter sizes of zoom lenses and prime lenses describing normal, wide angle and telephoto lenses and how an optical measurement of a focal length is determined.
These were only the first couple of chapters in this book, which should give you an idea that this book has a lot of information in it. The title can be misleading to one who thinks they know everything there is to know about photography, may have missed learning some basics along the way, or might need a refresher in some aspects of digital photography. Because of this I would recommend Digital Photography: A Basic Manual to anyone, whether you just received your first digital camera or you have had one for years and would like to improve your digital photo taking abilities. Overall, I enjoyed reviewing Digital Photography and learned many important aspects of that I benefited from and will help me be a better photographer.
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual I feel teaches more than the basics when it comes to the DSLR, DSLRs, or the hybrid cameras on the market. There were a few times I found myself having to go over chapters again to clarify things, not because the book is not well written, but because there are some aspects of digital photography that can be quite confusing. For example, when it comes to lenses and their focal, length, and angle of view of different lenses it can be quite time consuming if you would like to learn more than the basics. For me, these were some pages in the book I just could not quickly skim through without some confusion.
The introduction of this book has a Quick Start Guide which is helpful for those who have never used a digital camera before. From there you move on to Chapter 1: Digital Capture, which lists the different types of cameras available on the market. This part of the chapter then goes into more details on different types of cameras while covering some specifics of each type of camera. Then the main focus turns to the digital camera itself. Specifics then covered on the digital camera are the image sensor, pixels and image processor. You are also given basic information on setting up a digital camera and you are taught about file formats, image sizes, white balance and miscellaneous camera settings your camera may or may not have. It continues into memory cards, types and speed, and transfer rates. This section on memory cards I found interesting and helpful, especially the information about how memory cards come in different classes and how they are rated according to their speed, also called data transfer rate. All of which affects how fast a memory card can capture a picture or how fast the card can transfer photos to a computer. This chapter ends with miscellaneous camera capture equipment and trouble shooting.
Chapter 2: Camera Lenses, begins with information on the camera lens itself and its focus and auto-focus capabilities, including its reaction to low-light, reflective surfaces, snow, sand and sky, close-ups and the also the manual focus mode. This was another chapter that helped me by teaching me why my camera behaves the way it does when in auto-focus mode during certain times. This instilled in me more confidence now to switch to manual focus and use it more often when my needs are not met with auto-focus. In the next topic, Exposure, I learned about aperture, exposure, and f-stop. Here I learned the most commonly available f-stops which include whole f-stops, and full f-stops. It also goes into more complicated lens aperture changes, partial f-stop, half f-stop and third f-stop. One important aspect I learned here was that a lens is described (mm on a lens) according to its widest f-stop. This is the widest it can open, which explains why fast lenses are the most expensive lenses on the market due to their large aperture. Another thing to keep in mind is also the higher the number of your lens the smaller the lens opens. The chapter continues with disadvantages and advantages of different size lenses and with minimal instructions on setting f-stops due to the wide variations in cameras. The information after this point gets a little more complicated with the focal lengths and millimeter sizes of zoom lenses and prime lenses describing normal, wide angle and telephoto lenses and how an optical measurement of a focal length is determined.
These were only the first couple of chapters in this book, which should give you an idea that this book has a lot of information in it. The title can be misleading to one who thinks they know everything there is to know about photography, may have missed learning some basics along the way, or might need a refresher in some aspects of digital photography. Because of this I would recommend Digital Photography: A Basic Manual to anyone, whether you just received your first digital camera or you have had one for years and would like to improve your digital photo taking abilities. Overall, I enjoyed reviewing Digital Photography and learned many important aspects of that I benefited from and will help me be a better photographer.
June 8, 2020
This textbook was excellent to supplement our lectures in class. The visuals are really helpful, and the information is broken up to be logical but not too long-winded.
March 16, 2018
This really is the missing manual for my DSLR camera. it really helped solidify the concepts of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
November 1, 2023
This book is highly readable. It uses very clear language and is combined with effective illustrations and mentor examples that showcase the section learning outcomes. The author has done a great job selecting photographs that don't just show the technique in practice, but show creative manipulations of them—photographic goals are presented. For example, right in the thick of the focal length section, a landscape photo is presented. The author highlights for us that the high focal length used gives the photo a significant, abstract effect. Photos from effective camera obscura, post-production, aperture are also shown.
Beginner textbooks are laden with rote techniques (acquisition). This book does more in giving us the how as well as the GOAL. Other books tend to be directionless; this book gives you the path and the direction.
Beginner textbooks are laden with rote techniques (acquisition). This book does more in giving us the how as well as the GOAL. Other books tend to be directionless; this book gives you the path and the direction.
December 4, 2020
A detailed, if slightly outdated, look at photography as an art form. It not only invigorated me to dabble in the field, but also changed my perspective on it.
Shout-out to to Prof. Jefferson Henson for an awesome photography class!
Shout-out to to Prof. Jefferson Henson for an awesome photography class!
October 21, 2021
This is honesty one of my favorite textbooks I’ve ever had to read. It’s very detailed, but it’s all very easy to understand. It provides all the technical details one would need to take quality photos. It’s a great resource to keep on your shelf.
July 27, 2025
I had this recommended in a class I'm taking. It was generally highly informative and it did actually help me to improve my photography skills. It's somewhat outdated, but I won't take off points for not predicting the future.
September 4, 2019
a good start. It covers the basics
November 9, 2011
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY by Henry Horenstein
Published by Little Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0-316-02074-9
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a TPB was sent at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: This thorough, concise, and easy-to-use guide to capturing digital photographs provides an entire step-by-step course for budding digital photographers. All concepts are fully illustrated with sample work by internationally renowned professionals, representing editorial work, photojournalism, and everything in between. Topics covered include essential information for both film and digital photography, such as exposure controls and shutter speed, as well as digital-specific information on image editing, printing methods, and even file storage. The first digital textbook by legendary photography teacher Henry Horenstein, Digital Photography is the best guide yet for aspiring digital photographers, essential both for photographers transitioning from film to digital and those learning the art of photography for the first time.
My Thoughts and Opinion: I feel that this review needs to start with a few caveats. I know very little about cameras. I sometimes even forget to take it with us to special events, and then even if I do take it, we hardly use it. Why? The pictures do not turn out that great. They are out of focus, off center, fuzzy, etc etc. That's why I so enjoyed this book. It was a how to for those, like me, that know very little and also for those who are more experienced using different lenses and lighting. How to deal with the dreaded red eye to back lighting. How to copy your pictures to your computer to light meters and shutter speed.
In my opinion, the best way I can describe this book is to compare it to a cook book. There are many "recipes" or in this book, "instructional guides". You can read it either at the stage of a photographer you are at, a how to, a trouble shooting issue, or like me, who knows very little, where to start. The photographs in the book are beautiful. Now with this manual, I plan on taking my camera wherever I go, and practice taking pictures and hopefully share some with you.
My Rating: 4
Published by Little Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0-316-02074-9
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a TPB was sent at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: This thorough, concise, and easy-to-use guide to capturing digital photographs provides an entire step-by-step course for budding digital photographers. All concepts are fully illustrated with sample work by internationally renowned professionals, representing editorial work, photojournalism, and everything in between. Topics covered include essential information for both film and digital photography, such as exposure controls and shutter speed, as well as digital-specific information on image editing, printing methods, and even file storage. The first digital textbook by legendary photography teacher Henry Horenstein, Digital Photography is the best guide yet for aspiring digital photographers, essential both for photographers transitioning from film to digital and those learning the art of photography for the first time.
My Thoughts and Opinion: I feel that this review needs to start with a few caveats. I know very little about cameras. I sometimes even forget to take it with us to special events, and then even if I do take it, we hardly use it. Why? The pictures do not turn out that great. They are out of focus, off center, fuzzy, etc etc. That's why I so enjoyed this book. It was a how to for those, like me, that know very little and also for those who are more experienced using different lenses and lighting. How to deal with the dreaded red eye to back lighting. How to copy your pictures to your computer to light meters and shutter speed.
In my opinion, the best way I can describe this book is to compare it to a cook book. There are many "recipes" or in this book, "instructional guides". You can read it either at the stage of a photographer you are at, a how to, a trouble shooting issue, or like me, who knows very little, where to start. The photographs in the book are beautiful. Now with this manual, I plan on taking my camera wherever I go, and practice taking pictures and hopefully share some with you.
My Rating: 4
December 11, 2011
In the not too distant past, high quality camera equipment was expensive to buy and complex to operate. Today, digital cameras make it easy and affordable for everyone to take great pictures. With a little knowledge even the beginner can make shots that look like those of the pros.
This book is a beginning guide to learning and understanding the basics of digital photography. It is not an instruction manual for any one brand or type of camera. It is a guide which takes you through the process of taking the photo, editing the image, printing the picture and storing the digital copy. It is geared more toward a DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex) camera, but the author also includes point and shoot cameras in his discussion. Some of the point and shoot cameras are limited in the features they offer but many of the new ones are very sophisticated and techniques discussed in the book can be applied to them too.
There is a lot to learn but this book makes it easy with a multitude of examples and detailed explanations. There are many sidebars with helpful tips, definitions of terms and illustrations. Example photos are included to demonstrate many of the techniques being described. The book covers the same topics and points that would be taught in an introductory photography class. Chapters cover types of lenses, shutter speed, exposure, lighting, editing and printing.
This manual is very comprehensive; learn as much as you need to get started, play around with the camera, and then come back and learn something more complex. I have been taking digital photos since 2003 and have had my DSLR for a few years now but even I learned something new from this book. My Canon will shoot in RAW format but I always shoot in JPG, for convenience. Shooting in RAW will give me much more control in editing so I’m going to be working on those techniques.
Whether you are new to digital photography or just want to increase your skills with the camera, this is the book for you. One of the best things you can learn is how to change your camera settings and not rely on “auto”. The difference will be amazing.
This book is a beginning guide to learning and understanding the basics of digital photography. It is not an instruction manual for any one brand or type of camera. It is a guide which takes you through the process of taking the photo, editing the image, printing the picture and storing the digital copy. It is geared more toward a DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex) camera, but the author also includes point and shoot cameras in his discussion. Some of the point and shoot cameras are limited in the features they offer but many of the new ones are very sophisticated and techniques discussed in the book can be applied to them too.
There is a lot to learn but this book makes it easy with a multitude of examples and detailed explanations. There are many sidebars with helpful tips, definitions of terms and illustrations. Example photos are included to demonstrate many of the techniques being described. The book covers the same topics and points that would be taught in an introductory photography class. Chapters cover types of lenses, shutter speed, exposure, lighting, editing and printing.
This manual is very comprehensive; learn as much as you need to get started, play around with the camera, and then come back and learn something more complex. I have been taking digital photos since 2003 and have had my DSLR for a few years now but even I learned something new from this book. My Canon will shoot in RAW format but I always shoot in JPG, for convenience. Shooting in RAW will give me much more control in editing so I’m going to be working on those techniques.
Whether you are new to digital photography or just want to increase your skills with the camera, this is the book for you. One of the best things you can learn is how to change your camera settings and not rely on “auto”. The difference will be amazing.
December 30, 2011
Description:
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual is the camera enthusiast's best friend. It is a full-color guide with textbook quality pages and images that teaches camera usage basics- no matter the type of digital camera owned. There are chapters about each basic camera function including: Digital Capture, Camera Lens, The Shutter, Camera Exposure, Subject Lighting, Scanning, Image Editing, Printing and Other Outputs, which show the reader how to get the most out of their digital camera experience.
Review:
When I saw this title up for review I had to give it a try, especially since I just finished taking Intro to Digital Photography. My one qualm about the textbook I used for the class was that it lacked detail and often jumped around from point to point without any real flow. But Henry Horenstein's manual is all-inclusive and full of pictures, diagrams, and tables that aide in the comprehension of the material. The steps and examples are easy to follow and full of tips for both the tech-illiterate and the camera savvy, making this book a must have for any camera owner who wants to make their camera skills sharper and their photos more amazing. I really enjoyed the chapters on lighting and image editing and will definitely be using this book as a reference when I am out and about taking photos. I will recommend this book to my photography professor as well as anyone interested in taking a better pictures or learning about digital photography in general. This book is one of the best camera resources that I have read to date.
Rating: On the Run (4/5)
*** I received this book from Little, Brown and Company (Book Blogs) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual is the camera enthusiast's best friend. It is a full-color guide with textbook quality pages and images that teaches camera usage basics- no matter the type of digital camera owned. There are chapters about each basic camera function including: Digital Capture, Camera Lens, The Shutter, Camera Exposure, Subject Lighting, Scanning, Image Editing, Printing and Other Outputs, which show the reader how to get the most out of their digital camera experience.
Review:
When I saw this title up for review I had to give it a try, especially since I just finished taking Intro to Digital Photography. My one qualm about the textbook I used for the class was that it lacked detail and often jumped around from point to point without any real flow. But Henry Horenstein's manual is all-inclusive and full of pictures, diagrams, and tables that aide in the comprehension of the material. The steps and examples are easy to follow and full of tips for both the tech-illiterate and the camera savvy, making this book a must have for any camera owner who wants to make their camera skills sharper and their photos more amazing. I really enjoyed the chapters on lighting and image editing and will definitely be using this book as a reference when I am out and about taking photos. I will recommend this book to my photography professor as well as anyone interested in taking a better pictures or learning about digital photography in general. This book is one of the best camera resources that I have read to date.
Rating: On the Run (4/5)
*** I received this book from Little, Brown and Company (Book Blogs) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
November 13, 2011
Digital Photography is a wonderful way to get acquainted with your digital camera or if you plan on buying a new one, it will help you decide which is best for you. I plan on buying something more than the point and shoot that I currently own, so this book is very timely. It explains exactly what all those numbers mean and how to get the most of your camera even if it is a point and shoot, something a lot of photography books don't mention. It not only goes into detail about what settings to use on your point and shoot, but how to get the most out of it. The chapter on lighting is priceless since it will help you find the best angle and light direction to get the best picture even before you click on the shutter button.
Each chapter combines graphs, diagrams and photographs to help you figure out what to do in each situation to get the best picture. It is easy to follow and the steps are spelled out so easily that you can remember them when you don't have this guide to help you. If you plan on buying a camera or gifting one, get a copy of this book to go along with it since it will make that gift even more valuable.
Each chapter combines graphs, diagrams and photographs to help you figure out what to do in each situation to get the best picture. It is easy to follow and the steps are spelled out so easily that you can remember them when you don't have this guide to help you. If you plan on buying a camera or gifting one, get a copy of this book to go along with it since it will make that gift even more valuable.
January 1, 2012
Once upon a time, you had a choice. You could buy a simple Instamatic camera where everything was pre-determined and locked in place, or you could buy a fancy SLR camera for a lot of money, and you got to (or had) to set everything. Then came digital photography when suddenly not only did we not have to worry about the cost of film (though batteries can eat you alive) but we could decide, even with the simplest cameras whether we wanted to play with the settings or have the camera decide what they should be. So, what is an f-stop? What is white balance? What difference does lens speed make? Those questions and more are answered in Digital Photography: A Basic Manual. Besides telling you how to use all those settings on your camera, there are also chapters on lighting, scanning, image editing and printing. In short, this book can take you from point, shoot, print to adjust the camera, set the scene, take the picture, edit it and print it.
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy. Grade: A.
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy. Grade: A.
February 5, 2014
I wanted to read this book because the instructional dvd that came with my DSLR isn’t clear enough for me to “get it”. The man holding the camera and pointing to the different settings has his hand in the way most of the time so I can’t even see what he’s talking about.
I thought this was a great book for anyone wanting to learn about digital photography. There are clear instuctions, diagrams and photos to help you get a good understanding of what you’re reading.
There are chapters are:
Getting Started
Digital Capture
Camera Lens
The Shutter
Camera Exposure
Subject Lighting
Scanning
Image Editing
Printing & Other Output
I learned terms that I’ve never heard of before like burning and dodging & histogram. I plan on putting this book in my camera bag so that it will be handy whenever I need it.
This was definitely a good introduction to digital photography because it is easy to follow. The only thing I would have liked better would be for the print to be slightly larger.
I thought this was a great book for anyone wanting to learn about digital photography. There are clear instuctions, diagrams and photos to help you get a good understanding of what you’re reading.
There are chapters are:
Getting Started
Digital Capture
Camera Lens
The Shutter
Camera Exposure
Subject Lighting
Scanning
Image Editing
Printing & Other Output
I learned terms that I’ve never heard of before like burning and dodging & histogram. I plan on putting this book in my camera bag so that it will be handy whenever I need it.
This was definitely a good introduction to digital photography because it is easy to follow. The only thing I would have liked better would be for the print to be slightly larger.
November 10, 2011
Won this as a Goodreads giveaway!
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual does an excellent job of breaking each aspect of photography and the camera down in a manner that is easy to understand. The images chosen as examples are extremely helpful an clearly demonstrate the technique being explained.
Digital Photography: A Basic Manual does an excellent job of breaking each aspect of photography and the camera down in a manner that is easy to understand. The images chosen as examples are extremely helpful an clearly demonstrate the technique being explained.
October 29, 2011
I won this book in the Goodreads giveaway. Great manual, very informative.
November 8, 2011
Explains topics really well and clearly....very informative. easy to read and understand.
July 1, 2012
This is an excellent and very informative book. It is great for both beginner and veteran photographers.
August 10, 2014
Reviewed for course that I was just assigned (!); recommended by friend and excellent photographer and photography teacher F.C.
December 14, 2014
wrapping up reading for my Fall/Winter photography class - lots of good information!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews