Unless you're a professional photographer, you'll find something valuable in this book. The author effectively goes through everything you need to know to be an effective digital photographer. From picking out the right camera for you to how to actually use it, I found this to be a thorough guide to all typical consumer digital photography needs.
Beginning photographers will appreciate the information on what to look for in a good digital camera as well as the composition tips. More advanced photographers will go for the section on setting the white balance and auto bracketing. Personally, I was really interested in the author's discussion on infrared photography. I used to take pictures on Kodak infrared B&W film years and years ago and didn't even realize you could do the same thing with a digital camera.
I found the last third of the book to be particularly fascinating. In this section, the author talks about organizing your photos and basics of working with many of the leading photo editing programs. The end of the book shows all the photos that were used in the book and shows exposure information as well as the camera make and model used to capture it.
I consider myself to be a pretty experienced digital photographer, yet I found many things in this book that I can immediately begin using to improve my digital pictures. Whether you're trying to figure out how to begin with digital photography or you're just looking to improve your skills, this is a recommended book.
"Derrick Story has a unique gift for creating order out of chaos. Digital photography turns things upside down and even seasoned shooters need help. Whether you are a complete beginner or a photographer with experience, Derrick is the go-to guy. His new book The Digital Photography Companion fits perfectly into my camera bag and is going with me on all my assignments from now on."
--Rick Smolan, Photographer, Creator of "Blue Planet Run" and "America at Home"
