audiobook The Body and the City: Psychoanalysis; Space and Subjectivity by Steve Pile in Arts-Photography

Review

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Digital Camera Techniques - Jon TarrantBy A CustomerDigital Camera Techniques[ISBN 0-240-51687-7]Jon TarrantFocal PressReview by John Shaw; Timeless Digital ImagingMy preconceived ideas led me to believe this was for those converting from film to digital photography; people who understood the basics of photography but wanted to get the best from their digital purchase.However; I found the opening chapters; covering subjects such as camera setting and exposure etc; pitched at beginners to photography. Among the information relating purely to digital equipment exists a fair amount of general photographic information and technique e.g. the causes of `Red Eye and how to counter it; Lighting techniques for indoor and outdoor etc. Beginners would no doubt find this information useful but it wouldnt have the same appeal to the more advanced photographer.The heart of the book contains chapters from file formats to colour management; vital to all aspiring digital enthusiasts. Here the intricacies of using digital media is explained and there is a very useful chapter on camera problems; where the author depicts some areas to be aware of when working with digital cameras; especially compact ones e.g. the time lag between pressing the shutter release and the camera writing the image onto the storage medium. This can ruin a picture especially at sporting events; where its important to record a picture at a critical point!Other important topics covered include printing systems and printing problems; for example a simple explanation is given as to the differences between the various ink cartridges and papers used. Also problems encountered in `home printing are explored; which to the uninitiated can yield unexpected results. I particularly like the paragraph; which seeks to demystify and explain the difference between the terms; ppi [pixels per inch] and dpi [dots per inch]; something that confused me for a long time!The author makes a good job of trying to address the subject matter and cater for the vast range of digital equipment now available; from simple compact to Digital SLR. As he mentions in his epilogue; the book took 15 months to complete; in which time further advancements have been made. Because of this you cannot realistically expect both extremes to be adequately covered. Therefore the book tends to target middle ground and concentrate on the functionability that would be included in mid range equipment.Overall this book would appeal to those people relatively new to photography and thinking of turning to digital media. It includes jargon free text and covers all the basics; enabling the reader to absorb and appreciate what I still consider to be; the exciting world of digital photography.