• Digital Photography Books – General digital photography link to Amazon books and merchandise – a good resource for the latest books and gear and software available online.
  • Digital Photography Suggested Reading List:  I found all of the the books below to be quite helpful (simple consumer feedback in action!)  Generally speaking, if you like step-by-step guides then my guess is that any text by Scott Kelby would be a good fit – just make sure that  the text covers the same version of software that you may be using…  If you are into ‘the details’ then Harold  Johnson and the late Bruce Fraser provide a good introduction to the background concepts as well as the evolution of current practices in digital color management and printing.  If you want to explore color adjustments with Photoshop then the books by Dan Margulis are great resources.  For a slightly different view of the creative process then consider the book by Vincent Versace.In many cases the information presented is applicable to newer versions of software, and, it is also common to see updated editions of these books covering the latest versions of the software.  The Digital Photography link above should connect you with many of the current titles.  Many of the authors and titles below provide new/updated versions of the titles below and many create a new book for every version available (so my summaries are probably still adequate for the books listed.)

  1. Professional Photoshop, Author: Dan Margulis.A ‘by the numbers’ approach to color correction.  This is the most opinionated book that I think I have ever read – quite revealing but you may need to read it more than twice!
  2. Photoshop Artistry, Authors:  Barry Hanes, Wendy Crumpler and Seán Duggan.  If you are just getting started with digital photography then this is a great book to get you going.
  3. Photoshop Lab Color, Author:  Dan Margulis.  A detailed exploration of the use of the LAB color space with Photoshop.  [I created some simple online examples (with images from Red Rock Canyon, Nevada) as well as from photographs taken during air travel) using techniques presented in this book.]
  4. Welcome to Oz, Author: Vincent Versace. What’s real got to do with it? This book contains quite a bit of information and techniques for creating both believable and beautiful images. There are a number of simply gorgeous images included.  Note that the approach is described as cinematic – images are carefully crafted using a number of techniques.
  5. The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers, Author: Scott Kelby. A step by step reference for mortals. A great introduction to many often requested or used tasks with Photoshop CS2.  Mr. Kelby has an entertaining approach to his chapter introductions (at least in this book) – you can skip them and jump right to ‘the meat’.  Honest!
  6. Mastering Digital Printing, Author: Harold Johnson.  A detailed introduction and guide for creating exceptional quality digital prints.  If you are extremely lucky then all you will ever do it click ‘print’ – it is more likely that you could benefit from exposure to the information that Mr. Johnson shares in this book.
  7. Real World Color Management, Author: Bruce Fraser. A detailed discussion and guide to establishing good color management practices.  Another great resource for understanding how to work with digital color images.
  8. Real World Camera RAW with Adobe Photoshop CS2, Author: Bruce  Fraser. A detailed discussion focused on the use of RAW image files and workflow automation.
  9. The DAM Book, Author: Peter Krogh. A much needed discussion of digital asset management with many useful suggestions, tips and resources.  If your images have value (or if you value them!) then developing or expanding your understanding of D.A.M. is a no brainer… :)
  10. Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers, Author: Martin Evening. A good resource covering many of the ins and outs of using Photoshop CS or CS2.  While the title is similar to the Kelby book this text provides more details.  I also enjoyed the layout of this text.  [Book updated to cover up to CS 4.]
  11. Photoshop CS2 Workflow, Author:  Tim Grey.  This book focuses on using  CS2 with a RAW file workflow.
  12. Image Sharpening with Adobe CS2, Author: Bruce Fraser. A detailed discussion on image sharpening.  Halos are king…