Digital Nature Photography

by Jonathan Cox and Jon Cox

Book Overview

Digital Nature Photography is the definitive how-to book on photographing nature with a digital camera. Focusing primarily on the art of taking the picture in the field--rather than just manipulating... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817437916
• ISBN13: 9780817437916
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Amphoto Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.6" x 10.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent for switching to digital

This is a great reference for easing your way into digital nature photography. I have been shooting nature on 35mm film for about 20 years and I finally bought a digital SLR camera. Cox explains the new digital terminology so everyone can easily understand it. He gives information about the various camera settings, file formats, white balance and some helpful Photoshop techniques. It was also a good refresher on how depth of field, ISO settings and shutter speeds work to construct a photograph. You can also learn a lot from just looking at his images. He shows different lighting, close-up, landscape and portrait techniques and explains what he did to capture the photograph. If you are new to photography or making the switch to digital this is an excellent book!

Straight to the Point

I just wanted to pass along my appreciation for the book, "Digital Nature Photography". I've recently upgraded to a Canon G5 after discovering I had a decent eye while using an old Canon A20. As I made this jump I wanted to understand how to take better nature and landscape photographs, my favorite subjects, and this book came highly recommended by a friend. It cuts straight to the important information and reads very easily. I've gained a lot as a result of reading it.Also, beneath each photo example the author explains what he was trying to accomplish and how he went about it; not all books do this. This is very helpful. He organizes the book very well. Not only does this make for an easy read, but also works as a great reference guide.Bottom line: if you enjoy taking digital nature photography and want to get better, pickup this book.

A fantastic book for all digital photographers

'Digital Nature Photography' by Jon Cox is quite simply the best book I have ever read on digital photography of any kind. It is a must read for anyone who is moving to digital photography either as a hobby or on a professional level. What makes this book so good is that Jon has obviously made the transition from film to digital himself, and writes knowingly about issues anyone will encounter when approaching digital photography. These include such topics as digital media, batteries, tripods, and what quality of jpeg images to use. Not only does Jon address subject's exclusive to digital photography but the body of the book is a primer on photographic techniques in general. These topics are illustrated with magnificent pictures from Jon's portfolio and will act as an inspiration to photographers at any level. Subject such as how to shoot in snow, how to shoot during sunrise and sunset, and photography after dark are explained in a simple concise style that provide a rode map to success for anyone willing to try his techniques. He even has closed his book with an "assignment sheet" of ideas a budding photographer can work on to master the techniques included in the book.Weather you are a budding enthusiast or a serious photographer looking for a refresher and some new ideas, I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Artistic

A friend recommended this book to me and I would like to pass on the same recommendation. In a new digital world Cox has not forgotten the importance of creating a strong image. I love that this book offers artistic advice AND gives helpful hints about how to use the digital camera and computer as tools for creating the final image. It seems as though he isn't caught up in digital for the sake of digital. Lately I've seen work from photographers that digitally "enhance" their pictures with tricky photoshop filters, but dismiss the initial content of the piece. It's like the difference between a quality psychological thriller and a movie that relies solely on special effects. Cox stays true to his subject, by making his images as close to what the eye sees and what the mind remembers. His photography is strong for photography's sake and the digital camera just happens to be his tool. He points out all of the benefits a digital camera has to offer, while at the same time offering his advice about constructing an interesting image. I would also like to point out the use of variety in his imagery. It ranges from incredible scenes in Africa, to untouchable icy images in Antartica, but then comes right into your backyard. His backyard shots were just as dynamic as his far away places, which gave me hope for my own photography. It's really kind of funny, actually, that his book is about nature, but taken with digital tools and you would never know it. If you are just starting out with a digital camera or know someone else who is buy them this book!

User Friendly

This book is fantastic! I just purchased a digital camera about a year ago and have been waiting for a book to help me out. For the past year I have kept my coolpix 995 on the automatic setting, as I am unsure about all of the other settings. While the manual that came with my camera explains all of the different settings it is very difficult to understand, and therefore so intimidating that I give up. Within the first few paragraphs of Cox's book I was instantly thankful for explanations of confusing terms like "ccd"! I am not finished reading the book, but wanted to let everyone know how great it is. On top of very conversational reading the pictures are astounding! A lot of books will have amazing photographs that you think you could never capture, but Cox has such a warm delivery of his tips that I feel maybe someday I could come close to capturing some of the same images.