Ken's Latest

I started writing this book because I felt a crying need for a book that could solve the problems that serious hobbyist and pro photographers have to face daily. I wasn’t far into it before I realized that many of the problems that come up in digital photography are workflow related. So, although this book is dedicated to the processes needed for solutions, it’s been carefully organized to follow the most common workflow patterns.

I still have an abiding interest in workflow, the only path to truly non-destructive editing. Because of that interest, I’ve written some supplementary articles for the O’Reilly network. Anyone can read them on-line here. I have quite a few articles on this site, which you can find by clicking the Articles tab.

Because the book is called Expert Techniques, I felt obligated to take the reader well beyond even Photoshop CS, delving into all the third-party, extra-cost software that can sometime solve a problem in a (often uniquely) better way. Because few readers will want to invest in all these programs, I presented them more for what they can do and what their limitations are than in a step-by-step “how-to” format.

I’m also excited about this book because it’s in full color, printed on high quality stock. This only happened after years of begging and pleading with publishers to the effect that you simply can’t talk effectively about the capabilities of digital photography if you only print in black and white. If current sales of the book are any indication, I doubt I’ll ever have to argue that point again.

100 Ways To Get More From Your Digital Camera VTC Training CD, VTC (Virtual Training Company) $99.95 ISBN: 1932072306

There are many hours of interactive video lessons on this CD, all done in very high quality QuickTime movies. You get instructions on how to shoot and then on how to edit your photography in Photoshop 7 or Photoshop Elements 2.0. All the basics for digital photography at the serious hobbyist or business user level.

       

Digital Photography: 99 Easy Tips to Make You Look Like a Pro! Osborne/McGraw-Hill $19.99 (Amazon $8.00) ISBN 0072227931

This is easily the most complete information you’ll ever hope to get on digital photography for anywhere close to this price. There is no beginner’s book that will give you anywhere near this amount of information. Unfortunately, all the photos are in faded black and white and the publisher elected to use chartreause as a tasteless backdrop for the centerfold. Hey, for less than $20 it’s still a great value.

Here’s a customer’s review from the Amazon site: “The title says it all. This is my fifth book on Digital Photography and none of them has explored Digital Photography as clear as Ken has with this book. What makes it all the more interesting is that you can put into practice what you have read as you go along. It's a well earned 5 stars.Check out its comprehensive index and judge it yourself.”
    – Carlos Carceller, Sydney, Australia.

Photoshop(R) Elements: The Complete Reference, Osborne/McGraw-Hill $39.99 (Amazon $27.99)

If you own Photoshop Elements, and it is your only image editing program, you probably have a limited knowledge of just how powerful this program is. The ONLY book out there that is capable of rounding out that knowledge for you is Photoshop Elements 2: The Complete Reference. If you can still get hold of a copy, it’s still absolutely current, too.

Rather than tout myself, I prefer to give you the analysis and opinions of others when it comes to reviewing my books. The review that follows is perfect in all but one respect: I don’t believe in giving away my own “digital negatives” in order that others might re-interpret them in their own way. I also feel that the stock photos that many other authors use contribute nothing to the sense of how much the author knows about the subject he’s covering. Finally, any user will learn much more from working with self-created photos that are the result of their own personal expression. I’ve already told you what I think of publishers who print books on digital photography in black in white. After all, how many books on conventional photography (excepting those whose subject is black and white) are not printed in full color. There’s a reason why this is so. –Ken Milburn

A reviewer on Amazon: “Once you get your feet wet with PSE2 tools and commands [with simpler books such as "50 Digital Photo Techniques", "99 Easy Tips", "PSE2 for Dummies", etc] it's time to take stock where to go next. If those suffice, stop right here. But, if you want to go beyond and really understand the richmess of PSE2 and the great things you can do with your digital images, then this is the bridge between novice and intermediate-to-advanced user. The massive 750-page text certainly isn't for first-timers. But once you get a feel for tools such as Magnetic Lasso, Magic Wand or Clone Stamp, you want to know what all those little 'options" such as threshold and feathering can do to improve (or ruin) your images. Here's the place to go! Just the tips alone are worth the modest price [never knew that TAB toggles between a screen crowded with tools, palettes & bars, and an uncluttered full-sized screen; or that the SHIFT-key will let you move the image while painting or correcting an image]. Not only is every tool and command explained, and color calibration of screen and printer detailed, but the authors then go on with a hands-on workshop on filters, effects and painting, and final sections on the fine points of optimized printing and web publishing. The authors write clearly, precisely, yet with admirable brevity; they maintain a comfortable balance of lightness without resorting to the heavy-handed forced jocularity of certain yellow and black books.

“The greatest (albeit not fatal) flaws are:
a) absence of color illustrations alongside the text -- rather than the two full color page inserts tucked in the center;
b) a CD with full resolution color images for hands-on mastering of the techniques described in the various chapters is a virtual necessity, and would add little to nothing to the total production cost.
For these reasons, plus the fact that the author's website remains "...currently unavailable" for downloading compressed images, I deducted one star from the 5-stars for the content. Also, the index - although extensive - lacks references to common PSE2 terms such as anchor point, white point, portrait retouching, etc; a reference book certainly should have a near-encyclopedic index, as no one ought to read the book from cover to cover. All told: great intermediate level book that's easy to read and provides all the detail you might ever desire.”

The Digital Photography Bible, 2nd Edition, Wiley $49.95 (Amazon $34.99) ISBN 0764549510

Here’s the Amazon review: “Aimed primarily at the serious hobbyist or business professional, the Digital Photography Bible functions very well as an introduction to taking, retouching, storing, and publishing digital photographs, as well as choosing equipment and software. Instead of a step-by-step how-to on a particular application--like most of the books in the Bible series--this one is more of a discussion of the many different aspects of digital photography. Some topics--for example, emergent technologies--get only a cursory glance. However, for the most part, the book does a good job of covering everything you need to know to get started.

“Launching into digital photography means making a succession of comparisons, and this book has done most of the legwork for you. It examines the different brands of cameras and accessories, as well as the hardware and software you'll need to process the images, from printers to papers. Appendices chart out the comparisons and list 46 pages' worth of digital resources--from Agfa to Zing Network, an online digital-image community offering unlimited free storage.

“Author Ken Milburn shares his experience as a photographer, with tips and tricks on how to take a good image, whether it's the basics of high-quality photography or technical insights into working a digital camera--such as compensating for shutter lag or the usually excessive depth of field. He touches on several image-editing applications, but devotes the most time to the basics of using Photoshop.

“If you have extensive experience taking and processing conventional photos, but have yet to dive into digital, you'll be able to appreciate how the book weighs all the variables involved. If you've committed yourself already to a particular camera and software, you still will benefit from the help on how to get the most from them. The author's gallery of color photos shows examples of different problem-solving techniques covered in the text, and the companion CD-ROM contains demos of many of the applications discussed, including Photoshop 5.5.”
    – Angelynn Grant
    – This text refers to the Paperback edition”.

My comments on the above: This strikes me as a very accurate review. Unfortunately, the bulk of the photos are in black and white and are the worst reproduced photos I have ever seen. Also, the publisher saw fit to give co-author’s credit to a work-for-hire writer who wrote three chapters.
– Ken Milburn

Photoshop 7 Virtual Classroom, Osborne/McGraw-Hill List: $39.99 Amazon $27.99 ISBN 0072223081

A concise (352 pages) book on the basics of editing images, text, and Web-graphics in Photoshop 7 is integrated with hands-on interactive video lessons to cover more complex topics that are harder to understand when you have to wander through many text-only steps. At least the video lessons are in full color, which also makes the subtleties of the more complex operations much easier-to-understand.