Yvonne J. Butler - The Advanced Digital Photographers Workbook: Professionals Creating and Outputting World-Class Images

T here are numerous reasons why you might have this book in hand. You have finally decided its time to learn how to calibrate your monitor, you are a film diehard and you just want easy post-capture solutions, or youve got a digital workflow thats not exactly the easiest to get through. Perhaps you see some exciting topics from some of the best in the business and you want to check them out or your in-laws have given you a copy of this book for your birthday and you thought youd better open it up and have a look. Whatever the reason, we would like to rock you out of your existing digital comfort zone and take you into a new zone full of somewhat complex yet practical solutions for advanced photographers. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. We want you to increase your digital imaging power by taking it to the next level.

This digital imaging how-to book comprises topics and information we deem critical to the future growth of the advanced photographer. We believe most of us learn by doing and doing and doing. We also believe we all have to pay our dues and spend time reading available information and staying abreast of the latest developments in the photo industry. We firmly believe it is up to all of us to test drive the technical background information and sample exercises found in this book and adapt them to our own styles and preferences.

The first part of the book might be the toughest or at least the driest one for you to get through, unless of course you are a techno-geek who thrives on techno-chatter. We know some of you might leaf through the first chapter or even all of .

where we take you through some fascinating enjoyable discussions on how we approach lighting challenges in a digital context, the ins and outs of portraiture, the new developments in digital macro-and infrared capture, and the omnipresent allure of travel photography, that all-encompassing niche for eclectics. Sure, we could have covered other specialties, such as fashion, architecture, and outdoor/nature/landscape, but we elected to select a few to serve as a basis for your other work. Light is light and color casts are color casts; issues of highlights and shadows are always there no matter what your specialty or forte might be.

is devoted to the fine art studio, with an insiders view of how two fine art specialists produce their masterpieces.

Finally in , after you have worked your way through all the steps for creating breathtaking color-managed images, we want you to tie down the components that will help ensure your output matches what you originally saw and/or created. What is the point of grabbing or creating the best shot of your lifetime only to find your print does not even come close to your vision? The chapter on inkjet printing and color synchronization will take you back to the importance of system-wide calibration and reinforce color techniques for output. The last two chapters provide a little more on black and white and fine art printing, respectively.

There is something here for just about everyone. Have fun with whatever you elect to work on and through. Well look forward to seeing your world-class images in magazines, galleries, online, and elsewhere. Were counting on it!