We review Digital Photography from the Ground Up and more

In this all-new book review shootout, we put three books to the test. Read on to learn how Digital Photography from the Ground Up by Juergen Gulbins, The Digital Photography Companion by Derrick Story, and Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage stand up to our editorial review.

Digital Photography from the Ground Up

Digital technology has revitalized the interest in one of the most fascinating creative hobbies: photography. This "ground up" guide to digital photography will help the novice photographer get started with a firm foundation in understanding the principals and techniques of modern photography. It will also guide the more experienced photographer through the transition from analog to digital photography.

Whereas most other books on digital photography focus on image editing in Photoshop this book deals with the photographic workflow from capture to print and storage.

In this book the reader will learn:

• How imaging occurs in digital cameras
• What to look for when buying a new camera
• An understanding of composition
• Digital shooting techniques
• Image editing printing and presentation
• How to archive and organize photographic images

This is not a book that explains which button to push but it is what the title promises: an in-depth course loaded with valuable information and tips.

Connected Photographer's evaluation

We've only recently started covering Rocky Nook books, but they're all quite exquisite. This is no exception. If you want to get started with digital photography, you can't go wrong with Gulbins' book.

Digital Photography from the Ground Up by Juergen Gulbins, published by Rocky Nook, is 300 pages and has a retail price of $34.95. We give Digital Photography from the Ground Up a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Digital Photography Companion

Are you ready to take photos that reflect your creative spirit rather than just another set of snapshots? Then you want this book in your camera bag. Well-organized so you can look up topics quickly The Digital Photography Companion gives you creative tips and technical advice for taking top-notch digital photos in a wide range of conditions and for a variety of occasions. In other words this book will help you make pictures that look better than everyone else's.

Professional photographer and teacher Derrick Story whose online tips and podcasts at The Digital Story have made him a popular photography blogger gives you plenty of examples of how to capture great shots of people places landscapes and more. He also provides a complete summary on camera features tips for printing sharing your images and an overview of photo management applications.

Connected Photographer's evaluation

When we were kids, we used to go hiking and always used to bring with us books called Field Companions, which helped us identify flowers and plants from the pictures in the book. This book is almost like a Field Companion, it's a helpful resource you can bring along with you. We quite like it.

The Digital Photography Companion by Derrick Story, published by O'Reilly, is 230 pages and has a retail price of $24.99. We give The Digital Photography Companion a rating of 4 out of 5.

Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual

After more than two years Adobe has finally released a new version of Photoshop Elements for the Mac. Version 6 packs a lot more editing firepower than iPhoto and this Missing Manual puts every feature into a clear easy-to-understand context.

Photoshop Elements 6 is perfect for scrapbooking making fancy photo collages and creating Web galleries. It has lots of new features such as Guided Edit for performing basic editing tasks an improved Photomerge feature a handy Quick Selection Tool and much more. But knowing what to do and when is tricky. Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual explains not only how the tools and commands work but when to use them.

Connected Photographer's evaluation

At 554 pages, this book will take you a long time to read, but Elements is a pretty big product. We heartily recommend both the book and Elements 6. As with all of the Missing Manual series, it's a very clear read.

Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage, published by Pogue Press, is 554 pages and has a retail price of $44.99. We give Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual a rating of 4 out of 5.