Digital Nature Photography

The book is divided into chapters first dealing with photography principles, like light and color, and then into chapters dealing with specific subjects, like sunrise and sunset. Each chapter is then broken up into subheadings, each of which gets a page or two. The author has tried to keep the information and guidance general so that it can be helpful to all digital camera users. The material is easily read. Unfortunately, his approach often creates broad generalizations that are of little use.

Unlike film, where, after taking a picture, the medium can be brought to a photofinisher who will finish the job of creating a paper image or slide, digital media usually require some sort of downloading from the camera to a computer, and then a printer. While this process can be very simple for the user, (it's possible to download your pictures right to a printer, although to get the most from the digital process, some manipulation is usually desirable). The author recognizes this by showing a couple of before and after images that he has manipulated with Photoshop software. Unfortunately, in this chapter, he goes into a level of technical detail far beyond that contained elsewhere in the volume that only someone trained in Photoshop will understand. . In addition, I think the author may leave the impression that Photoshop's main use is altering reality. While that is one use, I consider the program to be designed to allow you to make a photograph look the way you envisioned it at the time you took the picture.

A problem with the approach Cox takes is that anyone interested in the control that digital photography provides over the image will be unsatisfied. For example, many digital cameras provide histograms of the picture taken. (Histograms are graphic representations of the distribution of light values in a picture.) The histogram is perhaps the single most potent tool offered by the digital photography, allowing photographers to insure they got the best exposure possible for their vision. Yet there is not one reference to histograms in the entire volume

In summary, if you are a beginner, interested in taking digital nature pictures, but not ready to immerse yourself too deeply in the technology, this will be a fine book for you.

For those who want to delve more deeply, I can't recommend a single book. On the general topic of nature photography, John Shaw's "Nature Photography Field Guide" is outstanding, although there is no consideration of digital procedures. To examine what makes digital photography different from film photography and how to capitalize on the differences, I recommend "Shooting Digital: Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera" by Mikkel Aaland (although I'm sure there are even better volumes out there with which I'm not familiar). Finally, for learning Photoshop I recommend "Photoshop Artistry" by Barry Haynes. This last provides a series of tutorials on Photoshop aimed specifically at photographers. It will take a while to work through but there's really no quick way to learn this most important piece of software for the digital photographer.


NIce Photos, But "Digital" in Title is Misleading   September 1, 2003
Bruce Appelbaum (Yorktown Heights, NY USA)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Cox is a terrific photographer, and the information in the book is useful.

I guess it is a good thing that 95% of the information in the book applies equally to film and digital photography -- but that leads to the conclusion that having the word "digital" in the title is misleading (except that all of the photographs in the book were made with a digital camera).

If the book had been titled "Nature Photography" it would have been more accurate.

Niall Benvie's books on landscape and nature photography have much more "digital" content.


A fantastic book for all digital photographers   December 4, 2003
Michael P. Kareck (Corvallis, Montana)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

'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.


Straight to the Point   December 21, 2003
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

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.


Artistic   September 7, 2003
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

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!