Finishing Off My New Book

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a new book that should be out by the first week of August. It's called (get ready for a really brilliant name) "The Digital Photography Book" (OK, the name's kind of simple, but somehow it works). This is NOT a Photoshop Book, it's a book designed for people who aren't happy with the results they're getting from their Digital SLRs. I talk to people all the time who upgraded from point-and-shoot cameras to Digital SLRS (like Nikon D70s, or Canon 20Ds) and they tell me that now instead of getting 3 megapixel photos they're disapointed with, now they're getting 6 and 8 megapixel photos they're disapointed with, so I wrote a book to help those very people.

Here's the premise of the book: If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me "Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?" I wouldn’t stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth and field. In real life, I’d just say, "Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower and fire away." You’d say, "OK" and you’d get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I out shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak.

Now, this book is NOT for professionals, so if you're a pro, skip it. But if you're not happy with the photos you're getting from your digital SLR camera,and you want nearly 200 pro-tips for getting dramatically better results, then it's worth checking out. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble for around $13. Cheap. ;-)

Well, that's what I've been up to, and it's really been a blast.

Interesting Industry Moves

In the past few weeks there have been a few interesting moves in our industry, and I just wanted to make sure they were on your radar. The first is Microsoft's buyout of iView (the people who make the digital asset management software iView MediaPro, for both Mac and Windows, which has a loyal following among photographers). This really ups Microsoft's commitment to the pro-photo market, and I imagine this will put Microsoft fully into the "Lightroom vs. Aperture" battle in short order.

Secondly, there was Adobe's buyout of Pixmantec's "RawShooter" software for Windows and word is that Adobe will be adding their technology to the next version of Adobe Lightroom. Intersting stuff happening out there, eh? :-)