Though I rarely do actual “reviews” on the MCP Blog, I wanted to let you know of a product that is catered to photographers who are just beginning to learn their cameras. I get emails all the time asking basic questions such as “how do I know whether I should change my ISO or my aperture?” or “How do you get your shots in focus with good background blur?” I try and cover a huge range of topics on both photography and Photoshop, with some business and fun stuff thrown in.  I do cover some of these topics here and there, but not in an orderly fashion (point A to B to C).

When Darren Rowse, the well-known Pro-blogger and owner of the Digital Photography School, sent me his latest creation, I was excited to check it out. One of his top writers, Neil Creek, crafted this 64 page e-book called Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos. It also comes with a printable pocket guide if you buy this week.

It explains all of the basics, both from a technical and then a practical standpoint. If you are a beginner, do not understand ISO, shutter speed and aperture, or if you still prefer run to the “green little box” atop your camera, you will want to check this book out. I love the animated graphics in the book, as well as the links to more resources on the topics, things you cannot get from a print book.

Plus they have a money back guarantee in case this book is not what you were hoping for. If you are a professional photographer and/or have been shooting confidently in manual and have a good grasp on focus and light, I would not recommend this book for you, as you will know most of what is taught already.

Here is a list of the topics covered:

Lesson 1 – Light and the Pinhole Camera
Lesson 2 – Lenses and Focus
Lesson 3 – Lenses, Light and Magnification
Lesson 4 – Exposure and Stops
Lesson 5 – Aperture
Lesson 6 – Shutter
Lesson 7 – ISO
Lesson 8 – The Light Meter
Lesson 9 – White Balance
Lesson 10 – Metering Modes and Exposure Compensation

Some links on the MCP Blog are paid advertisers or affiliates, including the links in this post, which help support the MCP blog. MCP is not being paid to write this review.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Announcements, Featured Post, MCP Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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