Product Description

"We are in the Stone Age of digital photography. We've figured out how to make some tools, but it is just now beginning to dawn on us what we might do with them. I've often been frustrated at the concentration on the technical aspect of digital photography with so little discussion of the aesthetics and heart behind the image making. This book is essentially a distillation of what I've been teaching over the last 25 years."

Master photographer Stephen Johnson has been taking beautiful landscape photography for decades, and teaching others the practical art of image making since 1977. While he started out with traditional film camera techniques, Johnson is widely recognized among his peers as a pioneer of digital photography. Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography chronicles his ride on the bleeding edge of this medium's evolution, and provides a practical in-depth introduction to digital photography that offers the latest techniques for beginning and experienced photographers alike.

What sets this guide apart from other books on the topic is its approach and execution: This isn't a Photoshop book, although Photoshop has its place within the book; it's a book that a master teacher and photographer creates after a lifetime of showing others how to understand and make great photography. With 5 color photographs throughout, including black/gray duotones, and 715 illustrations reproduced with a 200 line screen, Johnson's book covers everything from:

This is a holistic work (and method for teaching) that embraces the state of photographic tools and techniques, blended with suggestions and experiences on why I make photographs, Johnson says. At its best, photography rides that crest where technology and art intersect. But the deepest engagement that photography can bring remains its ability to capture and hold a moment before the lens. In this age of digital manipulation, that fundamental fact must be remembered.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123586 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Stephen Johnson is a photographer, designer and teacher. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications including American Photo, Audubon, Life Magazine, Landscape Magazine, Pacific Discovery, Sierra Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and The New York Times, to name a few. Internationally recognized as a digital photography "pioneer," Johnson's photographs are part of the permanent collections of many institutions including the Oakland Museum, the Getty, the City of New York, Apple Computer, and the National Park Service. Also known as a masterful educator, he has been running a workshop program 25 years, and has helped to build a wondrous portable digital lab, the "Magical Digital Bus". Among his many awards and recognition for his groundbreaking work was his induction into the Photoshop Hall of Fame in 2003, grants from the NEA, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, California Arts Council, Adobe, Apple and many others.

Customer Reviews

A concise, practical, and immensely engaging book on digital imaging
'Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography' is an excellent book on the tools, techniques, science, history, and art of digital photography that will appeal to digital photographers of any skill level. Johnson is a genuine pioneer and evangelist in the field of digital photography. Drawing on over three decades of experience as an accomplished photographer, educator, and product consultant to the "Who's Whos" of the digital imaging industry, Johnson succinctly and eloquently imparts to the reader/student practical and interesting information on a variety of subjects. I found the coverage of digital camera techniques, color correction and editing, color management, and fine-art printing particularly useful. This information has truly helped me to make better photographs.

'On Digital Photography' is a timeless and inspiring book that is thoughtfully organized, richly furnished with numerous beautiful and educational 5-color photographs, and superbly bound with quality paper and a resilient binding. It's manufactured to last, which is great, as I refer to it often.

One of the top experts makes it one of the top books
This book starts with the basics of working with digital photography and a basic guide to digital cameras. The author does a particularly good job of discussing both the similarities and the differences in film and digital camera techniques including dealing with sensor artifact repair and sensor noise. As the leading professional digital photography software most of the examples are detailed using Photoshop. Using this product Stephen Johnson discusses how and why to adjust tone and contrast, color correction and editing, changing hue and saturation, and photographic reproduction.

Throughout the book are beautiful examples of the techniques being presented including realistic photography, sensor matched techniques, scanning camera photography, and photography as art. Mr. Johnson does not have his head in the clouds when it concerns digital photography. He realizes that there are still advances that need to be made in the area of digital photography and discusses them candidly.

Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography is a well written, easy to follow, easy to understand, and very approachable introduction to digital photography as both a science and an art form. While most books on digital photography work only with the digital darkroom options this book provides a detailed understanding of each step of creating a digital photograph including how the camera works and why it is important for you to understand how it works. He discusses how various camera features affect the end result. And because of this more complete approach to the subject as well as the quality of the information Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography is a highly recommended purchase.

An insightful guide for those passionate about digital photography
Steve Johnson has been at the forefront of the digital photography movement since it became possible to shoot photos digitally, completely abandoning film as early as 1994. He also helped push the envelope of technology by collaborating with manufacturers and software companies, to help refine many of the technologies that today make digital photography not only possible but far superior than its film-based counterpart.

In this book, Johnson takes a trip on which he takes us by the hand. This is no trip for the casual or amateur digital photographer, though there are introductory pages to the many topics he covers. He quickly dives into the depths of each chapter, covering everything from history and techniques of digital photography to a philosophical discussion about the medium as art, imaging ethics and the role of photographers in the digital age.

The result of Johnson's work in "Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography" is a 300-page volume that will surely become a standard in the desks of those passionate about digital photography.