A satisfactory discourse on composition, bit weak on the technical stuff
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I was initially attracted to this book by the subtitle "Techniques for creating superb images in a digital worklow". As stated, I think this title is a little misleading. Much more appropriate is a statement from the Introduction ". . . although this book deals with digital technology and provides you with essential technical information explained in simple terms, it is primarily an advanced guide to image composition."
The basic structure of the book is a series of essays, you could almost see them as lessons from a photography course, some 35 of them, formed into four main sections of 'Tools and Fundamentals', 'Genres and Concepts', 'Rules of Composition' and 'The Digital Darkroom'. The first of these doesn't really sit with a book on advanced composition, it starts with Choosing a Good Digital Camera for example, and the last I found to be quite weak, which is why I object to the subtitle of the book. I do not think you would want to go into the Digital Darkroom armed only with this book, and if you know much at all about PS CS2 then you would be aware of the lightly covered techniques described therein. I actually think that the author could lose the first and last sections and not significantly diminish the book in any way.
The core of the book then is on the compositional side and here the author is on much stronger ground. There are a large number of photographs, all the author's, that support the text very well. The standard of the photographs is generally high with some exceptionally striking examples, though also a few that are a bit ho hum. The text is a bit formal, and couched in a slightly awkward English in some places, which can make the experience of reading the book a little harder than maybe it should be.
Couple of minor gripes: there a number of references to examples of other photographers and painters and it would have been nice to see those examples presented in the book. I also would have appreciated more consistent and fuller technical information on the shots and how they were taken
Overall the book is well presented and it is up to the usual standard for the publisher, Rocky Nook.
So, in summary, reasonably strong on the 'Art' of taking a good photograph, with a collection of Black and White photographs of a high standard, slightly lumpy supporting text, and weak technical information.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada