Santa's Favorite Book of Digital Basics

Around this time of year I always get a panicked call from Santa's Workshop asking me if I have written a really basic book on digital photography that the old bearded gent can hand out with confidence. And this year, thankfully, I was able to say yes! (And trust me, they were more than grateful at the North Pole book warehouse!) In May Lark Books released Focus on Digital Photography Basics (A Lark Photography Book), a really handsome and fun little book that, I think, is perfect for kids or adults getting their first digital camera.

There is nothing about this book will scare off anyone and the techno talk is kept to an absolute minimum--on top of which, it's so full of nicely reproduced photos that even if all you did was look at the photos and read the captions it would be a fun read. I cover the entire gamut of camera basics in the book including: types of cameras (and why there are different kinds of digital cameras), what the term "resolution" means, what pixels are, a really basic look at the different types of lenses that are available and the accessories that you might want. But much of the book is devoted the more fun and creative aspects of photography--composition, natural light, shooting photos of your kids and pets, taking pretty sunsets, etc.

It's a really simple book and yet I think it covers a tremendous amount of ground. I shot almost all of the photos and the reproduction is extremely nice. (I'm told the elves are particularly smitten with the photo of the penguin on page 109! Who knew?) Oops, I better go, the Candy Cane phone is ringing again and you know who that is!