Going Digital by Alex Goldfayn

Book for beginners takes the complication out of getting into digital photography

Another chapter includes simple yet detailed instructions about printing photos, offering numerous tips and techniques along with Goldfayn's picks for applying the best printer to the job at hand. He peppers his advice with practical ideas. For example, he suggests having a snapshot printer at a party, and when you've taken various photos of the guests, printing out one or two for each guest to take home -- a neat idea I think I just might try myself. 

He goes on to perhaps what is the best chapter in the book, dealing with the topic that is closest to the author's heart: sharing your photos and videos with friends and family. Again using the case study format, he talks about an 81-year-old man who has mastered digital scrapbook software, placing his productions on CD-ROM. He offers other examples for sharing scrapbooks in various increments toward an all-digital form. Underneath each explanation lies a subtle urging for the reader to slowly and comfortably migrate toward an all-digital path of photography, where not only are photos taken with a digital camera but are displayed using digital media. A favorite of the author is the DVD slideshow, where he points out ways to put together photos and music, achieving a synergy greater than the sum of their parts.

But it doesn't have to be complicated, says Goldfayn. He even shows the techno-nervous how to enjoy digital photography without even using a computer at all. By simply plugging a digital still camera into a TV, often by itself or using just an inexpensive adapter box, even those with no computer at all can get in on the fun, he says.

Perhaps the best of the advice sprinkled throughout the book is Goldfayn's exhortation to get those digital photos off their hard drives where no one can see them and bring them out in the open for all to enjoy. Whether it's via print, DVD, CDs or the Web, the author rightly urges neophytes to use this digital equipment, and record lasting impressions of family and friends, rather than leave that expensive camera sitting there on the shelves gathering dust as a so many often do. 

The world of digital photography and video editing is imposing, especially to those who have absolutely no experience with it. Alex Goldfayn knows there's lots of digital fear in today's world, and allays that apprehension with a spoonful of sugar, offering a variety of entry points in a modular format that's easy to understand. There aren't enough books like this, if there are any at all. If you're just starting to think about going digital, you would be well-served by Going Digital. Highly recommended, 9.5 out of 10 stars.

Going Digital at Amazon.com 

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