Ron Reznick's book

JerseyJay · Mar 16, 2005

So why should I buy Ron's book. What is so special about it that I definitely need to spend my 80$ on it.

Pros / Cons from those who have it ?

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PhotoDawg · Mar 16, 2005

I did not know Ron had a book. I have heard about his classes being TOP notch!! Where can I get it?

Iliah · Mar 16, 2005

I consider this to be an excellent book with a lot of well-structured explanations on how to shoot, and plenty of examples and exercises on post processing. It is very practical, yet explains not only "how", but "why". Ron has very good understanding of the subject. His skills and understanding comes not only from shooting hundreds of thousands of images, but also from post processing that gargantuan amounts of material. In this book he manifested himself also as a great instructor.

DavidM · Mar 16, 2005

Jay -

Executive Summary

Ron's eBook is one of the cheapest accessories I've bought to improve my camera work, and it (along with a session with him) has done more to improve my ability to capture images than anything else I've ever purchased.

Longer Explanation

Notice the title of the book ("Digital Photography - Acquisition and Processing Techniques"), and Ron's own description of what the book is:

"...the eBook contains comprehensive information on how to get the shot right the first time and how to process both rapidly and consistently. Extensively revised and with 35 new pages, it includes working images, RAW files, and tools designed to teach you about luminosity, exposure, reading the histogram, composition of various image styles, tips and tricks. The digital workflow is described in tremendous detail, including digital transfer, file management, image selection, processing in Nikon Capture as well as methods for using the same techniques in Adobe Photoshop CS RAW, and a number of post-processing techniques."

There is more meat on a single page of this book than you will find in entire sections of other books. The upside to this is that it really does contain great material, and I truly believe that you will understand fundamental concepts of optimized image acquisition and good processing technique if you are able to digest and understand this material. The downside is that it requires that you really work through the examples (at a minimum) or work through a session with Ron (as a best case) to really get a good understanding of what's going on. This takes time, an open mind, and lots of practice before it will start sinking in. Trust me on this. You may think you understand it, but it truly takes practice before it all starts to make sense.

You will find many here who have been through a session with Ron and/or own the book and use the techniques described therein. I can't speak for all of them, but I can tell you from personal observation that my own work (and that of many others I've seen) has improved as a result of applying these techniques to our workflow, and if that is your goal then I believe this book would be worthwhile for you.

When considering the value, I looked at the cost of this book vs. the cost of a 50mm f/1.8 lens... the lens was more expensive, but gave me the opportunity to get sharp, clear images for certain situations (and I believe it to be the best value lens in my kit right now -- not the best lens, but the best value). Ron's book improved my abilities with all of my equipment to get better shots and to understand why things worked the way they do much better than I did before. That's a much more significant impact than the 50mm could ever provide.

If you can't tell by now, I'll say it more directly: buy the book.

andreasb · Mar 16, 2005

If you want to go to the next level

If you want to go to the next level , this is a very good E-book to get, it goes into depths of how to learn about exposure, luminosity and above all how to postprocess your images for great results anytime. This is a heavy book it will take quite awhile to read and understand.

http://www.digital-images.net/

PJohnP · Mar 17, 2005

Jay Luto said:
So why should I buy Ron's book. What is so special about it that I definitely need to spend my 80$ on it.

Pros / Cons from those who have it ?

Short answer - it offers a lot of Ron's course material in printed form.

Medium answer - it has examples for you to duplicate Ron's approaches, straight-forward examples, and it's a good distillation of Ron's ideas.

Long answer - see other posts to this thread...

realeyz · Mar 17, 2005

Who is his book aimed at? All types of photographers? All levels of photography? For someone who has already done a very large degree of their own discovering like Ron has done would they get much out of it? What about pure beginners to photography? There are many other books on the subject so is Ron's book really different or will it be covering material that is covered elsewhere?

joecolson · Mar 17, 2005

realeyz said:
Who is his book aimed at? All types of photographers? All levels of photography? For someone who has already done a very large degree of their own discovering like Ron has done would they get much out of it? What about pure beginners to photography? There are many other books on the subject so is Ron's book really different or will it be covering material that is covered elsewhere?

Excellent question. I have found that Ron's book has several things that other books don't. First, it has a very detailed tutorial on the use of Nikon Capture (and PS CS RAW) with image files that allow you to "follow along" on your own PC/Mac. Second, the book offers practical tips on acquisition and post-processing that go beyond most photo books in both clarity and immediate application. And finally, not being an artistic person, I find myself drawn back to a discussion of composition that is simple, easy to digest and straightfoward to experiment with. On the latter point, Ron makes available to his workshop participants a large set of image files that demonstrate different compositional techniques. I'd say the book is aimed at the intermediate to advanced amateur, and pro shooters who want to learn more about post processing and the "Reznick method".

Rich Gibson · Mar 17, 2005

realeyz said:
Who is his book aimed at? All types of photographers? All levels of photography? For someone who has already done a very large degree of their own discovering like Ron has done would they get much out of it? What about pure beginners to photography? There are many other books on the subject so is Ron's book really different or will it be covering material that is covered elsewhere?

I can't add more than what has been described. I must have bought 10 different Photoshop book, including the latest PCSC RAW. It doesn't take long to find the "meat" 20-30 pages and the rest is u-huh, uh-huh...and what else? So I've spent $29.95, $39.95 and higher "for THAT?"

This is not the case. For example with N.C. you must STUDY, and I mean STUDY what he has to offer...and then try some examples. You don't skim Ron's book. It takes concentration but yields results.

Rich