Schaub, George. Amphoto's guide to digital black and white printing; techniques for creating high quality prints.

SCHAUB, George. Amphoto's guide to digital black and white printing; techniques for creating high quality prints. Watson-Guptill, Amphoto. 160p. illus. index. c2005. 0-8174-7071-9. $24.95. JSA 

COX, Jon. Digital nature photography closeup. Watson-Guptill, Amphoto. 160p. illus. index. c2005. 0-8174-3674-X. $24.95. JSA

Although he explains "there is no wrong way to make a print," George Schaub (editorial director of Shutterbug and eDigital Photo magazines) guides you through every step of the process in Digital Black and White Printing. Informative and beautifully illustrated, this is an excellent place to start learning about digital printing. Schaub's writing reveals clearly how enamored he is with photography in general, and how knowledgeable he is. He runs through all the major elements of a print in detail: tonal scale, contrast, exposure, and more. Photos are provided through the book to serve as examples for techniques described. Often, multiple images are displayed, in order to highlight what has been changed or the effect of a particular technique. He makes a strong case for the advantages of digital printing as compared to printing in a darkroom and shows off hundreds of beautifully printed photographs as proof.

Schaub also describes what kinds of tools are required for these processes. A rundown of types of cameras (and advice on how to use some features) as well as scanners and printers could prove useful for first-time digital printers. In addition, he explains the tools that come along with most digital imaging software, showing how to best use layers, levels, curves, colorization and many more. Toward the end, he completes the cycle by explaining the different types of paper and ink that are used in the actual printing process. There are tons of examples throughout to illustrate the skills involved in tweaking any digital image, making it easy to be successful with little experience.

In Digital Nature Photography Closeup, Jon Cox (author of Digital Nature Photography) performs the similar task of introducing the reader to the advantages and incredible opportunities provided by digital photography. Another good book for beginners, this one highlights types of cameras and lenses, as well as other important tools. This book includes 200 color photographs to help explain and illustrate the topics discussed, such as flash and composition (which the other book leaves out). There is some overlap between the two books, in particular the information on how to use the digital darkroom, but Cox's book focuses more on how to take a better photograph instead of how to make a better print. He includes a resource list of websites.

Both books are particularly recommended for beginning digital photographers but will interest experienced photographers as well. Joanna Solomon, College Student, Nova Scotia 

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.