In 'Getting Started in Photography," Photographer and writer Shawn M. Tomlinson creates a quick guide to help budding photographers. The book includes equipment advice, exercises for becoming better, photo processing basics and more. From the book: "What anyone starting out needs is, well, a starting point. Some basic information about equipment and technique to get everything moving. And, hey, I'm here to help." In part two, 'Great Starter DSLR: Revisiting the Sony A100, ' he takes an in-depth look at the camera and continues his series devoted to helping budding photographers get started without breaking the bank. In this case, Tomlinson considers the first Sony DSLR, the A100. From the book: "After waiting the proper mourning time for Minolta - about a year - Sony took the black armband off and unveiled its first DSLR, the A100. And why is this important now? It's vitally important if you are a beginning photographer and want to get a great DSLR and great lenses that won't mortgage your house."

In this volume of the Shawn M. Tomlinson Guide to Photography Series, Tomlinson takes an in-depth look at the Sony A100 and continues his series devoted to helping budding photographers get started without breaking the bank. In this case, Tomlinson considers the first Sony DSLR to be great start. "After waiting the proper mourning time for Minolta - about a year - Sony took the black armband off and unveiled its first DSLR, the A100. And why is this important now? It's vitally important if you are a beginning photographer and want to get a great DSLR and great lenses that won't mortgage your house."

Photographer and writer Shawn M. Tomlinson, author of the Photo Curmudgeon column and books, explains in detail the usefulness of prime lenses for photographers who typically only use zoom lenses in this expanded edition. He considers the uses of prime lenses, the advantages as well as the disadvantages, and provides a conversational approach to making the move to this type of lens. Prime lenses are sharper and have less distortion, less chromatic aberration and brighter maximum apertures than zooms, he reports. Tomlinson examines the most common prime lenses, how they are used and what a photographer can expect to pay. "In this short guide, I give you some pointers about what prime lenses do, what type you may need for your particular photographic vision and how to choose what you need," Tomlinson writes in the book.

You've done it!You've finished your novel (or memoir, or how-to, or poetry collection, etc.).Sit back. Breathe a sigh, take a drink, light a cigar.You've done it!Now what?Usually, an author is so exhilarated by finishing a book that he or she doesn't really think about what's next.Sure, there are those dreams of every publisher knocking at your door, starting a bidding war for your manuscript and your book becoming a best-seller over night.And that can happen. It does occasionally, but more often the hard work still is to come.This book is not for those authors who get an agent who gets them editors who convince their publishers to publish their books.This book is for those intrepid souls who decide the only way to maintain control over their books -- and/or to make more money per book than with a traditional publisher -- is to self-publish.

In the ninth volume of Shawn M. Tomlinson's Guide to Photography, the author finally gets around to directly helping the novice photographer move from smartphone cameras to serious cameras. In this expanded edition, the basics of how to make great photos and launch into serious photography are explained. Everything from aperture, shutter speed, ISO and shooting modes to composition and photo processing get a thorough treatment. It's a great starting point for the budding photographer

I have been somewhat reluctant to write about the absolute best digital single-lens reflex camera I have ever used, the Nikon D800E. The reason is that I like to write about older cameras that have become cheaper to buy and use for the frugal photographer. Although some of the cameras I have written about were terribly expensive when first released, by now they are reasonably cheap. For example, IÍve written books about the Canon EOS 1DS/1DS Mark II, the Nikon D1 and the Nikon D2X. These all are pro DSLRs and as such were released at prices ranging from $6,000 to $8,000. By now, however, the most you will pay is around $400 for any of them. In a few years, the Nikon D800E, too, will be much cheaper and an obvious choice for the frugal photographer. No matter the price, the D800 and D800E are two of the best DSLRs ever made. Either will change you as a photographer in fantastic ways.

Everybody gives out tips for better photography. Well, maybe not your boss or the guy who fixes your furnace (although mine does), but most photography websites, forums and magazines fill their pages with tips for becoming a better photographer. There's a reason there are so many tips out there: photographers want them. On the other hand, we who have some little knowledge like to give them, too. Most people like to pass on what they've learned. I've been a photographer for nearly four decades. I've published thousands of photographs. I write a photography column (Photo Curmudgeon). I love photography. I read tips from other photographers often. Sometimes, I read something new, or at least put in a new way so that it sparks an idea. No one can tell you how to develop your photographer's eye. Only you can figure that out. What I can do is give you some pointers about how to develop your own photographer's eye, and how to get better as a photographer.