I have been a hobbyist photographer for more than 40 years. It has taken me 8 years to finally put down that old NikonF and commit my interest fully to the realm of digital photography. So, with my new digital SLR, the owners manual, and a couple of lenses, I returned to some of my favorite haunts, looking to capture in vivid clarity, those scenes of forest and ocean, mountain and sunset, flower and insect, people and events. In short, as any photographer will tell you, I wanted to depict that which is beautiful in the world. I was disappointed. I new I had a good piece of equipment, I just didn't know how to use it properly to get those sharp "in focus" shots all the time, to shoot in low light and get consistently desirable results. Bottom line, the digital camera is capable of doing so much that I was lost in a morass of buttons, switches and settings, not understanding how to best utilize all of these fantastic tools to get the best results possible under all the varied conditions a photographer will find him or herself. I needed a book, and I found a book.Scott Kelby has put together the most user friendly catalog of instruction I have ever read. Infused with his home-spun humor, Scott takes you on several photo expeditions. One day its' weddings, the next day its' landscapes, portraits, cityscapes. And all the while he is telling you how to best utilize that great camera you're holding, helping us to understand in terms we can understand. This book is full of priceless information. If you own a point-and-shoot camera, buy this book. As soon as I have absorbed volume 1, I'll be purchasing Scott Kelbys' "Digital Photography", volumes 2&3. This book is to photographers, what oxygen is to our bodies, you need it.