Harold Davis is the bestselling author of many books about digital photography and Photoshop, including most recently Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer from Focal Press. According to Steven Pressfield, the author of “The War of Art”, “Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer looks great. What an accomplishment! I salute you. You’re gonna help a lot of people with this one.”
Harold Davis’s book Photographing Flowers has been called the best guide to flower photography ever written, and The Way of the Digital Photographer was named a best photography title by Photo.net. Many of the Harold Davis photography books are shown on this page. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
“Harold Davis’s Creative Photography series is a great way to start a photography library”—Daniel Fealko, PhotoFidelity
Achieving Your Potential As a Digital Photographer: A Photographer’s Creative Companion and Workbook
Coming from the perspective that true inspiration and great image making are at the core of any high-level photographic endeavor, Achieving Your Potential As a Digital Photographer presents an organized and cohesive plan for kickstarting creativity, and then taking the resulting work into the real world.
The ideas presented have been formulated by Harold Davis over many years working as a creative artist and award-wining photographer, and in the celebrated workshops he has developed and led all around the world. These concepts are presented with accompanying exercises so that readers can put them into everyday practice as well as workbook pages bound into the book for note taking and journaling. Click here for the companion web page where you can download your own copy of the workbook.
This book will enrich your photographic practice whether the goal is simply to enrich your photography or to make money from your work.
Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer looks great. What an accomplishment! I salute you. You’re gonna help a lot of people with this one.—Steven Pressfield, author of “The War of Art”
“Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer is “vintage Harold Davis: graphically lively, amply thought out, and informed by Davis’s unique sense of organization and creative vision. It is well worth checking this title out. [The book] incorporates Davis’ signature beautiful imagery and graphic vitality to help every photographer find his or her personal goals. The book is vintage Harold Davis: graphically lively, amply though out and informed by Davis’ unique sense of organization and creative vision.”—Rangefinder Magazine
Monochromatic HDR Photography is the first book intended to show photographers how to work at the intersection of two up-and-coming trends that are at the forefront of the digital revolution: Black & White and High Dynamic Range imaging.
The book explains techniques for extending dynamic range, monochromatic conversion methods and best practices where the two technologies intersect. Since successful digital monochromatic image creation generally requires using the color information inherent in RAW exposures, most case studies will be presented in full color.
In addition, Monochromatic HDR Photography provides extensive coverage of the creative vision required to successfully create monochromatic HDR images and the workflow necessary to make art prints from this specialized image making technique.
One thing you should know about Monochromatic HDR Photography is that it is a book about digital black and white photography. From the very beginning of photography, practitioners have attempted to extend the dynamic range of their imagery. With digital photography, it has become easily possible to extend the range of lights and darks captured using techniques that fall under the rubric of HDR, which is short for High Dynamic Range.
While HDR techniques can enhance many color photos, overuse of HDR can result in garish imagery. But color isn’t everything! The HDR techniques of extending lights and darks in an image can also be applied to black and white photography. This avoids any problems with typical over-processing of color images in HDR, and is a really great technique for creating compelling black and white photographs. Monochromatic HDR Photography stands at the intersection of two hot trends in digital photography: black and white, and HDR.
Monochromatic HDR Photography presents flowcharts and a detailed workflow for shooting and processing black and white HDR imagery. A complete step-by-step case study is shown using an image of the ceiling of a cathedral. This is a fine example of what you can do with monochromatic HDR: Inside the cathedral, with bright sunlight shining through stained glass windows, and dark corners masked in shadow, the scene in front of the camera contains huge variations in the dynamic range from the lightest whites to the darkest blacks.
In Monochromatic HDR Photography, the key topics you will learn in the context of creative image-making include:
- What subjects work in black & white
- Shooting sequences in the field to extend dynamic range
- Working with multi-RAW processing
- Using hand-HDR techniques
- Using LAB for color and dynamic range enhancement
- Using HDR software to create monochromatic imagery
- Tools, techniques and best practices for monochromatic conversions
- Printing monochromatic HDR images
“While the title invokes the world of HDR photography, this book is really bigger than that, it’s about light and tonal depth. Other than subject matter, that’s photography. The author presents a variety of methods for exploring and expanding your ability to adjust both.”—Larry Goldfarb (reviewed on Amazon)
“Harold Davis’s photos are bought by collectors around the world. …We can highly recommend this book due to the very high image quality and the excellent text. The subject of the book is the combination of two photographic trends: HDR photography and black and white….These insights are illustrated by hauntingly beautiful black and white images.”—Fine Art Printer Magazine
“In Monochromatic HDR Photography, Davis brings another technique for dynamic range manipulation: taking color out and putting artistry in.
“His comprehensive and readable creative tips, his workflow regimen and his powerful imagery will ignite (or reignite) your interest in black-and-white conversions with any subject you shoot. You’ll see Ansel Adams’ tonal spectrum appear in your landscapes and Edward Weston’s luminosity in your portraits.
“Welcome to yet another Davis title that belongs in your digital darkroom.”—Rangefinder Magazine
“A best photography book of 2013!”—Photo.net
In The Way of the Digital Photographer, master photographer and digital artist Harold Davis explains how you can use Photoshop to become a better digital photographer. This is an extraordinary book about photography that shows you how to use Photoshop as a tool to creating great images.
To be truly special, digital photographs need both camera and computer working together. Using detailed examples and case studies from his own work, Davis provides myriad ideas that you can use to unlock your own creativity and make those one-of-a-kind images you have always dreamed of. Readers will discover how to effectively use post-processing techniques. They will also gain insight into using these techniques to inform their choices when making a photo, and in post-production workflow.
The Way of the Digital Photographer is for anyone who has ever been baffled by Photoshop layers, and also for photographers who want to include their Photoshop skills in a digital workflow that serves their personal creative goals. Step-by-step tutorials explain the core Photoshop features of layers, layer masks and blending modes. You will learn techniques for pre-visualizing your images with both photography and Photoshop in mind, and take your image-making skills to the next level. In The Way of the Digital Photographer you will learn how to:
- Use textures and backgrounds with your images
- Create layers and layer masks to enable photographic effects
- Realistically add details to your images by “painting” right on a layer
- Take advantage of LAB color effects
- Multi-process your RAW files for maximum punch
- Combine bracketed exposure sequences to extend the range of lights and darks in a photo
- Move beyond everyday photography and make compelling, creative images that will get noticed!
“Chocked full of excellent information. There are many useful tools and methods of usage. I recommend this book to everyone interested in photography.”—Charlotte McBroom (reviewed on Amazon)
Click here to purchase The Way of the Digital Photographer from Peachpit (the publisher) and here to purchase The Way of the Digital Photographer on Amazon.
Beautiful and authoritative, this guide to photographing flowers is a must-read for every photographer interested in flower photography. Photographing Flowers will also win a place in the hearts of those who simply love striking floral imagery.
“A flower photography masterpiece! I doubt that anyone could have written a better book. I recommend it to people even if they just enjoy looking at flowers, much less than photographing them.”—C. Wong
“This book is not some cheap paperback with watered down, overexposed, flat images. The exceptional printing paper and process produces a book full of vibrant images every bit as good as a fine hard back book. This is a book to leave on the living room table for all to admire.”—Charles Drinnan
“[P]robably the most comprehensive guidebook ever written… Photographing Flowers is a detailed roadmap through all possible iterations of this specialized breed of macro photography..”—Rangefinder Magazine
“A superb book with excellent attention to detail and infused with the author’s passion for his subject”—Digital Photographer Magazine, rated “Best Guide to Flower Photography”
“Photographing Flowers is filled with stunning, full-page color photos….[This is] a book that is sure to please those who enjoy shooting flowers.”—Photographic Society of America Journal
“In this book Davis offers his knowledge and experience in the art of floral photography, presenting not only the results of his beautiful creations, but explanations of how each photograph was captured: the set up, the equipment and even the camera settings used for each brilliant image. The author takes you beyond the point of capture and discusses processing, both in a lab environment and digital post processing, as well as offers side-trips through history to learn a bit from the masters of art and photography, such as Van Gogh and O’Keeffe. Davis even goes so far as to share affordable and easy use studio setups which he has designed over the years. Using his techniques wonderfully artistic images can be created! For any photographer interested in floral photography – whether amateur or pro – this book will not only tutor them, but will inspire them.”–San Francisco Book Review
Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Worlds with Harold Davis
From Amazon.com: Capturing the fleeting, dynamic world contained within the tiniest of water droplets is one of the most challenging photographic endeavors. Like many things, the challenge is worth the effort – when done with skill, these images can become some of the most unique shots you’ve ever taken.
In this gorgeous guide packed with creative insipration alongside technical expertise, award-winning photographer Harold Davis shows you how he creates his stunning water drop images. From challenges to working with constantly moving subjects and reflected light to basic info on which equipment works best, this book will help all macro-loving photographers turn their lens on water, water, everywhere.
*Includes valuable creative and technical information for perfecting your water shots, from equpiment basics to general inspiration and everything in between
*Shooting images of water presents unique difficulties; learn how to dive in head-first and overcome the challenges of working in the natural world
*Packed with award-winning imagery from one of the world’s best macro photographers
“This is a truly great book about an underrated subject.”—Digital Photographer Magazine
“Davis uses a score of his most lavish images as case studies in the techniques of extreme macro shooting–from lens and accessory selection to artificial lighting, to dealing with nerve-wracking challenges such as depth-of-field and shutter speed selection.”—Rangefinder Magazine
“All told, this is one of the most interesting and informative books on photography that I’ve read. I highly recommend it.”—Charles DeFiore
“Even if you have no interest in photographing waterdrops yourself, you will enjoy this book immensely for the the beautiful images – and you might just find yourself, as I have, suddenly interested in making some of those images yourself. Highly recommended.”—Neal Lippman
Photographing Waterdrops: Exploring Macro Worlds with Harold Davis
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography as you’ve never seen it!
Since the days of the first photographs, the artists behind the lens have used various techniques to extend the range from lights to darks in photos. Great photographic masters, such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, have spent countless hours in the chemical darkroom burning and dodging their prints in order to create images with an extended dynamic range. With the advent of digital photography, new horizons in extending dynamic range are possible. Using High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques the digital photographer can easily extend the dynamic range of an image well beyond the capability of the human eye.
In Creating HDR Photos, best-selling author Harold Davis covers the complete HDR workflow. He shows you how to choose the subjects that work best for HDR, and takes you step-by-step through processing RAW files so you can unlock the dynamic power of HDR for your images. With Creating HDR Photos, you’ll learn how to photograph multiple exposures and blend them into a single HDR image using various software programs. Best of all, you will find out how to control the look and aesthetic of your HDR images, from subtle to hyper-real, using a range of photographic and post-processing techniques. Packed with stunning image examples, Creating HDR Photos brings this essential digital technique within every photographer’s grasp.
“Creating HDR Photos (Amphoto Books) is a meticulously detailed HDR tutorial. It’s also a guide to discovering the moments when taking more creative license with HDR might be appropriate. Davis is … a widely respected, award-winning creative artist; parts of his book dissect the elaborate workflow he taps for his own best-known imagery. Fortunately, Creating HDR Photos is masterfully organized to acquaint even beginners … with this fascinating subset of our craft.”—Rangefinder Magazine
“I have been a fan of Harold Davis art for many years. His compelling flower and landscape images immediately come to mind, however he is clearly accomplished in all facets of photography as so beautifully revealed here. Equaling his art, is his ability to convey to others, the achievement of those sometimes tedious processes which he successfully communicates in an engaging manner. Whether you are a neophyte or experienced HDR shooter, there is something of value in Creating HDR Photos for you. This is a definite ‘must have’ for your photographic library.”—Robert D. Dalles
Creating HDR Photos: The Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Photography
“This is not another technical introduction to digital photography, but rather like taking some enjoyable long walks with a more-experienced photographer friend, one whose original training was in art and whose interests are wide ranging, and who tells you what he has distilled out of years of thoughtful practice and love of photography. The voice in the book is personal as Davis describes his views of landscape photography, discusses how to work in a variety of enviroments, tells the stories behind some of the images, and quotes other photographers whom he admires. …
“Creative Landscapes is a book this is rich with ideas, practical experience, and stimulating examples that anyone who has struggled to capture the evanescent beauty of a landscape will find inspiring and encouraging. I highly recommend it.”—Marianne Glosenger
“Effective and simple. Well, I feel bad that I came across this book this late. If you are into nature photography then don’t waste your time, just get this book and it will give you like the butter of the experience. Believe me, with this book and practice you will reach your objectives.”—Ahmed Al-Shukaili
Creative Landscapes: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“I have read this book, I paid cash money for it. If you are trying to learn the black and white about seeing and creating in the world of black and white, if you are looking for a book that is clear and concise to help you start that journey, I have found this to be one of the very best books I have ever read on the subject.”—Vincent Versace
“As a photographer who used to shoot nothing but Black and White film I found this book to be great.
“Adopting to digital cameras was a new beginning in many ways (after almost 25 years of film) and I was never quite satisfied with my B&W results. This book changed all that. The instructions are spot on.
“Also the book is simply beautiful, the photos are almost like a coffee table art book in quality. Honestly you won’t do better than this if you are serious about your black and white shots.”—Keith Ahlstrom
Creative Black & White: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“I received this book approximately 2 weeks ago and it has provided me a very clear path on how to do so many changes and improvements using Photoshop, I will only take a few lines to describe the book. It is clear, concise, illustrative, easy to read and most of all written by someone who has used the product daily. … I have purchased other books on Photoshop and the authors talk so far above my head, I have to use oxygen after trying to read them. Harold’s projects are down to earth. Buy it and enjoy reading and learning from a new experience with a professional. “—D.Wilson
The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing
“Written by a photographer and designer team, this excellent release deals with such matters in easy-to-follow steps and thorough detail, covering topics such as lighting and compositional post-work and HDR processing, all accompanied with stunning example imagery. This is an extremely thorough overview for anyone who’s relatively new to the whole post-production process.”—Computer Arts Magazine
“The goal of the book is to inspire you with techniques to try. The emphasis in this title is on creative transformations. This involves a wide range of image creation challenges from cleaning up an image to creating entirely new fantastic digital images. With this book you will learn how to take advantage of the possibilities available in RAW image files; use Adobe Lightroom to multi-RAW process your photo; correct flaws and improve the tonality of your images; improve and enhance portraits and glamour shots; extend the dynamic range of your photos; create high dynamic range images by hand, and much more.”—NeoPopRealismJournal.com
The Photoshop Darkroom 2: Creative Digital Transformations
“What I like most is that the subjects explained and demonstrated are real world situations. This is not a book extolling how extraordinary images were created with a multiple light sources enhanced by a troupe of assistants. The text gives you the tools to understand and visualize an image then move ahead to create using resources commonly available to most photographers.
“Light is the language of photography and this fine book will help you become fluent in understanding, interpreting and expressing your unique vision.”—D. Watson
Creative Lighting: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“If you’re the least bit interested in improving your closeup photo work, or if you’d like to venture out into this fascinating field of the world in miniature as seen through a photo lens then I would HIGHLY recommend this book.”—Jeff R. Clow
Creative Close-Ups: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“Creative Night is a great book with brilliant photographs. Night photography is one of those sidelines of photography which doesn’t get much exposure. However, Harold has changed all that. …
I spent an evening just looking through his exquisite photographs. Each of these come with side stories and technical details, all the better for savoring them with a glass of wine. The great part about the book is that it is an easy read. The text is interesting and doesn’t get lost in technical jargon. The information is clearly and concisely presented and you come away knowing a lot more than when you began.
Overall, this is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to everyone who is interested in night photography. It would make an awesome gift to somebody who is excited with the idea of night photography. And it makes a good coffee table book as well.”—Suprada Urval
Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“The book touches upon all aspects of portraiture — lights, lenses, people, models, props, digital touch-up, self-portraits, etc — without being too technical. Even though you could write a book about each one of these topics separately (and I am sure there are such books), Harold’s book stands out in that it brings everything together.”—V. Gulati
Creative Portraits: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“This is a book I will recommend to the students I teach in workshops and tutoring sessions. It is a book that will inspire me to shoot in new ways.”—M. Denis Hill
Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques
“Any modern photographer utilizing a digital camera will find the information and photographs in this book invaluable. Developing a strong foundation with an artistic bent is desirable asset to a photographer. Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers is the one, essential resource for any photographer’s library.”—Leigh Miller
“A must have for any photographer’s library. Explains in simple perms one of the most difficult fields of photography. Complex into understandable in a situation by situation manner.”—Jack H. Tasoff
Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers
“The book is loaded with beautiful, Kismet moments like the crepscular tower shadows and the vivid red reflection cast on the receding surf from the towers are scenes which show the photographer’s patience and ability to see. “—Troy Paiva
Views of the Golden Gate: A Book of Postcards
The Story of Katie Rose is about a premature baby who was born very early. This book follows her journey as she grows in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and is finally able to go home. Often siblings of a preemie do not understand why their new baby brother or sister has not come home.
The Story of Katie Rose is written for children and is perfect for reading aloud to help explain what is happening. Actual photos of Katie Rose in the NICU accompany the text and will help familiarize children with what they may see in the hospital. The hospital machines, such as respirators, monitors, and incubators, can sometimes seem scary. These essential machines are explained in simple, easy-to-understand language that describes how they help Katie Rose.
The Story of Katie Rose is not just for siblings of preemies. Parents and grandparents, and anyone who is close to a preemie in the hospital, will find the simple, clear information about medical technology related to prematurity helpful and enlightening. Follow the inspirational story of Katie Rose’s journey as she grows from a tiny, fragile baby who weighs less than six sticks of butter into a baby who is ready to come home.
- Written in simple easy-to-understand language
- Shows real photos of a premature baby and the NICU environment
- Gives advice to parents on how to start conversations with the siblings of preemies
- Includes a glossary of common terms used in the NICU
- The Story of Katie Rose has been reviewed by neonatologists, special care doctors, and a child psychologist for accuracy and appropriateness
“The authors have done a great service for the staff in the neonatal intensive care unit and for parents and siblings of premature babies.”—Support for Families of Children with Disabilities Newsletter
“WPGA congratulates A Preemie’s Journey as an award-winning finalist in the Storyteller Contest” —The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards
“As a father of twin girls who were born premature I can state firsthand this is an outstanding book. I only wish this invaluable resource had been available while my girls spent their time in NICU.”—Brad Beauchemin
The Story of Katie Rose: A Preemie’s Journey