Back in the days of film photgraphy I purchased a SLR camera, but since I had little money to spend I never bought a lot of accessories for it other than a tripod and a flash. After a while carrying the camera around became burdensome when traveling and going to certain events because of its weight and getting through crowds with it. I eventually went to a compact 35 mm camera with a zoom lens that took excellent pictures without the bulk. Compact digital camera predated DSLRs by almost a decade. I was an early adopter of digital photography and have owned many different brands and sizes of digital cameras in the meantime. I was, however, most annoyed when these cameras suddenly began to be looked at with disdain by the photographic community as being inadequate and not for the serious photographer with the rise of DSLRs. There is a certain amount of snobery in photography circles that a person must own one of these behemoths for their pictures to be worth looking at. I actually dropped my subscription to a certain digital photo magazine because of this prevailing attitude. I do not want a DSLR because I do not want to be burdened by carrying a large camera bag everywhere, fiddling with manual settings, and needing to purchase a variety of very expensive lenses and accessories. I like this book because it validates that good pictures can be taken with a compact digital camera, ones that rival DSLRs. Although I have been using these cameras for years the book was a good read for me because it reinforced some of the basic rules of photography and made me aware of the different functions of my camera that I'd not explored. Although slightly dated (I think a 2nd edition is order at this point) the information is still relevant in the majority of cases. The book is good for a beginner as it explains things clearly without a lot of photographic jargon, and also good for the experienced compact digital camera shooter in that the pictures in the book are inspirational and it reminds one of things one can do and/or try out with the equipment you currently have. I do not agree with the notiion that good pictures can only be acquired with an expensive DSLR and tons of equipment and lenses. When you learn the full functions and features of your camera, and have a good foundation in photo editing one can adjust for whatever limitations one has with the camera and get better photos. Although the author focuses on Photoshop Elements as their photo editor of choice, the techniqures discussed can be applied to any intermediate or advanced photo editing software like full blown Photoshop and Corel PaintShop Pro 5X. It definitely worth a read for those venturing beyond their cell phone as their primary camera and those who already have compact digital cameras and want to learn how to get optimal results.