Photographer/writer Shawn M. Tomlinson explains the reasons why you need a second DSLR camera, and how to choose one. "The point is that, as a photographer, your DSLR is your main instrument or tool," Tomlinson writes. "You need to be so familiar with it that it is automatic for you to get it to do what you want." He covers the basics of buying and working with a second DSLR, illustrating points with many photos. In part two, 'The Workhorse DSLR: Revisiting the Canon EOS 20D," he explains in detail the joys of this great camera. "Still, it all comes back to the 20D. It was and is a workhorse of a DSLR, mostly metal and rugged, and it produces spectacular images. I use mine frequently. Sure, it has a little more grain than my newer DSLRs, but grain is not a bad thing. The colors are fantastic, as are those produced by most Canon cameras." The author covers the basics of buying and working with the Canon EOS 20D, illustrating points with many photos from that DSLR.

In this expanded edition of 'Photography: The Workhorse DSLR: Revisiting the Canon EOS 20D, ' photographer and author Shawn M. Tomlinson reminds us of just what a great camera the 20D was. The camera is relevant today, especially for those just starting out in photography. Tomlinson illustrates the book with many images shot with the Canon EOS 20D, which he uses frequently in his own work. This popular volume now contains more details and hands-on practice hints and tips

The author takes a look at the reasons to buy a second digital single-lens reflex camera body and gives some advice about what the 2nd DSLR should be. This expanded edition goes more in-depth about the reasons to own a 2nd DSLR body and includes film SLR cameras and a handy backup system.

It has been a long, strange road, and probably has no end clearly in sight. Many more books are in the works as I write this in early December 2018. For example, I have published nine novels to date, and am writing nine more, with plans for some beyond that. The Shawn M. Tomlinson's Guide to Photography series has 29 titles in print, with another five or six nearly complete, and plans for 30 to 40 more. I'm also trying to rework and rearrange those books into omnibus editions by chronology and by theme.I never will get every book done I want to do, but it keeps me busy.I always planned on putting out a catalog of all the Zirlinson Books, but kept getting waylaid for one reason or another until now. This catalog is available as a print book in color. The color print book will be cost prohibitive for many people, so there likely will be a black and white version available, too.

Simply put, medium-format photography is quite a bit more complex than shooting with 35mm film SLRs or 35mm-style DSLRs. It takes a bit more skill - and experience - to handle medium-format cameras. Not only do you need to learn to think differently about how you shoot, but you also have a whole new type of equipment to learn. Medium-format cameras produce bigger images, which allows for more detail and greater enlargement. And because they, in general, were designed for professional photographers, the lenses tend to be of better quality that most 35mm lenses, which also adds to the detail in the images. In this book, we'll take a look at medium-format SLRs and TLRs, and we'll even touch upon some other types. We'll also consider a few lenses, although these largely are a matter of choice. And there are far fewer choices for medium-format cameras than for other types. Time to do some weight training and heft those medium-format cameras and lenses into position. Let's go.

The designers at Nikon in 2004-05 were looking for a way to reach the semi-pro photographer. The semi-pro is someone who has another job but shoots photos Ñ often at weddings Ñ as a part-time job. TheyÕre sometimes called weekend warriors. They tend to be serious and dedicated, but they had no need for the pro digital single-lens reflex behemoths like the Canon EOS IDX Mark II or the Nikon D5. What they needed then and now is a DSLR camera that is built strong, is always reliable and can handle their workload. That led to the first true semi-pro camera from the company, the Nikon D200. The D200 may have been overshadowed by its successor, the Nikon D300, but itÕs still a great camera. A great camera that can be had relatively cheaply, and that makes it an even better camera.

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.

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.

The Hitchhiker in Time columns were the single most popular things ever written by Shawn M. Tomlinson, which honestly doesn't say all that much. All together, they appeared in fewer than 10 newspapers between 1988 and 2001. Well, multiple copies of those newspapers, of course. The highest circulation was approximately 40,000, so not exactly Bob Greene levels. Still, Tomlinson had a following with these columns and to a great extent, they hold up well today. Either that or Tomlinson would like to think so. Many of these columns appeared in chapbooks over the years, but this is the first full collection of them to be in print.

Be wary, ye whoÉ Sorry. Just wanted to warn you up front that some of these stories donÕt have conclusions. Most of them do, but some I just never could finish. Oh, yeah, and some of them are parts of series that are here published alone because I just was unable to find the other stories. I swore when I was young that that would never happen to me. It did. IÕm dealing with it. The reason that such stories Ñ those without endings and those for which there are other, connected stories Ñ is that, well, IÕm getting old. I wanted to collect the majority of my writings before IÕm dead. Some of these are very early stories. The earliest, I believe, is ÒCounterterrorist.Ó Yes, the main characterÕs name is Jack, but it was written many years Ñ decades Ñ before Jack Bauer, counterterrorist, made it to TV in 24. That should be obvious, but I thought IÕd mention it. Just try to enjoy the stories.