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Man's best friend can be his best photo subject, with a little help from Kim Levin. Levin is a pet photographer, as well as an author. She's written 15 books, including Why We Love Dogs and Cattitude. Her latest volume released this week tackles the subject of dog portraiture. In PhoDOGraphy ($17.95, paperback), she discusses subjects like black-and-white versus color portraits, indoors versus outdoor shots, composition and capturing movement. The 144-page guide published by Watson-Guptill/Amphoto has 50 black-and-white illustrations and 50 color ones. Obviously gripped by the spirit of the book, its publisher unabashedly declared, "It's doggone useful, and doggone adorable, too!"

If the buzz over High Dynamic Range Imaging has piqued your curiousity and you want to bone up on the subject, specialty publisher Rocky Nook, of Santa Barbara, Calif., has just released a short book--170 pages--by Jack Howard that can get a Hy-Dy newbie up to speed in a hurry. The online editor at PopPhoto.com covers the top tools for performing HDRI processing--Adobe Photoshop, FDR Tools, Dynamic Photo HDR and Photomatix Pro, to name a few--and includes in the thin volume:

• Step-by-step tutorials
• Basic and advanced workflows
• Post-production optimization for Web and print
• File management
• Recommendations for hardware and software
• Examples of images ranging from the sublime to the surreal
• Real world shooting tips

"HDR imaging for the photographer can be challenging and frustrating for the uninitiated, as it involves both field and computer expertise," Rocky Nook says at its Web site. "However, Jack Howard explains this complex subject matter in a practical way that will not intimidate the beginner, nor bore the experienced photographer."

"The emphasis," it continues, "is on the creative process and how to make it work for you-rather than the science behind it."

Many of us find capturing images in the visible light range challenging enough, but for lens jocks who want to take their photographic exploits into the realm beyond what can be seen by the naked eye digital photography specialty publisher Rocky Nook, of Santa Barbara, Calif., will be releasing an offering next month that may be a good launch pad for such adventures. The new book is called Digital Infrared Photography ($24.95) and, according to the publisher, not only is it a compact guide to infrared photography that shows the beauty of infrared imagery, but it also teaches how to shoot those kinds of images with a digital camera. "The book provides the basic theoretical background, some information on cameras, filters and equipment and lots of guidance on how to do infrared photography," Rocky Nook added. The thin volume (112 pages) is authored by Cyrill Harnischmacher, a photographer and designer who lives and works in southern Germany. A studio photographer by profession and the nature and infrared photographer by passion, Harnischmacher's first book, Low Budget Shooting: Do-It-Yourself Solutions to Professional Photo Gear, won the prestigious Fotobuch-award of the German Booksellers Association in 2005. Digital Infrared Photography is expected to reach bookshelves around August 15.

I made a rare visit to a bookstore Sunday looking for a tome on my preferred photo editing program, Corel Paint Shop Pro X2. After surmounting my initial shock at the shabby shape of the store's computer book section, I set out to complete my mission. After 15 minutes of searching, it became apparent to me that the task at hand would have been much easier if my editing application were Adobe Elements 6. The shelves were stuffed with books about that program. And now another volume is being added to their ranks, The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers, from Peachpit Press. The publisher is touting the release as "the definitive book" on using the Adobe software. Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski have penned the book, which is scheduled to reach the market on March 26 at $44.99. According to Peachtree it covers everything from image workflow to hassle-free handling of common problems like digitgal noise and color halos.Oh, by the way, I did eventually find a book on PSP X2, but after thumbing through it, decided I'd get a better bang for my buck by sticking to the tutorials at the Corel Web site to meet my educational needs about the software. You might want to do a similar thumb-through with the Peachpit book before buying it.

Photography pandit Derrick Story's latest digpho volume, The Digital Photography Companion ($24.99) is being released next month by O'Reilly, where the author holds the title of "digital media evangelist." The book "is the culmination of two years work," Story wrote yesterday on his The Digital Story blog. "I spent hours working with photographers and aspiring photographers to find out exactly what they wanted."

"As a result, I settled on an 8.5" x 5.5" trim size that allows enough room for healthy-sized photographs, yet fits in the backpack, purse, camera bag, or jacket pocket," he added.

According to the publisher, chapters in the 240-page book include:

• What is It? Choose the right camera (DSLRs, compact cameras, or hybrids) and get a rundown on all of the typical features they offer, such as face detection, image stabilizers, diopter adjustment, focus assist light, RAM buffer and more.
• How Does it Work? An A-Z guide of digital camera controls that explains everything from Aperture Value (Av) Mode and Autoexposure to White Balance and  Zoom/Magnify Control, and everything in between.
• Shoot Like a Pro. Advice for a variety of photographic adventures, such as capturing existing light portraits, creating powerful landscape images and shooting fireworks, underwater portraits, infrared photos and more, along with lighting and filter tricks.
• I've Taken Great Pictures, Now What? Complete advice for sharing photos and converting them from color to black and white, plus an overview of photo management applications from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to Apple iPhoto.
• Printing Made Easy. Printing doesn't have to be a painful experience. Learn various options, including direct printing without a computer, ordering out and selecting the right inkjet printer for the home (and what to do with it once it gets there).