when the book first came out he had it available for free and I got it during that time. its fairly decent, its well written and understandable, and he incorporates video into the book which can be nice if you're that type of learner.
however it is a book that tries to cover EVERYTHING associated with photography in it, so don't expect it to delve deeply into any one specific subject, but rather will introduce and scratch the surface of a very wide range of subjects. Also be aware that it is written for the beginning photographer almost exclusively. With the first 5 chapters about the very basics of photography (exposure, how to use your camera)...while the remaining 8 chapters are each devoted to some specific genre of photography (covering many different areas from weddings, to underwater, to macro, to wildlife, to portraits, etc)....
So while I think for beginners or those who are just starting or thinking about exploring photography, its pretty good, its got a lot of helpful basic stuff in there for that level of shooter, and gives people a nice wide look at how different genres are different and how to approach each of them in general and basic terms. However, with all due respect to Tony, I didn't feel it was so much about 'how to create STUNNING digital photographs' but rather 'Digital photography - a brief introduction'
However, if you're somewhat experienced with how to operate your camera, and how to take a properly exposed and focused image, you probably won't gain much out of it.
Personally I typically like to read anything on photography regardless of the demographic that it was written for. To me reading about how other people see and shoot things kind of helps me get out of my frame of mind and maybe see the subjects I shoot in a different way, good, bad, or otherwise. A book like Northrup's casts such a wide net that its interesting to read the basics on subjects that I don't shoot. however I think most people who are already out shooting what they like would gain more out of a book dedicated to a specific subject that can delve deeper into the idea and theory and different procedures behind it a bit better. So while I'm not going to say it was a waste of time to read it because it was interesting, I can say I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
I'd say look at some specific area you're interested in, for example If you're wanting to learn about lighting, I highly recommend the book 'Light Science and Magic' which is an excellent book on lighting.
and search around the web, there are free videos and articles that are extremely good.
B&H has some recorded lectures on youtube that are excellent. Here's a couple lectures from
Adam Marelli, both of which are very long (both roughly 1.5 hours each), but very very good, and free!
I'll have to put the second video in a separate post, it won't let me add them both here
