John Shaw's guide to digital nature photography

I was very excited to receive this book.... but when it came, I was instantly disappointed. I love photography and the outdoors, so it seemed like this book was made for me. I was looking forward to the images John had captured and in learning any new tricks I may not have considered in the past. Unfortunately, the photographs are very lack luster. They all seem to be void of contrast and sharpness. It almost looks like the shadows were removed in the editing process. The subject matter is gorgeous and he delivers on composition, but all the photos seem to be missing something. As far as content, there are some helpful tips, but overall, its way too wordy and very subjective. I can't imagine anyone remembering half of that info while trying to capture the perfect moment in a quick and ever changing environment. Also, as someone who prefers Canon (because I believe it almost always delivers a sharper/cleaner image than most other brands), I wish I'd known the photographer used Nikon exclusively, it would have dictated my decision in ordering this book.