Furnishes an overview of digital photography, covering such topics as cameras, exposure, lighting, shutter speed, depth of field, and resolution--and tips on how to avoid hours of photo-editing by taking great photographs the first time.

Comprehensive, heavily illustrated volume introduces the concepts and techniques of digital image capture, including exposure, composition, histograms, depth of field, advanced lighting, lens filters, shutter speed, and autofocus. Learn the core concepts and techniques you need to know to take better photos, from choosing the best lens for your stylistic goals to selecting the right camera settings for different lighting conditions. With clear explanations and highly visual examples, Sean T. McHugh takes you from basic concepts like exposure and depth of field to more advanced topics, such as how camera lenses and sensors capture light to produce images. You'll learn not only which camera settings to use in different situations but also the reasons why. Learn how to: - Choose lenses that give greater control over perspective - Minimize image noise by understanding how digital sensors work - Get the exposure you want even in fog, mist, or haze - Improve hand-held shots by mastering shutter speed and autofocus - Use tripods, lens filters, and flash to enhance image capture Whether you want to understand digital photography at a deeper level or simply want to take better photos, Understanding Photography will help you get the most out of your camera.

The silver-based emulsion and chemical process used successfully for many years for the capture and storage of images has now largely been superseded by the introduction of digital technology. The widespread use of digital cameras among imaging professionals, archaeologists and the general public has created a vast array of digital information. If this information is to be of use now and for future generations, it requires the application of a systematic approach to how it is captured and stored. Digital technology is still in its infancy compared with the long-established technique of using silver-based emulsions on glass plate or film to produce images that have, with suitable development and storage, proven to be stable and enduring. Some would argue that our records should still be made in this way, but film is becoming more difficult to source. In addition, film-processing laboratories are disappearing from our high streets, making local processing a thing of the past in all but the largest cities. The tide has turned in favour of digital image capture, which offers many benefits that offset its unproven longevity. However, part of the problem with the digital environment is that its boundaries and possibilities are constantly changing. This publication offers guidance on digital image capture and storage to assist those involved with the making and keeping of images of the historic environment. It does not provide definitive answers regarding the problems of taking and storing digital images but does provide an overview of current recommendations.

The major function of photography is to capture a picture from what is in front of you. Whether a picture of the family pet or advertising spread, the acquisition of the scene is the first step in the digital image process. Digital Photographic Capture takes that first step and it breaks it down in detail so you can understand and better manipulate the mechanics of the process. As we transition from the silver halide base of photography to an electronic enabled future, we can step to the side and look at the intersection of these processes. Today it is not that one is superior in all situations, but that in the imaging world hybrid imaging maintains uses in unique applications and has certain advantages. Digital Photographic Capture explores construction and functions of the various parts and processes used to capture images. Sensors, lenses, creation, storage, and hybrid imaging are all broken down into basic explanations, enabling the photographer to have a basic understanding of the photography today. This is your new introduction to photography.

Learn how to take professional-quality photographs using the same tricks today’s top photographers use (surprisingly, it’s easier than you’d think)!

This is a completely, totally updated version of the #1 best-selling digital photography book of all time! It’s the award winning, worldwide smash hit, written by Scott Kelby, that’s been translated into dozens of different languages.

Here’s how Scott describes this book’s brilliant premise: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, with the background out of focus?,’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Put on your zoom lens, set your f-stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ That’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With over 200 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Each page covers a single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Pro Tips for Getting Sharp Photos
Chapter 2: The Scoop on Lenses
Chapter 3: Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro
Chapter 4: Shooting Travel Like a Pro
Chapter 5: Making Portraits Like a Pro
Chapter 6: Making Portraits with Flash Like a Pro
Chapter 7: Shooting Weddings Like a Pro
Chapter 8: Shooting Sports Like a Pro
Chapter 9: Shooting Other Stuff Like a Pro
Chapter 10: Pro Tips for Getting Better Photos
Chapter 11: How to Print Like a Pro
Chapter 12: Photo Recipes to Help You Get the Shot

Now that you’ve had your DSLR for a while, are you ready to take a much closer look at what creating a great image is all about? It’s all about light! The ability to see, influence, modify, control, and create light will take your images from snapshots to great shots! In Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, photographer and bestselling author Syl Arena begins with a primer on light itself—how to see its direction, intensity, color, contrast, and hardness—and quickly moves on to discussions of shooting both indoors and outdoors in the many different conditions of natural or man-made light. Then the book digs in to begin creating light with photographic lights, whether that’s small flash or big strobe, the pop-up flash on your DSLR or continuous lights. Follow along with Syl and you will: Learn the basics (and beyond) of light modifiers that make light bigger and softer, such as umbrellas, softboxes, beauty dishes, and diffusion panels Understand how to control and shape the light itself with flags, grids, snoots, and the zoom function on your flash Appreciate the color temperature of light (whether that’s the sun, a light bulb, or a flash), and how to influence it with white balance settings on your camera and colored gels on your flash Learn how to take great pictures across many different genres, from product and still life images, to simple (and not so simple) portraits and group shots With Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, you’ll learn not only how light behaves—you’ll learn all you need to know to get started on the journey of creating and controlling light in order to make great shots. And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you get great shots at flickr.com/groups/lightingfromsnapshotstogreatshots.