Photography has been the business and the passion of LIFE since the original weekly magazine's inception in 1936, and it continues to be the business and passion of LIFE Books and LIFE.com in the new millennium. But photography has surely changed during these many decades. The rigs and gear of old have given way-first slowly, then all at once-to sleek miracle machines that process pixels and have made the darkroom obsolete. The casual photog puts eye to lens, sets everything on auto and captures a photograph that is . . . perfectly fine. One of LIFE's master shooters-in fact, the final in the long line of distinguished LIFE staff photographers-was Joe McNally, and he has always believed that with a little preparation and care, with a dash of enthusiasm and daring added to the equation, anyone can make a better photo-anyone can turn a "keeper" into a treasure. This was true in days of yore, and it's true in the digital age. Your marvelous new camera, fresh from its box, can indeed perform splendid feats. Joe explains in this book how to take best advantage of what it was designed to do, and also when it is wise to outthink your camera or push your camera-to go for the gold, to create that indelible family memory that you will have blown up as large as the technology will allow, and that will hang on the wall forevermore. As the storied LIFE photographer and photo editor John Loengard points out in his eloquent foreword to this volume, there are cameras and there are cameras, and they've always been able to do tricks. And then there is photography. Other guides may give you the one, two, three of producing a reasonably well exposed shot, but Joe McNally and the editors of LIFE can give you that, and then can show you how to make a picture. In a detailed, friendly, conversational, anecdotal, sometimes rollicking way, that's what they do in these pages. Prepare to click.

This gorgeously illustrated guide covers simple techniques for stunning photography of all kinds—from weather to wedding and aerial to underwater. The world is full of breathtaking images just waiting to be captured. How to Photograph Everything shows you how to approach thrilling subjects and get the picture-perfect shot you’re after. The editors at Popular Photography show you exactly how shoot and enhance photos of more than forty subjects—from landscapes to wedding portraits, sporting events, fireworks, and extreme weather. Filled with ideas for shooting, must-have gear guides, 500 beautiful photographs and the simple step-by-step guidance you need to reproduce them, How to Photograph Everything will help you get the best shot, every time. Subjects include: Aerial photography, Animals, Arts & Architecture, Fireworks, Nudes, Portraits, Still Lifes, Street Photography, Underwater photography, Weather, and Weddings.

What could top the #1 best-selling photography book of all time? We’re talking about the award-winning, worldwide smash hit, written by Scott Kelby, that’s been translated into dozens of different languages, because it’s the one book that really shows you how to take professional-quality shots using the same tricks today’s top digital pros use. Well, what if you took that book, created four more just like it but with even more tips, plucked out only the best tips from all five of THOSE books, updated the images, referenced all-new gear, and added a completely new chapter on how to make the transition from shooting photos with your phone to making photographs with your new DSLR? In The Best of The Digital Photography Book, you’ll find all of Scott’s favorite tips and techniques curated and updated from The Digital Photography Book, Parts 1-5, along with a brand new chapter on transitioning from your phone to a full-fledged DSLR. You’ll find everything that made the first five titles a success: Scott answering questions, giving out advice, and sharing the secrets he’s learned just like he would with a friend–without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak. This book will help you shoot dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

An illustrated introduction to digital photography, examining hardware such as cameras, computers, scanners, and printers and the relationship between them; looking at image-editing software, tools, and techniques; featuring step-by-step instructions for taking professional-quality photographs; and discussing special-effects options.

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.

Photography Changes Everythingdrawn from the online Smithsonian Photography Initiativeoffers a provocative rethinking of photographys impact on our culture and our lives. It is a reader-friendly exploration of the many ways photographs package information and values, demand and hold attention, and shape our knowledge of and experience in the world. At this transitional moment in visual culture, Photography Changes Everything provides a unique opportunity to better understand the history, practice, and power of photography. The publication harnesses the extraordinary visual assets of the Smithsonian Institutions museums, science centers, and archives to trigger an unprecedented and interdisciplinary dialogue about how photography does more than record the worldhow it shapes and changes every aspect of our experience of and in the world. The book features over three hundred images and nearly one hundred engaging short texts commissioned from experts, writers, inventors, public figures, and everyday folkHugh Hefner, John Baldessari, John Waters, Robert Adams, Sandra Phillips, and others. Each story responds to images selected by project contributors. Together they engage readers in a timely exploration of the extent to which our lives have been transformed through our interactions with photographic imagery.

Suddenly, anyone with a cell phone is a photographer. This book takes the basics of digital photography and makes them the tools for creative, interesting, and artistic picture-taking. Illuminating the most popular of 4-H projects, Daniel Johnson instructs beginners in the basics of composition, lighting, and the use of flashes--among other fundamentals of capturing a picture that’s more than just “flash.” With step-by-step, illustrated directions, along with spectacular examples, this book is the perfect starting point for 4-H’rs taking up digital photography--and for anyone who wants to learn how to take superior digital pictures.