Focus is an important artistic tool, directing your viewers into and around your image, but a technical challenge too. In this book, the first serious treatent of the topic in the digital age, John Neel shows how a mastery of your lens will greatly enhance the quality and 'wow' factor of your photographs. Never losing sight of what real-life photographers need to know, Focus in Photography will let you master bokeh and other focus techniques, giving you a complete understanding of optics-and what actually happens to light within the camera in your hand. Richly illustrated with John's own amazing images, and drawing on his well-known authority in the field, it will be a valuable asset to students of photography, enthusiasts looking to refine their art, product photographers and commercial shooters alike.

Photography In Focus is a comprehensive textbook on photography today - from basic camera functions and lighting to film development and printmaking for black and white as well as color. Offering coverage on the latest technique and trends, such as digital imaging, this new edition includes 21 chapters and a wealth of color and black and white photos.

“This thoroughly absorbing narrative dazzles with the most profound investigation and research. Focus is an enthralling and riveting read.” —Tim Gunn “Smart, well-researched…engaging…canny” (New York Times Book Review), Focus is a “fast-paced—and clearly insider—look at the rarefied, sexy world of fashion photography” (Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada). New York Times bestselling author Michael Gross brings to life the wild genius, egos, passions, and antics of the men (and a few women) behind the camera, probing the lives, hang-ups, and artistic triumphs of more than a dozen of fashion photography’s greatest visionaries, including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Bill King, Helmut Newton, Gilles Bensimon, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, and Bob and Terry Richardson. Tracing the highs and lows of fashion photography from the late 1940s to today, Focus takes you behind the scenes to reveal the revolutionary creative processes and fraught private passions of these visionary magicians, “delving deep into the fascinating rivalries” (The Daily News) between photographers, fashion editors, and publishers like Condé Nast and Hearst. Weaving together candid interviews, never-before-told insider anecdotes and insights born of his three decades of front-row and backstage reporting on modern fashion, Focus is “simply unrivaled…a sensation….Gross is a modern-day Vasari, giving us The Lives of the Artists in no small measure” (CraveOnline).

This lively, informed defense of modern photography focuses on not focusing--and other unconventional methods that have been successfully employed by acclaimed photographers. From portraits to documentary images and from abstractions to landscapes, the author identifies 100 important images that are emblematic of innovation in modern photography, revealing the frequently complex processes involved in their composition. In so doing, she offers a provocative reminder of what makes a great photograph.

Music legend, photographer, and artist Graham Nash reflects on more than fifty years of an extraordinary life in this extensive collection of personal photographs, paintings, and mixed-media artwork. In this curated collection of art and photography from his personal archive, Graham Nash’s life as a musician and artist unfolds in vivid detail. Best known as a founding member of the Hollies and supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, Graham developed a love of photography from the time he was a child. Inspired by his father, Nash began taking pictures at 10 years old and would go on to take his camera with him ever since—on tour with the Hollies and later CSN and CSNY, among friends at Laurel Canyon and abroad. Many of his photographs depict intimate moments with family and friends, among them Joni Mitchell, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. This volume presents these images alongside Nash’s own reflections, telling the story behind the pictures and giving insight into the life of one of the greatest musicians of all time.

While focusing your camera seems like it should be a no-brainer—there’s autofocus, after all!—it’s often not a simple task. Depending on the shooting situation, your camera, and the countless scenarios that can “throw off” the focus, the task of achieving sharp images with great focus can be deceptively challenging. If you’re a passionate photographer eager to learn the best ways to achieve tack-sharp focus in your images, these 50 focus-based principles are exactly what you need to take your work to the next level. With photographer and author John Greengo as your guide, you’ll quickly learn nearly four dozen techniques for achieving focus in every shooting situation. You’ll learn: • How to optimize autofocus no matter what kind of camera you have (DSLR or mirrorless) • How to master manual focus • Which focus modes and focus areas work best for different situations • How to use your camera’s autofocus aids, such as magnification and focus peaking • Techniques to keep your camera stable, either handheld or on a tripod • How shutter speed and aperture affect sharpness Written in the author’s friendly and approachable style, and illustrated with examples that clearly show how each technique can help you capture great photos, 50 Things Photographers Need to Know About Focus is designed to be an effective, fast, and fun way to learn how to achieve great focus in your images—no matter what situation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Focus Basics Chapter 2: Autofocus Chapter 3: Mirrorless Autofocus Chapter 4: DSLR Autofocus Chapter 5: Customized Autofocus Controls Chapter 6: Autofocus Aids Chapter 7: Autofocus and Lenses Chapter 8: Manual Focus and Lenses Chapter 9: Exposure Control for Focus Chapter 10: Advanced Focusing Techniques Chapter 11: Other Focus Topics