BetterPhoto Basics: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pro

BetterPhoto Basics: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pro Review

Absolutely anyone can take better photos!
 
If you can press a button, you can take great pictures. It’s as simple as that. In BetterPhoto Basics, Jim Miotke, founder of the popular online photography school BetterPhoto.com, shares tips and tricks to improve your photos right away, no matter what camera you’re using. Too busy to read a book? No problem—flip to any page for an instant tip to use right away! Learn to compose knockout shots, make the most of indoor and outdoor light, and photograph twenty popular subjects, from sunsets and flowers to a family portrait. Those who want to go further get tips on controlling exposure and the secrets behind ten advanced creative techniques. And everyone will appreciate Jim’s breakdown of easy fixes to make in Photoshop. No matter what your level of experience, you’ll be amazed how easy it is to start taking photos like the pros.  

Composition Digital Field Guide

Composition Digital Field Guide Review

The go-with-you guide for creating strong compositions every time you take a photo

Composition requires purposeful placement of elements within the frame, including backgrounds, foregrounds, main subjects, and much more. It can take years to acquire strong compositional skills. That's where Composition Digital Field Guide comes in. Packed with full-color photos, this handy guide teaches you how to bring together photographic elements to produce photos that are unique, creative, and memorable.

• Addresses the skills required to master the art of good composition when taking digital photos
• Walks you through framing your images carefully, which is the first key step in capturing a strong photograph
• Features hundreds of stunning and inspiring full-color photos of people, wildlife, and landscapes
• Includes the newest feature of the Digital Field Guide series: a removable color checker card to help ensure true color in your photographs

It will be difficult to keep your composition while reading the invaluable advice in Composition Digital Field Guide!

Photo Examples from the Author

Not every shot can be set up, but with pre-planning you can use the rule of thirds to create a balanced shot, even when you don’t know exactly where the subject will be. Shooting a marathon, we knew roughly where the winners would be crossing the finish line. Since they wouldn’t be stopping, there wouldn't be a second chance. I shot the photo in portrait orientation to be able to capture both the runner and the time clock as she crossed the finish line. I tracked the runner as she made it round the last bend and took a series of photos as she came up to and crossed the finish line. You will notice that her head is one third down from the top and one third in from the right. The banner is one third up from the bottom, all using the rule of third compositionally. An added bonus is that the shadows at her feet and her outstretched arms all act as leading lines, drawing the eye into the image and to the runner.

There are patterns everywhere; some are just more obvious than others. These folk with linked hands who are participating in a protest at our local beach formed a regular pattern. What I love about this photo is that this is just a small segment of a larger view, but since the pattern is there and unbroken, it looks as if it could go on forever. There are no breaks, and there are no ending points. Our brains tell us that without more information, we can’t tell when and if the pattern ends.

The use of color by this performance artist was really great. The different white clothes, white makeup and white hair, punctuated by small bursts of red really worked well. There are at least four different shades of white in this image, but see if you can stop your eyes from traveling between the splashes of red. This is an image that needs to be seen in color, and it is the color that really helps create the look and feel overall. Because color can draw and lead the viewers attention, the small red hearts and flowers do a great job of keeping the viewer’s eye inside the image and drawing it back up to the eyes of the performer. Because the colors were so good, I composed the image in tight to fill the frame. Otherwise, you would have been able to see the colors on the wall behind her, which would have detracted for the photograph.

Digital Photography: Advanced

Digital Photography: Advanced Review

"Digital Photography: Advanced" features Digital Photography Expert, Andy McKee, as he walks you through all the steps of becoming a Digital Photography Pro. This Vook features 8 amazing videos that teach you everything from Advanced Photoshop Skills to Customizing Your Digital Camera Features. If you have ever wished you could wow your friends with your Digital Photography skills, this Vook is for you.

The Digital Photography Companion

The Digital Photography Companion Review

Are you ready to take photos that reflect your creative spirit, rather than just another set of snapshots? Then you want this book in your camera bag. Well-organized so you can look up topics quickly, The Digital Photography Companion gives you creative tips and technical advice for taking top-notch digital photos in a wide range of conditions, and for a variety of occasions. In other words, this book will help you make pictures that look better than everyone else's.

Professional photographer and teacher Derrick Story, whose online tips and podcasts at The Digital Story (www.thedigitalstory.com) have made him a popular photography blogger, gives you plenty of examples of how to capture great shots of people, places, landscapes, and more. He also provides a complete summary on camera features, tips for printing, sharing your images, and an overview of photo management applications.

Chapters include:

• What is It? -- Choose the right camera (DSLRs, compact cameras, or hybrids) and get a rundown on all of the typical features they offer, such as face detection, image stabilizers, diopter adjustment, focus assist light, RAM buffer, and more.



• How Does it Work? -- This A-Z guide of digital camera controls explains everything from Aperture Value (Av) Mode and Autoexposure to White Balance, the Zoom/Magnify Control, and everything in between.



• Shoot Like a Pro -- Advice for a variety of photographic adventures, such as capturing existing light portraits, creating powerful landscape images, and shooting fireworks, underwater portraits, infrared photos, and more, along with lighting and filter tricks.



• I've Taken Great Pictures, Now What? -- You get complete advice for sharing your photos, converting from color to balck & white and more, plus an overview of photo management applications, from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to Apple iPhoto.



• Printing Made Easy -- Printing doesn't have to be a painful experience. Learn various options, including direct printing without a computer, ordering out, and selecting the right inkjet printer for home (and what to do with it once you get it there.).

You also get an appendix with Quick Reference Tables, as well as other useful tables scattered throughout the book.

The Digital Photography Companion offers you friendly advice so you can try techniques that may never have occurred to you -- approaches that will bring you more of what you're looking for when you click the shutter: Great looking pictures!

On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography

On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography Review

With this guidebook, photographers learn how to create stunning, professional images while avoiding the common pitfalls of using an on-camera flash. Techniques for using simple accessories—such as bounce cards and diffusers as well as how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing it rather than overwhelming it—show photographers how to master this challenging aspect of portraiture. For wedding and environmental portrait photographers who must work in ever-changing lighting scenarios, executing these tips to evade flat, lifeless images with harsh shadows, washed-out skin tones, cavernous black backgrounds, and other unappealing visual characteristics results in not only better images, but happier clients and more sales.

25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life

25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life Review

25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life Feature

• ISBN13: 9781456572013
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

ABOUT THE BOOK

25 Lessons Lessons I've Learned about (Photography) Life! has been the #1 best selling photo essay on amazon.com for both 2010 and 2011. It is also a best seller in the Arts & Literature Biographies & Memoirs, Self-Help, Inspirational and Spiritual categories.

In his best-selling book, Lorenzo describes how the deceptively simple rules of photography can also be applied to the art of living. Inspirational and poetic, this book will not only spark readers' creative energies, but also reawaken your passion for life.

In 2005, as a husband, father, and corporate employee - Lorenzo's life revolved around home, work, and his daily commute from the suburbs to the city.

Then, one day, he found himself staying at the Little Church in midtown Manhattan in the wake of a marital separation. Living in virtual isolation for three months, he had a rare chance to re-examine his life.

Quite unexpectedly, he found himself wandering around the city to take photographs, a passion he had let slide in the years of pursuing a career and starting a family. During his nightly sojourns through the streets of New York City, he was reminded of some important life lessons-lessons too easily forgotten in the blur of everyday existence.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

"The book has been the best investment in my life." PD, New York

"I don't think I've ever read as moving a piece on the craft of photography in my life. Most pieces on photography are more tech manual in approach, this one really touches my soul...it's going to really impact my life." Phyllis Johnson, photojournalist and author of Being Frank with Anne

"We received our copies of 25 Lessons today and began reading it as a class - it is truly amazing." Paul Scott, Head of Photography, St. Boniface's Catholic College in Plymouth, UK

"In many of my conversations on great photographers, I frequently mention Lorenzo's work. His sequential photographs...are nothing less that a visual urban poem. It has been my pleasure to watch Lorenzo's rapid growth as a leading photographer of our time." Jim Van Meter, Rochester, NY, USA

"Lorenzo is a master. His body of work is some of the very best online and may very well be some of the best being done in the medium today. His street work follows in the tradition of Paul Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Garry Winogrand and Larry Friedlander. Lorenzo's 25 Lessons are...as seminal as Ansel's dissertation on the zone system. I found them to be reenergizing, perceptive and extremely useful. I have been touched by his story, his writings and by his work. I can't imagine anyone not being so." Barry Shapiro, Los Angeles, CA, USA

"Lorenzo...has a passion for life, photography and writing. He is a linguistic genius, a storyteller through words and pictures. He captures with his camera the world as he sees it, its feelings, love, beauty and all it has to offer..." Brenda George, Adelaide, Australia

"As an oncologist, my primary job is not only to add days to people's lives, it is to add life to people's days. Lorenzo's book has provided me with a great instrument through which I can further become the counselor, healer and confidant my patient's demand. It has reignited in me the passion, warmth and compassion which are sequential for me on a daily basis to be the best physician and person I can be and I've encouraged all of my patients and families to share in his masterpiece as laughter, love, and imagination are the ultimate weapons against grief and despair. Secondary to Lorenzo's great influence in my life, I continue to use his writings and photography as a means to inspire my patient's to express their deep inner emotions as a way to reflect on their understanding of disease and in developing goals of therapy. I recommend his book to all." Mike Rotkowitz, MD, New York City

The Digital Photography Book, Part 4

The Digital Photography Book, Part 4 Review

Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1 (the world's best-selling digital photography book of all time), is back with yet another follow-up with an entirely new book that picks up right where he left off with Volume 3. It's even more of that "Ah ha, so that' s how they do it," straight-to-the-point, skip-the-techno-jargon stuff people can really use today to make their shots even better.

This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here's how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot and you asked me, 'Hey Scott, I want the light for this portrait to look really soft and flattering. How far back should I put this softbox?' I wouldn't give you a lecture about lighting ratios, or flash modifiers. In real life, I'd just turn to you and say, 'Move it in as close to your subject as you possibly can, without it actually showing up in the shot.' Well, 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."

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 4 follows in the footsteps of the wildly successful previous volumes, giving photographers nearly two hundred more closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get them shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with their digital camera every time they press the shutter button.

How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures From Your Digital Camera

How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures From Your Digital Camera Review

This paperback edition of How To Photograph Absolutely Everything by renowned photographer, author, and broadcaster Tom Ang, delivers exactly what the title promises. Avoiding intimidating technical jargon, he explains the basic elements of photography - light, color, composition, and focus - then goes on to show how to make them work for you. From still lifes to children's parties, thunderstorms to sunsets, close-ups to panoramas, every photographic subject, technique, and challenge is covered. Using step-by-step photographs and instructions, Tom shows you how to take the best possible picture in any situation. Want to photograph city lights at night, animals in action, a family portrait? Tom makes it easy. Employing a user-friendly "recipe" formula, he shows you the best approach for each subject, gives expert tips on improving an image, and tells you how to set up your camera - so you really can't go wrong. Inspiring galleries at the end of each section describe alternative techniques to try for every subject. There are also tips on basic post-production, showing how to crop, improve color and contrast, and remove unwanted elements of an image. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything guarantees to make a better, more confident photographer of absolutely everyone who reads it.

Everything Digital Photography Book: Utilize the latest technology to take professional grade pictures (Everything Series)

Everything Digital Photography Book: Utilize the latest technology to take professional grade pictures (Everything Series) Review

With a snap of the shutter and a couple clicks of the mouse, you can take stunning photos and share them with the world. Digital photography is one of the easiest art forms to master-if you only know how.

The Everything Digital Photography Book, 2nd Edition, has everything you need to take full advantage of this evolving art form. Learn how to:

• Choose the perfect camera
• Use light and flashes for optimum effect
• Download and transfer images
• Compress images and post photos online
• Create personalized gifts like calendars

Whether you're a novice photographer or a budding professional, this indispensable guide shows you how to capture the perfect shot-every time!

Rick deGaris Doble is an award-winning photographer with nearly 40 years of photography experience. His site, www.RickDoble.net, receives 150,000 unique hits per year and his popular 600-photo "painting with light" section was ranked #2 in Google searches. Doble has been working with computer-related digital imagery for the past 22 years and, for the past 14, he has taught photography courses at institutions like Duke University. He lives in Smyrna, North Carolina.

Really, Really, Really Easy Step-by-Step Digital Photography: For Absolute Beginners of All Ages

Really, Really, Really Easy Step-by-Step Digital Photography: For Absolute Beginners of All Ages Review

Digital has revolutionized photography by allowing photographers to control every step of the process—and this guide explains all the basics in terms that anyone can understand. It delves into the nuts and bolts of storage, organization, manipulation, and sharing of digital images, as well as choosing the right camera.  Detailed step-by-step tutorials with screen shots show newcomers how to make the most of all their camera’s features and take creative pictures they’ll be proud to print, mail, and export.

 

Low Cost High Impact Photography

Low Cost High Impact Photography Review

A collection of previous columns and original writing about photography. The overriding theme is that the eye is more important than the camera therefore photography does not have to be prohibitively expensive.

The major sections, each consisting of around half a dozen articles are, Introductory pieces, equipment, technique, aesthetics, photo essays and a wrap up.

The articles are anything from 600 to 2,000 words in length and many seek to challenge conventional photography wisdom. Discussions range from advice on camera purchase to whether the whole idea of beauty needs a makeover to cheap ways to get into product photography. This book goes from the extremely practical equipment and technique based writing through to the much quirkier, e.g. how to photograph a flaming Christmas pudding or a description of getting landscape shots in sub zero temperatures with a 20 mph wind.


The book is fully illustrated with over 100 photographs, all taken by the author, Steve Johnson, chosen to make the viewer think about their own relationship to the visual and to photography.

Complete Digital Photography

Complete Digital Photography Review

COMPLETE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, SIXTH EDITION guides you through every aspect of digital photography, from shooting through postproduction and printing, to help you master the theory and technical skills required of a great photographer. In an easy-to-understand format, you'll uncover the fundamental photographic knowledge you need to solve common dilemmas and challenges and advance your photographs to a new level. You'll learn everything from how a camera works and how to choose the camera that's right for you, through shooting, image editing, output, and workflow. You'll also explore the basics of artistry in photography, including finding a subject, composition, lighting, and more. This sixth edition features new material covering Photoshop CS5, Camera RAW, Micro Four Thirds cameras, and post-production, and a revised and more user-friendly organizational structure. Tutorials and exercises throughout the book will help you practice the techniques presented in each chapter.

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Bonus Chapter Excerpt

Five Key Steps to Choosing a Digital Camera

1. First, determine how much you're willing to spend. Your goal is to get the best camera you can for your budget. Best is defined as the balance of features that serves your particular needs.


2. Next, decide whether you are looking for an SLR or a point-and-shoot camera. If you can't make this decision right away, that's fine. It will probably become apparent pretty soon after you start comparing cameras, or maybe even as you read further into the chapter.


3. Next, determine what resolution you need for the type of output you're creating.


4. Among the cameras with the right price and resolution, select the ones that have the shooting features and controls you want.



5. Of those cameras, make your final choice based on which model delivers the best image quality.

   This last point will be your most crucial criteria. If you've narrowed your choice to two cameras, and one has great features but the other produces better pictures, you should go with the second camera. Of course, it's frustrating not to get everything you want in a camera, but you can work around most feature deficiencies. Trying to work around bad image quality is much more difficult.

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Download the full bonus chapter of Ben Long's Complete Digital Photography. [PDF]

Black and White Digital Photography Photo Workshop

Black and White Digital Photography Photo Workshop Review

How to create stunning black and white photos in a digital format

Shooting pictures in black and white presents unique challenges for beginners and experienced digital photographers alike. A strong understanding of photography’s fundamentals is crucial to capturing great black and white images, and factors such as contrast and lighting are much more integral to black and white photography than to color. Black and White Digital Photography Photo Workshop teaches digital photographers the skills they need to master black and white photography.

• Focuses on the rules of photography and how they apply differently to black and white photography
• Offers guidance for properly uploading digital images to a computer
• Explains insider tips and tricks for using Photoshop and Lightroom to successfully enhance black and white images

Black and white photography presents different challenges than color photography. In Black and White Digital Photography Photo Workshop, photographers learn how to identify great opportunities for black and white photographs and how to turn those opportunities into stunning monochrome images they can be proud to display.

From the Author: Sample Photos and Their Stories

One vital element of good black and white photography is lighting and how the light affects your subjects. I believe that many of the black and white images that I shoot are light driven, meaning that many times I will see how the light and shadow are interacting with the subject in front of me, and will use the tones and contrast there to determine if it should be a color or black and white image.

This can happen whether there is the bold contrast of big areas of light and shadow, or the subtle tones of gray, smoothly fading towards bright and dark areas. Pay attention to the shapes and textures of the scene in front of your camera, and start to engage your brain in trying to learn how the colors of real life will convert into tones and textures in monochrome.

In your home, on a walk or even on your commute, begin to see the tones of light and dark all around you to help visualize how the contrast of the light is creating the emotional tone of the scenes in front of you. Ask yourself questions about the light always helps in visualizing-is this a bright or dark scene? Is the interaction of the light and dark areas of the scene hard and abrupt or is it soft and gradual? How does this light fit the scene? And finally… how does the light in the scene make me feel?

Spend more time trying to visualize how light is creating the shape, texture and contrast in the scene in front of your camera and the feel that you are attempting to share in your black and white photographs, than worrying too much about a lot of technically perfect settings. Imparting the feel and emotion of the scene in front of you will be far more impactful to the viewer than making sure you had just the right f/stop.

Commuter (see story below)

Sunset (see story below)

Boxer (see story below)

Commuter
The image of the commuter’s legs is interesting to me because of the strong lines and contrast of the scene. With a square shaped image, the line of legs and shadow created with the backlight of the setting sun on the sidewalk keep our eyes moving right back to the shoes and the step. All of the other line and texture in the scene continue to do the same thing, bringing interest right back to the point of the step. This image really breaks the rule of thirds, and yet there is subtle interesting balance by being off kilter and just off center.

1/1600 second, f/4 and ISO 320

Sunset
So often the color of a sunset becomes such a big focus in photography that we forget how much the beauty of that sunset can be seen in black and white. The layers of the scene are shown with the different textures from top to bottom, from ethereal sky, to smooth foothills, to the soft rounded texture of the trees down to the pastoral agelessness of the barn and wagon.

1/80 second, f/7.1 and ISO 320

Boxer
A moment of reflection is captured in a split second after a bout; the boxer readies himself for the judges’ decision. Black and white photography brings the focus right to his lean and muscular shape and expression in the soft tones of the shadows, while in color this image may be full of distraction colors, from the ringside ropes to the color of the light itself.

1/320 second f/2.8 and ISO 4000