List of Tables
1 Chapter 1TABLE 1-1 Top Ten Features for the Creative Photographer
2 Chapter 3TABLE 3-1 Common Scene Modes
3 Chapter 7TABLE 7-1 Manual White-Balance Settings
4 Chapter 8TABLE 8-1 Recommended Settings for Shooting Portraits
5 Chapter 9TABLE 9-1 Recommended Settings for Freezing ActionTABLE 9-2 Shutter Speeds for Freezing Action
6 Chapter 11TABLE 11-1 Playback Symbols
List of Illustrations
1 Chapter 1FIGURE 1-1: Each of these cameras plays a different role in my photography life...FIGURE 1-2: The shot produced in Auto mode (left) lacked drama, so I used an ex...FIGURE 1-3: Auto mode typically renders a waterfall similar to the left example...FIGURE 1-4: With the right camera controls, you can specify whether you want th...FIGURE 1-5: A photo that has 300 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to one with a m...FIGURE 1-6: Read reviews to find out how high an ISO setting a camera can use w...FIGURE 1-7: Although it’s not always the case, a mirrorless camera body (left) ...FIGURE 1-8: The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view.FIGURE 1-9: The white, red, and blue boxes indicate the angle of view you get w...FIGURE 1-10: For the left image, I set the aperture to f/22; for the right imag...FIGURE 1-11: Some lenses collapse when not in use, taking up less room in your ...FIGURE 1-12: The various symbols on this camera dial represent shooting modes.FIGURE 1-13: Some monitors can be adjusted to different viewing angles.
2 Chapter 2FIGURE 2-1: Memory cards come in different forms; check your camera’s instructi...FIGURE 2-2: Storage capacity and speed are two critical specs to check when buy...FIGURE 2-3: Avoid touching the contact areas of the memory card.FIGURE 2-4: Check the battery-status symbol frequently to make sure you don't r...FIGURE 2-5: Here’s a look at some of the critical lens-mounting components of a...FIGURE 2-6: Your lens may have a switch that sets it to autofocus or manual foc...FIGURE 2-7: Some cameras offer access to exposure modes via an external dial.FIGURE 2-8: With some cameras, you may set the camera to still photo mode or mo...FIGURE 2-9: Although the controls used to adjust the shutter-release mode vary,...FIGURE 2-10: With cameras that offer wireless connectivity, you may be able to ...FIGURE 2-11: Zooming in on a digital photo enables you to see its individual pi...FIGURE 2-12: A photo with an output resolution of 300 ppi looks terrific.FIGURE 2-13: At 150 ppi, the picture loses some sharpness and detail.FIGURE 2-14: Reducing the resolution to 75 ppi causes significant image degrada...FIGURE 2-15: I used a high-resolution setting to capture the original (left), w...FIGURE 2-16: When the monitor’s screen resolution is set to 1920 x 1200 pixels,...FIGURE 2-17: Too much JPEG compression destroys picture quality.FIGURE 2-18: But a lightly compressed JPEG produces excellent images while keep...FIGURE 2-19: If the shooting data displayed on the monitor becomes distracting ...
3 Chapter 3FIGURE 3-1: Auto mode is usually represented by the word Auto (left) or a green...FIGURE 3-2: Wait until you see the “focus achieved” indicator to press the shut...FIGURE 3-3: If a backlit subject is too dark (left), adding flash can help (rig...FIGURE 3-4: The portrait setting produces a softly focused background.FIGURE 3-5: Landscape mode produces a large zone of sharp focus and also boosts...FIGURE 3-6: Close-up mode also produces short depth of field. Notice how all th...FIGURE 3-7: To capture moving subjects without blur, try Sports mode.FIGURE 3-8: The control that sets the camera to movie mode usually looks like a...FIGURE 3-9: When you put the camera in movie mode, the display indicates the fr...FIGURE 3-10: The red button is universally used to start and stop recording.FIGURE 3-11: While recording is in progress, the time-remaining value updates, ...
4 Chapter 4FIGURE 4-1: Positioning the horizon line halfway down the frame makes for a dul...FIGURE 4-2: One rule of composition is to divide the frame into thirds and posi...FIGURE 4-3: A variation of the rule of thirds, the golden ratio divides the fra...FIGURE 4-4: A third compositional concept divides the frame into triangles.FIGURE 4-5: The spiraling stairs, along with the patterns of light and dark, le...FIGURE 4-6: You also can use strong diagonal lines to create movement.FIGURE 4-7: In these images, movement is created by the colors and curves of th...FIGURE 4-8: This shot looks chaotic because there's too much going on for the e...FIGURE 4-9: Concentrating on just a small portion of the ride captures its ener...FIGURE 4-10: Scan the background for distracting objects to avoid plant-on-the-...FIGURE 4-11: Leaving extra space on the right causes the viewer to follow the s...FIGURE 4-12: Give moving subjects somewhere to go in the frame.FIGURE 4-13: A short depth of field causes foreground and background objects to...FIGURE 4-14: With a long depth of field, the flower and gecko have equal visual...FIGURE 4-15: A short depth of field helps a subject stand out from a similarly ...FIGURE 4-16: I used a fast shutter speed (1/500 second) to “stop motion,” freez...FIGURE 4-17: A shutter speed of 1/250 second caused the iguana’s moving arm to ...FIGURE 4-18: Allowing a colorful moving object to blur completely produces a fu...FIGURE 4-19: The midday sun strikes a New York street with bright, neutral ligh...FIGURE 4-20: The fading sunlight in this scene lends a soft, golden tone to the...FIGURE 4-21: The left image is a technically fine rendition of the scene, but t...FIGURE 4-22: When shooting in the city, look for interesting reflections in win...FIGURE 4-23: Here, the softness of the flower provides interesting contrast to ...FIGURE 4-24: A feather, a few flower petals, and a watery background create a c...
5 Chapter 5FIGURE 5-1: The aperture size and shutter speed determine how much light strike...FIGURE 5-2: As the f-stop number increases, the aperture size shrinks, allowing...FIGURE 5-3: A higher f-stop increases depth of field, or the distance over whic...FIGURE 5-4: In addition to affecting exposure, shutter speed determines whether...FIGURE 5-5: A slow shutter speed blurs motion; in this case, it makes the fount...FIGURE 5-6: Caused by a very high ISO or long exposure time, noise becomes more...FIGURE 5-7: Raising the ISO from 100 to 200 allowed a faster shutter speed, ena...FIGURE 5-8: You may be able to view exposure settings in the viewfinder or on t...FIGURE 5-9: The exposure meter indicates whether the current camera settings wi...FIGURE 5-10: A histogram tells you how many pixels fall at each point on the br...FIGURE 5-11: Try center-weighted or spot metering when your subject is much dar...FIGURE 5-12: The original autoexposure setting left the palm tree too dark; rai...FIGURE 5-13: Here, the autoexposure system blew out the highlights; lowering th...FIGURE 5-14: Some cameras have features that brighten shadows without also blow...FIGURE 5-15: Here you see one of the exposures that photographer Dan Burkholder...FIGURE 5-16: The final HDR image includes a greater?tonal range than can be cap...
6 FIGURE 5-17: Some cameras offer automated HDR shooting, which I used to produce...
7 Chapter 6FIGURE 6-1: A lightning-bolt symbol is typically used to mark the button that y...FIGURE 6-2: Auto Flash Off exposure mode works just like Auto mode but prevents...FIGURE 6-3: You may also be able to force the flash to fire via a Flash mode se...FIGURE 6-4: This external flash features a rotating head, enabling you to aim t...FIGURE 6-5: On most cameras, you connect an external flash via this connection,...FIGURE 6-6: Blasting the subject from the front creates harsh lighting and stro...FIGURE 6-7: Some compact cameras enable you to attach an external unit like thi...FIGURE 6-8: Flash exposure compensation enables you to adjust the strength of t...FIGURE 6-9: From LumiQuest, this diffuser is designed for use with built-in fla...FIGURE 6-10: Got red-eye? Try using red-eye reduction flash mode for a better r...FIGURE 6-11: Slow-sync flash produces a brighter background and softer flash li...FIGURE 6-12: If you want motion trails to follow a moving object, set the flash...FIGURE 6-13: With front-curtain sync and a long exposure, the motion trails app...FIGURE 6-14: When subjects are backlit, adding flash can expose more details.FIGURE 6-15: I used my camera’s built-in flash to add just enough light to brin...FIGURE 6-16: This Smith-Victor LED light panel can attach to your camera via a ...FIGURE 6-17: Using the built-in flash produced harsh shadows and uneven lightin...FIGURE