In his book "101 Quick and easy secrets to create winning photographs" the Author Mathew Bamberg takes us around the world capturing day to day things using various techniques, taking the mundane shot and turning into a visual masterpiece. Bamberg does an outstanding job of describing the photo techniques that he employed as well as the technical aspects of the shot, the use of color, light and shadow, for ground object, background object etc.. Bamberg describes his thought process behind the decision he makes about the framing of the shot, whether to use aperture priority, shutter priority, type of lens etc.
The book is divided into 15 chapters:
Chapter 1 Making your photographs look 3D. This chapter describes how to use objects to give your photo some dimensionality using foreground and background objects.
Chapter 2:Painting with light. The chapter covers using available light vs. flash vs. reflected light
Chapter 3 Adding action to your frame. This chapter covers using long exposures. It also covers taking shots of people in motion and how to convey what they are doing through photography.
Chapter 4. Adding or subtracting shadow. This chapter covers how to use shadows to emphasize the subject as well as how to get rid of unwanted shadows.
Chapter 5. Making Art from architecture. This chap0ter is basically about photographing buildings in interesting ways.
Chapter 6. Creating mood shots using weather. This chapter is about using exposure compensation to bring out color. It's also about using black and white photography to set the mood.
Chapter 7 Beautifying with color. This is about finding color in the shot and then emphasizing it. Making the color jump off of the page.
Chapter 8. Breathing life into people. This chapter is about using the lens, colors they are wearing and the environments they are in to create a photograph.
Chapter 9. Making animal photos sharp and fun. In this chapter Bamberg shows us how to capture the essence of the animal. He really made these images stand out.
Chapter 10. Spicing up photos with lens flare, noise and other unusual effects. Here Bamberg talks about using the settings on your camera and lens to really bring out unusual effects whether is lens flare, distortion or long exposure.
Chapter 11. Composing with landscapes. Here Bamberg covers using focal lengths, aperture, shutter speeds and combining many different camera settings to achieve the perfect shot.
Chapter 12. Shaping up with symmetry. This chapter covers using lines to direct the viewers eye.
Chapter 13. Technical tango. Here Bamberg talks about what equipment and settings to use in different situations.
Chapter 14. Daytime, nighttime, anytime. Here Bamberg talks about using the settings on your camera to capture the brilliance of light and color. Any time.
Chapter 15. Back to the future. Simply said., how to photograph old things and bring visual life to them with color.
This book serves as a multipurpose book. It can be used in the classroom and it can be used as reference material and it is very well suited for both.
The book is filled with beautiful photography. It's an easy read. What I really liked about this book is that it will be very easy for the novice photographer to understand and there is something here for the experienced photographer as well. Bamberg really captures the essence of photography in this book. Bamberg really makes the photos in this book come to life and he walks the reader through how to do this. Bamberg did an excellent job writing and editing this book as well. The points he makes are detailed but concise. The book flows very well from beginning to end and yes there are 101 very useful secrets here. This is worth 10 stars in a 5 star limitation.
Author(s): Matthew Bamberg
Edition: 1
Publisher: Course Technology PTR
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 250
CONTENTS......Page 6
INTRODUCTION......Page 11
CHAPTER 1 Making Your Photographs Look 3D......Page 14
Adding Depth to Your Photos Using Perspective......Page 15
Finding Different Angles to Enhance Perspective......Page 17
Using Multiple Objects to Create Depth......Page 19
Obtaining Good Bokeh (Blur)......Page 21
Choosing Interesting Foregrounds......Page 23
Using Curves to Fill Your Frame......Page 25
Looking in through a Window or Door......Page 27
Including a Large Area of the Ground in the Frame......Page 29
CHAPTER 2 Painting with Light......Page 32
Finding Available Light for a Clear Picture Indoors......Page 33
Using Reflected Light to Enhance Subjects......Page 35
Using Fill Flash......Page 37
Taking Advantage of Light Streaming through Windows, Doors, or Other Building Openings......Page 39
Making Silhouettes by Shooting into the Sun......Page 41
Backlighting a Tree, Plant, or Leaf Using the Sun’s Light......Page 43
Making Flowers Look Painted by Photographing Them in Low Light......Page 45
CHAPTER 3 Adding Action to Your Frame......Page 48
Panning a Shot to Blur Background......Page 49
Creating Blur to Show Movement......Page 51
Finding Subjects in Action on the Street......Page 53
Finding Acts of Affection......Page 55
Using Close-Ups to Isolate Action......Page 57
Adding Ripples/Splashes to Bodies of Water......Page 59
CHAPTER 4 Adding or Subtracting with Shadows......Page 62
Keeping Your Own Shadow out of the Frame......Page 63
Mixing Shadows and Sun in the Frame......Page 65
Using a Shadow as the Main Subject of Your Photo......Page 67
Finding/Creating Contrasting Color Backgrounds for Shadows......Page 69
Photographing Shadows of Dusk......Page 71
Eliminating Shadows from the Frame......Page 73
Framing Shadows So They Move from Foreground to Background......Page 75
CHAPTER 5 Making Art from Architecture......Page 78
Using a Tripod to Photograph Buildings at Night......Page 79
Avoiding the Use of Flash When Photographing Building Interiors......Page 81
Looking for Architectural Style......Page 83
Including Exterior Fixtures in the Foreground......Page 85
Filling Your Frame with Architectural Detail from an Old Building......Page 87
Creating Dramatic Converging Lines in Architecture......Page 89
Eliminating Converging Lines in Architecture......Page 91
CHAPTER 6 Creating Mood Shots Using Weather......Page 94
Making a Daytime Clear Sky Look Deep Blue......Page 95
Showing Wind by Including Blowing Sand in the Frame......Page 97
Including Different Shades of White in Snow Photos......Page 99
Photographing Wet City Streets from Above......Page 101
Using Black and White for Weather Photographs......Page 103
Having Your Camera Ready When Clouds Put on a Show......Page 105
Photographing Umbrellas Open in the Rain......Page 107
Using Fog to Create Mystery......Page 109
CHAPTER 7 Beautifying with Color......Page 112
Filling a Frame with One Color......Page 113
Using Color to Make Subjects/Objects Pop Out of the Frame......Page 115
Framing Contrasting Colors......Page 117
Making Each Color of a Rainbow Show Up Clearly......Page 119
Taking Close-Ups of Fruits and Vegetables......Page 121
Making Stubborn Greens Come Alive......Page 123
Creating Blasting Colors from Murals and Graffiti......Page 125
Matching Photo Sets by Color......Page 127
Finding Color Shades and Tones You Haven’t Seen Before......Page 129
Using a Macro Lens to Photograph Flowers......Page 130
CHAPTER 8 Breathing Life into People......Page 132
Blurring the Background in Portraits......Page 133
Having Subjects Slant Their Shoulders and Turn Their Head in Different Ways......Page 135
Putting Subjects Close to the Lens......Page 137
Using the Subject’s Body to Create Different Lines and Angles in the Frame......Page 139
Placing Subjects Off Center in the Frame......Page 141
Bouncing Light onto Subjects off a Whiteboard......Page 143
Placing Two or More Subjects Close Together......Page 145
Finding Offbeat People Doing Strange Things......Page 147
CHAPTER 9 Making Animal Photos Sharp and Fun......Page 150
Photographing at Developing-World Zoos for New Perspectives of Animals......Page 151
Using a Tripod to Photograph Zoo Animals......Page 153
Photographing Animal Whiskers and Other Body Parts Close-Up......Page 155
Showing Off the Texture of a Reptile’s Skin......Page 157
Photographing Pets at Eye Level......Page 159
CHAPTER 10 Spicing Up Photos with Lens Flare, Noise, and Other Unusual Effects......Page 162
Using High ISO Speeds to Add Noise......Page 163
Overexposing Water Features in the Shade......Page 164
Using Lens Flare for a Cinematic Look......Page 165
Using an Ultra-Wide Angle to Create Distortion......Page 167
Making People Look Like Ghosts......Page 169
Creating Sepia Tones......Page 171
Putting a Stocking around a Lens to Soften Portraits......Page 173
CHAPTER 11 Composing with Landscapes......Page 176
Using Tight Apertures for Stunning Landscapes......Page 177
Using the Rule of Thirds for Landscapes......Page 179
Adding a Vertical Object to Flat Landscapes......Page 181
Making Flowing Water Look Like Angel Hair......Page 183
Excluding Gray/White Sky from a Landscape......Page 185
Using a Polarizing Filter to Get Rid of Glare......Page 187
CHAPTER 12 Shaping Up with Symmetry......Page 190
Finding Symmetrical Human Figures......Page 191
Using Bodies of Water to Create Reflective Symmetry......Page 193
Looking for Symmetrical Façades of Buildings......Page 195
Framing Tunnels or Bridges from the Center of the Structure......Page 197
Photographing Colored Glass Patterns......Page 199
CHAPTER 13 Technical Tango......Page 202
Using a Tripod to Photograph Blinking Signs......Page 203
Using Different Autofocus Points in Two Shots of the Same Scene......Page 205
Changing Light in a Frame by Vignetting......Page 207
Using High ISO Speeds to Photograph in Low-Lit Places......Page 209
Keeping Apertures Open Wide in the Shade......Page 210
Using the Right Combination of Camera Settings for Sharp Photos Inside......Page 211
CHAPTER 14 Daytime, Nighttime, Anytime......Page 214
Creating a Moonscape in a Rocky Area Just After Dusk......Page 215
Getting Sunrise and Sunset Golden......Page 217
Making the Sky Iridescent Blue......Page 219
Photographing an Amusement-Park Ride Moving at Night......Page 221
Photographing a Full Moon at Dusk......Page 223
Using the Moonlight to Illuminate Landscapes......Page 225
Using Your Flash to Photograph a Night-Blooming Flower......Page 227
CHAPTER 15 Back to the Future......Page 230
Taking Close-Ups of Vintage Vehicles......Page 231
Finding Ghost Signs on Brick Buildings......Page 233
Photographing Neon Signs during the Day......Page 235
Capturing the Grandeur of an Old Movie Palace......Page 237
A......Page 239
C......Page 240
D......Page 241
F......Page 242
I......Page 243
M......Page 244
P......Page 245
R......Page 246
S......Page 247
V......Page 248
Z......Page 249
