Digital Photography For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
How This Book Is Organized
Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps
Part 2: Taking Your Photography to the Next Level
Part 3: Pro Tips for Capturing Specific Subjects
Part 4: After the Shot
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Beyond the Book
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Fast Track to Super Snaps
Chapter 1 Choosing the Right Camera
Choosing the Right Level of Camera
How much control do you want?
How important is picture quality?
Do you want to use multiple lenses?
Looking at Lenses
Camera compatibility
Lens focal length
Prime versus zoom lenses
Lens aperture range
Minimum focusing distance
Lens weight and size
Lens quality
Reviewing a Few Final Camera Features
Shooting modes
Image stabilization
Viewfinder: Optical or electronic?
Video-recording capabilities
Memory-card features
Convenience features
So . . . Is It Time for a New Camera?
Chapter 2 Starting Out Right: Setup Do’s and Don’ts
Preparing the Camera
Buying and using memory cards
Preserving battery power
Working with interchangeable lenses
Choosing Initial Camera Settings
Selecting the exposure (shooting) mode
Setting the shutter-release mode
Setting photo resolution
Setting the file type (JPEG or Raw)
Looking at a Few More Setup Options
Chapter 3 Shooting Your First Photos (and Movies)
Looking at Automatic Shooting Modes
Shooting in Auto Mode
Stepping Up to Scene Modes
Portrait mode
Landscape mode
Close-up mode
Sports mode
Recording Movies in Auto Mode
Enabling movie mode
Reviewing recording settings
Recording a movie in Auto mode
Part 2 Taking Your Photography to the Next Level
Chapter 4 Starting to See Like a Photographer
Exploring Composition Basics
Dead center is deadly boring
Create movement through the frame
Eliminate clutter
Leave some “head room”
Using Depth of Field to Artistic Advantage
Capturing Motion: To Blur or Not to Blur?
Becoming a Student of Light
Exploring New Subjects and Angles
Find a new angle
Notice reflections, patterns, and textures
Look beyond the usual suspects
Chapter 5 Taking Control of Exposure
Understanding Exposure
Introducing the exposure trio: Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
Doing the exposure balancing act
Adjusting f-stop, Shutter Speed, and ISO
Taking advantage of exposure guides
Changing the Metering mode
Using “priority” exposure modes
Adjusting Autoexposure Results
Applying exposure compensation
AE Lock (autoexposure lock)
Expanding Tonal Range
Bracketing Exposures
Chapter 6 Adding Flash and Other Lights
Enabling and Disabling Built-In Flash
Comparing Built-In and External Flashes
Pros and cons of built-in flashes
Pros and cons of external flash heads
Adjusting Flash Power
Exploring Special Flash Modes
Flash with red-eye reduction
Slow-sync flash
Rear-curtain sync
Improving Outdoor Photos with Flash
Considering Continuous Lighting
Setting Up a Small Lighting Studio
Looking at Simpler (and Cheaper) Lighting Setups
Chapter 7 Manipulating Focus and Color
Understanding Autofocus Options
Enabling autofocus
Locating your camera’s focus points
Selecting a focus point or zone
Choosing focus lock or continuous AF
Using the right autofocus technique
Focusing Manually
Diagnosing Focus Problems
My entire picture is blurry
The wrong thing is in focus
Moving subjects are blurry
The camera won’t focus at all
Playing with Depth of Field
Controlling Color
RGB: A new way of thinking about color
Choosing between sRGB and Adobe RGB
Using white balance to adjust color
Looking at Picture Presets
Shooting Raw for More Color Control
Part 3 Pro Tips for Capturing Specific Subjects
Chapter 8 Shooting Frame-Worthy Portraits
Starting with a Classic Portrait Recipe
Creating Good Portrait Lighting
Shoot indoor portraits by window light
Catch light with a reflector
Lessen the chances of red-eye in flash portraits
Try slow-sync flash for softer flash lighting
Shoot a subject in silhouette
Use flash to fill in shadows outdoors
Building a Better Backdrop
Capturing More Memorable Portraits
Chapter 9 Photographing Action
Choosing an Action Plan
Freezing Action
Following the classic action recipe
Shooting subjects “moving in place”
Improving your odds of freezing action
Blurring Motion
Panning for Cool Background Effects
Chapter 10 Taking in the Scenery
Reviewing a Few Basics
Composition is critical
Lens focal length matters (a lot)
Remember the impact of depth of field
Pick the right exposure mode
Pack a lens filter (or two or three)
Taking a Panoramic View
Photographing Tall Structures
Catching the Night Lights
Capturing Small Wonders
Part 4 After the Shot
Chapter 11 Discovering Cool Playback Features
Switching to Playback Mode
Adjusting the Playback Display
Getting a Close-Up Look at a Photo
Displaying Thumbnails and Calendars
Viewing Shooting Settings (Metadata)
Reading histograms
Displaying highlight alerts (“blinkies”)
Rating, Protecting, and Deleting Files
Rating files
Protecting photos
Deleting files
Checking Out In-Camera Editing Tools
Viewing Photos on a TV
Chapter 12 Downloading, Editing, and Sharing Photos
Sorting through Photo Software
Basic (and free) programs
Advanced (and not free) options
Downloading Your Images
Looking at connection options
Completing the download process
Preserving Your Files
Converting Raw Files
Looking at Your Printing Options
Avoiding Printing Pitfalls
Checking resolution: Do you have enough pixels?
Getting print and monitor colors in sync
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing
Sizing photos for screen display
Saving files in the JPEG format
Part 5 The Part of Tens
Chapter 13 Ten Fixes for Common Photo Flaws
Discover a Few Easy Exposure Fixes
Take Steps to Avoid Blurry Pictures
Scan the Frame Before You Shoot
Blur a Busy Background
Level the Horizon
Crop Away Excess Background
Solve Color Miscues
Turn Down the Noise
Deal with Dust Spots and Lens Flare
Watch Out for Weird Halos
Chapter 14 Ten Accessories to Enhance Your Photography
Invest in a Good Camera Bag
Pick a Sturdy Tripod
Consider Smaller Stability Solutions
Find a More Comfortable Camera Strap
Get a Better View of Your Monitor
Download Some Cool Apps
Calibrate Your Monitor with Precision
Dive In with a Waterproof Housing
Treat Your Wrist to a Graphics Tablet
Pick Up a Portable Printer
Index
EULA