A Short Course in Digital Photography

If you own a digital camera, or are thinking of getting one, this book explains all you need to understand about your camera to capture much better and more interesting photographs-everything your camera manual doesn't tell you. Whether you're photographing for business or pleasure, complete, clear explanations show you how to use your camera in almost any photographic situation. What people like most about this book is the way it integrates concepts and procedures; the "whys" and "hows" of photography.

Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers. Understanding concepts answers the "why" kinds of questions you might have about photography.

Procedures are those things specific to one kind of camera, and explain step-by-step how you set your camera's controls to capture an image just the way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the "how" kinds of questions you might have. Just a few of the things you'll learn in this book are how to throw the background out of focus in portraits, how to keep everything in a landscape sharp, how to avoid or creatively use blur, how to photograph sunrises and sunsets; and how to take pictures at night with city lights, the moon, or fireworks.

This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because that's how photographers think. You think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures you use with your digital camera are integrated throughout the concepts. They appear in those places where they apply and there are even places for you to write in instructions for your own camera. This integrated approach lets you first understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how to use your camera in all kinds of photographic situations. Here are just some of the things you'll learn to do with your camera:

- Selecting Automatic Mode - Turning the LCD Monitor On and Off - Taking a Picture in Automatic Mode - Selecting a Quality Mode - Selecting a Shutter Speed - Selecting an Aperture - Changing Exposure Modes - Using the Selftimer or Remote Control - Increasing Sensitivity - Increasing Sharpness of Moving Objects - Changing the Focusing Method - Using Focus Lock - Increasing Depth of Field - Using Focus Lock for Maximum Depth of Field - Using Focus Lock for Minimum Depth of Field - Decreasing Depth of Field - Conveying Motion - Changing the Metering Mode - Using Exposure Compensation - Using Exposure Lock - Adjusting Brightness and Contrast - Adjusting White Balance - Photographing Backlit Subjects - Zooming the Lens - Using Digital Tele - Using Autoflash - Combating Red-eye - Using Fill Flash - Using Slow Sync - Turning off the Flash - Taking Macro Close-ups - Increasing Depth of Field in Close-ups - Taking Panoramas - Shooting in Black & White - Using Multi-shot Photography