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"A Short Course in Using Your Digital Camera" Book & CD

Using Your Digital Camera 4th edition

A Short Course in
Using Your Digital Camera

105 pages, book and eBook

The ebook has two additional chapters
See the
table of contents

New, full-colour version of the book in Adobe PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader included for Windows and Mac.

Also included are trial versions of software programs for you to try out.



Introduction

A Short Courses digital photography book for people who own a digital camera not covered in one of the camera-specific editions of this book. This beautifully written and illustrated guide pulls together answers to the questions you might have about getting better pictures with your digital camera, including the following:

Selecting Automatic Mode
Turning the Monitor On and Off
Taking a Picture in Automatic Mode
Selecting a Quality Mode
Selecting a Shutter Speed
Selecting an Aperture
Changing Exposure Modes
Reducing Blur
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
Using Auto exposure Bracketing
Adjusting Brightness and Contrast
Displaying Histograms
Adjusting White Balance
Photographing Backlit Subjects
Zooming the Lens
Using Digital Tele
Using Auto flash
Combating Red-eye
Using Fill Flash
Using Slow Sync Flash
Turning off the Flash
Taking Macro Close-ups
Increasing Depth of Field in Close-ups
Taking Panoramas
Shooting in Black & White
Using Continuous Photography
Capturing a Movie
Playing Back a Movie
Using Time-Lapse Photography

Using Your Digital Camera is available as a black & white printed book and a full-colour eBook in Adobe PDF format (Portable Document Format). PDF is by far the leading eBook format because it can be read on desktop computers, laptops, and other devices using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. There are two versions of Using Your Digital Camera on this CD. One PDF file is a low-res version for displaying on your screen. The other is a high-res version for making a colour printout for your own personal use. 


Contents

  • Cover...i
  • Short Courses Publishing Program...ii
  • Preface...iii
  • Contents...iv
  • How To Sections Quick Lookup...v

Chapter 1
Camera Controls and Creativity...6

  • Using Automatic Mode...7
  • Good Things to Know...8
  • When Things Go Wrong...9
  • What is a Digital Photograph?...10
  • How a Digital Camera Works...12
  • Choosing Image Compression and Size...14
  • The Shutter Controls Light and Motion...15
  • The Aperture Controls Light and Depth of Field...17
  • Using Shutter Speed and Aperture Together...19
  • Choosing Exposure Modes...20

Chapter 2
Controlling Sharpness...21

  • Eliminating Camera Movement...22
  • Sharpness Isn’t Everything...23
  • How to Photograph Motion Sharply...24
  • Focus and Depth of Field...26
  • Controlling Depth of Field...29
  • Capturing Maximum Depth of Field...30
  • Using Selective Focus...31
  • Conveying the Feeling of Motion...32

Chapter 3
Controlling Exposure...33

  • How Your Meter Works...34
  • How Exposure Affects Your Images...37
  • When Automatic Exposure Works Well...38
  • When to Override Automatic Exposure...39
  • How to Override Automatic Exposure...43
  • Controlling Brightness and Contrast...45
  • Placing a Value...46
  • Using Histograms...47

Chapter 4
Capturing Light & Colour...50

  • Where Does Colour Come From?...51
  • Colour Balance...52
  • Colour Balance and Time of Day...54
  • Sunsets and Sunrises...55
  • Weather...57
  • Colour Choices...60
  • Photographing at Night...61
  • The Direction of Light...64
  • The Quality of Light...66
  • Using Light and Colour Creatively...68
Chapter 5
Understanding Lenses...70
  • How a Lens Works...71
  • Zoom Lenses...72
  • Normal Zoom...73
  • Wide-Angle Zoom...74
  • Telephoto Zoom...76
  • Portraits with a Zoom Lens...78
  • Perspective in a Photograph...79
  • Lens Converters...80
  • Interchangeable Lenses...81
  • Lens Accessories...82

Chapter 6
Using Automatic Flash...83

  • Types of Flash...84
  • How Automatic Flash Works...85
  • Portraits with Flash...86
  • Using Fill Flash...88
  • Using Slow Sync Flash...89
  • Using Available Light...90
  • Using an External Flash...91
  • Using Flash Creatively...92

Chapter 7
Exploring Close-up Photography...93

  • Macro Mode...94
  • Focusing and Depth of Field...95
  • Exposures and Backgrounds...96
  • Arranging Lighting...97
  • Using Flash in Close-ups...98

Chapter 8
Special Features...99

  • Panoramic Images...100
  • Photographing in Black and White...102
  • Continuous Photography...103
  • Shooting Movies...104
  • Time-Lapse Photography...105

Chapter 9 (CD Only)
Understanding Pixels and Images...106

  • Pixels and Image Sizes...107
  • Displaying Images...109
  • Printing Images...112
  • Understanding Pixels per Inch...114
  • Colour Depth and File Size...115

Chapter 10 (CD Only)
Camera Care & Maintenance...117

  • Choosing Batteries...118
  • Choosing a Battery Charger...120
  • Carrying and Storing Your Batteries...123
  • Caring For Your Camera...125
  • Downloading Images...127

Preface

A great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or subject. But recognizing a great opportunity isn’t enough to capture it; you also have to be prepared. A large part of being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see. Getting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is all about. It doesn’t matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure, there’s a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from your photography.

To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand both 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.

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, colour and tone. Discussions of the procedures you use with specific cameras are integrated throughout the concepts, appearing in those places where they apply. This integrated approach lets you first understand the concepts of photography and then see where to look in your camera manual for the specific steps you use in all kinds of photographic situations. There are even places for you to write in notes about how you do it with your own camera.

To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need to understand how and when to use a few simple features on your camera such as focus, exposure controls, and flash. If you’ve previously avoided understanding these features and the profound impact they can have on your images, you’ll be pleased to know that you can learn them on a weekend. You can then spend the rest of your life marvelling at how their infinite variety of combinations makes it possible to convey your own personal view of the world. You’ll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for maximum detail or to blur it all for an impressionistic portrayal. You’ll be able to get dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, create wonderful panoramas, and capture the beauty and wonder of rainbows, sunsets, fireworks, and night time scenes. 

As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun. There are no “rules” or “best” way to make a picture. Great photographs come from using what you know to experiment and try new approaches. Digital cameras make this especially easy because there are no film costs or delays. Every experiment is free and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step.

This book assumes you’ve mastered the mechanics of your camera. It’s about getting great pictures, not about installing batteries and connecting your camera to your computer. That information is presented in the user guides that came with your camera.

© Dennis P Curtin - All Rights Reserved

£30 (zero VAT)

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