The Digital Photography Book

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Copyright
3. Dedication
4. Acknowledgments
5. Other Books by Scott Kelby
6. About the Author
7. Contents
8. Chapter One Pro Tips for Getting Sharp Photos If Your Photos Aren’t Sharp, the Rest Doesn’t Matter
   1. Seven Things You’ll Wish You Had Known . . .
   2. . . . Before Reading This Book!
   3. Two More of Those Things
   4. One Last Thing
   5. Getting “Tack Sharp” Starts with a Tripod
   6. A Ballhead Will Make Your Life Easier
   7. Don’t Press the Shutter Button Itself
   8. Forgot Your Cable Release? Use a Self Timer
   9. Stop Camera Shake by Shooting Wirelessly
   10. Don’t Raise Your ISO When You’re on a Tripod
   11. Secret Weapon for Sharper Hand-Held Shots
   12. Tuck in Your Elbows for Sharper Shots
   13. Turn Off Vibration Reduction (or IS)
   14. Zoom In to Check Sharpness
   15. How to Pick Your Own Focus Point
   16. If What You’re Shooting Moves, Do This . . .
   17. Sharpening After the Fact in Lightroom
   18. Sharpening After the Fact in Photoshop
   19. Why I Recommend Aperture Priority Mode
   20. What F-Stop Should You Use?
9. Chapter Two The Scoop on Lenses Which Lens to Use, When, and Why
   1. When to Use Super-Fast Lenses
   2. When to Use an “All-in-One” Zoom Lens
   3. When to Use a Super-Wide-Angle Lens
   4. When to Use a Fisheye Lens
   5. When to Use a Macro Lens
   6. Why Some Lenses Have Two F-Stops
   7. Use a Teleconverter to Get Even Closer
   8. You Need to Know About Lens Compression
   9. How to Focus Your Lens to Infinity
   10. Shoot at the F-Stop You Bought the Lens For
   11. The Deal on Lens Hoods
   12. You’re Probably Going to Lose Your Lens Hood
   13. Keep Your Rear Element Clean
   14. Avoid Dust and Other Junk
10. Chapter Three Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro How to Create Stunning Scenic Images
    1. The Golden Rule of Landscape Photography
    2. This Is Definitely Tripod/Cable Release Time
    3. My Favorite Lens for Landscapes
    4. Which F-Stop to Use for Landscapes
    5. Keep from Destroying Part of Your Image
    6. How to Add Depth to Your Landscape Photos
    7. Where to Put the Horizon Line
    8. The Secret to Shooting Sunsets
    9. For Landscapes, You Need a Clear Subject
    10. Where to Focus for Landscape Shots
    11. Getting the Star Filter Effect
    12. Look for Clouds to Hold the Color
    13. Composition: Using Negative Space
    14. Composition: Using Leading Lines
    15. A Timesaving Pano Trick
    16. The 7 Deadly Sins of Landscape Photography
    17. Why You Need a Polarizer
    18. Using a Graduated Neutral Density Filter
    19. Shooting Waterfalls
    20. Get the PhotoPills App
11. Chapter Four Shooting Travel Like a Pro How to Come Back with Images You’re Really Proud Of
    1. In This Case, Less Gear Is More
    2. My Favorite Travel Lenses
    3. Shoot the Cliché Shots (and Show Them First!)
    4. Shoot the Details to Suggest the Whole
    5. Hiding Tourists, Cars, Buses, Etc.
    6. Another Trick for Hiding Tourists
    7. How to Avoid Blurry Travel Shots
    8. There’s a Picture in There Somewhere
    9. Working People into Your Travel Shots
    10. Getting People to Pose
    11. Hire a Model (It’s Cheaper Than You’d Think)
    12. Look for Vivid, Contrasting Colors
    13. Look for Simplicity
    14. Don’t Forget to Shoot the Food
    15. Create a Sense of Timelessness
    16. Consider Location Scouting First
    17. Shooting without Tourists
    18. Take a Platypod Instead of a Tripod
12. Chapter Five Taking Portraits Like a Pro How to Make People Look Their Very Best in Pictures
    1. My Go-To Lens for Portraits
    2. My Other Favorite Lens (85mm f/1.8)
    3. Avoid Wide-Angle Lenses
    4. Which F-Stop (Aperture Setting) to Use
    5. How and Where to Focus
    6. Capturing Genuine Expressions
    7. Where to Position Your Camera
    8. Positioning Your Subject in the Frame
    9. Don’t Leave Too Much Space Above Heads
    10. Popular Tip for Framing Portraits
    11. Blurring the Background Behind Your Subject
    12. Getting Great Light Outdoors
    13. Shooting in Direct Sunlight
    14. Using Reflectors and Which Color to Use
    15. When to Use a Black Reflector
    16. When to Use a Reflector and How to Aim It
    17. Using Window Light
    18. Using Seamless Backgrounds
    19. Using Painted Backdrops
    20. Taking Great Photos of Newborn Babies
13. Chapter Six Using Your Flash Like a Pro If You’re Not in Love with Using Flash, That’s About to Change
    1. Pop-Up Flash: Use It as a Weapon
    2. Why You Need an Off-Camera Flash
    3. Don’t Use TTL. Set Your Flash to Manual Mode
    4. Get Your Flash Off-Camera
    5. Don’t Use Your Pop-Up Flash as a Trigger
    6. Use a “Real” Wireless Controller
    7. How High to Set Your Flash Power
    8. What Flash “Groups” and “Channels” Are For
    9. Use the Right Shutter Speed or You’ll Get This
    10. I Start with This F-Stop
    11. Set Your ISO to Its Cleanest Setting
    12. Make Your Light Soft and Beautiful
    13. The Softbox I Use to Make the Light Soft
    14. Where to Place Your Flash for the Best Results
    15. Get Even Softer Light
    16. Super-Cheap Way to Make Beautiful Light
    17. You Might Have to “Bounce It”
    18. Why We Add Gel with Flash Outdoors
    19. When to Add a Second Flash (and Why)
    20. Brighten the Background Behind Your Subject
    21. Rear Sync Rocks (& Why You Should Use It)
    22. The Advantages of Using Flash in Daylight
    23. The Instant Black Background
    24. Shooting Sunset Portraits with Flash
14. Chapter Seven Shooting Weddings Like a Pro How to Get Professional Results from Your Next Shoot
    1. Create a Shot List
    2. Shooting in Low-Light Situations (Like a Church)
    3. Another Big Helper When Low-Light Shooting
    4. Three Lenses I Take When Shooting Weddings
    5. Backlighting Your Bride
    6. Finding Beautiful Light for the Bride
    7. Formals: Where to Aim
    8. Formals: Don’t Cut Off Joints
    9. Formals: How High to Position Your Camera
    10. Change Your Vantage Point to Add Interest
    11. Shooting the Details: Which Ones to Shoot
    12. Try an “Unplugged” Wedding
    13. The Mini Macro Lens Perfect for Detail Shots
    14. Using Flash at the Reception
    15. Go Super-Wide for a More Epic Feel
    16. Why You Might Want a Second Shooter
    17. Dramatic Bridal Portrait #1
    18. Dramatic Bridal Portrait #2
15. Chapter Eight Shooting Sports Like a Pro How to Get Professional Results When You Shoot Your Next Game
    1. Which Lenses to Use
    2. Adding a Teleconverter to Get Really Tight
    3. How the Pros Focus for Sports
    4. Change Your Focus Mode for Sports
    5. Which F-Stop to Use for Sports
    6. The Right Shutter Speed for Sports
    7. Auto ISO Makes Sure You Freeze the Action
    8. Shooting at Night or Indoors? Raise Your ISO!
    9. Shooting in Burst Mode
    10. Using a Remote Camera
    11. Our Goal: Capture the Peak Moment of Action
    12. The Two Most Popular Sports Shots
    13. Pros Know the Sport & Shoot the Details
    14. Pan to Show Motion
    15. It’s All About the Crop!
    16. Two Eyes and a Ball
16. Chapter Nine Shooting Other Stuff Like a Pro How to Shoot All That Other Stuff We Wind Up Shooting
    1. Don’t Shoot Down on Flowers
    2. Don’t Wait for Rain—Fake It!
    3. Flowers on a Black Background
    4. Use a Macro Lens to Get Really Close
    5. Which F-Stop Works Best for Macro
    6. Turn Autofocus Off for Shooting Macro
    7. Shooting Flowers with a Zoom Lens
    8. When to Shoot Bracketed
    9. How to Shoot a Bracketed Shot for HDR
    10. Including the Moon and Keeping Detail
    11. The Trick for Shooting a Cityscape at Night
    12. Making Your Own Product Photography Table
    13. The Advantage of Using Strip Banks
    14. Using Foam Core and Creating Reflections
    15. Shooting Cityscapes at Dusk
    16. Shooting Light Trails
    17. Shooting Fireworks
    18. Photographing Animals in a Zoo
    19. Focus Stacking for Sharper Focus
    20. A Tip for Shooting on an Incline
    21. Better Than a Self-Timer for Group Shots
    22. If It’s Cold Outside, Bring Extra Batteries
17. Chapter Ten Pro Tips for Getting Better Photos Tricks of the Trade for Making Better Shots and Better Decisions
    1. Is It Better to Underexpose or Overexpose?
    2. Want to Be Taken Seriously? Start Editing
    3. One Way to Get Better Faster
    4. WHIMS Will Keep You Out of Trouble
    5. Which Format to Shoot In (RAW, JPEG, or TIFF)?
    6. Handy Uses for Your LCD Monitor
    7. When to Switch to Spot Metering
    8. You Need to Copyright Your Photos
    9. Shoot Multiple Shots in Low-Light Situations
    10. What Looks Good in Black & White?
    11. Shoot Landscapes with Cloudy White Balance
    12. Rotate Tall or Rotate Image or Both?
    13. Avoid Signs Because They Draw Your Eye
    14. What People See First in Your Photos
    15. Keep from Accidentally Erasing Memory Cards
    16. Moving Your Point of Focus
18. Chapter Eleven How to Print Like a Pro At the End of the Day, It’s All About the Print
    1. Make Your Life Easier: Print from Lightroom
    2. If Your Prints Come Out Too Dark
    3. What Print Resolution to Use
    4. Sending Prints to a Photo Lab
    5. How Many Megapixels Do You Need?
    6. Do Not Buy an 8x10 Printer
    7. Printing Lab-Quality 13x19s
    8. Printing 17x22s—The Pros’ Paper Size Choice
    9. Which Paper Should You Print On?
    10. What Determines Which Style of Paper?
    11. Getting Your Monitor to Match Your Printer
    12. Download the Color Profiles for Your Paper
    13. Sharpening Your Images for Print
    14. Printing on Canvas
    15. Skip the “Edge-to-Edge” Printing Thing
    16. Making Custom Layouts in Lightroom
19. Chapter Twelve Photo Recipes to Help You Get the Shot The Simple Ingredients That Make It All Come Together