Getting Started in Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Getting Started in Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Released December 2013
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780133572575

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Book description

(Please note that this material was also published as Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back, Peachpit Press [978-0-321-78410-0].)

If you’re not thrilled with the photos you’re getting from your digital camera–whether it’s a point-and-shoot or a DSLR–the answer isn’t a new camera. It’s learning to use the one you’ve got! After all, it’s not the camera that takes
great shots–it’s the person behind the camera. In Getting Started in Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great
Shots, photographer and instructor Khara Plicanic teaches the basics of photography and digital camera functions
that you can apply to any camera, anywhere, any time– answering questions like: What do all those different modes mean and when do I use them? What’s a megapixel and why should I care?

Follow along with Khara, and you will:

  • Learn about shutter speed, aperture, and shooting modes

  • Improve those yellow dingy photos of your kids’ indoor sporting events

  • Fix the exposure on shots that are too dark or too bright

  • Move beyond the Auto mode to take advantage of your camera’s settings

  • Discover that the key to great shots is to learn your way around your camera


    • By the time you’re finished, you’ll know how to best use the features of whatever camera you already have to take
    great shots. And once you’ve got the shots, show them off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and
    discuss how you get your own great shots at flickr.com/groups/gettingstartedfromsnapshotstogreatshots

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. Contents
    6. Introduction
      1. Really, Any Camera Will Do!
      2. About This Book
    7. 1. Three’s Company
      1. Understanding Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. A Simple Press of the Button
      4. Shutter Speed
      5. Aperture
      6. ISO
      7. Putting It All together
      8. Chapter 1 Assignments
    8. 2. Shooting Mode Bonanza
      1. Getting Bossy, and Learning to Like It
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. The Continuum of Control
      4. Automated Modes
      5. Specialty Modes
      6. Scene Modes
      7. Priority Modes
      8. Full Control
      9. Chapter 2 Assignments
    9. 3. Function Junction
      1. Flash, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Metering, Focus, and More!
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. Accessing Your Camera’s Functions
      4. Flash
      5. White Balance
      6. Exposure Compensation
      7. Flash Compensation
      8. Self-Timer
      9. Metering Modes
      10. Auto Exposure Lock (AEL)
      11. Focus
      12. Drive Modes
      13. That’s Not All, Folks!
      14. Chapter 3 Assignments
    10. 4. Gettin’ Your Glass On
      1. The Lowdown on Lenses
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. What’s With All Those Numbers?
      4. Macro Lenses
      5. Point-and-Shoot Lenses
      6. Shopping for Lenses
      7. Chapter 4 Assignments
    11. 5. Rock That Camera!
      1. Real-World Problem Solving
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. Identifying the Challenge
      4. Challenge: Backlit Situation
      5. Challenge: Stage Lighting
      6. Challenge: Night Scene
      7. Challenge: Indoor Sporting Event
      8. Chapter 5 Assignments
    12. 6. Clarification Station
      1. RAW vs. JPG, Pixels, Resolution, and Death by Cropping!
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. RAW vs. JPG
      4. Resolution Revelation
      5. Death by Cropping
      6. Getting Closer and Cropping Less
      7. Chapter 6 Assignments
    13. 7. From Zero to Hero
      1. Better Photos Are Yours for the Taking!
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. Snapshots vs. Photographs
      4. Ready, Set, Stop!
      5. Get Off the Bench!
      6. Composition—It’s Not Just for Musicians and English Majors
      7. Chapter 7 Assignments
    14. 8. Life After the Click
      1. Downloading, Backing Up, and Sharing Your Images
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. The 411 on Downloading
      4. Kickin’ It Old School
      5. Connecting with Your Computer
      6. Downloading Your Files
      7. Backing Up: Automation Is Your Friend
      8. External Hard Drives
      9. Backup Software
      10. Online Backups
      11. What About CD/DVDs?
      12. Moving On: Organizing, Sharing and Printing Your Images
      13. Getting Organized
      14. Sharing Your Photos
      15. Printing Your Memories
      16. Editing Your Photos
      17. You Did It!
      18. Chapter 8 Assignments
    15. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Getting Started in Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: December 2013
    • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
    • ISBN: 9780133572575