The Digital Photography Book, Part 2

Book description

Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book, part 1, the top-selling digital photography book of all time, is back with an entirely new book that picks up right where part 1 left off. It's more of that “Ah ha–so that's how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip-thetechno- jargon stuff you can really use today that made part 1 so successful.

This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot and you asked me, ‘When I use my flash, the background behind the person I’m shooting turns black. How do I fix that?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture on flash ratios, or start a discussion on flash synchronization and rear curtain sync. I’d just say, ‘Lower your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. That should do it.’ Well, that’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting, where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend–without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

This isn’t a book of theory–full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With over 200 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication Page
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Other Books by Scott Kelby
  6. About the Author
  7. Contents
  8. Chapter One. Using Flash Like a Pro
    1. 10 Things You’ll Wish You Had Known...
    2. ...Before Reading This Book!
    3. Here Are Those Last Three Things
    4. Pop-Up Flash: Use It as a Weapon
    5. The Advantages of a Dedicated Flash
    6. If You Don’t Already Own a Dedicated Flash
    7. The Pro Look: Get It Off-Camera & Soften It
    8. Get Your Flash Off Your Camera, Method #1
    9. Using Pop-Up Flash Wirelessly (#2)
    10. Using a Wireless Triggering System (#3)
    11. Going Wireless (Nikon), Part I
    12. Going Wireless (Nikon), Part II
    13. Going Wireless (Canon), Part I
    14. Going Wireless (Canon), Part II
    15. “Drag the Shutter” to See More Background
    16. How to Soften the Light from Your Flash
    17. Make It Softer Light by Bouncing It
    18. Putting That Nice Twinkle of Light in the Eyes
    19. Softbox-Quality Softening from Your Flash
    20. Tip for Shooting Through a Diffuser
    21. Why You Might Want a Stand for Your Flash
    22. Mounting Flashes Anywhere
    23. Rear Sync Rocks (& Why You Should Use It)
    24. The Fourth Secret to Pro Flash Results
    25. Using Gels (& Why You Need Them)
    26. Using Gels to Get That SI Look
    27. If You Have to Use Pop-Up Flash, Do This
    28. Using a Second Flash
    29. Controlling a Second Flash (Nikon)
    30. Controlling a Second Flash (Canon)
    31. How Far Back Can You Stand Using Flash?
    32. How to Stand Back Even Farther
    33. Controlling Your Light to Add Drama
    34. Shooting Sunset Portraits with Flash
  9. Chapter Two. Building a Studio from Scratch
    1. Studio Backgrounds
    2. Using Studio Flash (Called Strobes)
    3. Softening Harsh Studio Strobes
    4. Why I Prefer Softboxes to Umbrellas
    5. What a Speed Ring Does (& Why You Need It)
    6. Using a Modeling Light
    7. Firing Your Studio Strobe
    8. Firing Your Studio Strobe Wirelessly
    9. Using Continuous Light Instead
    10. Choosing the Size for Your Softbox
    11. How a Light Meter Makes Your Studio Life Easier
    12. How to Use a Light Meter
    13. How Many Lights Should You Use?
    14. The Least Expensive Extra Light
    15. Adding a Hair Light
    16. Where to Position Your Hair Light
    17. Testing Your Hair Light’s Position
    18. Keeping Your Hair Light from Spilling
    19. Which Mode Should You Shoot In?
    20. Where to Position Your Main Light
    21. How High to Position Your Main Light
    22. How Close to Position Your Light
    23. Using a Fan for Windblown Effects
    24. Want Softer, More Even Light? Feather It!
    25. What That Extra Panel in Your Softbox Does
    26. Using a Pop-Up Collapsible Background
    27. Keep Light from Hitting the Background
    28. Three Backgrounds for the Price of One
    29. Using Off-Camera Flash to Light Backgrounds
    30. The Advantage of Shooting Tethered
    31. Getting Super-Saturated Background Color
    32. Lighting a White Background
    33. Which Color Reflector to Use
    34. Where to Position a Reflector
    35. Reflectors Without an Assistant
    36. Seeing the Light from Your Reflector
  10. Chapter Three. Shooting Portraits Like a Pro
    1. Don’t Leave Too Much Headroom
    2. Great f-Stop for On-Location Portraits
    3. Shoot in Portrait Orientation
    4. Shooting Portraits? Get a Battery Grip!
    5. The “Sun Over Your Shoulder” Rule Is Bogus
    6. Shoot Wide and Push in Tight
    7. Shoot Profile Shots in Horizontal
    8. Shoot Long for More Flattering Portraits
    9. Why Diffusers Rock for Outdoor Portraits
    10. Making a Better Background for Portraits
    11. Cropping Off the Top of Their Head
    12. Trendy Composition Tip
    13. Group Photos Are Easier Outdoors
    14. Tip for Posing Group Portraits
    15. Great Tip for Casual Group Shots
    16. Get Couples Really, Really Close
    17. Want Better Portraits? Don’t Count Down!
    18. Shoot Before & Between Shoots for More Natural-Looking Portraits
    19. Don’t Light Your Entire Subject Evenly
    20. Window Light: Where to Position the Subject
    21. Window Light: Where You Should Shoot From
    22. Window Light: Where to Position the Reflector
    23. Six Quick Tips for Fixing Facial Challenges
    24. Don’t Shoot with Their Shoulders Straight On
    25. Making Your Subject Look Slimmer
    26. Using a Posing Chair
    27. Keeping Your Subject “In the Zone”
    28. Avoid Dappled Light
    29. Gold Reflectors Are for Outdoors
    30. Minimizing Shadows Under the Eyes
  11. Chapter Four. Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro
    1. The Secret to Shooting Sunsets
    2. Cutting Reflections in Water
    3. For Landscapes, You Need a Clear Subject
    4. Using Your LCD Monitor Outdoors
    5. A Trick for Shooting Great Rainbows
    6. A Timesaving Pano Trick
    7. The Trick for Using a Fisheye Lens
    8. When to Shoot Streams
    9. Don’t Stop Shooting at Sunset
    10. How to Shoot Fog
    11. Getting Shots of Lightning (Manually)
    12. Getting Shots of Lightning (Automatically)
    13. Where to Focus for Landscape Shots
    14. Find the Great Light First
    15. How to Shoot on a Gray, Overcast Day
    16. A Trick for Great-Looking Flower Shots
    17. The Full-Frame Camera Advantage
    18. The Seven Deadly Sins of Landscape Photography
    19. Landscape Sin #1: Choppy Water
    20. Landscape Sin #2: Frozen Water in Waterfalls
    21. Landscape Sin #3: Bald, Cloudless Skies
    22. Landscape Sin #4: Harsh, Midday Sun
    23. Landscape Sin #5: A Crooked Horizon Line
    24. Landscape Sin #6: Distracting Junk Near Edge
    25. Landscape Sin #7: No Foreground Object
    26. And...Dead Trees and Tree Stumps...And...
  12. Chapter Five. Shooting Weddings Like a Pro
    1. Create a Shot List
    2. Have Backups for Everything!
    3. Silencing Your Camera’s Beep
    4. Backlighting Your Bride
    5. Don’t Changes Lenses, Change Cameras
    6. Bring a Stepladder for a Higher Vantage Point
    7. Why You Want a Second Shooter
    8. When to Shoot in RAW
    9. Where to Aim Your Flash
    10. Shoot in Lower Light Without Raising Your ISO
    11. A Recipe for Balanced Flash in Church
    12. Compose to Include the Church
    13. Tip for Posing the Bride
    14. Keeping Detail in the Bridal Gown
    15. Getting More Flashes Per Wedding
    16. How to Lessen Noise in Your Photos
    17. Tips for Shooting the Bride’s Profile
    18. Wedding Zoom Effect Made Easy
    19. Add B&W to the Album
    20. Read David Ziser’s Digital ProTalk Blog Daily
  13. Chapter Six. Shooting Travel Like a Pro
    1. In This Case, Less Gear Is More
    2. Working People into Your Travel Shots
    3. Getting People to Pose
    4. What to Shoot on Overcast Days
    5. Shooting from Your Hotel Room
    6. The Magic Time for Cityscapes
    7. Get These Shots Out of the Way First
    8. One Landscape Rule Kinda Applies to Travel
    9. Air Travel with Camera Gear
    10. Shoot the Food
    11. Get a GPS for Your Digital Camera
    12. Shooting Where They Don’t Allow Flash
    13. Look for High Vantage Points
    14. Give Yourself a Theme
  14. Chapter Seven. Shooting Macro Like a Pro
    1. Maximize Your Depth of Field
    2. Why You Should Turn Autofocus Off
    3. Don’t Touch That Shutter Button!
    4. Which f-Stop Works Best
    5. Point-and-Shoot Macro Photography
    6. A Trick for Visualizing Macro
    7. Why You Might Want to Shoot Indoors
    8. Buying a Macro Lens
    9. Perfect, Even Light for Macro Shots
    10. Making Your Lens into a Macro Lens
  15. Chapter Eight. Pro Tips for Getting Better Photos
    1. Which Mode to Shoot In
    2. Choosing the Right ISO
    3. Which Format to Shoot In (RAW, JPEG, or TIFF)
    4. Which JPEG Size to Shoot In
    5. WHIMS Will Keep You Out of Trouble
    6. How to Lock Focus
    7. Moving Your Point of Focus
    8. Zooming in Close? Fast Shutter Speeds Help
    9. When It’s Okay to Erase Your Memory Card
    10. Why You Need to Get in Really Close
    11. What to Use Your Histogram For
    12. Leave Your Lens Cap Off
    13. Removing Spots and Specks After the Fact
    14. What Looks Good in Black & White
    15. Recompose, Don’t “Fix It” in Photoshop
    16. Want to Be Taken Seriously? Start Editing
    17. Label Your Memory Cards
    18. Go Square
    19. Tip for Shooting at Night (Long Exposure Noise)
    20. The Very Next Book You Should Get
  16. Chapter Nine. Photo Recipes to Help You Get “The Shot”
    1. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    2. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    3. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    4. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    5. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    6. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    7. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    8. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    9. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    10. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    11. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    12. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    13. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    14. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    15. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
    16. The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot
  17. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Digital Photography Book, Part 2
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: September 2013
  • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
  • ISBN: 9780133510751