The Nikon D90 Companion

Preface

Before we get to how cool your Nikon D90 is, I want to clear up an important issue: Why in the world do you need this book? This camera comes with a very detailed manual, so you might be wondering why you should slog through another big batch of pages.

If you’ve already looked at the manual that came with your camera, then you’ve probably discovered that it details each and every button in reasonably clear language and it’s well-organized, leading you from simple features to more advanced ones. However, knowing what each button on your camera does won’t necessarily mean you can shoot great pictures. Personally, I know the basic concept of a paintbrush, but I can’t paint a decent painting to save my life. To use a creative tool well, you must understand both the technique and the craft of the tool, as well as have some sense of artistry when you use it.

That’s the idea behind this book. While the automatic systems in the Nikon D90 mean you can shoot snapshots that are almost always properly exposed and possessed of great color, if you want to go further and create images that express something more than a simple documentation of an event, then you need to know something of the art of photography. This book is intended to serve as a full-on photography class, one that covers everything including technical matters and exposure theory, composition theory, and how to find images and expand your visual sense. However, unlike a regular photography class, the class presented in this book is built specifically around the D90. That means every concept is written about in terms of the D90’s controls and features.

Automatic cameras are great because they do a lot of the work for you, but sometimes you must take manual control and make decisions on your own. This D90 companion will walk you through all the basic photography theories that apply to any camera—whether film or digital—and that you need to understand to be able to fully exploit the capabilities of the D90.

So, by the time you’re done with this book, you’ll not only know how all the D90’s controls function, but you’ll also know how to recognize a good photo and how to use the D90’s controls to represent that subject as a compelling image. In other words, you’ll be a better photographer, whether you’re shooting simple snapshots or aiming for something more.

I realize once you start using this camera, you probably won’t be able to resist taking lots of pictures. This is a good thing; one of the great advantages of digital photography is that it doesn’t cost you anything to shoot. Because your storage media is reusable and because there’s not an expensive chemical process, you can shoot for free, making it easy to practice and experiment. The freedom to practice will do more to improve your photographic skill than anything else. However, all that practice and experimentation can also mean that you’ll soon find yourself mired in a huge number of images. Managing the editing, output, and long-term storage of all of these files can be daunting, but there are a few strategies you can employ to ease your workflow. I’ve covered these in a bonus online chapter, “Workflow: Managing Your Postproduction,” available at www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596159870.

This book has been great fun to write, largely because the D90 is a fantastic camera. At one time or another I’ve had my hands on just about every digital SLR made, and I own several that I shoot with all the time. The camera’s image quality is top-notch, and the compact design and excellent interface make it a lot of fun to work with. This is a camera that delivers a tremendous amount of imaging power right out of the box, and with this book, you’ll learn to get the most from it.

For More Information

You can address comments and questions concerning this book to the publisher:

O’Reilly Media, Inc.

1005 Gravenstein Highway North

Sebastopol, CA 95472

[phone] (in the United States or Canada)

[phone] (international or local)

[phone] (fax)

We’ll list errata, examples, and any additional information at:

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596159870

To comment or ask technical questions about this book, send email to:

[e-mail]

You can also find more information by going to O’Reilly’s general Digital Media site:

digitalmedia.oreilly.com

Safari® Books Online

When you see a Safari® Books Online icon on the cover of your favorite technology book, that means the book is available online through the O’Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf.

Safari offers a solution that’s better than e-books. It’s a virtual library that lets you easily search thousands of top tech books, cut and paste code samples, download chapters, and find quick answers when you need the most accurate, current information. Try it for free at http://my.safaribooksonline.com.