Julie Adair King - Digital Photography For Dummies

3 Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps Part 1 Chapter 1: Choosing the Right Camera Chapter 1 Choosing the Right Level of Camera Looking at Lenses Reviewing a Few Final Camera Features So … Is It Time for a New Camera? Chapter 2: Starting Out Right: Setup Do’s and Don’ts Preparing the Camera Choosing Initial Camera Settings Looking at a Few More Setup Options Chapter 3: Shooting Your First Photos (and Movies) Looking at Automatic Shooting Modes Shooting in Auto Mode Stepping Up to Scene Modes Recording Movies in Auto Mode

4 Part 2: Taking Your Photography to the Next Level Chapter 4: Starting to See Like a Photographer Exploring Composition Basics Using Depth of Field to Artistic Advantage Capturing Motion: To Blur or Not to Blur? Becoming a Student of Light Exploring New Subjects and Angles Chapter 5: Taking Control of Exposure Understanding Exposure Adjusting f-stop, Shutter Speed, and ISO Adjusting Autoexposure Results Expanding Tonal Range Bracketing Exposures Chapter 6: Adding Flash and Other Lights Enabling and Disabling Built-In Flash Comparing Built-In and External Flashes Adjusting Flash Power Exploring Special Flash Modes Improving Outdoor Photos with Flash Considering Continuous Lighting Setting Up a Small Lighting Studio Looking at Simpler (and Cheaper) Lighting Setups Chapter 7: Manipulating Focus and Color Understanding Autofocus Options Focusing Manually Diagnosing Focus Problems Playing with Depth of Field Controlling Color Looking at Picture Presets Shooting Raw for More Color Control

5 Part 3: Pro Tips for Capturing Specific Subjects Chapter 8: Shooting Frame-Worthy Portraits Starting with a Classic Portrait Recipe Creating Good Portrait Lighting Building a Better Backdrop Capturing More Memorable Portraits Chapter 9: Photographing Action Choosing an Action Plan Freezing Action Blurring Motion Panning for Cool Background Effects Chapter 10: Taking in the Scenery Reviewing a Few Basics Taking a Panoramic View Photographing Tall Structures Catching the Night Lights Capturing Small Wonders

6 Part 4: After the Shot Chapter 11: Discovering Cool Playback Features Switching to Playback Mode Adjusting the Playback Display Getting a Close-Up Look at a Photo Displaying Thumbnails and Calendars Viewing Shooting Settings (Metadata) Rating, Protecting, and Deleting Files Checking Out In-Camera Editing Tools Viewing Photos on a TV Chapter 12: Downloading, Editing, and Sharing Photos Sorting through Photo Software Downloading Your Images Preserving Your Files Converting Raw Files Looking at Your Printing Options Avoiding Printing Pitfalls Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing

7 Part 5: The Part of Tens Chapter 13: Ten Fixes for Common Photo Flaws Discover a Few Easy Exposure Fixes Take Steps to Avoid Blurry Pictures Scan the Frame Before You Shoot Blur a Busy Background Level the Horizon Crop Away Excess Background Solve Color Miscues Turn Down the Noise Deal with Dust Spots and Lens Flare Watch Out for Weird Halos Chapter 14: Ten Accessories to Enhance Your Photography Invest in a Good Camera Bag Pick a Sturdy Tripod Consider Smaller Stability Solutions Find a More Comfortable Camera Strap Get a Better View of Your Monitor Download Some Cool Apps Calibrate Your Monitor with Precision Dive In with a Waterproof Housing Treat Your Wrist to a Graphics Tablet Pick Up a Portable Printer

8 Index

9 About the Author

10 Advertisement Page

11 Connect with Dummies

12 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 1 TABLE 1-1 Top Ten Features for the Creative Photographer

2 Chapter 3TABLE 3-1 Common Scene Modes

3 Chapter 7TABLE 7-1 Manual White-Balance Settings

4 Chapter 8TABLE 8-1 Recommended Settings for Shooting Portraits

5 Chapter 9TABLE 9-1 Recommended Settings for Freezing ActionTABLE 9-2 Shutter Speeds for Freezing Action

6 Chapter 11TABLE 11-1 Playback Symbols

1 Chapter 1FIGURE 1-1: Each of these cameras plays a different role in my photography life...FIGURE 1-2: The shot produced in Auto mode (left) lacked drama, so I used an ex...FIGURE 1-3: Auto mode typically renders a waterfall similar to the left example...FIGURE 1-4: With the right camera controls, you can specify whether you want th...FIGURE 1-5: A photo that has 300 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to one with a m...FIGURE 1-6: Read reviews to find out how high an ISO setting a camera can use w...FIGURE 1-7: Although it’s not always the case, a mirrorless camera body (left) ...FIGURE 1-8: The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view.FIGURE 1-9: The white, red, and blue boxes indicate the angle of view you get w...FIGURE 1-10: For the left image, I set the aperture to f/22; for the right imag...FIGURE 1-11: Some lenses collapse when not in use, taking up less room in your ...FIGURE 1-12: The various symbols on this camera dial represent shooting modes.FIGURE 1-13: Some monitors can be adjusted to different viewing angles.

2 Chapter 2FIGURE 2-1: Memory cards come in different forms; check your camera’s instructi...FIGURE 2-2: Storage capacity and speed are two critical specs to check when buy...FIGURE 2-3: Avoid touching the contact areas of the memory card.FIGURE 2-4: Check the battery-status symbol frequently to make sure you don't r...FIGURE 2-5: Here’s a look at some of the critical lens-mounting components of a...FIGURE 2-6: Your lens may have a switch that sets it to autofocus or manual foc...FIGURE 2-7: Some cameras offer access to exposure modes via an external dial.FIGURE 2-8: With some cameras, you may set the camera to still photo mode or mo...FIGURE 2-9: Although the controls used to adjust the shutter-release mode vary,...FIGURE 2-10: With cameras that offer wireless connectivity, you may be able to ...FIGURE 2-11: Zooming in on a digital photo enables you to see its individual pi...FIGURE 2-12: A photo with an output resolution of 300 ppi looks terrific.FIGURE 2-13: At 150 ppi, the picture loses some sharpness and detail.FIGURE 2-14: Reducing the resolution to 75 ppi causes significant image degrada...FIGURE 2-15: I used a high-resolution setting to capture the original (left), w...FIGURE 2-16: When the monitor’s screen resolution is set to 1920 x 1200 pixels,...FIGURE 2-17: Too much JPEG compression destroys picture quality.FIGURE 2-18: But a lightly compressed JPEG produces excellent images while keep...FIGURE 2-19: If the shooting data displayed on the monitor becomes distracting ...