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| Foreword | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Digital Photography Basics | |
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| Discover the Excitement of Digital Photography | |
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| Your Approach to Digital Photography | |
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| Novice or Casual Photographers | |
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| Amateur or Professional Photographers | |
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| The Difference Between Digital and Film Cameras | |
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| Film, Digital Cameras, and Lighting | |
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| Digital Versus Film Quality Issues | |
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| Use the Creative Advantage of Taking Multiple Shots | |
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| Why More Photos Are Better | |
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| Summary | |
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| Essential Equipment | |
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| Types of Digital Cameras | |
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| Low-Resolution Cameras | |
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| Combination Video/Still Cameras | |
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| Point-and-Shoot Cameras | |
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| Semiprofessional (Prosumer) | |
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| What Makes a Camera Semi-Professional? | |
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| Professional D-SLR Cameras | |
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| How a Digital Camera Works | |
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| The Sensor | |
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| Pixels: The Foundation of Digital Photos | |
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| What Features Are Important? | |
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| Sensor Size: How Big Is Big Enough? | |
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| Optical vs. Digital Zoom Factor | |
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| Media Storage (Digital Film) Choices | |
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| Which Brand of Camera Is Best? | |
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| Essential Digital Accessories | |
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| Buy Plenty of Batteries | |
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| Choose the Best Battery Charger | |
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| Get Lots of Digital Film | |
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| Nonessential Accessories | |
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| How Much Computer Do You Need? | |
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| Which is Better: PC or Mac? | |
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| The Importance of RAM | |
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| Add Hard Drive Space | |
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| Add Archival Storage | |
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| LCD Monitors vs. CRT Monitors | |
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| Which Photo Editor Is Best? | |
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| Take Better Pictures Now! | |
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| Learn These Essentials for Great Photos Every Time | |
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| Know the Steps to Taking a Good Photo | |
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| Is There Film in Your Camera? | |
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| Are Your Batteries Charged and Is Your Lens Clean? | |
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| What Are the Quality Level Settings? | |
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| What Are the White Balance (WB) Settings? | |
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| Shooting the Picture | |
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| Fill the Frame with Your Subject | |
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| See the Whole Picture, Not Just the Subject | |
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| Change Your Camera Position | |
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| Surefire Rules of Composition | |
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| Know Where the Light Is Coming From | |
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| Ways to Ensure Proper Focus | |
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| Simple Ways to Steady Your Camera | |
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| Get the Best Lighting for Your Photos | |
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| Getting the Correct Amount of Light | |
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| How Your Light Meter Reads an Image | |
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| Automatic Metering Systems | |
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| Using a Photo Editor to Capture the Entire Image | |
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| Shoot, Review, Adjust, and Shoot Again | |
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| Evaluate Using A Histogram | |
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| Understand Exposure Values | |
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| Finding the Best Exposure with Auto Bracketing | |
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| Making the Best of Available Lighting | |
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| Block the Sun to Get the Shot | |
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| Block the Sun for Special Effects | |
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| Summary | |
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| Get Clear and Sharp Photos | |
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| Reviewing Your Fuzzy Pictures | |
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| The Out-of-Focus Experience | |
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| Which Auto-Focus System Does You Camera Have? | |
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| When Auto-Focus Doesn't Work | |
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| When Auto-Focus Doesn't Focus on the Right Subject | |
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| Using Focus Lock for Sharp Focus on the Correct Subject | |
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| A Moving Experience | |
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| Depth of Field and How It Effects Focus | |
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| Eliminate Camera Movement | |
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| Push the Button Slowly | |
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| How Shutter Speed Relates to Focal Length | |
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| Summary | |
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| Get the Right Color | |
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| Why Film and Digital Cameras See Colors Differently | |
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| Understand Color Temperature | |
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| How Your Digital Camera Corrects White Balance | |
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| Automatic White Balance | |
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| White Balance Presets | |
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| White Balance Calibration | |
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| How Color Temperature Affects Colors | |
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| Reflected Colors Also Create Problems | |
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| Available Light vs. Flash | |
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| When to Use WB Presets | |
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| Adjusting WB and Auto-bracketing | |
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| Alternatives to WB Presets | |
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| Fix WB Later Using Raw Format | |
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| Working with Raw Files | |
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| Putting Your Knowledge to Use | |
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| Do More Than You Can Imagine | |
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| Discover All Your Camera Can Do | |
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| How to Read Your Digital Camera Manual | |
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| Read Your Quick Start Guide | |
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| Identify the Basic Controls and Features | |
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| All Kinds of Buttons | |
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| Dials | |
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| Menu Selectable Items | |
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| A Sensible Approach to Learning About Your Camera | |
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| A Scavenger Hunt for Essential Camera Features | |
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| Reset Camera Settings | |
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| Changing Light Meter Settings | |
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| Use Quality Settings for More Room | |
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| White Balance Settings | |
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| Control the Focus Distance | |
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| Flash Mode Settings | |
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| Finding the Diopter Adjustment | |
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| Control Your Time-Date Stamp | |
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| Learn to Decipher Your Camera Icons | |
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| Discover Shortcuts for Your Camera Settings | |
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| Alternatives to the User Manual | |
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| Online Digital Camera Forums | |
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| Learn What You Can | |
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| Get Ready to Share Your Photos | |
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| Moving Photos to Your Computer | |
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| Using Card Readers to Import Photos | |
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| Printing Photos with Your Printer | |
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| Inkjet and Dye-Sub Printers | |
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| Printing Photos Without Your Computer | |
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| Advantages and Disadvantages of Printing Your Photos | |
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| Photo Papers | |
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| Making Prints That Last:Dye-Based vs. Pigment-Based Inks | |
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| Other Ways to Print Your Digital Photos | |
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| Local Photo Developers | |
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| Online Photo Developers | |
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| Advantages (and Cost) of a Professional Finisher | |
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| Share Photos Using E-mail | |
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| Image Size, ISPs, and Connection Speed | |
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| Attach a Photo to an E-mail | |
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| Embedding a Photo in an E-mail | |
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| Use Flash Photography to Your Advantage | |
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| What Your Flash Can Do | |
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| The Need for Flash | |
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| How Your Flash Works | |
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| Choosing the Best Flash | |
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| Preventing Red-Eye in Your Photos | |
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| Other Ways to Reduce Red-Eye | |
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| Asking Too Much from Your Flash | |
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| Typical On-Camera Flash Controls | |
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| Preventing Flash Problems | |
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| Overexposing Shots | |
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| Shooting from Too Far Away | |
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| Shooting Shadows | |
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| Gain a New Perspective | |
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| Go Beyond the Common and Mundane | |
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| Look for Contrasts | |
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| Using Contrast for Better Fall Photos | |
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| Use Your Camera as a Journal | |
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| Record Works of Great Art | |
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| Change Your Camera's Viewpoint | |
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| Adding a Point of Reference to a Photo | |
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| Establishing Where You Are | |
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| Capturing Names, Numbers, or Letters for Impact | |
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| Getting More than a Single View | |
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| Looking for Patterns | |
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| Don't Miss the Humor | |
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| Summary | |
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| Special Opportunities for Stunning Photographs | |
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| Capture the Action | |
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| The Reality of Shutter Delay | |
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| Compensating for Shutter Delay | |
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| Catch the Action Like a Pro | |
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| Set Up Your Camera to Freeze the Action | |
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| Pan the Camera with the Action | |
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| Tips for Better Action Shots | |
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| Blurring for Effect | |
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| Capture Action Coming Toward You | |
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| Changing Auto-Focus Modes | |
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| Summary | |
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| Make Blurred Photos on Purpose | |
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| Photographing Creeks and Waterfalls | |
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| Capture the Motion Slowly | |
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| Use Still Motion Camera Equipment | |
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| Position the Camera | |
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| Adjust Your Camera Settings | |
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| Circular Polarizer (CP) Filter | |
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| Weather Considerations | |
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| After You Take the Photo | |
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| Blurring Other Subjects | |
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| Photographing Blurred Traffic Lights | |
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| Using Blurring for Effect | |
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| Creative Blurring | |
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| Summary | |
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| Take Great Photos of People | |
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| The Basics of People Pictures | |
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| Rules of Composition | |
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| To Pose or Not to Pose | |
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| Taking Photos of Couples | |
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| Taking Great Bio Pictures | |
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| Photographing Musicians | |
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| Taking Great Photos of Young People | |
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| Taking Good Group Photos | |
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| More People, More Photos | |
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| Arrange the Group | |
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| Taking Great Vacation Photos | |
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| Travel Tips | |
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| Get the Best Pictures of Babies and Small Children | |
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| Photographing Babies | |
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| Shoot at Their Level When Possible | |
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| Be Creative When Holding the Child | |
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| The Effect of Clothes | |
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| Shooting at Other Than Eye Level | |
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| Photographing Toddlers | |
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| Make Photo Taking a Game | |
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| Using Distraction Works--Sometimes | |
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| Add Friends for Greater Photo Opportunities | |
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| Using Your Zoom to Get a Priceless Shot | |
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| Photographing Children on Stage | |
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| Alternatives to Dress Rehearsals | |
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| Candid Shots vs. Posed Photos | |
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| Make Children Feel Comfortable and Secure | |
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| Shoot, Talk, Shoot, Talk | |
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| Summary | |
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| Low-Light Photography: Taking Great Night Photos | |
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| Low-Light Photographic Opportunities | |
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| Low-Light and Night Photography | |
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| Advantages of Early Morning and Evening Light | |
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| The Beauty of Night Photography | |
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| Photograph Holiday Lights | |
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| Digital Noise | |
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| Night Photography and Noise | |
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| Remove the Noise Using an Image Editor | |
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| Photographing Fireworks | |
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| Tips for Getting Great Fireworks Shots | |
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| Photographing Lightning | |
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| Summary | |
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| Create Great Close-up Photos | |
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| Mastering Macro Photography | |
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| Does Your Camera Have Macro Capability? | |
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| Decipher the Technical Descriptions of Your Macro Settings | |
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| How to Set Up Macro Mode on Your Camera | |
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| Position Your Camera for a Better View | |
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| Find Subjects Everywhere | |
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| Take Low-Light Macro Photos | |
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| Capture Macro Photos of Shy (Moving) Subjects | |
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| Photograph Your Stuff Like a Pro | |
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| Real Estate Photography | |
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| Professional Ideas for Digital Photography | |
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| Photograph Your Home | |
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| Visually Inventory Your Home | |
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| How to Manage a Home Inventory | |
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| Photograph Stuff for eBay | |
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| Photograph Your Car | |
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| Photographing a Panorama | |
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| Why a Panorama? | |
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| How Panoramas Are Made | |
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| Stitching (Panorama) Software | |
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| Selecting the Best Panorama Software | |
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| Panorama Software Choices | |
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| Taking Pictures for a Panorama | |
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| What You Need to Take Panoramas | |
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| Taking Vertical Panoramas | |
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| A Different Way to Make a Panorama | |
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| Printing Panoramas | |
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| Professional Tips, Tricks, and Other Stuff | |
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| Fixing Photo Goofs | |
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| Make Good Photos Better | |
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| Sorting Before You Start | |
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| Use Automatic Tools | |
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| Photo Editors Have Similar Features | |
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| Contrast: Instant Zip for Your Photos | |
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| Unleash the Power of Levels | |
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| Color Correction | |
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| The Magic of Digital Photography | |
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| Using the Power of Selections | |
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| Understanding Selections | |
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| What a Selection Does | |
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| Using Basic Selection Tools | |
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| Adding Text to a Photo | |
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| Feathering the Selections | |
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| Rounding Up the Lasso Tools | |
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| Using Automatic Edge Detecting Tools | |
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| Using the Magic Wand Tool to Make Magic | |
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| Moving a Subject from One Photo to Another | |
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| Replacing an Overcast Sky | |
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| Removing and Replacing Objects in Photos | |
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| Removing Unwanted Stuff from Photos | |
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| Switching Faces with the Clone Tools | |
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| Creating Classic Black-and-White Effects | |
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| Creating Hand-Tinted Photos | |
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| Achieving Painterly Effects with Photos | |
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| Quick and Easy Ways to Take Better Photos | |
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| Index | |