The digital photography book. Part 1 : the step-by-step secrets for how to make your photos look like the pros'!

This is it-the #1 best-selling digital photography book ever! It's the award winning, worldwide smash hit, written by Scott Kelby, that's been translated into dozens of different languages, because it's the one book that really shows you how to take professional-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and surprisingly, it's easier than you'd think). This updated, second edition of the bestselling digital photography book of all time includes many new images; up-to-date information on gear, pricing, and links; and a new chapter from the author on the "Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was First Starting Out in Photography." Here's how Scott describes this book's brilliant premise: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, with the background out of focus?,' I wouldn't stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, I'd just say, 'Put on your zoom lens, set your f-stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' 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." 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. Each page covers a single concept that makes 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 CONTENTS......Page 9 CHAPTER ONE: Pro Tips for Getting Really Sharp Photos: If Your Photos Aren’t Sharp, the Rest Doesn’t Matter......Page 16 The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos......Page 17 The Other Most Important Secret......Page 18 Perhaps Even More Important Than That!......Page 19 If You Skip This, Throw Away Your Camera......Page 20 If You Do This Wrong, It Will Lock Up......Page 21 It’s Time to Get Serious......Page 22 Getting “Tack Sharp” Starts with a Tripod......Page 23 A Ballhead Will Make Your Life Easier......Page 24 Don’t Press the Shutter (Use a Cable Release)......Page 25 Forgot Your Cable Release? Use a Self Timer......Page 26 Getting Super Sharp: Mirror Lock-Up......Page 27 Turn Off Vibration Reduction (or IS)......Page 28 Shoot at Your Lens’ Sharpest Aperture......Page 29 Good Glass Makes a Big Difference......Page 30 Avoid Increasing Your ISO on a Tripod......Page 31 Zoom In to Check Sharpness......Page 32 Sharpening After the Fact in Photoshop......Page 33 Did You Resize That for the Web? Then Resharpen!......Page 34 Hand-Held Sharpness Trick......Page 35 Getting Steadier Hand-Held Shots......Page 36 CHAPTER TWO: Shooting Flowers Like a Pro: There’s More to It Than You’d Think......Page 38 Don’t Shoot Down on Flowers......Page 39 Shooting Flowers with a Zoom Lens......Page 40 Use a Macro Lens to Get Really Close......Page 41 Can’t Afford a Macro? How ’bout a Close-Up?......Page 42 When to Shoot Flowers......Page 43 Don’t Wait for Rain—Fake it!......Page 44 Flowers on a Black Background......Page 45 Flowers on a White Background......Page 46 The Perfect Light for Indoor Flower Shots......Page 47 Where to Get Great Flowers to Shoot......Page 48 Stopping the Wind......Page 49 Consider Just Showing One Part......Page 50 CHAPTER THREE: Shooting Weddings Like a Pro: There Is No Retaking Wedding Photos. It Has Got to Be Right the First Time!......Page 52 Tricks for Low-Light Shooting in a Church, Part 1......Page 53 Tricks for Low-Light Shooting in a Church, Part 2......Page 54 Do You Really Need the f/1.4 Lens?......Page 55 Getting Soft, Diffused Light with Flash, Part 1......Page 56 Getting Soft, Diffused Light with Flash, Part 2......Page 57 Use Your Flash at Outdoor Weddings......Page 58 Finding That Perfect Bridal Light......Page 59 Don’t Spend Too Much Time On the Formals......Page 60 Formals: Who to Shoot First......Page 61 Formals: Build Off the Bride and Groom......Page 62 How to Pose the Bride with Other People......Page 63 The Trick to Keeping Them from Blinking......Page 64 Formals: Where to Aim......Page 65 Formals: How High to Position Your Camera......Page 66 Formals: Don’t Cut Off Joints......Page 67 Formals: The Trick to Great Backgrounds......Page 68 Reception Photos: Making Them Dance......Page 69 Your Main Job: Follow the Bride......Page 70 Shooting the Details (& Which Ones to Shoot)......Page 71 Change Your Vantage Point to Add Interest......Page 72 What to Shoot with a Wide-Angle Lens......Page 73 Keep Backup Memory Cards on You......Page 74 Back Up Your Photos Onsite......Page 75 If Shooting JPEGs, Use a Preset White Balance......Page 76 CHAPTER FOUR: Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro: Pro Tips for Capturing the Wonder of Nature......Page 78 The Golden Rule of Landscape Photography......Page 79 Become Married to Your Tripod......Page 80 Shoot in Aperture Priority Mode......Page 81 Composing Great Landscapes......Page 82 The Trick to Shooting Waterfalls......Page 83 A Tip for Shooting Forests......Page 84 Where to Put the Horizon Line......Page 85 Getting More Interesting Mountain Shots......Page 86 The Trick for Warmer Sunrises and Sunsets......Page 87 Turn on “The Blinkies” to Keep More Detail......Page 88 How to Deal with the Dreaded Blinkies......Page 89 How to Show Size......Page 90 Don’t Set Up Your Tripod. Not Yet......Page 91 The Trick to Getting Richer Colors......Page 92 What to Shoot in Bad Weather......Page 93 Atmosphere Is Your Friend......Page 94 Getting Rid of Lens Flare—The Manual Way......Page 95 The Landscape Photographer’s Secret Weapon......Page 96 Keeping Your Horizons Straight......Page 97 Shooting on Cloudy Days......Page 98 Tips for Shooting Panoramas, Part 1......Page 99 Tips for Shooting Panoramas, Part 2......Page 100 Tips for Shooting Panoramas, Part 3......Page 101 Faking Panoramas......Page 102 Why You Need a Wide-Angle Lens......Page 103 Want to Take Things Up a Notch? Shoot Low......Page 104 CHAPTER FIVE: Shooting Sports Like a Pro: Better Bring Your Checkbook......Page 106 Pro Sports Shooting Is Dang Expensive......Page 107 Which Lenses to Use......Page 108 This Lens Rocks for the Money......Page 109 Stability for Shooting Sports......Page 110 Don’t Plan on Changing Lenses......Page 111 Set Your White Balance for Indoor Sports......Page 112 Shoot at a 1/1000 Sec. Shutter Speed or Faster......Page 113 Shooting at Night or Indoors? Raise Your ISO!......Page 114 Getting Burned by Indoor Lighting......Page 115 Shoot Wide Open......Page 116 Shooting in Burst Mode......Page 117 RAW or JPEG for Sports Shooters?......Page 118 Pan to Show Motion......Page 119 Pre-Focus to Get the Shot......Page 120 Shoot Vertically for More Impact......Page 121 Don’t Be Afraid to Crop Your Photos......Page 122 You Need Two Eyes and a Ball......Page 123 Don’t Always Focus on the Winner......Page 124 Composing for Sports......Page 125 The Pros Know the Game......Page 126 CHAPTER SIX: Shooting People Like a Pro: Tips for Making People Look Their Very Best......Page 128 The Best Lens for Portrait Photography......Page 129 Which Aperture to Use......Page 130 Using Seamless Backgrounds......Page 131 Using Canvas or Muslin Backgrounds......Page 132 The Right Background Outdoors......Page 133 Where to Focus......Page 134 Where to Position Your Camera......Page 135 Positioning Your Subject in the Frame......Page 136 Tip for Framing Portraits......Page 137 Getting Great Light Outdoors......Page 138 Getting Great Light Indoors......Page 139 Taking Great Photos of Newborn Babies......Page 140 Great Sunset Portraits......Page 141 Better Natural-Light Portraits with a Reflector......Page 142 Aiming Your Reflector......Page 143 Use a Reflector When the Lighting Is Flat......Page 144 CHAPTER SEVEN: Avoiding Problems Like a Pro: How to Avoid Digital Headaches......Page 146 Pro Tips to Avoid White Balance Problems......Page 147 Cold Weather Shooting Means Extra Batteries......Page 148 Don’t Change Lenses in Dusty Weather......Page 149 Apply for Permits to Shoot with Your Tripod......Page 150 Be Careful What You Shoot......Page 151 A Tip for Shooting on an Incline......Page 152 The Other Reason Pros Use a Lens Hood......Page 153 Keeping Your Lens Out of Trouble......Page 154 Limit Your LCD Time to Save Battery Life......Page 155 Bracket If You’re Not Sure About Exposure......Page 156 Avoid Red Eye......Page 157 Remove Red Eye......Page 158 CHAPTER EIGHT: Taking Advantage of Digital Like a Pro: It’s More Than Just a Replacement for Film......Page 160 Level the Playing Field: Press That Button......Page 161 The LCD Monitor “Gotcha!”......Page 162 Edit as You Shoot to Get More Keepers......Page 163 Take Advantage of the Blinkies......Page 164 The Viewfinder “Border Patrol” Trap......Page 165 No Penalty Fee for Experimenting......Page 166 Don’t Cram Too Much on One Card......Page 167 Take Advantage of Poster-Sized Printing......Page 168 You’re Probably Going to Lose Your Lens Hood......Page 169 Is It Better to Underexpose or Overexpose?......Page 170 Keep from Accidentally Erasing Memory Cards......Page 171 Which Brand of Camera Should You Buy?......Page 172 CHAPTER NINE: Taking Travel & City Life Shots Like a Pro: Tips for Travel Photography......Page 174 How to Be Ready for “The Shot”......Page 175 Shoot Kids and Old People. It Can’t Miss......Page 176 Hire a Model (It’s Cheaper Than You’d Think)......Page 177 What Time to Shoot......Page 178 Look for Bold, Vivid Colors......Page 179 Shooting Travel? Visit 500px.com First......Page 180 Don’t Try to Capture It All: Shoot the Details......Page 181 The Best Shot May Be Just Three Feet Away......Page 182 Shoot the Signs. You’ll Thank Yourself Later......Page 183 Showing Movement in the City......Page 184 For Maximum Impact, Look for Simplicity......Page 185 The Monopod Scam......Page 186 What to Do When It Has Been “Shot to Death”......Page 187 Including the Moon and Keeping Detail......Page 188 Shooting Fireworks......Page 189 If You Have a Laptop, Take It With You......Page 190 Want a Rooftop Shot of the City? Try This......Page 191 Getting “Nearly Tourist-Free” Shots......Page 192 CHAPTER TEN: How to Print Like a Pro and Other Cool Stuff: After All, It’s All About the Print!......Page 194 The Advantages of Shooting in RAW......Page 195 How to Process RAW Photos in Photoshop......Page 196 Compare Your LCD to Your Computer Monitor......Page 197 Organizing Your Photos with Lightroom......Page 198 How Many More Megapixels Do You Need?......Page 199 Printing Lab-Quality 8x10s......Page 200 Printing Lab-Quality 13x19s......Page 201 Printing 17x22s—The Pros’ Choice......Page 202 Which Paper Should You Print On?......Page 203 What Determines Which Paper You Use?......Page 204 Getting Your Monitor to Match Your Printer......Page 205 Download the Color Profiles for Your Paper......Page 206 Selling Your Photos as “Stock” Online......Page 207 A Quick Peek at My Gear......Page 208 There Are Three Other Books in This Series......Page 209 Learn More with Me Each Week on The Grid......Page 210 CHAPTER ELEVEN: Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me: When I First Started Out in Photography......Page 212 #1: Buying a More Expensive Camera Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Better Photos......Page 213 #2: You Need to Sharpen After the Fact......Page 214 #3: The Pros Take Lots of Bad Photos......Page 215 #4: Learn Exposure Compensation......Page 216 #5: Don’t Worry About Manual Mode......Page 217 #6: Today You Should Probably Shoot Wide......Page 218 #7: Nothing Has Impact Like a Print......Page 219 #8: Ignore Your Histogram......Page 220 #9: Figure Out What Type of Photographer You Are......Page 221 #10: Do What It Takes to Get the Photos You Want......Page 222 #11: You Need a Portfolio......Page 223 #12: Stop Reading Books About Photography......Page 224 CHAPTER TWELVE: Photo Recipes to Help You Get “The Shot”: The Simple Ingredients That Make It All Come Together......Page 226 B......Page 242 C......Page 243 D......Page 244 F......Page 245 I......Page 246 L......Page 247 N......Page 248 P......Page 249 R......Page 250 S......Page 251 T......Page 252 W......Page 253 Z......Page 254 Annotation This is itthe #1 best-selling digital photography book ever! Its the award winning, worldwide smash hit, written by Scott Kelby, thats been translated into dozens of different languages, because its the one book that really shows you how to take professional-quality shots using the same tricks todays top digital pros use (and surprisingly, its easier than youd think). This updated, second edition of the bestselling digital photography book of all time includes many new images; up-to-date information on gear, pricing, and links; and a new chapter from the author on the "Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was First Starting Out in Photography."Heres how Scott describes this books brilliant premise: If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, with the background out of focus?, I wouldnt stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, Id just say, Put on your zoom lens, set your f-stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away. Thats what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets Ive learned just like I would with a friendwithout all the technical explanations and techie photo speak. This isnt a book of theoryfull 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. Each page covers a single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, youll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If youre tired of taking shots that look okay, and if youre tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, Why dont my shots look like that? then this is the book for you In parts 1 through 4 of this series, the most popular chapter in the book has always been the last chapter: "Photo Recipes to Help You Get 'The Shot'." In each of those chapters, Scott shows a final image and then describes how to get that type of shot. Here, in part 5, he gives you what you've been waiting for: an entire book of nothing but those amazing photo recipes. But, he took it up a big notch by adding a behind-the-scenes photo for every single recipe. Now you can see exactly how it was done, so you can get that exact same look every time. In these extra pages, each spread allows you to dig in a little deeper and really unlock the power of these recipes. Scott breaks each spread into four segments: (1) he explains exactly what you're seeing behind the scenes, (2) he lists all of his camera settings, and lens and lighting info--it's all there, (3) he gives you his thought process, so you learn exactly why he does it this way, and (4) he shares all the post-processing in Lightroom or Photoshop that goes on after the shoot.