Beyond Auto Mode: A Guide to Taking Control of Your Photography

GUIDE TO USING THIS BOOK

The technical part of photography can be overwhelming. It’s like learning a whole new language. That’s why this book is different—it focuses on the practical while taking the time to explain difficult concepts in a variety of ways. Take your time and revisit chapters as you need to. Don’t worry if you don’t grasp everything at once. I’ve been a professional photographer for more than 13 years and I’m still learning.

As you read this book, you will get all the technical information you need to make the images you want, in non-technical language. Ideally, you’ll read it from start to finish, tackling each step one-by-one. Realistically, though, most of you will skip to the sections most relevant to you. Don’t worry—I’ve got you covered regardless.

Each chapter in Part 1, “Understanding Exposure,” deals with the basics of photography: the stuff you have to know and understand to use your camera effectively.

I take the mystery out of the technical jargon, saving that for the sidebars sprinkled throughout. Read each chapter and then when you want more technical details and explanations, read the sidebars or refer to the glossary. That way you’re not bogged down with unfamiliar language and terminology as you are trying to grasp each concept.

If you read nothing else in this introductory section, read the following section, “The Quick Start Guide to Manual Mode.” ...