book

Rick Sammon's Digital Photography Secrets

by Rick Sammon

December 2008

Beginner

272 pages

6h 5m

English

Wiley

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A Digital Photography Recipe for Smokin' Photos: 10 Ingredients for Dishing Up Successful ImagesInteresting SubjectGood CompositionCreative Cropping.Careful FocusSee the LightFine-Tune Your ExposureControl the LightCheck Your Camera SettingsWork and Play with LightHave Fun
1.1. Data Contacts and Mirror1.2. Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus1.3. Be Sensitive to Your Image Sensor1.4. A Shutter's "Mileage"1.5. Your Eyes vs. Your Camera's "Eye"1.6. Brightness Values and the +/− Exposure Compensation Control1.7. Control What Your Exposure Meter "Sees"1.8. LCD Monitor Info1.9. Customize Your Camera1.10. Cooling Off and Warming Up Images1.11. sRGB vs. Adobe RGB and RAW vs. sRAW1.12. Get It All in Focus1.13. F-stop Info1.14. Internal Filter Flare1.15. When Pixels Bloom1.16. Memory Card Info1.17. Full-Frame Image Sensor Advantage1.18. Firmware Updates1.19. Camera Care1.20. Check Out Your Camera's Software1.21. Recovering "Lost" Files1.22. Cameras Don't Take Pictures, People Do1.23. The Camera Looks Both Ways
2.1. Be Prepared, Be Patient2.2. Get It All in Focus2.3. Pack a Polarizing Filter2.4. Establish a Sense of Place2.5. Think in Three Dimensions2.6. Watch the Edges and Know Your Boundaries2.7. Crop Creatively2.8. Watch the Horizon Line2.9. By the Light of the Moon2.10. Shooting Sunrises and Sunsets2.11. More Tips on Sunrise and Sunset Shots2.12. After the Sun Sets2.13. When It's Hazy, Hot and Humid2.14. Golden Hours2.15. Favorite Wide-Angle Zoom2.16. Favorite Telephoto Zoom2.17. Rules of Composition2.18. Shooting from Above2.19. Compose for a Cover or E-Card2.20. Move Around a Subject2.21. RAW Rules2.22. Play with Picture Styles2.23. Shooting on Overcast Days2.24. Must Use a Lens Hood2.25. Take Fun Shots2.26. Using ND Graduated Filters2.27. Convert to IR2.28. Check Out a Postcard Stand and Get a Guide2.29. Shooting by the Sea2.30. Shooting at Night2.31. Blurring Night Lights2.32. Shoot for a Panorama2.33. Don't Forget the Details2.34. Envision the End Result2.35. Photographing Fireworks2.36. Always Look Up, Down and Back – and be Careful!2.37. The Self-Assignment2.38. Landscapes in HDR2.39. Take HDR Inside
3.1. Fun Facts for Better People Pictures3.2. Drag the Shutter to Create a Sense of Motion3.3. Fine-Tune Flash Exposures with Exposure Compensation3.4. Nice Nighttime Shots Using the Night Portrait Mode3.5. Make Pictures, Don't Just Take Pictures3.6. Position the Subject in the Foreground3.7. Go with the Grain3.8. Wonderful Window Light Pictures3.9. Daylight Fill-in Flash Photos3.10. Painting with Light3.11. Soften the Light with a Diffuser3.12. Fill in Shadows with a Reflector3.13. Get Everything in Focus3.14. The Classic Head Shot3.15. Watch the Background3.16. Capturing Sports Action3.17. Always Look Back3.18. Get Up Close and Personal3.19. Add Catch Light to the Subject's Eyes3.20. Don't Crop at the Joints3.21. Choosing a Background3.22. Pan to Create a Sense of Action3.23. Avoid Hard Flash Shadows3.24. Dress for Success3.25. Evaluate Shooting at Eye Level3.26. Break the Rules3.27. When You Hand Over Your Camera3.28. Don't Be a Dummy3.29. The Home Studio3.30. Get Involved3.31. Create the Dis-Equilibrium Effect

4.1. Stopping Action4.2. Focus Tracking Mode4.3. See Art in Nature4.4. Shoot for the Peak of Action4.5. When Bracketing is a Good Idea4.6. Make Fences Disappear4.7. Place the Subject Off-Center4.8. Steady as You Shoot4.9. My Favorite Wildlife Telephoto Zoom Lens4.10. My Favorite Wildlife Wide-Angle Zoom Lens4.11. Shooting Silhouettes4.12. Using Tele-converters4.13. Noise and Sharpness4.14. Don't Cheap Out on a Telephoto Lens4.15. Shoot Sharper Pictures with a High Frame Rate4.16. Expose for the Highlights4.17. Shoot RAW Files4.18. The Eyes Have It4.19. Shooting in the Snow4.20. Keep Both Eyes Open4.21. Displaying Your Prints4.22. Envision the End-Result4.23. Play with Plug-ins
5.1. True Macro Photographs5.2. Steady Your Shots5.3. Compose Carefully5.4. Add a Background5.5. Add Creative Control with a Ring Light5.6. Retouching When Using a Ring Light5.7. Focus carefully5.8. Learn About Your Subject5.9. Shoot a Sequence, Tell a Story5.10. Go Wide
6.1. Digital SLRs vs. Compact Cameras6.2. SLR Lenses6.3. Accessory Flash Units6.4. Remote Flash Operation with Wireless Transmitters6.5. Special Macro Gear6.6. It's in the Bag6.7. Third Carry-on6.8. Snow and Rain Gear6.9. Backgrounds6.10. Reflectors6.11. Diffusers6.12. Hot Light Kits6.13. Strobe Light Kit6.14. Studio Accessory Flash Unit Set Up6.15. My On-Location Light Controller and Tote6.16. Tripods6.17. Sensor Cleaning Kit6.18. Test All Your Gear and Bring Back Up Gear
7.1. Computer – The Heart of the Digital Darkroom7.2. Monitor – Where Your Creative Vision Develops7.3. Software – Applications to Awaken the Artist Within7.4. Accessory Hard Drives – Your Key to Image Survival7.5. Printers – How to Show and Share Your Work7.6. Wacom® Tablet – Paint with Precision7.7. Card Readers – Movin' Images from Card to Computer7.8. Power Backup – Prevent a Blackout7.9. Field Setup – Digital Photos on the Go7.10. Love Your On-Line Lab
8.1. Always Envision the End-Result8.2. Don't be So Quick to Delete8.3. Add a Digital Frame8.4. Warm It Up8.5. Boost Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness8.6. Create the Mirror Effect8.7. Think Selectively8.8. Create the Panning Effect8.9. Simulate Using a Long Lens8.10. Age a Photo8.11. Go Black-and-White8.12. Add a Digital Graduated Filter8.13. Create the Swirl Effect8.14. Correct for Lens Distortion8.15. Make Your Subject Stand Out8.16. Create a Nice Note Paper Image8.17. Discover Duotones8.18. Fade a Filter8.19. Awaken the Artist Within8.20. All about Hue8.21. After Midnight8.22. Posterize an Image8.23. Retouch an Old Photo8.24. Explore Shadow/Highlight8.25. Double Process an Image8.26. Merge to HDR8.27. Enter Photomatix8.28. Variations on the Theme8.29. Never Stop Playing with HDR8.30. Reflection on an Image
9.1. Rick Sammon www.ricksammon.com9.2. Canon Digital Learning Center www.usa.canon.com/dlc9.3. onOne software www.ononesoftware.com9.4. Westcott www.fjwestcott.com9.5. Lexar www.lexar.com9.6. NikSoftware www.niksoftware.com9.7. Mpix www.mpix.com9.8. Kelby Training www.kelbytraining.com9.9. ExOfficio www.exofficio.com9.10. Layers www.layersmagazine.com9.11. PCPhoto www.pcphotomag.com9.12. DoubleExposure www.doubleexposure.com9.13. Photo.net
10.1. Parts Can Create a New Whole10.2. Digital Duo10.3. Go Wide!10.4. Dive In!10.5. Think in Black- and-White10.6. Learn about Nature and the Nature of Your Camera10.7. Challenge and Reward Yourself10.8. Blend and Tone10.9. Book It10.10. The Bottom Line about the Horizon Line10.11. What If?10.12. Family First10.13. Create Dramatic Images10.14. Closeness to Nature10.15. Summer into Winter10.16. Experience the Emotion, Experiment in Photoshop10.17. Be Spontaneous10.18. Shoot, Don't Think10.19. Freeze It
A.1. Rick Sammon's Sampler DVDA.1.1. What you'll see and how to see it!

Content preview from Rick Sammon's Digital Photography Secrets

Appendix A. DVD Appendix

Rick Sammon's Sampler DVD

What you'll see and how to see it!

What a deal! The DVD enclosed with this book includes 12 QuickTime movies from two of my Wiley DVDs – Rick Sammon's Guide to Basic Lighting and Portraiture and Rick Sammon's Canon EOS Digital Rebel Personal Training Photo Workshop.

I had a ton of fun producing these info-packed, live-action video lessons – the list of which is below.

As far a viewing them, that's easy! Simply pop the DVD into your DVD drive on your computer (not into your home DVD players). Click on a movie and away you go. Use the arrows and buttons on the bottom of the QuickTime window to play, stop, fast-forward and rewind the movies.

Enjoy! If you like what you see, check out these DVDs and my other DVDs on amazon.com.

	Intro ..........:45
1	Lenses ..........2:52
2	Have Fun ..........:43
3	P Mode ..........5:36
4	ISO ..........1:26
5	Focus Points ..........2:26
6	Accessory Flash ..........18:50
7	Close-Ups ..........:43
8	Rapid Frame Advance ..........1:11
9	Portraits ..........1:23
10	Low-light Photography ..........7:09
11	Indoor Natural Light ..........2:18
12	Reflectors and Diffusers ..........2:53