A Guide To Better Photography

The author does a brilliant job demonstrating the proper way to take a photograph. She shows through example after example using over 100 color photographs better approaches to lighting, the importance of colors and tones, the execution of perspective, balance, centering, and most importantly focusing tactics. With the summer traveling season soon upon us, A Guide to Better Photography offers the novice photographer sound advice on all the techniques used by the professional photographer for taking exceptional photographs. This book is recommended to people of all ages who have struggled with the art of photography, or just taking a picture, but can't seem to make it work. This guide offers quick and easy solutions to taking better photographs.

Boredom Busters: For digital camera and smartphone users, this fun, easy how-to guide teaches the essentials of taking great pictures from an experienced National Geographic photographer.

It s the latest and hottest technique, made possible only through digital. High Dynamic Range photography is the process of taking several pictures of a scene at various exposures, then merging them into one file. So the entire photo can look crisp and detailed, from highlights to midtones to shadowsand photographers needn t sacrifice any part of their image. And the best way to master this exciting technology is with this thorough, easy-to-follow, and visually spectacular guide. No other title does justice to these cutting-edge techniques, which actually take the viewer into worlds far beyond normal photographysometimes even beyond normal human perception. Ferrell McCollough, a widely respected photographer, pushes the boundaries and inspires others to pursue their artistic vision, too. The amazing results simply can t be achieved any other way. "

Photography is now more popular than ever thanks to the rapid development of digital cameras. Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs is ideal for this new wave of snapshooters using DSLR, compact system and bridge cameras. It contains no graphs, no techie diagrams and no camera-club jargon. Instead, it inspires readers through iconic images and playful copy, packed with hands-on tips. Split into five sections, the book covers composition, exposure, light, lenses and the art of seeing. Masterpieces by acclaimed photographers – including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Fay Godwin, Nadav Kander, Daido Moriyama and Martin Parr – serve to illustrate points and encourage readers to try out new ideas. Today’s aspiring photographers want immediacy and see photography as an affordable way of expressing themselves quickly and creatively. This handbook meets their needs, teaching them how to take photographs using professional techniques.

Photography has been the business and the passion of LIFE since the original weekly magazine's inception in 1936, and it continues to be the business and passion of LIFE Books and LIFE.com in the new millennium. But photography has surely changed during these many decades. The rigs and gear of old have given way-first slowly, then all at once-to sleek miracle machines that process pixels and have made the darkroom obsolete. The casual photog puts eye to lens, sets everything on auto and captures a photograph that is . . . perfectly fine. One of LIFE's master shooters-in fact, the final in the long line of distinguished LIFE staff photographers-was Joe McNally, and he has always believed that with a little preparation and care, with a dash of enthusiasm and daring added to the equation, anyone can make a better photo-anyone can turn a "keeper" into a treasure. This was true in days of yore, and it's true in the digital age. Your marvelous new camera, fresh from its box, can indeed perform splendid feats. Joe explains in this book how to take best advantage of what it was designed to do, and also when it is wise to outthink your camera or push your camera-to go for the gold, to create that indelible family memory that you will have blown up as large as the technology will allow, and that will hang on the wall forevermore. As the storied LIFE photographer and photo editor John Loengard points out in his eloquent foreword to this volume, there are cameras and there are cameras, and they've always been able to do tricks. And then there is photography. Other guides may give you the one, two, three of producing a reasonably well exposed shot, but Joe McNally and the editors of LIFE can give you that, and then can show you how to make a picture. In a detailed, friendly, conversational, anecdotal, sometimes rollicking way, that's what they do in these pages. Prepare to click.

Become a photographer with this guide to photography for kids ages 8 to 12 A good photo can tell a story, express your creativity, and document moments from your life in a way that only you can capture. Learn how to create incredible images that are uniquely yours with this guide to photography for kids. All you need is the most basic digital camera or smartphone camera—no fancy equipment required. You'll learn all about framing, composition, lighting, depth, dimension, and lines. Then, put your new knowledge into practice with engaging exercises that include step-by-step instructions. This book about photography for kids includes: Photography fundamentals—Discover how a camera works, a brief history of photography, what makes a photo good, and a checklist for getting started. Example photos—Explore high-quality photographs that illustrate the concepts you're learning and inspire you to get creative. Tips and how-tos—Find pointers that explain the technical details of great photos and show you ways to make adjustments in a variety of real-life situations. Discover the joy of photography with this beginner-friendly book about photography for kids.