David Taylor - Digital Photography Complete Course: Learn Everything You Need to Know in 20 Weeks

Gettin g started What makes a good p hoto? Set tin gs and subject s Importi ng images Shooti ng diff erent subje cts Reviewing you r shots Using po st- productio n xes What have you learned? MAKING YO UR FIRST PHOTOS FOCUSING USING SHOOTING MODES GETTI NG THE RIGHT EXPOSUR E ACHIEV ING THE RIGHT CONTRA ST USING DEPT H OF FIELD LENSES WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK Assessin g exposure Controll ing exp osure The exposure meter Fine- tuning e xposure Explorin g exposure Reviewing you r shots Reducing noise What have you learned? Where shoul d you foc us? Manual and autofocus Select ing aut ofocus poi nts Focusin g for eff ect Reviewing you r shots Sharpeni ng a pho to What have you learned? What is the right con trast? The e ffect s of con trast Dynamic rang e Shootin g an HDR ph oto Playing with c ontrast Reviewing you r shots Adjustin g contrast What have you learned? Which mod e is right ? Basic c amera mod es Scene mo des Expo sure compensa tion Explorin g camera m odes Reviewing you r shots Adjustin g bright ness What have you learned? What is dep th of eld? Depth o f eld Using shallow dep th of eld Using de ep depth of eld Explorin g depth of eld Reviewing you r shots Adjustin g depth of eld What have you learned? Which lens sho uld you us e? Primes versus zooms Lens dis tortio ns Changing perspect ive Tes ting ou t lenses Reviewing you r shots Correctin g lens pr oblems What have you learned? Gettin g started www. dk.com For t he cur io us DK LONDO N Senior art editor Phil Ga mble Senior editor Chauney D unford US edit or Christi ne Heil man Managing a rt e ditor Lee Grif ths Managing e ditor Gareth Jones Publishing direct or Jonathan Metcalf Art direct or Phil Or merod Publisher Liz Wh eeler Jacket e ditor Claire G ell Jacket d esigner Mark Ca vanagh Jacket d esign d evelopmen t manager Sophi a MT T Pre-producti on prod ucer Nikoleta Parasa ki, Gil lian Re id Producer Mandy I nness Illustration s Phil Ga mble, Pe ter Bull Produced for DK by Tall Tree Ltd. Editors Joe F ullman, Camil la Halli nan, Jon Ri chards Designers Malcolm Pa rchment, E d Simki ns, J onathan Vi pond DK Del hi Project editor Antara Moitra Assistant editor Ira Pun deer Managing e ditor Pakshali ka Jayap rakash Senior D TP d esigners Vishal Bhatia, Harish A ggarwa l Pre-producti on manag er Balwant S ingh Picture researcher Deepak Negi Jacket d esigner Dhirendra Singh Managing j ackets editor Saloni Singh Revision Co nsultant David T ay lor Written by David T ay lor , Tr acy H allett , Pa ul Lo we, Pau l Sa nders This A merica n Editio n, 20 First Americ an Edi tion, 2 Publis hed i n the United States by DK Pu blishin g 1450 Broadw ay, Suite 8 01, N ew Yo rk, N Y 10 Copyrigh t 2015 , 2021 D orli ng Kin dersley Limited DK, a Division of Pengu in Ran dom Hou se LL C 21 22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001 31914 8J an/2021 All rig hts r eserv ed. W ithout limiting the r ights under the cop yright r eserv ed ab ove, n o par t o f this p ublica tion may be reprod uced, s tored in or int roduced into a re trieval system, or tr ansmitt ed, i n any for m, or by any me ans (elect ronic, mec hanical, photoco pying, recor ding, or oth erwis e), without the p rior wri tten permi ssion of the copyri ght owne r. Publis hed i n Grea t Britain by Do rling Kind ersley L imited . A catal og rec ord for this bo ok is availab le from the L ibrary of Co ngress. ISBN 978- 1-4 654- 07-8 DK boo ks a re avail able at s pecia l disc ounts w hen pur chased in bulk fo r sa les pr omotions, premiu ms, fu nd-rais ing, or educatio nal use . For detai ls, c ontact: DK Pu blish ing Sp ecia l Markets, 1450 Broadw ay, Suite 8 01, New Yo rk, N Y 10 Specia lSales @dk.c om Printed and bo und i n China This book was made with F orest Ste wardship Council certied paper one small st ep in DKs commitment to a sustainable futur e. For more in formation go to www.dk.co m/our- green-pledge

What next? Glossary Index Acknowledgm ents Assessin g wide- angle shots Wide-a ngle perspecti ves Shoo ting land scapes Using a wide -angle l ens Reviewing you r shots Fixing pe rspecti ve What have you learned? WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK The qual ity of light Color and white balan ce Setti ng white ba lance Using white ba lance Reviewing you r shots The Co lor Balan ce tool What have you learned? THE COLOR OF LIGHT USING NAT URAL LIGHT WORKING WITH FLASH WORKING IN LOW LIGHT BLAC K AND WHITE WORKING ON A PROJECT WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK WEEK Looking a t moveme nt Freeze and blur Mastering panning shots Freezi ng movem ent Freezi ng and p anning Reviewing you r shots Adding b lur What have you learned? When does low light wo rk? Ambient light Using a wide r apert ure Using con stant li ght Shooting in low light Reviewing you r shots Lightening key areas What have you learned? Assessi ng telepho to shots Te lephoto pe rspecti ves Photographin g wild anim als Using a tele photo lens Reviewing you r shots Creating a panoram ic photo What have you learned? Can you read li ght? Light and shadow Using ligh t and shad e Playing with light Reviewing you r shots The L evels to ol What have you learned? Looking at compos ition The r ules of c omposit ion Lines, curve s, and diagon als Using the rule of thir ds Using comp ositio n Reviewing you r shots Cropping photos What have you learned? Will blac k and white work? Color to bl ack and white Shootin g in blac k and white Removing color Reviewing you r shots Black- and-whit e conversi on What have you learned? How close is close -up? Close-u ps versu s macros Shooting a close -up Explo ring clos e-ups Reviewing you r shots The Adj ustment Brush tool What have you learned? What does ash do? Using a ash gun Using ash of f- camera Using ll- ash Reviewing you r shots Reducin g red ey e What have you learned? Assessin g composi tion Contrast a nd compos ition Capturing reect ions Mastering composi tion Reviewing you r shots Ta rgeted adj ustment What have you learned? Which proje ct s uits yo u? The pe rfect photo st ory Editing a p hotoshoot Ta king on a projec t Reviewing you r projec t Adding ke ywords What have you learned? The im portance of color Color rela tionships Optimizi ng color Playing with color Reviewing you r shots Adjust ing color What have you learned? WIDE-A NGLE LENSES TELEPHOTO LENSES TAK ING CLOSE- UP PHOTOS CONVEYIN G MOVEMENT HOW TO COMPOSE COMPOSE LIKE AN EXPERT LESSONS IN COLOR

/ GET TIN G ST AR TED GETTI NG ST AR TED Photography is more popu lar than e ver befo re, with bil lions of photos sh ot and share d each ye ar . If photography has neve r been so popul ar , it is larg ely bec ause it ha s never been so si mple. Sophis ticated modern cameras make it easy to shoot and upl oad photos, w hile e diting softwa re can give dramatic r esults. The down side is that this ex citing technolog y make s it al l too temptin g to ignore t he fundament als of pho tography . This b ook is a c omprehensiv e gui de to photographic princ iples. It is d ivided into 2 modules, e ach of whi ch follo ws the sa me step- by-step pattern a nd can be tackle d in one w eek. By the end of the boo k, you sh ould underst and what it t akes to m ake a goo d photo. Ma stering photography is a jo urney that can last a li fetime. Enjoy y our rst steps on tha t journey . Brie fs tel l you t he whe re, w ha t, how , and why of e ach assig nme nt In s pirat iona l yet achi evab le pho tos sh ow case the ran ge of eect s y ou ca n crea te Ans wers are lo cated in the top ri ght - han d corn er Test you r knowled ge Introduc tory quizz es test what you already kn ow abou t each subje ct. Practice a nd experim ent Themed cr eative assig nments help you to apply your ne w photographi c skil ls. Assess yo ur results Interact ive image gall eries ide ntify and troubleshoo t common proble ms and show you how to av oid mist akes in the future . / LESSON S IN COLO R L ESSONS IN COLOR / WEEK A Maximum contrast : Blue and yellow cr eate a powe rful contrast. B Vivid colors : Complementary colors, suc h as orange and blue, are vibran t and grab at tenti on. C Pure hues: Colors that are no t mixed with whi te, gray , or black can be more e xciting to the eye. D Small amounts : Strong colors , such as red, attr act at tent ion, even in sma ll quan tities. E Neutral shades: Interior design ers li ke ne utral color s because t hey hig hligh t texture . F Low contrast : Low-c ontrast colors are pe rfe ct fo r reveali ng architec tural detail s. G Gentle tones Soft , neutral colors can be restf ul. H Pastels: When soft colors are combined , the result ca n be sooth ing. Vivid c olors, suc h as red, tend to domi nate the frame even whe n used in small quantities , whi le ne utral colors, suc h as bei ge, are restful an d recessi ve. Read these descri ptions a nd match each one to an image. Black i s not st rict ly a color but rather the abse nce of color , while white is c omposed o f all c olors. Neutral color s, such as cre am and stone, are re cessiv e and make i deal blank canv ases for in terior des igners . Complementar y colo rs sit opp osite each other on a colo r wheel, while analogous color s sit next to each other on the color whe el (see pp.236 7) . Color can have a power ful psycholo gical eff ect o n the view er . For example, bl ue is r estful , whil e red is cons idered e nergiz ing. Some colo rs are percei ved as being heavier th an others black, for insta nce, is oft en thought of as weight ier th an white. NEED TO KNOW TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ANSWERS The im portan ce of col or A /8: Ye llow and blue hot -air balloo n B / 2: Bright or ange chrys anthemum C / 7: Colorf ul Indi an pow ders D / 5: Cli mber on a m ountain ridge E / 6: Pitcher of mi lk on a piece of cl oth F / 1: Stone arche s G / 3: Sound-a sleep baby H / 4: Close -up of suga red almo nds Rev iew the se poin ts and see how the y rel ate to the pho tos sho wn h ere WEEK LESSONS IN COLOR / / LESSON S IN COLO R ASSESS YO UR RESUL TS Reviewing your shot s The ch ief functi on o f color shoul d b e to se rve expression. HENRI MA TI SSE Have you ach ieved color harmony ? Colors that si t next to each other on th e color wheel are e xtremel y harmoniou s. The p urple and blue in this sc ene work well together . Can you li mit the color palett e? This image uses diff erent shades and to nes of brown, givi ng it a si mple, streamli ned lo ok. Can you com bine vivid colors and n eutrals? Neutral colo rs create the ideal backdrop fo r vibra nt colors. Here, the gray sweater in the backg round make s the lollip op look even more bright and colorf ul. Do you nd any colors distract ing? In this pict ure, the red takes our ey e rst, before shif tin g to the blue. If you had used tw o reces sive color s, it wo uld be ha rd to know wher e to look rs t. Does one c olor dominate? Colors of pu re hue domin ate the frame, and sh ould be used wi th cautio n. The c ar here occupie s a small part of the pict ure, but o ur eye is natural ly draw n to it. Are you aw are of any c olor psychol ogy? Green is a color we asso ciate with nature and tranqui llit y, so when it fe atures heav ily in the frame, such as here, the res ult can be wonderf ully se rene. Is the image warm or cool? We oft en think of co lors as bein g either warm or cool. Morni ng li ght oft en appears much cooler than evening li ght when glor ious sunsets, such as this one, can be captu red. Have you ach ieved con trast betw een two colors? Colors that si t opposi te (or nearl y opposi te) one another on the c olor whee l produc e strik ing contrast . In this image, the bl ue of the bu tter y looks vibrant set again st the orange of the leaves . What other complementary colors work we ll with each other? Having l earned how color can be u sed to inuence e motion, produce cont rast, or cre ate harmony , its time to choose some o f your best ima ges and run thro ugh this checkli st. Look at each shot and as k yourse lf how color affect s your fee lings toward the subje ct. LESSONS IN COLOR / / LESSON S IN COLO R WEEK PRAC TICE AND EXPERIMEN T Playing wit h col or Pro tip: You can take in spiratio n from pain ters as well as p hotographers. Vincent van G ogh was hig hly adept at using complementar y colo rs. If yo u study his pai nting The Sta rry Ni ght, you wil l see a yello w/ orange moon an d stars s et again st a blue/p urple sky . MAKING A COMPLEMENT 45 MINUT ES A SUBJECT WITH COMPLEMENTA RY COLO RS EASY INDOORS O R OUTDO ORS BASIC + tripod A cali brat ion devi ce a ache s to th e fr ont of your m oni tor Red and gree n are com pleme nta ry colo rs WHAT HAV E YOU LEA RNED? The use of complementar y colo rs result s in vibrant, eye-c atching p hotographs. When a key col or is a pu re hue, the eff ect can be dramatic , but it stil l nee ds to be relevant to the subjec t. Analogous colors lead t o calm com positi ons, but they nee d to be a djust ed sensi tively. 1 HOUR A SUBJECT WITH O NE KEY COLOR AMONG MORE SUBDUED TINTS MEDIUM INDOORS O R OUTDO ORS BASIC + tripod STA NDING OUT These assi gnments i nvolve e xperiment ing wi th color in a number of wa ys, in cludin g creating contrast usi ng compleme ntary col ors, pla cing a vivid color agai nst a sub dued backd rop, reducin g saturatio n, and usi ng analogo us colors. Settin g one bold col or against the tin ts, to nes, or shades of anot her wi ll a llow it to take center s tage. Search for a subjec t wit h pale or neut ral tones and introd uce one bold color , such as red. Make sure the color you introd uce is rel evant and in kee ping wi th the scene. These bri ght owers, for example, su ggest new life a gainst the ripe ned wheat stal ks. Select an AF poin t or swit ch to manual foc us to make sure the vi ewers atte ntion is drawn to the right place if the bold colo r is not ce ntrall y posi tioned . Use image-e ditin g soft ware to enhanc e the key color on ce you have secured your shot, or desaturate th e support ing colors even more. Graphic des igners and painters are aware that when a color is used wi th its compl ement, b oth hues appear brig hter . Use a color whe el to sel ect a pair of complementary colors, suc h as red and gre en or yel low and blue, and nd subjec ts wi th those colo rs. Give the colors a bo ost by playing with Pic ture Style s on your came ra, or in po st- product ion. Keep your composi tion sim ple, and exc lude anyt hing th at doesnt reinfor ce the contrast betwee n the two colo rs. Sometim es the color , brightne ss, and cont rast of the pict ures you pri nt bear litt le relatio n to the way they loo k on your comput er screen . T o solve this pr oblem, you need to cali brate you r monitor . A color cali bratio n device (se e p.347 ) tun es your display to a reference st andard, ensuri ng consist ency ac ross multi ple device s. GEAR: COLOR CA LIBRA TI NG 45 MINUT ES A SUBJECT DISPLA YI NG ANALOGOUS C OLORS EASY INDOORS O R OUTDO ORS BASIC + tripod USE ANALOGOUS COLORS By limiting yo ur color palett e to small groups of adja cent colors , you can create restf ul images . Use the color whee l to sele ct some analogous colors, suc h as blue, blu e-green, and green . Look for examples of analogous col ors occurrin g naturall y. For example, if you head outsid e on a fall day you ar e li kely to nd orange, yellow, and green in wooded areas. Use image-e ditin g soft ware to des aturate the colors and red uce the contrast betwe en them. Apply any adjust ments se nsitively, though, or your pict ure could end up l ooking fad ed. Thes e bri ght red poppie s stan d out again st the pale he ad s of wh eat Ana logou s colo rs