Lorna Yabsley - The Busy Girls Guide to Digital Photography

Dear Busy Girl,

Hi, my name is Lorna. This is me, at work in my business, Bang Wallop. I have written this book to appeal to all you brilliant busy girl creatives out there who are grappling with getting their photography right. Photography can be a mans world sometimes. Much of what is written and published about photography is very male-orientated, so I thought it was about time that we girls had something just for us. We all know men are from Mars and women are from Venus... Joking aside, I do think men and women, boys and girls have a very different approach to learning, so this book has a female slant, with all the nerdy elements tidied away.

I have been a professional, jobbing photographer for thirty years (I started very young and am now getting on a bit!). I get my fair share of glamorous, high-end shoots but I am equally prepared to shoot a catering pack of soup, if it pays the bills, which it does. I never attended college, am a confirmed technophobe so a strange career choice perhaps. I didnt so much choose photography - I went to have my picture taken, fell in love with the photographer and learned the hard way (you can read my blurb and blog for the low down if youre interested). But I want to get on and teach you the best way to get to grips with your photography.

Whether youre a seasoned shooter or a total beginner, its my aim to guide and mentor you through the process towards becoming an accomplished and rounded image-maker getting you off auto and putting you firmly in control of your camera. In this way, you will be freed to be creative, through composition, shooting and on to basic post-production techniques..

I hope you enjoy the book.

All the best

Lorna

I love photography, I love looking at pictures and I love the creative process and making an image work: recognizing and seeing the appeal in the subject, the arrangement of shapes and light, mentally framing it, then capturing it its hugely rewarding. Its the technology I hate. Hate is perhaps too strong a word I resist it, I am frankly bored and a bit baffled by it. Really, how many of us understand what all the buttons mean on our TV remote? What we really want is one with on/off, volume control and a channel selector.

I can drive a car (actually I fancy myself as a bit of a rally driver) but I have little real idea of how the engine works. Likewise, although my camera has GPS and a multitude of other incredible capabilities, I have no real desire or need to use them all. Unless youre a bit of a girl-geek (chic of course) its so overcomplicated; the sheer choice of cameras, the bewildering array of settings, functions and menus, and not forgetting the computer, and the advanced image-handling software Its no wonder that from a beginners perspective, its enough to make you want to give up trying to figure it out and just stick the camera on auto and live with the compromise.

Its the age-old thing of knowing which are the right questions to ask, and understanding only what you need to know. In this book I aim to get to the kernel of key information, fast-tracking you to a better way and, dare I say, a more intelligent approach to shooting.

Throughout the book we will be looking closely at each aspect of photography; breaking it down into bite-size segments, from the basic functioning of the camera to understanding the settings and ultimately joining it all up, so you are in control of your image making. We will look at developing your eye and the principals of composition in relation to the subject matter, as well as getting some basic post-production knowledge under our belts. Lets face it, with digital photography, unless you want a computer crammed full of image files that never get seen or shared, you are going to need to get to grips with the post-production process. Its now an integral part of becoming a well-rounded, competent and creative photographer.

+ It's the age-old thing of knowing which are the right questions to ask

THE RIGHT ANGLE

It was the bold red sign that caught my eye at first, then it was a matter of balancing the model on top of a rubbish bin, with me on a wall ensuring that all the clutter at ground level was not in frame.

120mm f5.6 1000th sec ISO 100

So you are the proud owner of a cool digital camera and the instruction manual (yawn). Youve bought the How To book, but frankly youre still baffled.

You can see the shot, you know how you want it to look, but somehow it just isnt coming out the way you want it to. Youve even gone online and done a few tutorials. Youve had some success and achieved some really good shots, but you got there more by luck than judgement. The manual youve read is soooo boring, its talking histograms and youre only on page six!

So, what do you do? Revert back to auto or worse still, your camera phone? Youve lost the manual to the drawer that contains random phone chargers and the book is on the shelf along with Fifty Shades. Your photography is going nowhere. Thats because youre back on auto and your camera is in control. If you want to take control (and I dont know a busy girl who doesnt) and become the creative photographer that you know you're capable of being then you will need to understand the basic principals of photography and how your camera works. In order to become accomplished at this, we are going to have to get real and the tech stuff does need to be explained to a greater or lesser degree.

Throughout the book you will see the chic geek specs symbol, this indicates my Nerdy Notes and these will give you a succinct technical explanation. I find it helps when reading these to talk through your nose nerdy-style. The Top Tips are designed to give you some interesting facts, useful hints and shortcuts, to fast-track you through the learning experience. For good measure there are also a few stories along the way, to stop it from becoming too dull!

Luckily we are famed for our busy girl multi-tasking skills, and you will need to use this amazing female ability to get your head around shooting off auto and on to the semi or fully manual settings. I ask you as your mentor and guide to work through each section methodically and really grasp the basics before tackling the next stage. It may seem disjointed and irrelevant, but you will get to the end of each section with a Ta Dah! Ultimately youll arrive at your EUREKA! moment, when it all comes together. You will need to practice just like learning to drive it all feels very alien at first but the beauty of digital photography is that you get your feedback instantly, and you will learn very quickly how to control your exposures, giving you creative control over your image making.

Boy calling

Whenever and wherever I photograph children, I am usually down on the floor with them, letting them do their own thing (within reason). Often it is the very first few minutes that will give you the most spontaneous shots; so make sure you have everything pre-framed and set correctly for the action to unfold.

35mm f11 125th sec ISO 200