Chapter 2 discusses the lens of the camera and the many ways in which you can manipulate it in order to create a larger or smaller depth of field. I found it interesting that the author of the book explained that certain photographers can have a certain Focal length they prefer to shoot in and based on their preference each photographer will obviously be limited in some way. A normal focal length is around 35mm, this is the same as the human eye. Since I have a simple point and shoot camera this is right around the same focal length that my camera allows. So for my personal experience there were also different ways to change the depth of field without specifically changing the settings on the camera. One of the Methods to practice would be as simple as moving closer and further away from the subject, which can change the perspective and even the entire mood of the photo. In the chapter the author also discusses the luxuries of having a zoom lens it allows the photographer multiple field depths within the same lens.
Chapter 3
When taking photographs with a digital camera it is important to understand how to read the lighting situations and the exposure to the type of light. It is important to know that in many ways the camera is similar to the human eye, they both see light in energy wavelengths. The light that is sent through the lens is then translated into the colors of the color wheel. The camera can pick up a range that the human eye cannot however, ultraviolet and infrared. There are methods in which you can read the light around you in order for better photos. One of the most useful attributes of the camera that I use on a regular basis when taking my pictures is the histogram. The histogram gives you a reading on whether your photo is under-exposed or over-exposed. It is useful in telling you where there are an abundance of shadows and light. Depending on the photographers style or the emotion they are trying to portray will determine the exposure they prefer. I personally like photos with shadows they give a level of mystery to the photo that would otherwise be lost with an over-exposure. I always find it interesting that no matter what the capability of the camera or the photographer there are manipulations that exist to achieve the desired light and exposure. A simple one that is also on my camera is the ISO tool the lower the ISO the less noise that will be produced.
Chapter 4
Sure taking the picture with your camera and knowing how to edit in camera is useful but, sometimes that isn't enough to complete the photo that you want. So, it is extremely important to understand the different editing tools that are given to you through the computer. The first thing that was explained in the book that I found interesting was the fact the computer can only read any information that it is given in binary, one's and zero's. Because this is how the computer reads information it can sometimes manipulate a photo that you have taken. So, in the book the authors explain that calibrating your computer screen is important to achieve the better photo. Once you have uploaded all of the photos you have taken it is a strong recommendation that you keep them organized. If you are a photographer that takes thousands of pictures it can start to get confusing and hectic if you don't have a good organization setup. It is recommended that each photo shoot be put into a collection that way it is easier to locate what photos you are looking for. Keeping your edited and unedited photos separate is also a smart decision again it will just make it easier in the long run to find and locate different variations of photo. The last thing that the book recommends is to become well educated on the workflow programs that you use.
Chapter 5
Image editing is a useful tool especially if you have taken several photos but the in camera editing that you used just didn't accomplish all you wanted it to. The first thing is to already have an idea of what kind of editing you want to have done, this will make for more efficient editing. Open your image editing software and become educated on its components. The many different editing tools will set as icons on the sidebars of the screen; to access these tools there are also keyboard shortcuts that make for more efficient editing. When editing the photo the first thing to do is to make it the correct size, this is mostly done through cropping. This is where you can begin to get into the brunt of the image editing.
Levels is a rapid way in which the tones of a picture can be adjusted. There is a slider tool used where you can adjust three major types of tones, shadows, mid-tones and highlights. Curves is another tool that will also change tones and color. this is shown in a graph with a line through it you can take this line and manipulate any way you please. The left side is pure black, the middle is middle gray and the right is pure white. Selections is an interesting tool, this allows you to select a certain part of the photo and manipulate only that part. Once you have selected part of the photo it officially acts as its own photo. Edits will only be made to the selected area. Layers is claimed to be the most useful tool in the Photoshop repertoire; this feature allows you to complete all the other altercations without actually doing to the original photo. Layers can be turned on and off. Retouching allows you to take certain areas of a photo where there might be spots or stains; you can then take another section of the photo and mask it over the imperfection. Sharpening improves the detail shown in a photo.
Chapter 6
This chapter focuses on the importance of printing your photo's there is something to be said about physically holding your photo in your hand, it is quite rewarding it is a piece of work that you created. Before you print any photo you need to understand that each printer will affect the way your photo comes out. All printers need a driver, this is a device that tells the printer how to spray ink, vaporize dye, or emit light to make a picture from those pixels. All paper varies as well some are brighter than others or have a more glossy look as opposed to a matte look. Soft proofing is suggested because what you see on your computer screen isn't necessarily what your print will end up looking like. The computer has a wider variety of colors than a printer so this is important to keep in mind. Framing a photo is also a useful skill to have matting a photograph will help to ensure a longer life for your photo. Mattes are essentially ivory paper that prevents the ink of a print from touching the glass of the frame. It also makes your photos seem more professional. There are several factors to cutting a matte for a print the two most important are the size of the display frame in which you want the photo to be viewed through. And the bevel cut that you want.
Chapter 7
Organizing and storing pictures is easier than it appears and very useful. Image size is something to keep in consideration. Saving them in their original form is recommended because you always want an original template to work off of for future. Post processing or image editing will also affect the image size so when working on photos it would be wise to keep in mind the capacity of your computer and if it is necessary plan for an external storage device. Metadata is important to stay on top of as well this information essentially explains what format your image is in, when it was taken, the image number and other miscellaneous information.
Chapter 8
Lighting is a very important element to digital photography. There are two main types of lighting, natural which utilizes the sun and other natural sources. There is also artificial lighting which focuses more on man-made sources; in some cases this form gives you more control and enables more manipulation on your part. Direct sunlight is in high contrast; this is useful to know because the highlights and whites of the photo will be high shadows will also be more harsh. Directional/diffused light is similar; light is strong on one part of the subject while it is weak on other parts of the subject. Diffused light however is completely different it it encompasses the entire subject in light without harsh shadows. When taking photos try to use what is available because the setup for studio lights is quite time consuming. There are different locations that you can place light, this will give you different shadows depending on the composition you are looking for. There is frontlighting which is when the source is directly in front of the subject illuminating all of it. There are other locations that you can place a light source for example: top lighting, side lighting, backlighting and bottom lighting. You can also manipulate the light even further from this lighting shadows helps when trying for a less harsh composition. One practice that can be used is to set up white sheets of paper of some sort in the direction that the light is pointed. The light will bounce off this object and somewhat illuminate the subject.
Chapter 9
Being able to see like a camera is a useful skill it will make your composition pop more and be more influential. The edges or frame is important to keep in mind, our eyes have a wider perspective than the camera allows so when scoping out potential shoots it is recommended that you keep in mind the border limitations of the camera itself. Keep in mind the background again the frame of the camera limits how much it can see so position yourself and the subject where you want them, either excluding or including elements from the background. Deciding what parts of the photo you want to have be sharp is suggested; one way to control this is through depth of field. in most cases the closer objects will remain in clearer and sharper resolution. This chapter also talks about the idea of photographing for meaning and there are different kinds of pictures that will and should look to convey certain meaning. Portraits are a type of picture that should be more than strictly what a person looks like. A portrait should be taken to reveal the character of the subject. When photographing a landscape it would be wise to look at it from several different perspectives. Photographing a cityscape is a little different try just walking through the city and when you see something interesting give yourself enough time to actually think about the composition.
