Learn Digital Photography Made Easy

Author: Daniel Grotta, Sally Wiener Grotta (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Photography is not just a technical skill, of course. Whether it's a film camera or a digital camera, the technical content it contains is undeniable. But no matter what, the camera is still just a tool. When capturing each image, it still follows the will of the person. Even if the subject is relatively serious, such as management portraits or product introductions commonly found in corporate promotional materials, which require little artistic embellishment, photography remains a very subjective process. Its purpose is to allow others to empathize with the subject. Therefore, before reading this book, you must keep this in mind. Never try to figure out what a button does or what a menu function is while shooting. You also don’t need to spend too much effort understanding the specific meanings of pixels, interfaces, and the like. Otherwise, learning photography will lose its original meaning. In this PCMAGAZINE Digital Photography Made Easy, what we aim to do is not just explain various knowledge and techniques, but more importantly, turn these into instinct. That is, when you pick up your digital camera, you only need to think about what to shoot, without worrying about how to shoot. Of course, we will also introduce various technical knowledge in detail, but we will focus more on helping you understand the operational principles of each technique so that you can correctly select the corresponding camera settings and adopt reasonable composition methods in different situations. Additionally, we will guide you on how to adjust shooting plans according to different needs to achieve a higher artistic level.
Enjoy the learning process step by step
Our advice is that when learning to use a digital camera and improve photography skills, try not to be overly eager for quick results. You should understand the principle of gradual progress. Therefore, when reading this book, we recommend that you choose one chapter each time and bring your digital camera along so that you can practice immediately after learning to see how certain settings or functions affect the shooting results. After fully understanding the meaning of this setting or function, try shooting different subjects in different ways and experiment with various combinations of settings. For example, if you plan to learn about exposure settings, you can directly read the knowledge about aperture values and shutter speed in Chapter 6. After gaining a basic understanding of this knowledge, you can turn on your camera and try to familiarize yourself with how to change the exposure settings. Next, you can take your camera out and take some random photos nearby, trying different combinations of aperture values and shutter speeds. After returning home, upload the photos to your computer (if you need to know how to upload photos to your computer, you can refer to the content in Chapter 17). See how different exposure settings affect the photos. Then, return to Chapter 6 to further study exposure settings. After gaining a deeper understanding, go out and take some photos, then upload them to your computer and compare them with the previously taken photos. Learning other aspects of digital photography follows the same principle—combining theory with practice repeatedly. Only by doing so can you truly learn something. Moreover, this learning process is also where the joy of photography lies.
Tailor-made for your needs
This book is divided into four parts:
● Part I: "Understanding Digital Cameras". This part introduces the principles of digital cameras (including the actual meaning of "megapixels"). Here, you can also learn how to choose your next (or ) digital camera and the basic methods of using it. We will also discuss how to choose accessories and determine what you truly need.
● Part II: "Photography: The Essence of Light, Color, and Imagination". If you enjoy experimenting with different settings when taking photos, you cannot miss this part. We will introduce the specific functions of each control part of the camera and explain how to use them and the effects they produce. We will also discuss how various menu settings affect the photos and provide some reasonable suggestions to help you maximize the camera's capabilities and take photos that better meet your needs.
● Part III: "Photography for Different Occasions". In this part, based on the experience of professional photographers, we will provide suggestions and tips on how to shoot photos related to sports, portraits, vacations, product introductions, and other types of photos to further improve your photography skills. Additionally, we will introduce how to optimize photos for special requirements. For example, news reports, online auctions, business brochures, and family albums or emails all have different purposes, so the corresponding processing methods also differ. In this part, you can also learn how to choose, purchase, and use smartphones with cameras.
● Part IV: "Post-Processing of Photos?". This part explains how to upload the photos you’ve taken to your computer and how to process them on your computer. We will guide you on editing, printing, and managing these photos, as well as sharing them with friends and family. At the same time, we will ensure that the processing methods are convenient and efficient, as well as the quality of the photos. Additionally, you will learn about the essential differences between various software and the functions they can achieve, allowing you to choose based on your needs and skill level.
We sincerely hope that with the help of this book, you can master digital photography and enjoy the fun of it. Digital photography is not just a technical skill—it is full of countless wonders and joys. We look forward to your exploration.