Shooting Digital : Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera (Paperback)

Shooting Digital is the authoritative guide to getting the most out of your digital camera. Noted photographer and best-selling author Mikkel Aaland has drawn on his 28 years of experience in the field and collected wisdom and images from more than 30 contributors, many of them professional photographers who shoot digital every day. The result is a wealth of pro tips, shooting techniques, and technical recommendations, accompanied by stunning photographs. Whether you're a digital photographer honing your skills or a film photographer making the transition to digital, you'll be inspired and equipped to get consistently great results.

• Through straightforward explanation and illustrative examples you'll learn how to:
• Use digital-specific techniques to take great pictures of people, events, sports, landscapes, buildings, and products
• Fully exploit the minimovie capabilities of your digital camera
• Recognize and compensate for the dreaded shutter release lag
• Use the LCD preview to turn portrait subjects into collaborators
• Create stunning panoramas and object movies
• Work with RAW data, the holy grail of digital photography
• Extend the tonal range of digital cameras
• Archive your digital images while on the road
• And much more...

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Before You Shoot
Bridging the Film/Digital Gap
The Right Digital Camera
Knowing Your Digital Camera
Software Solutions
Accessories That Make a Difference
Finding Up-To-Date Information and Support

Chapter 2: Shooting Great Portraits
The Digital Photographer and the Subject
Preparing for Your Shoot
Working with Your Subject During the Shoot
Making Head and Shoulder Shots
Environmental Portraits
Group Portraits

Chapter 3: Photographing Children, Pets, and Social Events
Beating the Odds
Overcoming Camera Lag
Photographing Children
Photographing Pets
Photographing Social Events

Chapter 4: Shooting Action
The Zen of Shooting Action
Optimal Digital Camera Settings for Speed
An Ideal Digital Camera for Action Shots
Panning for Action
Composition and Motion
Capturing the Decisive Moment
Focus on Reaction

Chapter 5: Shooting Digital Minimovies
Beyond the Single Frame
General Shooting Tips
Minimovie Case Studies
Editing and Sharing Minimovies
Creating an Animated GIF from Frames
Creating a Collage from Frames
Storyboarding with Frame Grabs

Chapter 6: Shooting Digital on the Road
Packing Digital for the Road
Storage and Archiving on the Road
Shooting Digital Candids
A Digital Road Trip
Shooting in the Cold
Shooting in Heat and Humidity
Using the Movie Mode

Chapter 7: Shooting Interiors and Exteriors
A Different Approach
Choosing Light and Location
Maximizing Image Quality
Playing with Scale
Adding Motion
Considering Keystoning
Composing the Shot
Interior and Exterior Light
Mixing Interior and Exterior Light
Attention to Detail

Chapter 8: Shooting Beautiful Landscapes
What Makes a Good Landscape?
Maximizing Image Quality
Three Approaches to Correct Exposure
Saving RAW
Getting the Maximum Depth of Field
Control through ISO
Using Neutral Density Filters
Composition and Content

Chapter 9: Shooting Panoramas and Virtual Reality
Panoramas and Object Movies
Shooting Simple Panoramas
Extending Your View
Object Movies
Shooting Tips for Object Movies

Chapter 10: Shooting Your Stuff
Using Indirect Natural Light
Shooting Loose with Software in Mind
A Basic Digital Photography Studio
A Digital Studio in a Box
Studio Lighting Techniques
The Art of Composition
Pushing the Envelope
Shooting Flat Objects with Lights

Chapter 11: Shooting Past the Boundaries
Shooting Beyond Visible Light
Shooting Digital Underwater
Shooting Digital from the Sky
Night Shots
Digital Grid Photos

Chapter 12: Organizing and Sharing Digital Photos
Direct to Print
Digital Camera to Computer
Organizing and Managing Digital Photos
Sharing Digital Photos

Appendix: An In Depth Look at Digital Technologies and Procedures
RAW Data Revealed
Reading the Histogram
Fine Tuning White Balance
Sensors Expanded
Extending Exposure Latitude with Software

Index
About the Author