Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Section 1 Master Your DSLR 2
TIP 1 Mastering Aperture Priority 6
TIP 2 Mastering Hyperfocal Distance with Aperture Priority 10
TIP 3 Mastering Shutter Priority Mode 13
TIP 4 Mastering Manual Mode and Auto ISO 16
TIP 5 Creating a Photo Checklist 19
TIP 6 Mastering Auto Exposure Bracketing 24
TIP 7 Carrying Your Gear Comfortably 27
TIP 8 Focusing with Live View 33
TIP 9 Controlling Color with White Balance 36
TIP 10 Mastering Back Button Focus 41
TIP 11 Mastering Both Button Focus 44
TIP 12 Mastering Motion Photography with Still Plus Zoom 46
TIP 13 Mastering Motion Photography with Rocking or Swinging 48
TIP 14 Reducing and Using Flare Creatively 50
TIP 15 Capturing Glare-Free Pictures through Windows 53
TIP 16 How to Get the Most Out of Cropping and Zooming In 56
TIP 17 How to Utilize Natural and Man-Made Frames 60
TIP 18 Creating a Sense of Scale 63
TIP 19 Using Repetition Effectively 65
Section 2 Shopping Smart 67
TIP 20 Finding the Right Lenses 68
TIP 21 Making and Using Reflectors 74
TIP 22 Finding and Using Commercially Available Reflectors 77
TIP 23 Choosing and Using a Monopod 83
TIP 24 Choosing and Using a Tripod and Wired/Wireless Shuttei Release 86
TIP 25 Carrying a Tripod and/or Monopod 94
TIP 26 Organizing Your Gear and Accessories 96
TIP 27 Utilizing and Organizing Rechargeable Batteries 101
Section 3 Studio Mastery 104
TIP 28 Setting Up Continuous Lighting for Photography 105
TIP 29 Wirelessly Controlling Lighting Units 110
TIP 30 Creating a "Grid System" for Under $300 112
TIP 31 Making and Using Sandbags 114
TIP 32 Creating Window/less "Window-Light" Portraits and Still Lifes 118
TIP 33 Using On-Camera TTL Flash for Portraits and Event Photos 121
TIP 34 Using Portable Flash Units Off Camera Wirelessly 126
TIP 35 Selecting Solid Backgrounds 133
TIP 36 Selecting Patterned and Digitally Printed Backgrounds 136
TIP 37 Hanging Backgrounds and Creating Sets Quickly and Easily 139
TIP 38 How to Dress Your People and Pets with Style 144
TIP 39 How to Talk to Your Models to Get the Most Natural Images 147
Section 4 Shooting in the Field 153
TIP 40 Mastering Ground-Level Photos (While Staying Clean!) 154
TIP 41 Photographing Miniature Worlds 157
TIP 42 Taking Safari-Quality Photos at the Zoo 160
TIP 43 Photographing Life on a Farm 166
TIP 44 Mastering Food Photography at Events and Restaurants 168
TIP 45 Mastering Food Photography at Home 171
TIP 46 Taking Stunning Photos at an Aquarium 174
Tip 47 Taking Beautiful Bird Photos 177
TIP 48 Taking Festival and County/State Fair Photos 182
TIP 49 Getting Great Beach Photographs 186
TIP 50 Taking Photos of Fireworks that Jump off the Screen 190
Conclusion 193
Acknowledgements 193
About the Author 194
