Tony Northrup's DSLR Book How to Create Stunning Digital Photography

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Quick Tips

Take Lots of Pictures (and Delete Most of Them)

Try Different Viewpoints

Ditch the Lens Cap, Camera Bag

Read the Manual

Learn to Use Fill Flash and Bounce Flash

Use your Pictures

Know Your Final Format

Get another Opinion

Edit Your Pictures

Make Pictures, Don’t Take Pictures

Evaluate Your Photography

Don’t Worry So Much about the Equipment and Settings

Chapter 2: Composition

The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Space

The Focal Point

Simplifying

Angle of View

Showing Scale

Lines

Patterns

Frames

Symmetry

Showing Depth

Panoramas

Practice

Chapter 3: Lighting and Flash

Hard and Soft Lighting

Directional Lighting

How Your Environment Changes Light

The Golden Hour

Controlling the Sun

Using Flash

White Balance

Silhouettes & Shooting into the Sun

Practice

Chapter 4: Controlling your Camera

Focus

Shutter Modes

Aperture

Other Ways to Control Depth-of-Field

Shutter Speed

ISO

Exposure Compensation

Understanding Exposure

Use Raw

Practice

Chapter 5: Problem Solving

Blurry Pictures

Low Light

Noisy Pictures

Bad Color

Spots in Pictures/Dust on Sensor

Washed-Out Pictures

Crooked Horizons

Low Camera Batteries

No Memory

Bad Weather

Short Flash Battery Life or Long Flash Recycle Times

Flash Sync Problems

Chapter 6: Portraits

Portrait Styles

Portrait Lengths

Portrait Photography Lenses

Outdoor Portraits

Indoor Portraits

Clothes

Group and Family Photos

Sidebar: Shooting Sports by Brendon Code, Junior High School

Photographer

Posing for Portraits

Working with Kids

Studio Portraits

Corrective Posing and Lighting

Using Studio Lighting Outdoors

Taking Self-portraits

Putting Lights in the Frame

Post-Processing

Female Portrait Checklist

Male Portrait Cheat Sheet

Practice

Chapter 7: Weddings

Shot Checklist

Practice

Chapter 8: Animals

Eye Contact

Approaching Animals

Planning Your Pictures for Great Shots

Flash

Using Motion Sensors and Timers

Pets

Birds

Insects

Zoos

Post-Processing

Practice

Chapter 9: Landscapes, Cityscapes, and Nature

Compositional Elements

Planning

Adapting

Finding a Location

Camera Settings

Cityscapes

Sunsets and Sunrises

Flowers

Forests

Streams, Rivers, and Waterfalls

Mike Laird (lairdphoto.com), Landscape Photographer

Practices

Chapter 10: Night

Gear

Taking your First Night Photo

Taking your Second Night Photo

Taking your Third Night Photo

Processing your Photo

The Difference 5.9 Seconds Makes

Hand-holding

Urban Night Photography

Rural Night Photography

Stars and Meteors

Fireworks

Including People

Light Painting

Practice

Chapter 11: High Dynamic Range (HDR)

HDR Overview

The HDR Process

Bracketing Challenges

HDR Software

HDR Portraits

Practice

Chapter 12: Close-up/Macro Photography

Understanding Minimum Focusing Distance

Macro Photography Equipment

Macro Techniques

Focus Stacking

Practice

Chapter 13: Underwater

Equipment

Testing the Equipment

Preparing for the Dive

Technique

Underwater Portraits

Practice

Glossary

Introduction

Welcome eBook readers! Find out about new videos and updates by liking our

Facebook page at http://facebook.com/northrupphotography/. If you use the

lessons from the book to take a great picture, or you want some feedback about a

picture, share it with us by adding it to our wall. Facebook is also a great way to

send us questions, comments, or corrections about the book. You can also e-mail

me at [email protected].

For more of my pictures, see my portfolio at NorthrupPhotography.com and

view my wildlife and travel photo library at http://www.northrup.org. If you

have any issues with the videos, or you’re using an e-reader that does not

support video, many of them are available on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE338967F8DB7F2A.

Video: Why This Book is Different

(Mobile or Desktop)

Click to play video: Why this Book is Different (1:14)

Please note that you can zoom in on all the pictures in this book to see each

picture’s details and more easily read the captions. Unlike most books, this book

will continue to improve over time as I fix errors and add new sections. Amazon

will notify you by e-mail when a new update is available; you will need to reply

that you want to receive the update.

With this book, I’m going to teach you how to take stunning photos. Spend ten

minutes reading the tips in this first chapter, and your pictures will be much

better. If you read the entire book and work through the practices, you’ll be on

your way to becoming a great, or even professional, photographer. Years from

now, when you and your family look back on your pictures, you’ll know the

extra time was worth the effort.

For those of you who are already advanced photographers, there’s still a TON

you can learn from this book. I’ve described every practical technique that I’ve

found useful during my years as a professional photographer. Start at Chapter 3,

and skim past the content you already feel comfortable with.

This book is unique in many ways:

It’s truly all-in-one. This is one book for general, portrait (including

natural light, flash, and studio), wildlife, landscape, night, macro, wedding,

and even underwater photography.

It contains over 3 hours of video training. If your e-reader can play video

(such as the Kindle Fire, Nook HD, iPhone, iPad, or an Android device),

clicking the links when you have an Internet connection will load the video

directly within your e-reader. If you use a black-and-white e-reader (such as

the black-and-white Kindles or the Nook Simple Touch), type the URLs

into a computer, or scan the QR code with a free smartphone or tablet app.

It’s for both the beginner and advanced amateur. For the beginner, this

book teaches the basics of how to compose and light photos. Advanced

amateurs can jump directly to the in-depth discussions.

It’s up-to-date (as of February 2013). This book covers the latest trends

and equipment, including HDR photography and modern post-processing.

It provides classroom-style support. Join the private Stunning Digital

Photography readers group on Facebook at

http://fb.com/groups/SDPreaders/ to get feedback on your photos and have

your questions answered by Tony, Chelsea, and other readers.

It provides specific, current hardware and software recommendations.

I provide unbiased recommendations for camera accessories for every

budget.

It provides hands-on lessons. Each chapter includes a list of practices and

fun projects to get you hands-on experience.

It teaches art before technology. This book leads with artistic

fundamentals and then digs into the technical details you need to know to

achieve your creative vision.

It uses no stock photography. My partner Chelsea and I traveled to 15

countries over the course of three years to take every one of the more than

350 pictures in this book, so you know I can teach you how to take them.

I suggest everyone read Chapters 1-5, which cover the fundamentals of

composition, lighting, and controlling your camera. From there, feel free to skip

to the chapters covering the types of photography you’re most passionate about.

This book’s chapters are:

Quick Tips (Chapter 1). I put all the best tips right at the front of the book.

It took me years to learn these lessons; it’ll take you about 20 minutes.

Composition (Chapter 2). Composition is more art than science, and the

concepts apply no matter what type of camera you’re using or what type of

photography you’re into.

Lighting and Flash (Chapter 3). This chapter teaches the importance of

lighting. I’ll show you how to best use natural light, and how to add light

using a flash—without ruining the picture.

Controlling Your Camera (Chapter 4). This chapter digs into the

technical side of photography. I’ll teach you how to use aperture to keep

everything in focus or blur the background so your subject stands out.

You’ll also learn how to prevent shaky, noisy, tinted, and dark pictures.

Problem Solving (Chapter 5). Flip to this chapter any time your pictures

don’t turn out for some quick troubleshooting. I’ll show you how to fix all

the common photographic problems, including blurry, dark, bright, noisy,

crooked, and washed-out pictures. I’ll even show you how to fix boring

photos.

Portraits (Chapter 6). Learn to take great pictures of people. You’ll get

people comfortable in front of the camera, find the best light, and pose them

in a flattering way. This chapter covers everything from snapshots to formal

portraits, including natural light, flash, and full studio lighting.

Weddings (Chapter 7). While one chapter can’t replace the years of

experience it takes to be a great wedding photographer, this chapter will get

you through your first as-a-favor-to-a-friend wedding.

Animals (Chapter 8). Wildlife photography has always been my favorite.

This chapter teaches you how to get great photos of both pets and wild

animals, in captivity and in the wild. I go into detail about the behavior of

different species so you can get in close without disturbing them.

Landscapes, Cityscapes, and Nature (Chapter 9). The Earth is a beautiful

place, but capturing that beauty requires planning, patience, and

persistence. Earlier chapters taught you most of what you need to know

about setting up your camera and composing the shot, so this chapter

focuses on finding the best locations, getting the timing right, and planning

around the weather.

Night Photography (Chapter 10). If you’re hearty, patient, and

adventurous, you can capture the world around you as few people see it.

This chapter shows you how to overcome the many technical challenges of

low light photography, and how to use light painting to add your own light.

HDR Photography (Chapter 11). High Dynamic Range photography has

been popular due to the dramatic and artistic looks made possible by tone￾mapping. HDR is also very practical for photographers working in

contrasty environments and photographers who need to minimize the noise

in shadow areas.

Close-up/Macro Photography (Chapter 12). Macro photography, also

known as close-up photography, shows the detail in tiny subjects. This

chapter covers a variety of inexpensive and high-end hardware and the

techniques you must understand to use them properly.

Underwater Photography (Chapter 13). There’s a vast world filled with

colorful life under the surface of the water, but water presents some of the

greatest challenges to photographers. This chapter teaches you to overcome

those challenges and capture stunning underwater photos (while keeping

your equipment safe).

At the end of the book, you’ll find a glossary that includes useful explanations

for all the potentially confusing photographic terms you’ll encounter.

First, I’d like to thank the readers that have sent me feedback, allowing me to

improve the book even after the first release. Thank you, Erkki Alvenmod, Jeff

Bissonnette, Evan Bobbit, Yannick Ciancanelli, Brendon Code, Nick Dahlke,

Fedor Duhrmann, Britton Graefensteiner, Yannick Ciancanelli, Tamera Hamblin

Shibuya, Craig Pettigrew, John-Paul Cosentino, Greg Prince, Luis Hurtado,

Lucky Fonseka, Jake Taylor, John Monju, Tom Jones, Debbie Robinson, and

Mark Houston!

I’ve spent three years writing this book, and in that time, I learned to rely on

many of my family and friends. I have to thank my models: Tyler Rheaume;

Girard (both of them!) and Margaux Antonino; Mark, Summer, Lily, and J.P.

Antonino; Megan McSweeny; Justin and Jessica Eckert; Frankie Occhionero;

and Madelyn Knowles.

I’d also like to thank my reviewers: Kevin Girard, Jose B. Gonzales, and Kurt

Dillard. I know you each put a lot of energy into this book, and not only do I

owe you thanks, but every one of my readers does, too.

Most importantly, I have to thank Chelsea Knowles, who was my co￾photographer, videographer, shoot planner, location scout, principal model,

editor, designer, chief underwater photographer, and partner in every way. I love

you, Chelsea.

Chapter 1: Quick Tips

Let’s get started with some quick tips that can drastically improve your

photography in about 20 minutes. The chapters that follow will dig deeper into

these topics.

Video: Six Quick Tips

(Mobile or Desktop)

Click to play video: Six Quick Tips (3:30)

Take Lots of Pictures (and Delete Most of Them)

The more a scene is changing, the more pictures you should take. If a soccer

player is making a drive for the goal, hold down the shutter and keep shooting

until she’s done celebrating. It’s much easier to delete all but one of those

pictures than it is to recreate the action to capture the perfect moment.

In particular, take multiple pictures of people. Even if you’re just snapping a shot

of your friends at a party, go ahead and take a few shots in a row. You’ll find that

many of the pictures feature a strange expression or closed eyes.

For example, in the sequence of photos in Figure 1-1, the first has motion blur

and the second has an awkward head tilt. Holding down the shutter long enough

to take three pictures paid off, however.

Later, you can flip through your pictures on your camera or computer and delete

the ones that didn’t turn out. Having more options will allow you to delete all but

the best pictures.

Try Different Viewpoints

Most people hold the camera at eye-level to take a picture. This provides a

realistic depiction of what you see, but it doesn’t always show a subject’s most

interesting angle.

For smaller subjects, including kids, dogs, and cats, kneel down to see them eye￾to-eye. For flowers, lie on the ground and shoot up to show the sun or the sky in

the background.

You can also go even higher than normal. For people, stand on stairs or a chair

and have them look up at you. High perspectives create an almost cartoonish

distortion by making the person’s head look larger than the rest of their body.

Chances are good that the perfect angle isn’t the way you walked up to the

subject. Walk around your subject and think about:

How the subject appears from that angle.

How the light falls on the subject. Especially when the sun is low on the

horizon, changing your viewpoint can dramatically change the lighting.

What you see in the background. Most beginning photographers spend all

their time looking at the subject and never think about the background.

When you see the picture, though, a bad background is very distracting.

Sometimes, walking a few feet to the side, or stepping back and zooming

in, will give you a much more pleasing background.

Figure 1-2 shows a handful of different viewpoints of the same subject—the

Eiffel Tower. Which perspective you prefer is entirely subjective, but they’re all

very different because I varied my angle and distance.

You don’t have to get the perfect angle with one shot. For best results, combine

this with the “take lots of pictures” technique. Turn the camera sideways. Zoom

in. Say something funny to make people laugh. Crouch down to get a low angle,

or hold the camera above your head to get a high angle. Then, delete all but the

best shot.