Comprehensive, heavily illustrated volume introduces the concepts and techniques of digital image capture, including exposure, composition, histograms, depth of field, advanced lighting, lens filters, shutter speed, and autofocus. Learn the core concepts and techniques you need to know to take better photos, from choosing the best lens for your stylistic goals to selecting the right camera settings for different lighting conditions. With clear explanations and highly visual examples, Sean T. McHugh takes you from basic concepts like exposure and depth of field to more advanced topics, such as how camera lenses and sensors capture light to produce images. You'll learn not only which camera settings to use in different situations but also the reasons why. Learn how to: - Choose lenses that give greater control over perspective - Minimize image noise by understanding how digital sensors work - Get the exposure you want even in fog, mist, or haze - Improve hand-held shots by mastering shutter speed and autofocus - Use tripods, lens filters, and flash to enhance image capture Whether you want to understand digital photography at a deeper level or simply want to take better photos, Understanding Photography will help you get the most out of your camera.

Everything you need to know in one take-anywhere field guide! This all-in-one guide from renowned photographer, instructor, and author Bryan Peterson will help you take better photos anytime, anywhere–with any camera. Want to finally understand exposure? Interested in learning to "see" and composing your images more creatively? Ready to master the magic of light? It’s all here, the techniques every amateur photographer needs to take better nature, landscape, people, and close-up photos. You’ll even get creative techniques, like making "rain" and capturing "ghosts," and practical advice on gear, equipment, and postprocessing software. Filled with Bryan’s inspirational photographs, this is the one essential guide for every camera bag.

From a master of professional photography, a book that explores the exciting possibilities of artificial light. This guide to on- and off-camera flash picks up where Peterson's previous title, Understanding Exposure, left off--helping free photographers from the limitations of auto to get the images they want when natural light isn't enough. For the many amateur photographers afraid to venture past natural lighting, here is the book that will finally help them master artificial light. In his trademark easy-to-understand style, Bryan Peterson explains not only how flash works, but how to go beyond TTL automatic flash exposure to master manual flash, allowing readers to control the quality, shape and direction of light for a perfect exposure, every time.

The first book in the Understanding Photography series, Understanding Exposure, was a runaway best-seller, with more than 250,000 copies sold. Now author Bryan Peterson brings his signature style to another important photography topic: shutter speed. With clear, jargon-free explanations of terms and techniques, plus compelling “before-and-after” photos that pair a mediocre image (created using the wrong shutter speed) with a great image (created using the right shutter speed), this is the definitive practical guide to mastering an often-confusing subject. Topics include freezing and implying motion, panning, zooming, exposure, Bogen Super Clamps, and rendering motion effects with Photoshop, all with helpful guidance for both digital and film formats. Great for beginners and serious amateurs, Understanding Shutter Speed is the definitive handy guide to mastering shutter speed for superb results.

Photography is a complex craft. Some excel at the technical side of image-making, focusing perfectly on the subject, releasing the shutter at just the right moment and making exposures with the precise amount of light. Others are artists and storytellers, capturing a fleeting moment in time which inspires a viewer to gaze upon an image and ponder its meaning. The best photographers are masters of both. In this highly visual, informative new book, Angela Faris Belt discusses the four crucial elements of photography that are essential for successful technical and conceptual image-making: .the photographic frame and its borders .quality of focus as determined by the aperture or lens .shutter speeds and their effects in relation to time and motion .the physical media used to create the aggregate image Step-by-step guidance including informative screen shots, traditional darkroom and Photoshop techniques, suggested exercises, and before and after images help both film and digital photographers improve their skills, learn new techniques, and better understand their craft. More than 300 stunning, full color images and portfolios featuring the work of over 40 prestigious artists provide visual inspiration as well as a gorgeous collection of artwork for photography enthusiasts.

Understanding Photobooks is a user-friendly guide to engaging with the photographic book— or, as it is widely known, the photobook. Despite its importance as a central medium in which many photographers showcase their work today, there is surprisingly little information on the mechanics of the photobook: what exactly it does and how it does it. Written for makers and artists, this book will help you develop a better understanding of the images, concept, sequence, design, and production of the photobook. With an awareness of the connections between these elements, you’ll be able to evaluate photobooks more clearly and easily, ultimately allowing for a deeper and more rewarding experience of the work.

Veteran photographer and instructor Bryan Peterson is best known for his arresting imagery using bold, graphic color and composition. Here he explores his signature use of color in photography for the first time, showing readers his process for creating striking images that pop off the page. He addresses how to shoot in any type of light, and looks at color families and how they can work together to make compelling images in commercial and art photography. He also helps readers understand exposure, flash, and other stumbling blocks that beginning and experienced photographers encounter when capturing images, showing how to get the most out of any composition. With its down-to-earth voice and casual teaching style, Understanding Color in Photography is a workshop in a book, helping any photographer take their images to the next level.

Capture the perfect portrait--even if it's with a selfie--in this updated edition of a trusted classic, now with all-new photography. Great portraits go beyond a mere record of a face. They reveal one of the millions of intimate human moments that make up a life. In Understanding Portrait Photography, renowned photographer Bryan Peterson shows how to spot those "aha!" moments and capture them forever. Rather than relying on pure luck and chance to catch those moments, Peterson's approach explains what makes a photo memorable, how to spot the universal themes that everyone can identify with, and how to use lighting, setting, and exposure to reveal the wonder and joy of everyday moments. This updated edition includes new sections on capturing the perfect selfie, how to photograph in foreign territory while being sensitive to cultures and customs, how to master portraiture on an iPhone, and the role of Photoshop in portraiture. Now with brand-new photography, Understanding Portrait Photography makes it easy to create indelible memories with light and shadow.

This newly revised edition of Bryan Peterson's most popular book demystifies the complex concepts of exposure in photography, allowing readers to capture the images they want. Understanding Exposure has taught generations of photographers how to shoot the images they want by demystifying the complex concepts of exposure in photography. In this newly updated edition, veteran photographer Bryan Peterson explains the fundamentals of light, aperture, and shutter speed and how they interact with and influence one another. With an emphasis on finding the right exposure even in tricky situations, Understanding Exposure shows you how to get (or lose) sharpness and contrast in images, freeze action, and take the best meter readings, while also exploring filters, flash, and light. With all new images, as well as an expanded section on flash, tips for using colored gels, and advice on shooting star trails, this revised edition will clarify exposure for photographers of all levels.