There's no one secret to taking beautiful photos. But good photographers do have a few tricks up their sleeves... They know that clouds, far from ruining a photo, give a great soft natural light for portraits. They know that unusual angles draw the eye, and that their feet are just as effective as a zoom lens. This book packs 62 of the most important creative ideas into one place. Beautifully presented, easy-to-read and packed with example photos. None of these ideas need an expensive camera, fancy lens or a over-priced flash. The purpose of this book is to help you tell stories with your camera (or phone). Whatever you want to shoot, Why Photographers Prefer Cloudy Days is packed full of ideas to inspire you, and tips that will help you take better, more original photos.

Capturing a beautiful photograph isn't magic. It isn't even particularly different. You don't need a fantastic camera or an expensive lens or a fancy flash. The purpose of this book isn't to help you take photos. It's to help you tell stories. That's where the magic lives. Whether you're photographing that perfect sunset or your morning coffee, everyone has a story and Why Photographers Prefer Cloudy Days (and 67 other photo tips) is full of tips and ideas so that you can tell your story in the best way possible. Remember, you miss 100% of the photos you don't try to take. So get out there and get shooting.

A picture-rich field guide to American photography, from daguerreotype to digital. We are all photographers now, with camera phones in hand and social media accounts at the ready. And we know which pictures we like. But what makes a "good picture"? And how could anyone think those old styles were actually good? Soft-focus yearbook photos from the '80s are now hopelessly—and happily—outdated, as are the low-angle portraits fashionable in the 1940s or the blank stares of the 1840s. From portraits to products, landscapes to food pics, Good Pictures proves that the history of photography is a history of changing styles. In a series of short, engaging essays, Kim Beil uncovers the origins of fifty photographic trends and investigates their original appeal, their decline, and sometimes their reuse by later generations of photographers. Drawing on a wealth of visual material, from vintage how-to manuals to magazine articles for working photographers, this full-color book illustrates the evolution of trends with hundreds of pictures made by amateurs, artists, and commercial photographers alike. Whether for selfies or sepia tones, the rules for good pictures are always shifting, reflecting new ways of thinking about ourselves and our place in the visual world.

Including discussions of film-based cameras and darkroom techniques, this book bridges the gap between traditional photographic skills and the latest digital technology.

Make Slow Living Part of Your Everyday! “Slow Living is a work of art…I observed a sense of calm within myself as I read its pages and appreciated the beautiful pictures.” —Andrea Henkels, author of Herman Heals His Heart Living peacefully is within reach if you slow down your life. With Slow Living, you too can embrace simple living and mindfulness for peace-induced days! Looking for peace and happiness? Book a personal reading hour with Slow Living, your guide on how to slow down your life and live peacefully. Helena Woods, author and creator of popular YouTube channel Simple Joys, reveals the wisdom she has learned by moving abroad from the US and living a slower life in France. With beautiful prose and original photography, she provides inspiration and guidance to create a simple living environment wherever you are. Slow Living is for anyone looking to simplify life. Personal growth books for women tend to leave out men and children, but this book was intentionally crafted with everyone in mind! If you're looking for how to improve yourself and how to get into simple living, then this is the guide for you! For many, a slow European lifestyle seems out of reach, but with the direction in this book, readers are able to craft this lifestyle for themselves anywhere, anytime. Inside, you’ll find: Ways to value quiet moments, which bring simple joys to your life How slow living takes root when less becomes more in your home A guide on how to simplify your everyday life for mental clarity How to create routines that enrich your mind and feed your soul If you like books for homebodies or if you enjoyed Slow, Essentialism, or Simple Pleasures, you’ll love Slow Living.

The hottest recent development in digital imaging has been the emergence of a new genre of cameras known as Electronic-Viewfinder-Interchangeable-Lens, or EVIL for short. These compact models combine high quality sensors and lenses with a portable size, and are the spiritual heirs of the classic rangefinder camerasalthough they cost a fraction of the price. Most prosumer photography books, being aimed at the digital SLR market, fail to address the concerns of EVIL shooters. Creative EVIL Photography meets their needs directly, and shows how this exciting format opens new possibilities. Encouraging photographers to make the most of the cameras portability, discreet size, and wealth of features, the book offers inspirational composition guides for subjects suited to EVIL shooting, including people, urban landscapes, action, and more. The first comprehensive book on this fast-moving, vital area of consumer photography The selection of less formal imagery will appeal to the younger user, more likely to have these cameras A unique chapter on composition, with immediate fixes for common situations, and a wealth of inspirational ideas Accompanying website with the lastest camera news keeps the book up to date.

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.