Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book truly has a brilliant premise and here's how Scott Kelby describes it: "If you & I were out on a shoot & you asked me, `When I use my flash, the background behind the person I'm shooting turns black. How do I fix that?' I wouldn't give you a lecture on flash ratios, or start a discussion on flash synchronization and rear curtain synch. I'd just say, 'Lower your shutter speed to 1/60 of a second. That should do it.' Well, that's what this book is all about: you & I out shooting where I answers questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I have learned just as I would a friend-without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak." Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you are tired of taking shots that are "okay," and if you are tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you. This isn't a book of theory-full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly 200 more of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professionally-looking photos every time" Table Of Contents: CHAPTER 1 Using Flash Like A Pro 10 Things You Wished You Had Known Before Reading This Book! Here Are Those Last Three Things Pop-Up Flash: Use It As A Weapon The Advantages Of A Dedicated Flash Get Your Flash Off With Your Camera Making Your Flash Wireless Going Wireless (Nikon), Part I Going Wireless (Nikon), Part II Going Wireless (Canon), Part I Going Wireless (Canon), Part II "Drag The Shutter" To See More Background How To Soften The Light From Your Flash Softer Light By Bouncing It Softbox-Quality Light From Your Flash Tip For Shooting Through A Diffuser Putting That Nice Twinkle Of Light In The Eyes Why You Might Want A Stand For Your Flash Mounting Flashes Anywhere Rear Synch Rocks (& Why You Should Use It) The Fourth Secret To Pro Flash Results Using Gels (& Why You Need Them) Using Gels To Get That SI Look If You Have To Use Pop-Up Flash, Do This Using A Second Flash Controlling Your Second Flash (Nikon) Controlling Your Second Flash (Canon) How Far Back Can You Stand Using Flash? How To Stand Back Even Farther Controlling Light To Add Drama Shooting Sunset Portraits With Flash CHAPTER 2 Building A Studio From Scratch Studio Backgrounds Using Studio Flash (Called Strobes) Softening Harsh Studio Strobes Why I Prefer Softboxes To Umbrellas What A Speed Ring Does (& Why You Need It) Using A Molding Light Firing Your Studio Strobe Firing Your Studio Strobe Wirelessly Using Contiguous Light Instead Choosing The Size For Your Softbox Why You Really Need A Light Meter How To Use A Light Meter Adding A Hair Light Where To Position Your Hair Light Testing Your Hair Light's Position Keeping Your Hair Light From Spilling Which Mode To Shoot In Where To Position Your Main Light Using A Fan For Windblown Effects Want Softer, More Even Light? Feather It? What That Extra Panel In Your Softbox Does Using A Pop-Up Collapsible Background The Least Expensive Extra Light Three Backgrounds For The Price Of One Using Off-Camera Flash To Light Backgrounds The Advantage Of Shooting Tethered Getting Super-Saturated Background Color Lighting A White Background Which Color Reflector To Use Where To Position A Reflector Reflectors Without An Assistant Seeing The Light From Your Reflector Keep Light From Hitting Background CHAPTER 3 Shooting Portraits Like A Prayer Don't Leave To Much Headroom Shoot In Portrait Orientation Shooting Portraits? Get A Battery Grip! The "Sun Over Your Shoulder Rule" Is Bogus Shoot Wide & Zoom In Tight Shoot Profile Shots In Horizontal Shoot Long For More Flattering Portraits Why Diffusers Rock For Outdoor Portraits Making A Better Background For Portraits Trendy Composition Tip Cropping Off The Top Of Their Head Group Photos Are Easier Outdoors Tip For Posing Group Portraits Great Tip For Casual Group Shots Don't Light You Entire Subject Evenly Want Better Portraits? Don't Count Down! Window Light: Where To Position Your Subject Window Light: Where You Should Shoot From Six Quick Tips For Fixing Facial Challenges Don't Shoot With Their Shoulders Straight On Making Your Subject Look Slimmer Using A Poser Chair Keeping Your Subject "In The Zone" Avoid Dappled Light Window Light: Where To Position Your Reflector Get Couples Really, Really Close Which Color Reflector To Use Shoot Outdoor Portraits Shallow Minimizing Shadows Under The Eyes CHAPTER 4 Shooting Landscapes Like A Pro The Secret To Shooting Sunsets Cutting Reflection In Water For Landscapes You Need A Clear Subject Using Your LCD Monitor Outdoors How To Shoot A Panorama That Works How To Have Photoshop CS3 Put It Together Shoot Fast When Shooting Landscape Panos A Timesaving Pano Trick The Trick To Using A Fisheye Lens When To Shoot Streams Don't Stop Shooting At Sunset How To Shoot Fog Getting Shots Of Lightning (Manually) Getting Shots Of Lightning (Automatically) A Trick For Shooting Great Rainbows Removing Distracting Junk Where To Focus For Landscapes Shots Find The Great Light First How To Shoot On A Gray, Overcast Day A Trick For Great-Looking Flower Shots The Full Frame Camera Advantage CHAPTER 5 Shooting Weddings Like A Pro Create A Shot List Have Backups For Everything! Silencing Your Camera's Beep Backlighting Your Bride Don't Change Lenses, Change Cameras Bring A Stepladder For A Higher Vantage Point Why You Want A Second Shooter When To Shoot In RAW Where To Aim Your Flash Shoot In Lower Light Without Raising Your ISO A Recipe For Balanced Flash In Church Add B&W To The Album The Advantage Of A Flash Bracket Tip For Posing The Bride Keeping The Detail In The Bridal Gown Getting More Flashes Per Wedding How To Lessen Noise In Your Photos Tips For Shooting The Brides Profile Wedding Zoom Effect Made Easy Read David Ziser's Digital Pro Talk Blog Daily CHAPTER 6 Shooting Travel Like A Pro In This Case, Less Gear Is Good Working People Into Your Travel Shots Getting People To Pose What To Shoot On Overcast Days Shooting From Your Hotel Room The Magic Time For Cityscapes Get These Shots Out Of The Way First Shooting Famous Landmarks Air Travel With Photo Gear Shoot The Food Get A GPS For Your Digital Camera Shooting Where They Don't Allow Flash Look For High Vantage Points Give Yourself A Theme CHAPTER 7 Shooting Macro Like A Pro Maximize Your Depth Of Field Why You Should Turn Auto-Focus Off Don't Touch That Shutter Button! Which F-Stop Works Best Point-&-Shoot Macro Photography A Tip For Visualizing Macro Why You Might Want To Shoot Indoors Buying A Macro Lens Perfect, Even Light For Macro Shots Making Your Lens Into A Macro Lens CHAPTER 8 Pro Tips For Getting Better Photos Which Mode To Shoot In Choosing The Right ISO Which Format To Shoot In (RAW, JPEF, Or TIFF) Which Size To Shoot In WHIMS Will Keep You Out Of Trouble How To Lock Focus Zooming In Close? Use A High Shutter Speed When It's Okay To Erase Your Memory Card Why You Need To Get In Really Close What To Use Your Histogram For Leave Your Lens Cap Off Removing Spots & Specks After The Fact What Looks Good In Black & White Recompose, Don't "Fix It" In Photoshop Want To Be Taken Seriously? Start Editing Label Your Memory Cards Go Square Tips For Shooting At Night (Long Exposure Noise) The Very Next Book You Should Get CHAPTER 9 More Photo Recipes To Help You Get "The Shot"