Digital Photography: An Introduction

226 Pages·2018·122.83 MB·English

by  Tom Ang

DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N

D I G I TA L
PHOTOGRAPHY
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N
CONTENT PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER’S HANDBOOK
TOMANG
For Wendy
Senior Editor Nicky Munro
Designer Joanne Clark
US Editor Megan Douglass
Jacket Designer Laura Brim CONTENTS
Producer, Pre-production Rebekah Parsons-King
Production Controller Mandy Inness
Managing Editor Stephanie Farrow
Senior Managing Art Editor Lee Griffiths 06 Introduction
First American Edition, 2012
This edition published in the United States in 2018
by DK Publishing, 345 Hudson Street, New York, 1CORE
New York 10014
SKILLS
Copyright © 2018 Dorling Kindersley Limited
DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC
Text copyright © 2002, 2007, 2010,
2012, 2018 Tom Ang 10 Your first pictures
All images © Tom Ang, except where
12 Picture composition
otherwise stated.
For further information see: www.dkimages.com 18 Focusing and depth of field
18 19 20 21 22 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
22 Movement blur
001–294569–January/2018
24 Influencing perspective
All rights reserved.
26 Changing viewpoints
Without limiting the rights under the copyright
reserved above, no part of this publication may be 28 Quick fix Leaning buildings
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
29 Quick fix Facial distortion
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, 30 Color composition
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written
34 Quick fix White Balance
permission of the copyright owner.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley 36 Exposure control
Limited.
38 Low-key images
A catalog record for this book is available from the 40 Accessory flash
Library of Congress.
42 Quick fix Electronic flash
ISBN 978-1-4654-6862-8
44 Electronic flash
DK books are available at special discounts when
purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums,
fund-raising, or educational use. For details,
contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345
Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 2 PHOTOGRAPHY
[e-mail]
PROJECTS
Printed and bound in China
A WORLD OF IDEAS: 52 Abstract imagery
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW
55 Architecture
www.dk.com 58 Documentary photography
62 Street photography
US_004-005_contents.indd 4 17/07/17 7:26 pm
64 Vacations and travel 144 Curves
70 Weddings 148 Color to black and white
72 Children 156 Vintage effects
76 Landscapes 158 Working with RAW
82 Cityscapes 162 Duotones
86 Low-light photography 164 Cross-processing
88 Animals 166 Tints from color originals
92 Panoramas 168 High dynamic range
94 Live events 172 Selecting pixels
98 Portraits 176 Masks
102 Camera phone photography 178 Quick fix Removing backgrounds
180 Layer blend modes
186 Cloning techniques
3 IMAGE 188 Simple composite
190 Image stitching
DEVELOPMENT
106 Workflow essentials 4 BUYING
108 Downloading
GUIDE
110 Image management
112 Capture defects
114 Color management 194 Camera phones
116 Cropping and rotation 196 Compacts
118 Quick fix Poor subject detail 198 Mirrorless compacts
119 Quick fix Poor subject color 200 SLRs
120 Levels 202 Choosing lenses
122 Burning-in and dodging 206 Photographic accessories
124 Dust and noise 210 Digital accessories
126 Sharpening 212 Electronic lighting
130 Blurring 214 Computers
134 Quick fix Image distractions 216 Computer accessories
136 White balance 218 Printers and other devices
138 Color adjustments
140 Saturation and vibrance 220 Index
142 Manipulation defects 224 Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
This is the fifth edition of Digital Photography: An Introduction, celebrating over
10 years in print. In that time, while few of the fundamentals of image-making have
changed, digital technologies have transformed much of photography almost beyond
recognition. The steady rise of photographers’ skills as access to photography has spread
to literally billions of people all over the world is itself a remarkable social and artistic
phenomenon. One result is the bewildering explosion in the number of photographs
being made: the total has passed a trillion images per year, and by the next edition we
should not be surprised to learn that the 2-trillion mark has been reached.
While the steady improvement in photographic abilities is attributable in part to
technology’s ingeniously adept mediation, it is evident that skills and understanding
of photography have genuinely grown and continue to blossom. Nonetheless, the
hunger for photographic knowledge has also exploded, which drives the continuing
demand for—and appeal of—this book.
We have responded to the latest developments with numerous updates to
Digital Photography: An Introduction. We have taken account, for example, of the rise
of the interchangeable lens compact and the diversification of image manipulation
and management. In the process, our sections on film and scanning have finally had
to be removed. In their place, we have introduced several new pages in which we
examine images to understand the theory behind their impact.
With this fifth edition, we find photography approaching a turning point. Core
practices such as photojournalism are under siege from changing economic, political,
and ideological forces. The dominance of social media has driven sweeping changes
in the nature of the photographic subject, pushing formerly trivial subjects such as
the self, the mundane, and daily meals to center stage.
Major technologies are now fully mature, so the computer errors, crashes, and
corrupted files that made digital photography such a time-consuming process are
no longer daily occurrences. The power of the internet and the ability to send a still
image to a million places around the planet in seconds are now taken for granted.
In short, the camera in your hand is the most elaborate and potent visual tool
ever invented. You can enjoy enormous fun with it. You can have your life hugely
enriched by its creative returns, and you can make a difference to the world. That
is photography’s strength—that is its gift to you. And it is yours to give back through
your own humanity, artistry, and creativity.
May the light be with you!