Table Of ContentThe Perfect Photo
edition espresso
Elin Rantakrans ([email protected])
Tobias Hagberg ([email protected])
Editor: Gerhard Rossbach
Translation: David Schlesinger
Copyeditor: Julie Simpson
Layout and Type: Petra Strauch
Cover Design: Anna Diechtierow
Printer: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoja OÜ
Printed in Estonia
ISBN 978-1-933952-85-7
1st Edition 2011
© 2011 by Elin Rantakrans and Tobias Hagberg
Rocky Nook Inc.
26 West Mission Street Ste 3
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
www.rockynook.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rantakrans, Elin.
[Grunderna. English]
The perfect photo : 71 tips from the top / Elin Rantakrans, Tobias Hagberg.
-- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-933952-85-7 (pbk.)
1. Composition (Photography) I. Hagberg, Tobias. II. Title.
TR179.R3613 2011
770.1--dc23
2011014231
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Copyright © of all photographs in this book belong to the photographer on record.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Elin Rantakrans & Tobias Hagberg
The Perfect Photo
71 Tips from the Top
WITH PHOTOS BY
Knuth Bergholm
Szabolcs J Csörge
Lars Dareberg
Robert Eliasson
Camilla Eriksson
Tobias Hagberg
Hasse Holmberg
Martina Holmberg
Jesper Linse
Hans Nydahl
Elin Rantakrans
Sebastian Romert
Gerhard Rossbach
Marie Rytkölä
Per Stymne
Elin Torger
edition espresso
Contents
Foreword 6
Camera Equipment 8
To get the most out of the tips in this book, you’ll need to spend some
time with your camera and become comfortable with it. Don’t be afraid of
experimenting and, most importantly, don’t be afraid of this guidebook.
Broaden Your Knowledge, the Easy Way 22
There are several rules of thumb and technical terms that you should
know so you can manually set up your camera to take the pictures you
want.
Capturing the Best Light 42
Photography literally means painting with light. It comes from the Greek
roots photo (light) and grapos (painting). We’ll explore what this really
means.
Composition 58
A photograph is a reflection of reality, or, to be more exact, a reflection of
a part of reality. The composition of a photograph—or the selection of
this piece of reality—is fundamental to a photo’s effect.
Impressive Landscapes 70
Nature images pose additional challenges: How can you capture the over-
whelming wonder of a landscape with only a finite number of megapixels?
It’s difficult, but not impossible.
4
Portraits 80
Take some time to get to know the person you’re photographing. You’ll
not only be doing your subject a favor, you’ll be doing yourself one too. It’s
important to get a sense of who your subject is, so you can photograph
him or her meaningfully.
Bringing Movement into the Equation 92
Movement can be captured and conveyed by various methods. A moment
packed with action can be frozen in a razor-sharp image, for example, or it
can be conveyed with motion blur. Both effects can even be used at the
same time.
Effective Use of Flash 98
A camera’s flash controls more than you might realize. The flash de-
termines, for example, the contrast of a picture: in bright lighting, the
flash lessens a picture’s contrast, and, in dim lighting, amplifies it.
Starting Out in the Digital Darkroom 104
Now is when it really gets interesting. Load your photos onto your
computer and start editing in your own digital darkroom.
Afterword 125
Photo Credits 126
Index 127
5
Foreword
Your camera doesn’t take pictures—you do. Photographic equipment may
make up your toolbox, but ideas for pictures come from your head. Don’t
worry if you can’t afford the latest equipment such as a flash with 3D light
metering. Focus instead on how to take good pictures in the lighting con-
ditions you have to work with. Someday you may be able to buy that fancy
flash, if you still are interested in it, but in the meantime you can learn
how to take amazing pictures. Don’t let the technology of your camera be
limiting; instead, take advantage of the possibilities it creates!
This book offers practical advice—simple tips that may be taken on
their own or used in combination with each other. The sequence of the
advice isn’t significant. The book is compact and light, so you can throw
it into your camera bag and take it with you on your search for stunning
photos.
You should read your camera’s instruction manual to learn how to
make the most of all its capabilities. Our tips aren’t designed for any
specific camera model—our focus is on you. Your perspective and your
ideas are what make your pictures great, so the most important advice we
can offer has nothing to do with your equipment. It’s this: wherever you go,
take your camera with you. You may think this goes without saying, but our
experience has taught us that people make the mistake of leaving their
cameras at home all too often. Do these excuses sound familiar? “My
equipment is expensive and I don’t trust myself not to break it on the ski
slopes.” “The lens is so heavy.” “I’m just taking the dog out for a quick
walk, what’s the chance of coming across anything of interest?” And so the
camera sits at home unused and covered in dust.
Take our word for it: Always bring your camera. Maybe you’ll take the
picture of your lifetime on your ski trip, when your friend completes a
1080-degree-turn while snowboarding in the half-pipe. Or maybe you’ll
capture a rare bird with your heavy, super-telephoto lens. Maybe you’ll
even win first prize in a contest of autumn pictures with your shot of a
beautifully-colored fall leaf that you discovered on your seemingly boring
walk with the dog. Seize moments like these and don’t let them go!
Elin Rantakrans & Tobias Hagberg
6
PHOTO: ELIN RANTAKRANS 7
8
CHAPTER 1
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
PHOTO: ELIN RANTAKRANS 9
