Digital Photography Hacks

Your digital camera is more than new incarnation of your old film camera. Yes, it still produces photos, but it also offers new outlets for creativity, including instant gratification of seeing your photos now, the ability to experiment without worrying about expense, the technology to fine-tune your photos with advanced professional techniques, and the means to share your work instantaneously with anyone, anyplace in the world. It's no wonder that digital cameras are outselling traditional cameras for the first time ever. But the question most digital camera users ask is this, "How do I get from taking 'decent' photos to doing the things I'd really like to do? How do I tap into that potential?"

Digital Photography Hacks is your passport to taking the kind of digital photos you've always aspired to. Written by Derrick Story, photographer and author of Digital Photography Pocket Guide and other books, it goes beyond the standard fare of most digital photography books--such as camera basics, understanding memory cards, and when to use a flash--to the things that professional photographers have learned through thousands of shots' worth of experience, years of experimentation, and fiddling and hacking. The book includes a foreword by photographer Rick Smolan, author of America 24/7.

With exquisite, full-color photos throughout, the book presents a collection of tips, tricks, and techniques for photographers ready to move beyond the basics. And if you don't have the latest in digital camera photography, this book will show you how to extend the life and functionality of your existing camera. All the hacks in the book are platform-agnostic, designed for use on both Mac on Windows-based computers. You'll find 100 proven techniques in the areas of:

• Daytime and nighttime photo secrets
  
• Flash magic
  
• Digital camera attachments
  
• The computer connection
  
• Photoshop magic
  
• Fun photo projects
  
• Camera phone tricks

Table of Contents

Credits   

Foreword   

Preface   

Chapter 1. Digital Camera Attachments  

       1. Pocket Tripods on the Go   

       2. Travel Tripod: A Happy Compromise   

       3. Walking-Stick Mount   

       4. Convert Your Monopod into a Makeshift Tripod   

       5. Steady Shots from the Comfort of Your Car   

       6. Attach Your Camera to Bicycle Handlebars   

       7. Flash Brackets for Pro Lighting   

       8. A Flexible Arm to Hold Accessories   

       9. Bubble Levels to Keep Things Straight   

       10. Battle the Sun with an LCD Hood   

       11. Convert Your Digicam to a Digital SLR   

       12. T-Mounts and Other Threaded Tricks   

       13. Double-Strapping on the Trail   

       14. Stay in Charge of Your Batteries   

       15. Gaffer's Tape When All Else Fails   

Chapter 2. Daytime Photo Secrets  

       16. Pantyhose Diffusion Filter for Flattering Portraits   

       17. Capture Kids Without Going Crazy   

       18. Use Sunglasses as a Polarizing Filter   

       19. Get the Big Picture with a Panorama   

       20. Secrets of Whiteboard Photography   

       21. Make Your Own Passport Photo   

       22. Get Super Close   

       23. Multiple Exposures, Digital Style   

       24. Go Low-Rez   

       25. Painless Infrared Photography   

       26. Create the Maximum Depth of Field   

       27. Create Soft Background Portraits   

       28. Analyze Metadata to Improve Your Shots   

Chapter 3. Nighttime Photo Hacks  

       29. Nighttime Portraits with Scenic Backgrounds   

       30. Street Shooting at Night   

       31. Capture the Nighttime Mood and Leave the Red Eye at Home   

       32. Take Flash Shots of People Who Blink   

       33. Auto Headlamps and Other Streaming Lights   

       34. Starlight Effects for Candles and Lights   

       35. Light Painting and Colored Gels   

       36. Secrets of Fireworks Photography   

       37. Night Landscapes and the Moon   

       38. Colorful Star Trails   

Chapter 4. Magic with Flash  

       39. Outdoor Fill Flash   

       40. Prevent Red Eye   

       41. Add External Flash to Point and Shoots   

       42. Bounce Flash for Softer Light   

       43. Pro Portraits with Just Two Flashes   

       44. Eliminate Glare in Reflective Surfaces   

       45. Freeze Action with Electronic Flash   

       46. Second-Curtain Flash for Cool Effects   

Chapter 5. The Computer Connection  

       47. Judge Image Sharpness by File Size   

       48. Unerase the Lost   

       49. Name Folders to Organize Your Images   

       50. Create a Web Photo Gallery   

       51. Amazing B&W Prints from Your Inkjet Printer  

       52. Great Color Prints from Your Inkjet Printer   

       53. Pro-Quality Prints from Your Digicam   

       54. Take Your Slideshow on the Road   

       55. Virtual-Reality Movies from Your Digicam   

       56. Digicam Movie Editing Made Easy   

       57. Rotate Your Movie from Horizontal to Vertical   

       58. Create a Rolling Movie Title   

       59. Add Music to Movies and Slideshows   

       60. Voiceovers for That Professional Touch   

       61. Store Pictures and Movies on an iPod   

Chapter 6. Photoshop Magic  

       62. Match Resolution to Output   

       63. Secrets of Sharpening   

       64. Sample Down for Email Attachments   

       65. Crop and Resample in One Step   

       66. Level That Dipping Horizon   

       67. Power-Line Vanishing Trick   

       68. Combine Two Pictures   

       69. Sponge Out Red Eye   

       70. Brighten Teeth   

       71. Intelligent Auto Color Correction   

       72. Soften Facial Lines   

       73. Fix Flash Falloff   

       74. Hand-Color with the History Brush   

Chapter 7. Camera-Phone Tricks  

       75. Live with a Less-Than-Perfect Camera   

       76. Send Snapshots to the Desktop   

       77. Transfer Images Via Email   

       78. Send a Paper Text Message   

       79. Communicate in a Foreign Country   

       80. Create a Home Inventory   

       81. Rental-Car Tips and Other Auto Hacks   

       82. Get the Big Picture with a Little Camera Phone   

       83. Photo Moblogging   

       84. Capture Life's Little Moments with Camera-Phone Video   

       85. Use Your Camera Phone as a Slideshow Viewer   

Chapter 8. Weekend Photo Projects  

       86. Create a Coffeetable Photo Book   

       87. Create Custom Greeting Cards   

       88. Keep a Digital Diary   

       89. Capture Pictures of Your TV Screen   

       90. Fax from Your Digital Camera   

       91. Copy Slides with Your Digicam   

       92. Preview Film Pictures with Your Digital Camera   

       93. Photograph Zoo Animals Without Bars   

       94. Get Close with Digiscoping   

       95. Advanced Panorama Technique   

       96. Shoot the Moon   

       97. Remote-Control Camera   

       98. Show Who's Who in Group Shots   

       99. Rename Photos Automatically in Windows XP   

       100. Stack Images to Remove Noise   

Indexok is for the photographer you are now, and the one you want to be. Digital Photography Hacks is for the creative adventurer who resides in each of us.