National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures
Photography is a fundamental skill with the power to enhance our lives, and this next book in National Geographic's revamped how-to photography line shows how to create great pictures—from composition and camera basics to smartphones, social media, and digital editing.

With more than two billion pictures taken every day, everyone is a photographer now—and we all want to get better at it. This definitive guide shares top secrets and skills from National Geographic's most talented photojournalists, all sure to help you capture the best pictures of what matters most.

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step pages take you through every technique you'll need to create stunning images, from exposure to flash to image enhancement. You'll also discover the broader dimensions of composition, photography history, and how to look at the world like a photographer. Engaging how-to features include "assignments"—such as photographing a single object to explore angles, lighting, and context—and "Why I Love this Photo," with penetrating commentary from National Geographic photo editors on iconic photos and what makes them great. Finally, a fascinating illustrated time line of photography tracks progress from daguerrotypes to smartphones.

Practical and inspiring, this is the perfect how-to, how-it-works, and how-to-get-better guide from National Geographic, the ultimate source for everything photographic.
1136270253
National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures
Photography is a fundamental skill with the power to enhance our lives, and this next book in National Geographic's revamped how-to photography line shows how to create great pictures—from composition and camera basics to smartphones, social media, and digital editing.

With more than two billion pictures taken every day, everyone is a photographer now—and we all want to get better at it. This definitive guide shares top secrets and skills from National Geographic's most talented photojournalists, all sure to help you capture the best pictures of what matters most.

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step pages take you through every technique you'll need to create stunning images, from exposure to flash to image enhancement. You'll also discover the broader dimensions of composition, photography history, and how to look at the world like a photographer. Engaging how-to features include "assignments"—such as photographing a single object to explore angles, lighting, and context—and "Why I Love this Photo," with penetrating commentary from National Geographic photo editors on iconic photos and what makes them great. Finally, a fascinating illustrated time line of photography tracks progress from daguerrotypes to smartphones.

Practical and inspiring, this is the perfect how-to, how-it-works, and how-to-get-better guide from National Geographic, the ultimate source for everything photographic.
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National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures

National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures

by Heather Perry
National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures

National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures

by Heather Perry

Hardcover

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Overview

Photography is a fundamental skill with the power to enhance our lives, and this next book in National Geographic's revamped how-to photography line shows how to create great pictures—from composition and camera basics to smartphones, social media, and digital editing.

With more than two billion pictures taken every day, everyone is a photographer now—and we all want to get better at it. This definitive guide shares top secrets and skills from National Geographic's most talented photojournalists, all sure to help you capture the best pictures of what matters most.

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step pages take you through every technique you'll need to create stunning images, from exposure to flash to image enhancement. You'll also discover the broader dimensions of composition, photography history, and how to look at the world like a photographer. Engaging how-to features include "assignments"—such as photographing a single object to explore angles, lighting, and context—and "Why I Love this Photo," with penetrating commentary from National Geographic photo editors on iconic photos and what makes them great. Finally, a fascinating illustrated time line of photography tracks progress from daguerrotypes to smartphones.

Practical and inspiring, this is the perfect how-to, how-it-works, and how-to-get-better guide from National Geographic, the ultimate source for everything photographic.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781426221439
Publisher: Disney Publishing Group
Publication date: 10/19/2021
Pages: 416
Product dimensions: 7.20(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

HEATHER PERRY is a freelance photographer and writer whose first passion is photographing people in and around water. Her work has been published in National Geographic's magazines, books, and online content, as well as in the New York Times, Smithsonian, and elsewhere. With Joel Sartore, she coauthored National Geographic Photo Basics. She also travels on National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions, sharing her photographic knowledge.
MARK THIESSEN has been a photographer with National Geographic since 1990 and on staff since 1997. He is widely published in all areas of National Geographic, including National Geographic and Traveler magazines. Recent articles include "The Hunt for Life Beyond Earth" (July 2014) and "Deep Sea Challenge" (June 2013). In 1996, Thiessen began a personal photography project on wildland firefighters, becoming a certified wildland firefighter and photographing on the front lines of wildfires every summer.

Table of Contents

A Life of Looking by Mark Thiessen 8

About This Book 16

Part I Seeing Your World

1 The Art of Seeing 20

Your Smartphone as Your First Tool 22

Identifying Story 24

Focal Point 26

Point of View 28

Sadie Quarrier: Why I Love This Photo 30

Color 32

Pattern & Texture 34

Breaking the Rules 36

Assignment: Take a New Look at a Familiar Place 38

2 Composition 40

Defining Composition 42

Balance & Tension 44

The Rule of Thirds 46

Horizon Line 48

Leading Lines 50

Framing 52

Charles Borst: Why I Love This Photo 54

Layering 56

Hierarchy 58

Positive & Negative Space 60

Sense of Scale 62

Anticipating Composition 64

Assignment: A Ball, a Rope & a Few Friends 66

3 Light 68

Awareness of Light 70

Quality of Light 72

Color of Light 74

Ambient Light 76

Direction of Light 78

Stacy Gold: Why I Love This Photo 80

Fog & Haze 82

Bright Light 84

Low Light 86

The Nature of Artificial Light 88

Assignment: A Pepper & the Light 90

4 Photographing The Familiar 92

Gardens 94

Static Scenes 96

Food 98

People You Know 100

Family Pictures 102

Babies 104

Children 106

Pets & Other Familiar Animals 108

Melissa Farris: Why I Love This Photo 110

Portraits 112

Environmental Portraits 114

Life at Home 116

Celebrations 118

Weddings 120

Candids 122

Street Photography 124

Assignment: Curious About George 126

5 Travel & Adventure 128

A Sense of Story 130

Packing to Make Pictures 132

Seek the Authentic 134

Discovering a Place 136

Anne Farrar: Why I Love This Photo 138

Photographing People You Don't Know 140

Adventure 142

Athletic Events 144

The Challenge 146

Assignment: The Color & Emotion of a Place 148

6 Sense of Place 150

Landscapes 152

Seasons 154

Weather 156

Vegetation 158

Animals in the Wild 160

Julia Andrews: Why I Love This Photo 162

Culture 164

Architecture 166

Details 168

Assignment: A Place in Pictures 170

Centuries of Seeing

Photography Through Time 174

Time Line of Photography: Up to 1825 176

Time Line of Photography: 19th Century 178

Time Line of Photography: 20th Century 188

Time Line of Photography: 21st Century 202

Part III Technology & The Art

7 Camera Basics 208

Image Capture 210

Storing Images 212

Types of Cameras 214

The Sensor 216

Susan Blair: Why I Love This Photo 218

Previews 220

The Lens 222

Smartphone Photography 224

Assignment: Finding the Sweet Spot 226

8 Technology & The Image 228

Exposure 230

Lens Options 232

Technology of Focus 234

Aperture & Depth of Field 236

Controlling Depth of Field 238

Shutter Speed 240

Controlling Shutter Speed 242

Jill Foley: Why I Love This Photo 244

ISO Sensitivity 246

Metering 248

Range of Light/Histogram 250

Camera Modes 252

Exposure Compensation 254

Exposure Challenges 256

White Balance 258

Assignment: Creative Exposure Walk 260

9 Choosing Your Equipment 262

Camera Bodies 264

Customizing Your Camera 266

Lenses 268

Telephoto Lenses 270

Macro Lenses 272

Rebecca Hale: Why I Love This Photo 274

Wide-Angle & Fish-Eye Lenses 276

Zoom Lenses 278

Tripods 280

Other Accessories 282

Assignment: Think About What You Want, Know What You Need 284

10 Beyond The Basics 286

Macrophotography 288

Using Filters 290

Using Flash 292

Controlling Flash 294

Fill Flash 296

Studio Flash 298

Creative Flash 300

Action 302

Blur Effect 304

Mark Thiessen: Why I Love This Photo 306

Panning 308

Water 310

After Sunset 312

Light Painting 314

The Night Sky 316

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography 318

Black-and-White 320

Assignment: Light Moves, Night Moves 322

11 Specialties 324

Storm Chasing 326

Underwater Photography 328

Aerial Photography 330

Astrophotography 332

Photomicroscopy 334

Adrian Coakley: Why I Love This Photo 336

Panoramic Photography 338

Infrared Photography 340

Thermographic Photography 342

Time-Lapse Photograpny 344

Always Learning 346

Assignment: Diving Deep Into a Specialty 348

12 Editing 350

Workflow 352

Raw Files 354

Photo-Editing Software 356

Backups 358

Image Selection 360

Adjusting Frame 362

Global Adjustments 364

Advanced Controls 366

Local Adjustments 368

Clayton Burneston: Why I Love This Photo 370

Conversion to Black-and-White 372

Sharpening 374

Specialized Functions 376

Smartphone Editing 378

Preparing Files for Print Service 380

Website Planning: A Digital Portfolio 382

Sharing to Social Media 384

Pulling It All Together 386

Assignment: Putting IT Out There 388

Part IV Resources

Glossary 390

Further Reading 397

Online Resources 399

Contributors 402

Illustrations Credits 402

Index 404

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