Series: Digital Photography - Crafting Digital Images

None of the lesson in this series have been reviewed.

Below are the descriptions for each of the lessons included in the series:

• Photography: Digital Cameras & Properties of Light

  In this program you will learn about how to take pictures using the digital camera. More specifically you will learn about the process of digital photography (digital capture, image crafting, and then digital manipulation), the mechanisms and inner workings of a digital camera, and the properties of light.

  Today digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes and with a large range of price tags. These range from point and shoot to amateur to professional/studio/SLR cameras. All digital cameras operate on the very same basic principles as the earliest pinhole cameras, though. This operation rests on the coordination and manipulation of the lens, CCD, F-stop and shutter speeds. You will learn what each of these are and how/why they work. There are four basic image viewing systems used in modern digital cameras: the true optical viewfinder, the electric optical viewfinder, the camera viewfinder, and the LCD (liquid crystal display). Digital cameras also allow the photographer to select a specific photo resolution, and Brian will walk through what levels of resolution are appropriate for different applications.

  After a throrough description of the digital camera and how it works, Brian will turn his focus to the properties of light: direction, form, contrast, and color. When directional light strikes an object, it defines the object's shape via the highlight, lit area and shadow. Form describes the nature of the light source and how its relative size and distance from the subject affects that subject. Contrast can either refer to lighting contrast or to local/subject contrast, and it often needs to be either used or controlled. All of these, in addition to color, are covered and explained thoroughly in this lesson.

  As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

  This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the first lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapters 1, 2 & 3, the DVD's Introduction, The Camera & Properties of Light.

  MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
  MORE INFORMATION ON AUTHOR: www.DutchClarke.com

• Photography: Exposure Control, Photo Design

  This lesson is broken into two parts - the first covers exposure control and the second covers photographic design.

  In the exposure control segment, you will learn about the meaning of ISO, when to change ISO settings, and which ISO settings to select. For probably 8/10 pictures you'll take, you'll find that your camera's automatic settings work pretty well. However, the light meters built into digital cameras don't necessarily optimize all photographs. Brian will talk to you specifically about how these light meters work, when to use Bracketing Mode, and where they may leave something to be desired. He'll also cover four specific exposure modes that most digital cameras have (P or Program, A or Aperture Priority, S or Shutter Priority, and M or Manual Exposure). In addition to defining each, he'll explain when and why you would want to use each. Last, he'll talk some about instances where your camera's flash unit may not be sufficient and how you can better shoot in these situations using external flash or reflectors.

  In the second part of the lesson, Brian teaches us about photographic design and composition. He opens with two rules of thumb on composition: The Rule of Thirds and The Rule of Odds. He then moves on to a discussion of depth of field, focus and framing (horizontal or vertical, centered or off-center, shifted in one direction or another, full-subject or partial subject, etc). He'll also talk about the merits of long shots versus medium shots versus close-ups and extreme close-ups. By experimenting with different vantage points, ways of looking at your subjects, and methods of controlling the images you see, you will become more aware of your creative options. Brian will help you to achieve this.
  
  As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

  This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the second lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapters 4 & 5, Exposure Control & Photographic Design.

  MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
  MORE AUTHOR INFORMATION: www.DutchClarke.com

• Photography: Critiquing Images, Visual Themes

  Learning how to critique images, yours and others, is a very fundamental step in learning how to see photographically. In this lesson, Brian will walk you through four good methods to help you to start learning how to see photographically. Once you start seeing ‘photographically’ your image making skills will start growing. Seeing things photographically will also help you to understand your own taste for photography.

  Following the coverage of photo critique, Brian moves on to talk about visual themes. Each and every successful image has one or more visual themes. These themes can be: light, color, focus and /or composition. He'll then present images (many from fashion, journalism or portraiture) to you which have one or more of these as primary or secondary visual themes, and along with their presentation, he will critique the images with their particular thematics in mind. This exercise and discussion will teach you things like: The first element in any successful image is light and how the photographer chooses to use it; Yellow is a unique color that is even brighter than red or white; Using selective focus can draw attention to your main theme or subject; The first aspect of good design and composition is framing.

  The visual theme segment will help you further understand which visual themes and patterns you notice and like in both your own photography and that of others. Brian will also walk through a few different websites for you to consider using in order to promote your work.

  As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

  This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the third lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapters 6 & 7, Critiquing Images & Visual Themes.

  MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
  MORE AUTHOR INFORMATION: www.DutchClarke.com

• Photography: Action, Travel, Nature, People

  There are four general categories of visual subjects: People, Action, Travel & Nature. This lesson will teach you the basics and give you some tips for shooting each of these different types of visual subjects.

  Brian starts with instruction geared specifically towards photographing people. Standing face-to-face with a person you’re about to photograph can be intimidating. He reminds you that a good photographer takes command and gives direction. He also gives advice on how subjects should be captured in the photograph, and how light should be used for the image, how framing can add interest to an ordinary subject. When shooting people, Brian reminds us that we, first and foremost, need to focus on lighting, focus, and composition.... and on the subject's eyes, which really are the windows to his character.

  Still images do not move, so it's up to the photographer to imply movement when action is their subject. To do this, you'll have to work to add depth, a third dimension (to height and width), to the photograph via good photographic technique. To do this, you'll need to practice some basic action-shooting skills that Brian will cover and you'll need to have some knowledge and awareness about the action you're capturing. The secret to good timing in capturing action is this knowledge combined with lots and lots of practice.

  Next comes travel photography. Travel images should capture and communicate the tone and character of the places you visit. When picking an image you want to capture, look for lighting, texture and contrast, all of which contribute to great travel images. Unfortunately, you don't always get perfect weather when you travel. The upside of that is that perfect weather does not always provide perfect lighting. Brian will talk to what type of lighting might be preferred and when your best shot is at getting this kind of light. Interestingly, some of the best travel and landscape images are crafted in changing weather conditions.

  Images of nature vary tremendously. For capturing wild animal shots, a telephoto lens is invariably needed. However, nature images aren't all from an African safari - some are great shots that you can get in your backyard or local zoo. Brian will cover all of these instances and what to look for and pay special attention to in each. When taking these pictures, keep in mind that most viewers' eyes will automatically go to the brightest spot in the picture. Another good tip for nature shots is to become familiar and practiced with your digital camera's depth of field 'preview button.'

  By critiquing some images that fall into each of these categories, you'll learn some interesting things about shooting and planning shots for each of these categories (e.g. tips for vantage point, depth of field, long shots vs close-up, lens selection, lighting, focus, composition, etc).

  This is a great lesson for the aspiring photographer who is wanting to know what specific things to keep in mind for shooting different types of subjects. Brian not only walks you through what works and what should be considered, but he also shows you examples to really bring the points home.

  For People, you'll learn how to make a person stand out, when to use close-ups, how to achieve optimal lighting, how to crop your image, and how to position your subjects. For action shots, you'll learn how to imply action, how to use shutter speed effectively, and how to use design to imply action. For travel shots, you'll learn about showing texture, understanding contrast, and working with weather conditions. Last, for nature, you'll focus your learnings on how to best understand composition and color contrast.

  As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

  This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the fourth lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapter 8, Visual Subjects.

  MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
  MORE INFORMATION ON AUTHOR: www.DutchClarke.com

• Photography: Shooting Accessories & Gifts

  There are some basic camera accessories a photographer may want to consider investing in. The first accessory recommended is a very inexpensive and safe lens cleaning kit. Never wipe the lens cleaning solution directly onto your lens. Instead, moisten a tissue, wipe the lens and then dry off the solution with another tissue.

  Another insurance policy to protect your lens is to use a Skylight or UV filter. but if you're going to invest in only one filter, make it the polarizer. Other types of filters include color correction filters, soft focus filters, sparkle or star filters.

  Every serious photographer should also have at least one good sturdy tripod. Brian will walk you through what to look for in tripods during this lesson.

  He'll also explain to you the benefits of a handheld light meter, which can also act as a flash meter and is very helpful for complicated lighting situations. Further, he'll walk you through the advantages of off-camera flash units as well as when you should use them and how. Last, he'll talk about reflectors, which are used to bounce light off of walls or other surfaces and onto your subject.

  A serious photographer should consider all of these accessories, but depending on what types of shoots and shots you're doing, you may not need all of them. Brian will talk through each such that you can make an informed decision about what you need most and what to evaluate to make the best purchase decision for your circumstances.

  As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

  This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the last lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapters 9 & 10, Shooting Accessories & The Gift of Photography.

  MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
  MORE AUTHOR INFORMATION: www.DutchClarke.com

Supplementary Files:

• Once you purchase this series you will have access to these files: