Learn key camera techniques and concepts with this indispensable take-anywhere guide to digital portrait photography

CAMERA BAG ESSENTIALS

Quick reference • Key photographic concepts explained with easy-to-follow diagrams

Digital SLR • Understand each of your digital SLR’s dials, buttons and settings

Exposure • Master the art of exposure and get pictures with punch by balancing aperture, shutter speed and ISO

Shooting modes • The shooting mode you choose affects the amount of control you have over camera settings

Aperture • Understand aperture and f-stops and you’ll get sharper, more creative shots

Making sense of f-stops • Your at-a-glance guide to aperture scales and what the numbers mean

Aperture range • What apertures are on offer, and what happens when you move between them?

Depth of field • How the choice of aperture can affect the look of a picture

Diffraction • Why narrow apertures can lead to soft-looking shots

Shutter speed • Choosing the right shutter speed is the key to getting your shots sharp, but also to creating blur

ISO sensitivity • You can use your camera’s ISO setting to shoot in poor light, but what is ISO?

Metering • What are the matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering modes?

The histogram • Discover how to interpret the chart on your SLR’s LCD preview to get better exposures

HOW TO MEASURE DYNAMIC RANGE • Use your measurements and this table to work out the best exposure

The viewfinder • Your SLR’s viewfinder provides lots of information about the photo you’re about to take. Here’s how to read it…

Angle of view • When framing, it’s not just the focal length that matters. Here’s how to choose the optimum lens to get it all in, or to get up close

Additional lenses • The lens is the eye of your camera. We dissect one to show you what’s inside

Which ones go widest? • Prime lenses and ‘pro’ zooms offer much wider apertures than regular consumer lenses

Maximum aperture key points • Not all lenses have constant, wide maximum apertures…

White balance • Learn how to remove colour casts from your pictures, or add them for creative effect

The colour wheel • Give your photos instant oomph by focusing on different colours and colour combinations in your compositions

Autofocus • Everything you need to know about your camera’s autofocus system, from how it works to how to use it

FOCUS MODES • What happens when you half-press the shutter button?

Hyperfocal focusing • Discover how to calculate the best distance to focus at in your outdoor photos

Digital processing • Your digital SLR might look like a film camera, but inside is the equivalent of a digital processing lab

Flashgun • Where that intense burst of light comes from

Split-second timing • The shutter speed and flash mode define the flash timing

Guide numbers explained

Reflector • Bounce light where it’s needed with one of these…

Which colour do you need? • All reflectors w work in the same way, but the colours make a difference in your shots

Studio photography • Discover how to set up a simple home studio and get professional-looking results

FLASH MODIFIERS • These change and control the quality of the light

Creative projects • Over 50 inspirational images and the quick techniques you can use to recreate them

Long or short? • Learn how to get great portraits with telephoto lenses, shorter fixed-length portrait lenses and even wide-angles...

Good backgrounds • Understanding how different lenses behave will help you get the background you want – essential for reducing...