Rick Sammon's Digital Photography Secrets

About this Book and DVD.

Introduction - 10 Ingredients for Dishing Up Successful Images.

Interesting Subject.

Good Composition.

Creative Cropping.

Careful Focus.

See the Light.

Fine-tune Your Exposure.

Control the Light.

Check Your Camera Settings.

Work and Play with Light.

Have Fun.

Part I - DSLR Must-Know Info.

Data Contacts and Mirror.

Auto Focus vs. Manual Focus.

Be Sensitive to Your Image Sensor.

A Shutter's "Mileage".

Your Eyes vs. Your Camera's "Eye".

Brightness Values and the +/- Exposure Compensation Control.

Control What Your Exposure Meter "Sees".

LCD Monitor Info.

Customize Your Camera.

Cooling Off and Warming Up Images.

sRGB vs. Adobe RGB and RAW vs. sRAW.

Get It All in Focus.

F-stop Info.

Internal Filter Flare.

When Pixels Bloom.

Memory Card Info.

Full-Frame Image Sensor Advantage.

Firmware Updates.

Camera Care.

Check Out Your Camera's Software.

Recovering "Lost" Files.

Cameras Don't Take Pictures, People Do.

The Camera Looks Both Ways.

Part II - Landscape and Scenic Photography.

Be Prepared, Be Patient.

Get It All in Focus.

Pack a Polarizing Filter.

Establish a Sense of Place.

Think in Three Dimensions.

Watch the Edges and Know Your Boundaries.

Crop Creatively.

Watch the Horizon Line.

By the Light of the Moon.

Shooting Sunrises and Sunsets.

More Tips on Sunrise and Sunset Shots.

After the Sun Sets.

When It's Hazy, Hot and Humid.

Golden Hours.

Favorite Wide-Angle Zoom.

Favorite Telephoto Zoom.

Rules of Composition.

Shooting from Above.

Compose for a Cover or E-Card.

Move Around a Subject.

RAW Rules.

Play with Picture Styles.

Shooting on Overcast Days.

Must Use a Lens Hood.

Take Fun Shots.

Using ND Graduated Filters.

Convert to IR.

Check Out a Postcard Stand and Get a Guide.

Shooting by the Sea.

Shooting at Night.

Blurring Night Lights.

Shoot for a Panorama.

Don't Forget the Details.

Envision the End Result.

Photographing Fireworks.

Always Look Up, Down and Back - and be Careful!

The Self-Assignment.

Landscapes in HDR.

Take HDR Inside.

Part III - Photographing People.

Fun Facts for Better People Pictures.

Drag the Shutter to Create a Sense of Motion.

Fine-Tune Flash Exposures with Exposure Compensation.

Nice Nighttime Shots Using the Night Portrait Mode.

Make Pictures, Don't Just Take Pictures.

Position the Subject in the Foreground.

Go with the Grain.

Wonderful Window Light Pictures.

Daylight Fill-in Flash Photos.

Painting with Light.

Soften the Light with a Diffuser.

Fill in Shadows with a Reflector.

Get Everything in Focus.

The Classic Head Shot.

Watch the Background.

Capturing Sports Action.

Always Look Back.

Get Up Close and Personal.

Add Catch Light to the Subject's Eyes.

Don't Crop at the Joints.

Choosing a Background.

Pan to Create a Sense of Action.

Avoid Hard Flash Shadows.

Dress for Success.

Evaluate Shooting at Eye Level.

Break the Rules.

When You Hand Over Your Camera.

Don't Be a Dummy.

The Home Studio.

Get Involved.

Create the Dis-Equilibrium Effect.

Part IV - Picturing Animals.

Stopping Action.

Focus Tracking Mode.

See Art in Nature.

Shoot for the Peak of Action.

When Bracketing is a Good Idea .

Make Fences Disappear.

Place the Subject Off-Center.

Steady as You Shoot.

My Favorite Wildlife Telephoto Zoom Lens.

My Favorite Wildlife Wide-Angle Zoom Lens.

Shooting Silhouettes.

Using Tele-converters.

Noise and Sharpness.

Don't Cheap Out on a Telephoto Lens.

Shoot Sharper Pictures with a High Frame Rate.

Expose for the Highlights.

Shoot RAW Files.

The Eyes Have It.

Shooting in the Snow.

Keep Both Eyes Open.

Displaying Your Prints.

Envision the End-Result.

Play with Plug-ins.

Part V - Close Ups.

True Macro Photographs

Steady Your Shots.

Compose Carefully.

Add a Background.

Add Creative Control with a Ring Light.

Retouching When Using a Ring Light.

Focus Carefully.

Learn About Your Subject.

Shoot a Sequence, Tell a Story.

Go Wide.

Part VI - Photo Gear That Rocks.

Digital SLRs vs. Compact Cameras.

SLR Lenses.

Accessory Flash Units.

Remote Flash Operation with Wireless Transmitters.

Special Macro Gear.

It's in the Bag.

Third Carry On.

Snow and Rain Gear.

Backgrounds.

Reflectors.

Diffusers.

Hot Light Kits.

Strobe Light Kit.

Studio Accessory Flash Unit Set Up.

My On-Location Light Controller and Tote.

Tripods.

Sensor Cleaning Kit.

Test All Your Gear and Bring Back Up Gear.

Part VII - Home and On-Location Digital Darkrooms.

Computer -The Heart of the Digital Darkroom.

Monitor - Where Your Creative Vision Develops.

Software - Applications to Awaken the Artist Within.

Accessories Hard Drives - Your Key to Image Survival.

Printers - How to Show and Share Your Work.

Wacom Tablet - Paint with Precision.

Card Readers - Movin' Images from Card to Computer.

Power Backup - Prevent a Blackout.

Field Setup - Digital Photos on the Go.

Love Your On-Line Lab.

Part VIII - Top Digital Darkroom Ideas.

Always Envision the End-Result.

Don't Be So Quick to Delete.

Add a Digital Frame.

Warm It Up.

Boost Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness.

Create the Mirror Effect.

Think Selectively.

Create the Panning Effect.

Simulate Using a Long Lens.

Age a Photo.

Go Black-and-White.

Add a Digital Graduated Filter.

Create the Swirl Effect.

Correct for Lens Distortion.

Make Your Subject Stand Out.

Create a Nice Note Paper Image.

Discover Duotones.

Fade a Filter.

Awaken the Artist Within.

All About Hue.

After Midnight.

Posterize an Image.

Retouch an Old Photo.

Explore Shadow/Highlight.

Double-process an Image.

Merge to HDR.

Enter Photomatix.

Variations on the Theme.

Never Stop Playing with HDR.

Refl ection on an Image.

Part IX - Cool Web Sites for Great Info.

Rick Sammon www.ricksammon.com.

Canon Digital Learning Center www.usa.canon.com/dlc.

onOne software www.ononesoftware.com.

Westcott www.fjwestcott.com.

Lexar www.lexar.com.

NikSoftware www.niksoftware.com.

Mpix www.mpix.com.

Kelby Training www.kelbytraining.com.

ExOffi cio www.exoffi cio.com.

Layers www.layersmagazine.com.

PCPhoto www.pcphotomag.com.

DoubleExposure www.doubleexposure.com.

Photo.net.

Part X - With a Little Help from My Friends.

Parts Can Create a New Whole.

Digital Duo.

Go Wide!

Dive In!

Think in Black-and-White.

Learn about Nature and the Nature of Your Camera.

Challenge and Reward Yourself.

Blend and Tone.

Book It.

The Bottom Line About the Horizon Line.

What If?

Family First.

Create Dramatic Images.

Closeness to Nature.

Summer into Winter.

Experience the Emotion, Experiment in Photoshop.

Be Spontaneous.

Shoot, Don't Think.

Freeze It.

Post Script.DVD Appendix.

EULA.