The Little Book of Photography: For Digital and Film SLR Cameras

This book is for the beginner to SLR photography - digital and film. It allows you to ‘dip’ into when you need to know more about a particular term, technique or photographic assignment. It is small enough to fit into your camera bag so you can carry it around with you on all your photographic assignments.

The book is divided into four sections. The first section contains the terms behind SLR photography such as exposure, focussing, focal length and the features found on film and digital SLR cameras. The next section contains typical SLR equipment and accessories such as lenses, filters, camera supports and reflectors and when to use them.
The next two sections look at photographic technique. The first of the two sections describes some common techniques such as how to take silhouettes, apply soft focus, bracketing and when to use the Rule of Thirds.
The final section forms the bulk of book and contains tips for various photographic assignments. Obvious assignments are covered in detail: landscapes, portraits, action and still-life. Other, less known assignments, are also featured, such as wildlife, water, buildings, close-ups, the moon, fireworks and black and white photography. Each assignment is presented as a series of ‘bullet points’, such as what lens to use, advice on aperture and shutter speed, whether to use a filter, the best time of day to take the shot and so on.

Table of contents
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A brief history of photography

SLR Camera Terms
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Introduction
The SLR Camera
Lenses
Focussing
Focussing points
Focal Length
Angle of view
Aperture and Shutter Speed
Depth of field
ISO Film speed
Exposure
Exposure ‘stops’
Bracketing
Exposure histograms
Exposure metering
Lighting
Lighting terms
Types of film
Negative film
Transparency film
Uprating/Downrating film
Digital film
Digital SLR cameras
Image formats
White balance
Colour processing
Sharpness
EXIF
The Digital Darkroom

SLR Camera Accessories
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Types of lenses e.g telephoto, wide-angle,
prime, macro
Tripod and camera supports
Reflectors and diffusers
Filters
Polarising filter
UV filter
Colour filters
Correction filters
Conversion filters
Compensation filters
Other types of filter
Extension tubes
Flash
Lens hood
Light meters
Light box
Cable release / remote switch
Backgrounds

Photographic Techniques
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Rule of thirds
Silhouettes
Depth of field
Leading the eye
Bracketing
Mostly-white scenes
Mostly-dark scenes
Light contrasts
Flash
Framing the picture
Zoom Burst
Deepen colours
'Reveal' the subject
Try different angles
Soft focus

Photographic Assignments
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General tips
People & Portraits
Children
Babies
Weddings
Landscapes
Skylines
Trees & Woods
Caves & Caverns
Reflections
On the beach
Water
Waterfalls
Plants & Flowers
Wildlife
On Safari
Zoos & Parks
Pets
Travel
Buildings
Room interiors
Stained-glass windows
Action and Sport
Still-Life
Close-ups
Night-time
Fireworks
Lightning
The Moon
Gravestones and statues
Sunsets
Rainbows
Aerial Photography
Rain, Mist & Fog
Concerts & Festivals
Black & White photography

Comprehensive index
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The Little Book of Photography is written in 'little book' style, with definitions, tips and techniques in brief, snappy sentences/paragraphs, two to five to a page.
For example:
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Extension tubes
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Extension tubes are rings placed between the camera and the lens.

They are used for close-up photography.

They simply extend the distance between the lens and the camera, thus magnifying subjects.

Must be used close-up to the subject. Use a tripod!

They are not lenses and can be bought fairly cheaply.
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Transparency film
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In transparency (or slide) film the subject is shot as a ‘positive'.

Gives more faithful colour and exposure rendition than negative film since there is no reversal process.

Transparencies are displayed on a screen via a slide projector.

Slides cannot be replaced.

It is more expensive to buy transparency film than negative film, but cheaper to process.

Preferred medium for publishers as it has a much wider brightness range.
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Silhouettes
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You can create silhouettes in your photographs by exposing for the highlighted parts of a scene (such as the sun). This underexposes, and hence silhouettes, the darker parts of the scene.

For example, a boat on water against a sunset can be silhouetted, by exposing for the lightest part of the sky. The boat will be underexposed and appear as a black shape against the red sunset.

You can create artificial silhouettes by placing shapes cut from black card in front of a light source.
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Waterfalls
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For waterfalls, use a slow film (ISO 50-100). You must use a tripod.

Use a neutral density filter/polarising filter if there is too much light around.

To create that wispy effect of the falling water, use a long shutter speed – anything over half a second. Overexpose by +1 or +2 stops.

Use a wide-angle lens and a small aperture e.g. f/22.

Take the photograph on a dull day so there is no harsh lighting to deal with.