Whether you found a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera under the tree and are hoping to master it or you took photos over the holidays and wish they came out better, a new digital book for iPad can help.
Aptly named Master Your DSLR Camera: A Better Way to Learn Digital Photography (Open Air Publishing), this handy $9.99 book -- written in street-speak rather than geek-speak -- features plenty of well-organized guides, tips and multimedia to help you better learn what your camera is capable of and how to pull it off.
Written by pro photographer Mary Calvert and seasoned technology journalist David Becker, it breaks down everything you need to know to capture extraordinary photos (and video) -- even if you don't know the difference between an f-stop and a bus stop.
By flicking your finger up on each page, you can read the book chapter by chapter, if you like, or you can tap to jump to a given section from the table of contents. I'd recommend starting with the introductory pieces, such as "Why you need this book," and "Understanding your camera" and, most definitely, "Key concepts and settings," which walks you through lenses, aperture, shutter speed, ISO settings and white balance, to name a few key terms.
The book also helps you understand the various shooting modes your DSLR is capable of, how to take advantage of natural light, mastering megapixels vs. file size, mastering subjects in motion, burst photography, and how to pull off cool effects such as background blurring and slow-motion shots.
Designed for beginners, the language is fun and easy to follow, such as "News flash: Kids move quickly, so use a reasonably fast shutter speed," before explaining what this is and how to change the settings. As you can see, the authors like to use humor to introduce new concepts, which is great. Another example: "Are your carefully composed photos looking more like surveillance-camera shots of Bigfoot? There are several common problems that contribute to blurry images." You get the idea.
You can also make notes on every page, search the e-book by keyword (such as "sunsets," "flash" or "aperture") or highlight a page as a "favorite," which you can see later.
This DSLR guide is also packed with roughly 300 photo examples for every concept -- including a "good" and "bad" photo of the same scene -- as well as 30-odd slideshows and videos, troubleshooting charts, quick reference cheat sheets and a glossary. And there are informative buying guides for cameras, accessories and software.
While $9.99 is a little steep for an iPad app, Master Your DSLR Camera: A Better Way to Learn Digital Photography is an invaluable companion for amateur photographers looking to get more out of their gear. Check out the introductory video at openairpub.com/DSLR.
Category: | Photo & Video |
Developer: | Open Air Publishing |
Rated: | 3.5 out of 4 |
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