Your Camera Loves You

Book excerpt: Wait–what!? You’re not thrilled with the photos you’re getting from your digital camera? The answer isn’t a new camera–it’s learning to use the one you’ve got! After all, it's not the camera that takes great photos–it's the person behind it. With Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back, photographer and instructor Khara Plicanic teaches the basics of photography and digital camera functions that you can apply to any camera, anywhere, any time–answering questions like: What do all those different modes mean and when do I use them? What’s a megapixel and why should I care? Follow along with Khara’s simple explanations of shutter speed, aperture, and shooting modes to get comfortable handling your camera (even bossing it around a bit!), learn to shoot images that tell a story, and understand the thought process involved in making a great photograph. Along the way you’ll learn techniques for improving those yellow dingy photos of your kids’ indoor sporting events, fixing exposure on shots that are too dark or too bright, avoiding the dangers of over-cropping, and much more. By the time you’re finished, you’ll know how to best use the features of whatever camera you already have–whether it’s a high-performance DSLR or a basic point-and-shoot camera. Get ready to fall in love with your camera (and photography) all over again! With Your Camera Loves You, you will: • Move beyond “Auto” mode to take advantage of more of your camera’s features and settings • Discover that the key to getting great images isn’t by using a fancy DSLR but by learning your way around whatever camera you have • Learn from Khara’s fun, friendly voice and techno-babble-free explanations how to easily improve your photos And as you learn, share your progress by posting your photos at flickr.com/groups/yourcameralovesyou/.