Digital Photography Hacks

Digital Photography Hacks

Chapter 1. Digital Camera Attachments
   Introduction
   Hack 1. Pocket Tripods on the Go
   Hack 2. Travel Tripod: A Happy Compromise
   Hack 3. Walking-Stick Mount
   Hack 4. Convert Your Monopod into a Makeshift Tripod
   Hack 5. Steady Shots from the Comfort of Your Car
   Hack 6. Attach Your Camera to Bicycle Handlebars
   Hack 7. Flash Brackets for Pro Lighting
   Hack 8. A Flexible Arm to Hold Accessories
   Hack 9. Bubble Levels to Keep Things Straight
   Hack 10. Battle the Sun with an LCD Hood
   Hack 11. Convert Your Digicam to a Digital SLR
   Hack 12. T-Mounts and Other Threaded Tricks
   Hack 13. Double-Strapping on the Trail
   Hack 14. Stay in Charge of Your Batteries
   Hack 15. Gaffer's Tape When All Else Fails

Chapter 2. Daytime Photo Secrets
   Introduction
   Hack 16. Pantyhose Diffusion Filter for Flattering Portraits
   Hack 17. Capture Kids Without Going Crazy
   Hack 18. Use Sunglasses as a Polarizing Filter
   Hack 19. Get the Big Picture with a Panorama
   Hack 20. Secrets of Whiteboard Photography
   Hack 21. Make Your Own Passport Photo
   Hack 22. Get Super Close
   Hack 23. Multiple Exposures, Digital Style
   Hack 24. Go Low-Rez
   Hack 25. Painless Infrared Photography
   Hack 26. Create the Maximum Depth of Field
   Hack 27. Create Soft Background Portraits
   Hack 28. Analyze Metadata to Improve Your Shots

Chapter 3. Nighttime Photo Hacks
   Introduction
   Hack 29. Nighttime Portraits with Scenic Backgrounds
   Hack 30. Street Shooting at Night
   Hack 31. Capture the Nighttime Mood and Leave the Red Eye at Home
   Hack 32. Take Flash Shots of People Who Blink
   Hack 33. Auto Headlamps and Other Streaming Lights
   Hack 34. Starlight Effects for Candles and Lights
   Hack 35. Light Painting and Colored Gels
   Hack 36. Secrets of Fireworks Photography
   Hack 37. Night Landscapes and the Moon
   Hack 38. Colorful Star Trails

Chapter 4. Magic with Flash
   Introduction
   Hack 39. Outdoor Fill Flash
   Hack 40. Prevent Red Eye
   Hack 41. Add External Flash to Point and Shoots
   Hack 42. Bounce Flash for Softer Light
   Hack 43. Pro Portraits with Just Two Flashes
   Hack 44. Eliminate Glare in Reflective Surfaces
   Hack 45. Freeze Action with Electronic Flash
   Hack 46. Second-Curtain Flash for Cool Effects

Chapter 5. The Computer Connection
   Introduction
   Hack 47. Judge Image Sharpness by File Size
   Hack 48. Unerase the Lost
   Hack 49. Name Folders to Organize Your Images
   Hack 50. Create a Web Photo Gallery
   Hack 51. Amazing B&W Prints from Your Inkjet Printer
   Hack 52. Great Color Prints from Your Inkjet Printer
   Hack 53. Pro-Quality Prints from Your Digicam
   Hack 54. Take Your Slideshow on the Road
   Hack 55. Virtual-Reality Movies from Your Digicam
   Hack 56. Digicam Movie Editing Made Easy
   Hack 57. Rotate Your Movie from Horizontal to Vertical
   Hack 58. Create a Rolling Movie Title
   Hack 59. Add Music to Movies and Slideshows
   Hack 60. Voiceovers for That Professional Touch
   Hack 61. Store Pictures and Movies on an iPod

Chapter 6. Photoshop Magic
   Introduction
   Hack 62. Match Resolution to Output
   Hack 63. Secrets of Sharpening
   Hack 64. Sample Down for Email Attachments
   Hack 65. Crop and Resample in One Step
   Hack 66. Level That Dipping Horizon
   Hack 67. Power-Line Vanishing Trick
   Hack 68. Combine Two Pictures
   Hack 69. Sponge Out Red Eye
   Hack 70. Brighten Teeth
   Hack 71. Intelligent Auto Color Correction
   Hack 72. Soften Facial Lines
   Hack 73. Fix Flash Falloff
   Hack 74. Hand-Color with the History Brush

Chapter 7. Camera-Phone Tricks
   Introduction
   Hack 75. Live with a Less-Than-Perfect Camera
   Hack 76. Send Snapshots to the Desktop
   Hack 77. Transfer Images Via Email
   Hack 78. Send a Paper Text Message
   Hack 79. Communicate in a Foreign Country
   Hack 80. Create a Home Inventory
   Hack 81. Rental-Car Tips and Other Auto Hacks
   Hack 82. Get the Big Picture with a Little Camera Phone
   Hack 83. Photo Moblogging
   Hack 84. Capture Life's Little Moments with Camera-Phone Video
   Hack 85. Use Your Camera Phone as a Slideshow Viewer

Chapter 8. Weekend Photo Projects
   Introduction
   Hack 86. Create a Coffeetable Photo Book
   Hack 87. Create Custom Greeting Cards
   Hack 88. Keep a Digital Diary
   Hack 89. Capture Pictures of Your TV Screen
   Hack 90. Fax from Your Digital Camera
   Hack 91. Copy Slides with Your Digicam
   Hack 92. Preview Film Pictures with Your Digital Camera
   Hack 93. Photograph Zoo Animals Without Bars
   Hack 94. Get Close with Digiscoping
   Hack 95. Advanced Panorama Technique
   Hack 96. Shoot the Moon
   Hack 97. Remote-Control Camera
   Hack 98. Show Who's Who in Group Shots
   Hack 99. Rename Photos Automatically in Windows XP
   Hack 100. Stack Images to Remove Noise

Anyone serious about taking good pictures knows that great photography is full of constant problem solving. When you find the solution, you're often rewarded with a striking image. This book can help you solve those problems—not just in the sense of choosing the correct aperture and shutter speed, but also in terms of looking at your photography in an entirely new way.

The hacks in this book range from the artistic, such as using infrared imaging to record striking landscapes, to cutting-edge consumer technologies, such as weblogging with a camera phone (known as moblogging). Each technique is an experience unto itself, and the book invites you to pick it up, open it to any page, and discover something new to do with your camera and your photographs.

The exploration of photography has been awakening the artist, scientist, and adventurer within us for over 100 years. And now, digital tools have opened doors we never knew existed. It's possible that by trying the techniques and exploring the concepts in this book, you might find your true photographic voice. And even if you feel you are well versed in the world of photography, it never hurts to speak a second language.

How This Book Is Organized

Even though this book is designed for you to "open anywhere and start exploring," it's also organized into general categories. There are eight chapters, many of which contain more than a dozen hacks:

Chapter 1, Digital Camera Attachments
Let's start with the goodies. This chapter introduces you to the various odds and ends that you can attach to your camera to help you accomplish hacks in subsequent chapters. Along the way, you'll become familiar with most of the basic terminology we use to describe camera parts.

Chapter 2, Daytime Photo Secrets
Even though creative juices often flow in the wee hours of the night, photography requires light, and there's no source more plentiful than the sun. But if you think this is just another chapter on boring daylight technique, you're wrong. We'll have you stretching things over the front of your lens, spinning your camera around in circles, and getting so close to objects you'll think you're exploring another world altogether.

Chapter 3, Nighttime Photo Hacks
The stars come out at night, and so does evocative photography. Through your lens, you'll capture streaming lights, exploding fireworks, and glowing candles. Colors seem richer against a dark background, and the images you produce by working with these hacks will saturate your eyes.

Chapter 4, Magic with Flash
For many photographers, the camera flash is an untamed beast that never behaves. But there are situations in which a burst of light can make the difference between success and a ho-hum result. This chapter provides a collection of hacks that will change your mind about electronic flash.

Chapter 5, The Computer Connection
Your PC is a digital shoebox, sophisticated darkroom, and mad-scientist laboratory rolled into one. The minute you connect your camera to the computer, magical things can happen. Not only will this chapter help you improve your technical chops, but it also provides step-by-step instructions on how to become a movie maker, web publisher, and master printer.

Chapter 6, Photoshop Magic
If you really want to push the limits of photography, you need to explore Photoshop. Often, the Elements version is bundled with cameras. If it isn't included with yours, you can buy it for less than US$80. But then what? This chapter is pure Photoshop for photographers. Your entire image-editing world will change as you investigate these hacks, and you'll find yourself in charge of your pictures instead of at their mercy. Most of the techniques work with the cheaper Photoshop Elements software, while some require the professional CS version. Still, there is plenty here for anyone with any version of this outstanding image editor.

Chapter 7, Camera-Phone Tricks
Have you looked at the instruction manual that came with your camera phone? Not very helpful, is it? We think camera phones have great creative promise, in addition to some practical applications. So we've dedicated an entire chapter to mastering this raw but potentially exciting aspect of photography.

Chapter 8, Weekend Photo Projects
This chapter is a grab bag of photo goodies. Treats include instructions on how to create your own coffee-table book, maintain a digital diary, turn your camera into a virtual fax machine, and so much more. Rainy days will never be the same.