101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs [Paperback]

Matthew Bamberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1598639021 | ISBN-13: 978-1598639025 | Edition: 1

Discover how to take compelling photographs utilizing all the awesome features of your digital camera. 101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs shows you how to use composition and technical methods and creative and artistic applications to achieve amazing images, using both in-camera and post-processing techniques. Every chapter covers a different overall theme, with each technique laid out in a two-page spread that features easy-to-follow instructions to achieve the shot and stunning, full-color photographs showing the results. You'll learn how to manipulate images with light and shadow, make people and animals look more lifelike, create a mood using the weather, make colors pop, and even add unusual effects to your photographs. Each image incorporates different photography skills or specific camera features so you really discover how to get the most out of your digital camera. One part photo essay collection and one part how-to, 101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs is perfect for new digital camera owners who are eager to learn how to get amazing photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matthew Bamberg, author of many digital photography books, is a Professor of Education at National University and currently teaches Beginning HDR Photography at the University of California Riverside. Bamberg's experience with cameras began in 1998, when he started shooting modern architecture with film and later shooting a variety of subjects in digital format. His catalog includes thousands of photographs from his travels in Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Morocco, Russia, the Baltic states, and countries throughout Europe. Matthew is the author of more than ten books, including Beginning HDR Photography, Digital Art Photography for Dummies, 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in San Francisco, New Image Frontiers: Defining the Future of Photography, and the 101 Quick and Easy book series, which includes 101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs, 101 Quick and Easy Secrets for Using Your Digital Photographs, and 101 Quick and Easy Ideas Taken from Master Photographers of the Twentieth Century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR; 1 edition (April 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598639021
• ISBN-13: 978-1598639025
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a freelance writer Matthew Bamberg is currently working on articles for "Photography Monthly" and "Shutterbug." He also has photographed and written for the "Desert Sun," "Palm Springs Life" and the "Riverside Press-Enterprise."

Curious by light striking his lens (direct and bold or soft and willowy) and the sounds (especially of the shutter opening and closing), he struck a relationship first with film and then, like so many, with the digital camera's sensor.
Bamberg also has sold his photographs in many Southern California stores and galleries. His books, "Digital Art Photography for Dummies" and three books in the "Quick and Easy Secrets" photography book series describes the process from taking the picture to printing and framing it.

In his book, "New Image Frontiers--Defining the Future of Photography," Bamberg interviewed top world engineers, photographers and gallery owners seeking to find answers to sensor research, new camera models (including the new mirrorless line manufactured by a number of companies), and sought an answer the proverbial question: "How does a photographer get his work into a gallery?"

Currently, two new state-of-the-art books--Beginning HDR Photography and Photography Applications to Cloud Computing have been released by Thomson Learning.

Aside from his writing about f-stops, shutter speeds, and the fabulous job the digital camera manufacturers have done that permit photographers to take almost noiseless pictures in the dark at high ISO speeds, Matt teaches photography at UCR and writing at the the University of Phoenix.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written and illustrated December 28, 2009

By M. A. Filippelli VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

In his book "101 Quick and easy secrets to create winning photographs" the Author Mathew Bamberg takes us around the world capturing day to day things using various techniques, taking the mundane shot and turning into a visual masterpiece. Bamberg does an outstanding job of describing the photo techniques that he employed as well as the technical aspects of the shot, the use of color, light and shadow, for ground object, background object etc.. Bamberg describes his thought process behind the decision he makes about the framing of the shot, whether to use aperture priority, shutter priority, type of lens etc.

The book is divided into 15 chapters:
Chapter 1 Making your photographs look 3D. This chapter describes how to use objects to give your photo some dimensionality using foreground and background objects.

Chapter 2:Painting with light. The chapter covers using available light vs. flash vs. reflected light

Chapter 3 Adding action to your frame. This chapter covers using long exposures. It also covers taking shots of people in motion and how to convey what they are doing through photography.

Chapter 4. Adding or subtracting shadow. This chapter covers how to use shadows to emphasize the subject as well as how to get rid of unwanted shadows.

Chapter 5. Making Art from architecture. This chap0ter is basically about photographing buildings in interesting ways.

Chapter 6. Creating mood shots using weather. This chapter is about using exposure compensation to bring out color. It's also about using black and white photography to set the mood.

Chapter 7 Beautifying with color. This is about finding color in the shot and then emphasizing it. Making the color jump off of the page.

Chapter 8. Breathing life into people. This chapter is about using the lens, colors they are wearing and the environments they are in to create a photograph.

Chapter 9. Making animal photos sharp and fun. In this chapter Bamberg shows us how to capture the essence of the animal. He really made these images stand out.

Chapter 10. Spicing up photos with lens flare, noise and other unusual effects. Here Bamberg talks about using the settings on your camera and lens to really bring out unusual effects whether is lens flare, distortion or long exposure.

Chapter 11. Composing with landscapes. Here Bamberg covers using focal lengths, aperture, shutter speeds and combining many different camera settings to achieve the perfect shot.

Chapter 12. Shaping up with symmetry. This chapter covers using lines to direct the viewers eye.

Chapter 13. Technical tango. Here Bamberg talks about what equipment and settings to use in different situations.

Chapter 14. Daytime, nighttime, anytime. Here Bamberg talks about using the settings on your camera to capture the brilliance of light and color. Any time.

Chapter 15. Back to the future. Simply said., how to photograph old things and bring visual life to them with color.

This book serves as a multipurpose book. It can be used in the classroom and it can be used as reference material and it is very well suited for both.

The book is filled with beautiful photography. It's an easy read. What I really liked about this book is that it will be very easy for the novice photographer to understand and there is something here for the experienced photographer as well. Bamberg really captures the essence of photography in this book. Bamberg really makes the photos in this book come to life and he walks the reader through how to do this. Bamberg did an excellent job writing and editing this book as well. The points he makes are detailed but concise. The book flows very well from beginning to end and yes there are 101 very useful secrets here. This is worth 10 stars in a 5 star limitation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Format for Fast and Easy Reference July 15, 2009

By Diana F. Von Behren TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." This adage could not be more true in the world of digital photography where most of the costs accrued are done up front with the purchase of the equipment and the photographer has only to snap photo after photo with only card size limiting his efforts. However, what if once the photos are downloaded, that magic moment that presented itself for immortality was never adequately captured? The mood is wrong; the colors faded; the shadows wax ineffectually. My mind's eye saw it as clear as day, but the lens somehow muted the effect and the resulting picture certainly did not do justice to the one thousand words waxing eloquently in my head. In my long stint as a photographer hobbyist I can tell you I have had my fair share of disappointments. I pictured post cards with vibrant colors from eclectic vantage points that would be sure to wow every one with which I shared my photos. Fat chance of this happening every time I released the shutter until I happened upon Matthew Bamberg's how-to book "101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs."

I don't have a lot of time to read a book chuck full of technical terms and instructions. The layout of this book fits well into what I desire as leisure photographer that wants to memorialize events in my life or reproduce lovely vistas in nature. Bamberg provides a concise table of contents and a full index that allows the would-be photographer to check out their problem point and quickly flip to the two facing pages that outline the photo issue and offers a solution complete with photo examples.

For example: there are times when my portraits of people simply do not come out as crisp as I would like when I am shooting inside in artificial light. Bamberg's three examples about light in indoor photography quickly gave me good and fast suggestions about how to play with my subject. Each technique is explained in a two-page format where the issue (example: "Finding Available Light for a Clear Picture Indoors") is augmented by a highlighted box listing Supplemental Elements (like tripod, ISO speed, self-timer), the actual location of the shot he uses as an illustration and the Camera Settings he used to achieve the effect. In addition to the actual photograph illustrating the technique, Bamberg offers multiple paragraphs that explains his vision and his methods and delineates between older film photography rules and digital photography that has the added bonus of tweaking with RAW files and software like Photoshop. Instead of over-inundating the reader with a slew of information that takes hours to read, this simple format quickly gets to the point and gets the photographer away from the book and back to the actual doing of obtaining his shot.

Bamberg's book flows easily from one related topic to another. The result: he covers the spectrum of most photographer's needs. From the simplistic: "Keeping Your Own Shadow out of the Frame" under the topic of "Adding or Subtracting with Shadows" to a more specific technique of "Making Flowing Water Look Like Angel Hair" under the broader topic of "Composing with Landscapes", the book cannot help but aid any photographer in achieving better photographs.

Bottom line? Matthew Bamberg's "101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs" more than adequately details technical and artistic methods to add to any photographer's portfolio of amazingly compelling photographs. A joy to look at, this larger than trade paperback is laced with many interesting photographs representing places and subjects from around the world. Finding a solution to photography dilemmas is quick and easy with no more than two pages to read per technique. Recommended as a quick reference to enhance your digital photography experience and ascertain that your every picture is worth a thousand words.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Plenty of techniques and tips to improve your camera work... May 31, 2009

By Thomas Duff HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Matthew Bamberg has put together a very nice book that can take you to the next level with your digital SLR photography... 101 Quick and Easy Secrets to Create Winning Photographs. He covers a wide variety of techniques and situations that can move you from ordinary to extraordinary results.

Contents:
Making Your Photographs Look 3D; Painting with Light; Adding Action to Your Frame; Adding or Subtracting with Shadows; Making Art from Architecture; Creating Mood Shots Using Weather; Beautifying with Color; Breathing Life into People; Making Animal Photos Sharp and Fun; Spicing Up Photos with Lens Flare, Noise, and Other Unusual Effects; Composing with Landscape; Shaping Up with Symmetry; Technical Tango; Daytime, Nighttime, Anytime; Back to the Future; Index

The layout of the book is perfect for picking up new ideas. Each two page spread (left and right) shows a photo, introduces a technique, and tells how he was able to pull it off. He also covers exactly what camera settings were used in the shot (f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, and lens length). Granted, knowing all that does *not* guarantee that your picture will come out the same, but at least you have a starting point. But more important than just the mechanics of taking the picture, he also explains the composition and lighting of the shot. That makes the most difference. For instance, his tips on photographing neon signs during the day and capturing the grandeur of an old movie palace really hinge on angle, color, and framing. An even better composition example is the item titled "Umbrellas Aren't Always For Rain". He shows how two pictures of the same basic scene can be light years apart in telling a story or capturing a concept. Many setting sins can be corrected with photo software if you're shooting in RAW format. But bad composition is pretty much a killer.

You'll probably be able to follow the technical setting details more readily if you are already familiar with the concepts and settings involving aperture and shutter speed. He doesn't spend much time trying to get you educated on that material if you don't already know that. But given the target of the book, I wouldn't expect him to. This is a solid choice to work on improving your skills behind the camera, and you'll have plenty of things to work on.