Tony Northrup's DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography [Kindle Edition]

Tony Northrup (Author), Chelsea Knowles (Editor)

Book Description

Amazon's top-rated and best-selling photography book gives you four innovations no other book offers:

1. FREE VIDEO TRAINING. Over 3.5 HOURS of video training integrated into the book’s content (requires Internet access). Travel around the world with Tony as he teaches you photographic techniques hands-on.

2. TEACHER AND PEER SUPPORT. After buying the book, you get access to the private Stunning Digital Photography Readers group on Facebook where you can ask the questions and post pictures for feedback from Tony, Chelsea, and other readers. It’s like being able to raise your hand in class and ask a question!

3. FREE LIFETIME UPDATES. This book is regularly updated with new content (including additional videos) that existing owners receive for free. As new photography trends emerge and new camera equipment and lenses are released, you’ll see them described in the book immediately.

4. HANDS-ON PRACTICES. Complete the practices at the end of every chapter to get the real world experience you need.

5. 400+ ORIGINAL PICTURES. Detailed example pictures taken by the author in 15 countries demonstrate both good and bad technique. NO STOCK PHOTOS. Many pictures include links to the full-size image so you can zoom in to see every pixel.

In this book, Tony Northrup (award-winning author of more than 30 how-to books and a professional portrait, wildlife, and landscape photographer) teaches the art and science of creating stunning pictures. First, beginner photographers will master:
* Composition
* Exposure
* Shutter speed
* Aperture
* Depth-of-field (blurring the background)
* ISO
* Natural light
* Flash
* Troubleshooting blurry, dark, and bad pictures
* Pet photography
* Wildlife photography (mammals, birds, insects, fish, and more)
* Sunrises and sunsets
* Landscapes
* Cityscapes
* Flowers
* Forests, waterfalls, and rivers
* Night photography
* Fireworks
* Raw files
* HDR
* Macro/close-up photography

Advanced photographers can skip forward to learn the pro’s secrets for:
* Posing men and women. including corrective posing (checklists provided)
* Portraits (candid, casual, formal, and underwater)
* Group photos
* Remotely triggering flashes
* Using bounce flash and flash modifiers
* Using studio lighting on any budget
* Building a temporary or permanent studio at home
* Shooting your first wedding
* High speed photography
* Location scouting/finding the best spots and times
* Planning shoots around the sun and moon
* Star trails (via long exposure and image stacking)
* Light painting
* Eliminating noise
* Focus stacking for infinite depth-of-field
* Underwater photography
* Getting close to wildlife
* Using electronic shutter triggers

MAJOR UPDATE HISTORY:
12/11/2011: Initial release
1/10/2011: Added video: baby portraits
1/18/2012: Added videos: aperture and depth-of-field, light painting, HDR, and macro
2/16/2012: Added videos: low-light hand-holding techniques, shutter speeds
3/15/2012: Added video: Controlling the Background
3/30/2012: Added videos: Outdoor Portraits and Using Off-Camera Flash
4/19/2012: Added videos: Autofocus Techniques and How to Photography Flying Birds
8/10/212: Updated examples with photos from recent tour of Europe and added four videos
11/21/2012: Added videos: Picasa and Lightroom Overviews, Buying A Flash, Buying a Tripod, Why use RAW, Cleaning Your Sensor, Levitation, Studio Tour, Bird Studio, Insects, and Fall. Added/updated sections: Back-button Focus, Flash Sync Problems, Short Flash Battery Life, Rain, Focus Problems
1/2/2013: Added section on Group Photos with two videos
1/31/2013: Added three videos: Black & White photography, Metering and Exposure Compensation, and Star Trails
2/25/2013: Added separate links to mobile and desktop videos, for people who read the book on their PC.
4/1/2013: Updated terminology to cover all popular DSLR and mirrorless cameras equally.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Award-winning author and photographer Tony Northrup has published more than 30 how-to books and sold more than a million copies around the world. His photos have been featured on magazine covers, book covers, CD covers, TV shows, calendars, and much more. Tony studied photography at the New England School of Photography and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He runs a stock and portrait photography business with his family, Chelsea and Madelyn, out of his home studio in Waterford, CT. He shoots travel and nature photography everywhere he goes.

Product Details

• File Size: 8216 KB
• Print Length: 223 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Mason Press; 1 edition (December 11, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006KY2VZ2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,824 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography
  • #5 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Digital Photography
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Media Management

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for the young and old (at photography)! April 18, 2012

By planetregin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a fantastic find and really helped me get a lot from my DSLR camera. Excellent instructions, tons of pictures and a friendly writing style makes one feel as if a pro photographer is walking you step by step and teaching you his tricks. There are exercises that help you retain what you learn. I recommend you do the exercises (if you are new to the technique) and not just read the book passively. That way you can recreate those techniques when actually shooting pictures.

I was under the impression that pro photographers always whipped out their cameras and right away shot their for-the-magazines-final pictures with each click. I felt editing a photograph was not being honest and there were so many other myths that I had as a newbie. Being in the field for quite some time, Tony explains the need to persevere, take hundreds of pictures, keep just the good ones and discard the rest, edit and touch-up as required and so many things that made taking great pictures seem so much feasible and accessible to me. (Yes, most great work is still 99% perspiration as of today.)

This book does not dabble in a lot of unnecessary camera lingo and settings, but just what's necessary coupled with tips and techniques to actually get those pictures. While a photography student will not mind studying all the alphabets, others like me appreciate getting straight to the point on how to get a good portrait, how to get a good landscape, what are the pitfalls to avoid, etc. So this book works great in that respect.

The organization of the book is great. The resources it mentions and links to are great. The constant updates the author is committed to is amazing. Just yesterday, months after its release, I saw a new video added into YouTube for this book (which I think will make into the pages of the digital edition soon). Lots of great accessories are explained. Tony keeps in touch with the readers through the book's Facebook page and that is a great personal touch the author puts in.

I think it will be great if the index was a little more expanded with subheadings (at least the major ones). The other day I was looking for information on RAW files (I remember reading it earlier in this book) but had a hard time finding its location.

Overall an excellent resource for newbies and others alike. I have already recommended it to many and will continue to do so.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is why you want a Kindle August 9, 2012

By J. Urie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have recently purchased a Nikon 3100 and bought the corresponding "dummies" book, which about matches my photography expertise. So, now I know how to use my new camera....right? Nope. Now I need education on how to take photographs with my fancy new toy so that they look better than my iPhone snapshots. Enter Tony's book. Since there are a ton of reviews on the paper version, you can pretty much figure out that the content is excellent. I will focus on the electronic version.

First of all, this is a great book in any form--hard copy or ebook. However, as far as I can tell, there are a bunch of great paper books out there on DSLR photography. When I downloaded the Kindle sample and read through it, I knew that the ebook format was the way to go.

I've owned a Kindle since version 1, and now own the Fire. Tony's book should be a primer on how to properly create an ebook. The embedded links and videos, as well as the ability to grab the sample photos and enlarge for detailed study (need an Internet connection for the latter two items) is invaluable to rank photography newbs like me. The videos are top-notch and contain many side-by-side examples of how pictures are improved when applying the techniques that are covered in the video. The videos are stuck in the appropriate place in the book, which leads to excellent learning flow as you build on the lessons. The experiences on the Kindle Fire and the iPad and PC Kindle apps are equally excellent.

Tony has indicated that he plans on improving and updating the ebook contents, which all buyers will be able to download as they become available. This is a refreshing change to the "quick scan, make a buck and forget" mentality that the big publishers follow. I will try to update my review as this new content becomes available.

Finally, the price. Tony has evidently not subscribed to the overpriced ebook mentality that has been the source of thousands of complaints on Amazon. Compared to the phyiscal version, he is charging about half. Obviously Tony wants to sell many books reasonably rather than try to gouge us buyers. Again, very refreshing.

I am looking forward to improving my nonexistent skills over the years using Tony's book as my teacher. No matter which version you buy, you will do well. However, I strongly suggest you go for the ebook.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product! February 13, 2012

By JustinE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I absolutely love everything about this guide! I own other photography publications (some, even issued to me when I studied photography in college) and they are not nearly as concise, up-to-date and informative as this one is. The first few chapters alone make will give you a much better idea of photo composition, technique and method than some books cover in their entirety. Very neatly organized, and packed with helpful information, this book is simply a must have! I purchased the Kindle Fire edition and was pleasantly surprised to find it packed with even MORE bonuses (informative videos, clickable hyperlinks) and look forward to keeping it on hand as a field guide while I am out in the world, shooting photos. Furthermore, Tony's DSLR book would make a great gift for any budding photographer enthusiast. Thanks for sharing your years of expertise and intimate knowledge of photo composition in one beautiful, easy to understand book, Tony!

More About the Author

Award-winning author and photographer Tony Northrup (MCITP, MCPD, MCSE, MCTS, CISSP) has published more than 30 books covering technology and photography. Among other titles, Tony is author of Stunning Digital Photography and Windows 8 Inside Out. Tony lives in Waterford, CT with his wife and daughter.

You can learn more about Tony by liking his Facebook photography page at http://www.facebook.com/NorthrupPhotography, following him on Twitter (@TonyNorthrup), viewing his photography portfolio at www.northrupphotography.com, or emailing him at [e-mail].