Jeff Wignall's Digital Photography Crash Course: 2 Minute Tips for Better Photos Book

Introduction 9

1 Keep a Spray Bottle Handy for Flower Close-ups 10

2 Silhouette Shapes in Nature 11

3 Take a Walk on the Weird (and Goofy) Side 12

4 Visit an Indoor Aquarium 13

5 Shoot the Moon 14

6 Bring Home Photo Souvenirs 15

7 Chill the Mood with Cool Colors 16

8 Keep An Eye Peeled for Peeling Vintage Ads 17

9 Tino Wallenda: Life Lessons from the High Wire 18

10 Become a Landscape Minimalist 20

11 Listen to the Sound of Pictures Calling You 21

12 Time Sunsets Carefully 22

13 Lay Down, Look Up (The Beauty of Articulated LCD Panels) 23

14 Pump Up the Volume with Bold, Brash Colors 24

15 Weather & Photography: Abandon Your Preconceptions 25

16 Working a Subject 26

17 Plump Up Your Pumpkins with Side Lighting 28

18 Look Back Through Tourism Time 29

19 Isolate Color Contrasts 30

20 Don't Be Afraid to Use Flash on Flowers 31

21 Pack a Pocket Compass When Traveling 32

22 Isolate Patterns in Architecture 33

23 Consider the Beauty of the Lowly Dandelion 34

24 Create a Shooting Checklist 35

25 Bring a Monopod Where Tripods Won't (Or Can't) Go 36

26 Expose for Action: Select Shutter Priority Mode 37

27 Organize This! 38

28 Go Wild! Visit a Wildlife Sanctuary 39

29 S-t-r-e-t-c-h Your Vision with an Ultra-Wide Lens 40

30 Get Sea Fever! 41

31 Don't Fight the Light 42

32 Be Aware (and Beware!) of Shapes 43

33 Back to the Future: The Fun of Black & White 44

34 Step Right Up! (But Watch Your Step) 46

35 Wildlife Photos: Wait for an Interesting Moment 47

36 Combine Window Light with Fill Flash 48

37 Night Photo Technique: Zoom into the River of Night 49

38 Editing Tip: Don't Use That Same Old Name! 50

39 Treasures in Your Attic: Tell the Story of Forgotten Spaces 51

40 Study Sign Language 52

41 More Humor: Juxtapose Just Because 54

42 Get Dramatic with Contrast 55

43 Soften Landscapes with Hazy Light 56

44 Turn Your Scanner Into a Camera 57

45 Creative Shutter Speed Technique: Create Ribbons of Water 58

46 Tweak Your Color Balance With Digital Filers 59

47 The Ups & Downs of Horizon Placement 60

48 Focus Selectively 61

49 Plan Your Spring Photography Garden 62

50 Pictures Through Airplane Windows 64

51 Photograph People at Work 65

52 Ignore the Composition Police 66

53 Collect Photos of Weird Things 67

54 Listen to the Light 68

55 Use Exposure Compensation with Snow Scenes 69

56 Make an Accessory Survival Kit 70

57 Shooting Wildlife from Your Car 71

58 Create a False-Color Infrared Look 72

59 Become a Peeping Tom 74

60 Go on Safari in Your Own Backyard 75

61 Consider the Strange Beauty of the Fisheye Lens 76

62 Draw Textures Out with Sidelighting 78

63 Stop Target Shooting: Use Off-Center Subject Placement 79

64 Mind the Moods of Light and Weather 80

65 The Many (Almost Magical) Uses of a Polarizing Filter 81

66 Bring Ancestors Back to Life (Photographically Speaking) 82

67 Compare Sizes to Show Scale 83

68 Follow the Clouds to Great Sunsets 84

69 Expose Sunsets for Maximum Drama 85

70 Wait for the Sunset Afterglow 86

71 Save Camera Batteries: Use the Peephole 87

72 Discover Architectural Details 88

73 Practice Your Macro Skills on Houseplants 89

74 Immortalize Hometown Icons 90

75 Start Your Own Alphabet 91

76 Expect the Unexpected in Nature 92

77 Photograph Everyday Stuff 93

78 Include Dark Foregrounds in Landscapes 94

79 Consider Wearing a Photographer's Vest 95

80 Protect Your Images with a Copyright Notice 96

81 Sports Photography: Off with Their Heads! 97

82 Get Serious: Use a Tripod (Part I) 98

83 Get Serious: Use a Tripod (Part II) 99

84 For a Little Romance, Try the Gaussian Blur 100

85 Turn the Camera Vertical 102

86 Pet Portraits: Focus on the Eyes 103

87 Beware Specular Highlights 104

88 Use Patterns to Create Visual Rhythm 105

89 Eliminate the Subject...and Just Shoot the Reflection 106

90 Journey to Another Reality with Cool Black Light Pictures 107

91 Silhouette the Landscape 108

92 Cropping Is As Cropping Does (with Apologies to Forrest Gump) 109

93 Don't Be a Slave to Sharpness 110

94 Understanding the Three Types of Light Meters 111

95 Meter in the Middle of the Frame 112

96 Take Spot-on Readings with Spot Metering Mode 113

97 Get Close to Wild Animals (in the Wild, Naturally) 114

98 Return to Familiar Haunts 115

99 Add Noise to Create a Film Look 116

100 Lay Down and Look Up! 117

101 Editing Quick Tip: Fade Photoshop Filters for Artistic Control 118

102 Editing Quick Tip: Create a Blue Flamingo 119

103 Create an Organization System for Your Digital Files 120

104 Enhance Depth by Raising Your Subject Higher 121

105 Get the Maximum Blast from Built-in Flash 122

106 Beware the Six-Legged Horse 124

107 Visit Maine During Lupine Season 125

108 Informal Group Portraits: Get Them to Smile! 126

109 Make Hay (or Autumn Pictures) While the Sun Shines 127

110 Cultivate Flower Photos: Visit a Botanical Garden 128

111 Look for Holiday Still Life Pictures at Home 129

112 Be Golden, Shoot in the Gold Zone 130

113 Photoshop Filter Fun: Flood Your Photos 131

114 Give Your Sunsets a Powerful Foreground 132

115 Photoshop Tip: Create an Old-Fashioned Postcard Look 133

116 The RAW Deal: Why I (Now) Always Shoot RAW 134

117 Take a Spin on the Color Wheel, Theoretically Speaking 136

118 Zoom the Lens 138

119 Need a Challenge? Illustrate an Emotional Concept 139

120 Be a Part of Art: In Memory of Jeanne-Claude 140

121 Keep a Places Journal 142

122 Shoot What Interests You 143

123 Compose with Odd Numbers (Don't Ask Me Why) 144

124 Maximize Depth of Field for Ultimate Sharpness 145

125 Minimize Depth of Field for Selective Focus 146

126 Extend Your Telephoto Range with a Teleconverter 148

127 Pause to Photograph Sacred Spaces 150

128 Keep an Eye on the Highlight Warning 151

129 Visit America's Most Amazing Landscape 152

130 Step Up to Better Garden Photos 154

131 Architecture: Break Some Rules to Add Drama 155

132 Take Dad's Advice: Spotlight Subjects with Frontlighting 156

133 Release Stress with a Bit of Abstract Sign Fun 157

134 Meter from a Middle Tone 158

135 Consider the Suggestion (Not Rule) of Thirds 159

136 Be Aware of Your Camera's Dynamic Range 160

137 Include Hands in Interesting Ways 162

138 Get Positive Impact from Negative Space 163

139 Turn Around and See What's Behind You 164

140 Run Away with the Carnival (for a Moment at Twilight, Anyway) 165

141 Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Magic of the Clone Stamp 166

142 Put Your Memory Eggs in Several Small Baskets 168

143 Do (or Don't Do) These Things with Your New Camera 169

144 High Speed Subjects (Part I): File a Technical Flight Plan 170

145 High Speed Subjects (Part II): Become the Moment, Grasshopper 172

146 Give Yourself A Technical & Creative Challenge 174

Index 176