An Introduction: A preview of a new book.
How to Master Your Digital Camera - Book 1
From the beginner to the advanced photographer, the goal has always been to get the best results from each camera no matter the brand or film type used. Today, digital cameras range from the simple point and shoot to the pro level digital SLRs that themselves range from easy to use to very sophisticated.
As I carry my camera with me a great deal of time, people come up to me and ask me to help them with their camera, and unless I am on assignment or in the middle of a shoot, I try to help them out. The most common statement people make to me as I show them how to get a better shot is, “I have found this a huge learning curve and can you recommend a book for me to learn more?” I have had to tell them I couldn’t because I had not found one yet.
I am about to fix that problem.
Who Am I and Why Did I Become and Author and Mentor?
My name is Brad W. Smith and I am professional commercial photographer of 30 years and the Director of Professional Services of a media group based near Princeton, NJ, USA. As a film photographer, shooting was second nature for me. This all changed in 2006 when I had to finally retire my two primary film cameras (Cannon A-1s) and replace them with the new Sony A100 with all new lenses, flashes and so on. Thus I began the transition to the digital camera realm and haven’t looked back (well, too not much!)
Making “The Transition”
I started the transition to digital like most. I played a bit with my new gear and after reading the manual 3 times front to back, I shot a bit more and realized to get the digital to give me the results I had been getting on film for so long, I needed to re-learn how to get the most out of what I was shooting with. So, with money in hand, I headed to my local bookstore to find my new digital photography bible to be able to refer back to time after time to “make this easier for me.”
I had very high hopes as there seemed to be lots of books and magazines on the racks. I grabbed a table in the corner of the Photography Business section of the store and picked out a dozen or so titles and began looking through them one after another. This went on for hours and at the end of my search I found that I would have a little bit from one, a bit from one here, another tip from this one and when I got done I realized that if I was to buy all the books and magazines I needed to utilize, I was going to be spending as much as the camera cost!! I said, “no way! There had to be a better source.” So the hunt continued.
So I started looking on the web. To my surprise I found mostly reviews of cameras or other gear to buy, with an occasional tip or trick here and there. Blogs showed some promise with a hint and an example or two but again, no one source. I found a wedding photographer to the stars who had an incredible story and a mentoring site but the cost was way over my budget and I needed more than wedding photography mentoring as I rarely shoot weddings, as that is a very specialized field.
I moved on and dug deeper and found short course syllabus at a couple colleges with very basic and complete information but it was focused on 35mm film shooting. The introduction to digital was easily 5 years old! My shoulders sagged and I realized had to just keep looking.
I tried some eBooks. Still not what I had hoped for. Neither were the blogs nor the podcasts that rambled on and said the same things over and over.
I finally got fed up and decided that this is insane. And then I thought, if this is what I am running into (and I am a solid researcher), then others must be at least as frustrated,
So I started writing How to Master Your Digital Camera and creating the Digital Photography Mentor.
First, I hope you find Digital Photography Mentor to be that one place where you can get good information, broken down into understandable pieces, with sound tips and techniques that give you great results. Second, as you advance in you skills, this information helps you get better and better results. Finally, as your mentor, I will give you feed-back on the actual photos you have taken! There is no other program out there I have found that offers that complete solution.
What I Hope You Get From This Book
In this book I strive to provide a solid method for you to improve your skills and get the most out of what ever camera you use. Remember that this is a starting point, not the end all. I will strive to guide you, give sound advice, tips and techniques to help you learn through mentoring and critiquing of your photos, no matter your level of proficiency. I know, even as a professional, most people never truly master their camera or photography as a whole. We are always learning. What I hope you get out of this is the ability to decide what works best in any given situation with your camera and go with it so you can move from worrying about if your photos will come out to focusing on getting that shot that every one says is “the best!”
Also, I will limit the number of gratuitous photos. This book is not a showcase for my work. What will be in this book will be solid examples of each area where a photo gives a clear example of what I expect you should be able to accomplish with your own camera. I want to be able to move you from the “usual” simple snap shots to photos that people go “Wow! That looks great!” Just don’t be surprised when they ask “what kind of camera is it?” You can simply say, “Oh, it’s a XYZ but I didn’t take great photos until I got this book!” Hey, I need good word of mouth sales, the big camera companies don’t.
Just a Couple More Things:
I realize that in a book like this there is not much chance to add much of my own brand of insight or humor, as much as I would like to (you should be thankful for this, really). In all honesty, I want this book to be different from the rest of the eBooks out there (which means better) because I want to this book to be as though I am out there with you as a mentor, able to help you remember what I have taught you, able to say in your head, “Ok, now this setting is best for this situation. Use this mode…steady the camera…frame it right for the subject, don’t cut off the…and ‘click’. Great shot! Now do it again and again until you get what you want. Don’t stop till you do.” That is what I want you to hear in your head every time until it becomes natural. Oh, and when you hear “my” voice in your head, if I sound sort of like a suave James Bond type of guy, perfect.
Cheers and Happy Shooting!
Brad W. Smith
Note: This guide is to be published in July of 2009. Stay tuned for the new website URL as well as the intro to the Intermediate and Advanced Guides later this summer and fall. BWS
