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It’s so much fun to have a pocket-sized camera or even a cell phone camera at the ready whenever we want to capture a moment. After a few months of snapping at random, cutting off heads, and photographing blobs of sunlight, though, most of us lose interest.
For those few among you who aspire to becoming great photographers, however, Click: The Ultimate Photography Guide for Generation Now is the first step toward producing classy photos. This handy little book is the effort of Charlie Styr, an award-winning teenage photographer. He’s the guy who started flickr.com’s Teenage Photographers group, so he’s got some cred. Adults needn’t be scared off by the age group targeted by Click, however; it’s not too late for us to learn a few tricks, and Click is the easy way to learn them.
Click starts with the basics: what’s a megapixel? What’s an exposure mode? How do I even know what kind of camera I want?
Once upon a time, cameras could only be operated by masters of the photographic arts. Thank goodness that’s no longer true, but if you’re serious about your photography, you’re going to need to know what aperture and shutter speed mean and how they are used. You may have a digital camera, but film speed and exposure still matter, and many of the rules used by professional photographers with classic cameras still come into play.
Most of us use our cameras to take snapshots of friends and family, so it makes sense that the first chapter on technique is devoted to portrait photography and includes tips on composition, lighting, and even self-portraits. Those into landscape photography will find advice for spicing up urban and rural landscapes, advice for photographing animals, and even a few tips for taking photos underwater. Freeze-frame and motion blur are also featured, along with suggestions for making your photograph tell a story.
After you’ve clicked the button, though, there is still work to be done if you want a truly professional look to your work. Click goes on to cover some of the basics of cropping, retouching, and generally enhancing a photograph. Once you’ve produced the perfect shot, you’ll find a final chapter full of ideas for getting your work out there for the public to enjoy – through contests, books, and even by selling your images.
All of this information comes packed into a book that is loaded with example photographs that demonstrate the techniques and also inspire us to experiment with what we’ve learned. Click is one of those introductory volumes that you’ll never outgrow. Even after you’ve mastered the basics, the ideas presented here will continue to serve as a springboard for creative photographic projects.
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Deborah Adams/2011 for curled
up with a good kid's book |
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For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)
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Click: The Ultimate Photography Guide for Generation Now