Boyd Norton's Outdoor Digital Photography Handbook: How to Shoot Like a Pro

209 Pages·2010·102.17 MB·English

by  Boyd Norton

OUTDOOR
DIGITAL
NORTON'S
PHOTOGRAPHY
HANDBOOK
How To Shoot Like a Pro
Voyageur Press
First published in 2010 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North,
Frontispiece:
Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
Marine iguana and sea
lion, Fernandina Island, Copyright © 2010 by Boyd Norton
Galapagos National
All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this
Park, Ecuador. Shot publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.
with a lO-22mm lens.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are
made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred
Title page, main:
in connection with the use of this data or specific details.
lake Baikal in south-
We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property
central Siberia, Russia,
of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only. This is not an official publication.
in misty morning light.
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For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300,
Title page, inset:
Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
Close-up detail of
bark and wood of To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.voyageurpress.com.
bristlecone pine,
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mt. Evans, Colorado.
Shot with a lOOmm Norton, Boyd.
[Outdoor digital photography handbook]
macro lens.
Boyd Norton's outdoor digital photography handbook: : how to shoot like a pro / Boyd Norton.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7603-3298-6 (sb : alk. paper)
1. Outdoor photography. 2. Nature photography. 3. Photography-Digital techniques. I. Title. II.
Title: Outdoor digital photography handbook.
TR659.5.N6552010
778.7'I-dc22
2009023211
Edited by Danielle Ibister
Designed by Cindy Samargia Laun
Cover designed by Matthew Simmons
Design Manager: LeAnn Kuhlmann
Printed in China
For Barbara, who has shared in most of my adventures-and survived.
Voyageur Press has published a number of my books,
and the folks here-Michael Dregni and Danielle Ibister-have been great to work with.
I'd like to thank a longtime friend, the very talented photographer Jim Griggs,
for his valuable help in some of the technical parts of the book.
And a special thanks to my lovely and patient wife, Barbara, who endured the long days
(and many nights) when I was sequestered in my office writing this and other books.
Introduction 8
CHAPTER 1 Digital Basics 20
CHAPTER 2 Jt's All AbouUight 32
CHAPTER 3 Dynamics of Pictures 4A
CHAPTER 4 In-the-Field Workflow 66
CHAPTER 5 Creative Use of Lens_es 76
CHAPTER 6 Expanding Your CreatMty 88
CHAPTER 7 Into the BoondDcks 100
I I
II IIIII
CHAPTER 8 Landscape and ScenicPhotograpby 118
CHAPTER 9 After th_e Shoot 136
CHAPTER 10 l:IelpfuLJjps_aod Tricks _152
CHAPTER 11 Dealing wilb Mixed Media 184
CHAPTER 12 The Einal Image 192
Resources _ 20A
Index 205
About tbe Author _ 208

INTRODUCTION
Back in the early 1990s, when digital cards-also require electricity. As time went This is one of the rarest
photography first came to our atten on, these problems were alleviated by the animals in the world, the
tion, digital imaging seemed like invention of better, longer-lasting camera Baikal seal called nerpa,
something that was too far off in the future batteries and storage devices. With such great found only at Lake Baikal
to be of much use. Early digital cameras were improvements in such a short period of time, in central Siberia. These,
strictly for studio use, tethered by wire to a it's obvious that, in the future, things will the world's only fresh
computer. The sensors weren't all that good, continue to get better and equipment even water seals, are extremely
and there were predictions that it would be more reliable. shy and difficult to get
a very long time before digital photography I've been publishing my photos in maga close to. I had made many
could match the resolution of film. zines and books for more than forty years, trips to Baikal in the past,
We now know that the technology has and until a couple of years ago, all of these shooting film, and this
made some amazing advances. Chief among images were created on film. Old habits die was the first time I used
them are small, high-capacity storage devices hard. I think film. And I love the emulsions digital-allowing me to
flash memory cards-and high-resolution image that I have tested so thoroughly because they check the images soon
sensors. Together, these advances have made match my way of seeing the natural world after shooting. Shot on
digital photography truly portable for use in the around me. a lO-megapixel DSLR
field-in other words, outdoor photography. So it wasn't easy for me to take the (ISO set at 400) with a
My own transition to digital photography plunge into digital photography. Or, as an 100-400mm IS lens and
was slower and later than most, partly because old film-shooting friend calls it, "going over a l.4x extender, giving me
I spend so much time in the boondocks of the to the Dark Side." (He has, by the way, now an effective 900mm lens
world. Why was that important? My major switched to digital.) (with the 1.6 multiplier of
concerns had to do with the electronics and A couple of factors made me switch. One the sensor).
electrical needs for digital. It's not always pos had to do with the improvements in digital
sible to charge batteries in the rainforests of technology. Today's cameras are capable of
Borneo or Peru. And storage devices, such as creating images of very high quality-high
portable hard drives and laptop computers enough to suit the demands of picture books
needed for uploading images from flash and magazines. 9