Digital Photography: An Introduction

224 Pages·2007·10.54 MB·English

by  Tom Ang

TOM(cid:54)(cid:67)(cid:60)
DIGITAL
FULLY UPDATED
2nd EDITION
PHOTOGRAPHY
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N

digital
photography:
an introduction
TOM ANG
LONDON,NEWYORK,MUNICH, Contents
MELBOURNE,DELHI
To Wendy
Project Editor Nicky Munro 6 Introduction
Project Art Editor Jenisa Patel
DTP Designer Vânia Cunha Chapter 1
Production Controller Sarah Sherlock
Total
Managing Editor Stephanie Farrow
photography
Managing Art Editor Lee Griffiths
10 Photographic pathways
Produced on behalfof
12 Digital camera features
Dorling Kindersley by
Sands Publishing Solutions 14 Digital cameras
4 Jenner Way,Eccles, 20 Memory cards
Aylesford,Kent ME20 7SQ
22 Choosing a scanner
Project Editors David & Sylvia Tombesi-Walton
24 Choosing software
Project Art Editor Simon Murrell
26 Printers: Choosing and using
Original edition produced on 28 Computers: Choosing and using
behalfofDorling Kindersley by
30 Computer accessories
HILTON/SADLER
63 Greenham Road,London N10 1LN 32 Setting up a workroom
Editorial Director Jonathan Hilton
Design Director Peggy Sadler
Chapter 2
First published in Great Britain in 2002 by
Photography for
Dorling Kindersley Limited
Second edition published in 2007 by
the digital age
Dorling Kindersley Limited
80 Strand,London WC2R 0RL
36 Picture composition
42 Image orientation
A Penguin Company
44 Image proportions
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 46 Composition and zooms
48 Digital zooms
Copyright © 2002,2004,2006
49 Camera movement
Dorling Kindersley Limited
Text copyright © 2002,2004,2006 Tom Ang 50 Digital close-ups
54 Quick fixImage distortion
All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication 55 Quick fixLens problems
may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, 58 Influencing perspective
or transmitted in any form or by any means,
60 Changing viewpoints
electronic,mechanical,photocopying or
otherwise,without the prior written 62 Quick fixLeaning buildings
permission ofthe copyright owners. 63 Quick fixFacial distortion
64 Colour composition
A CIP catalogue record for this book
66 Strong colour contrasts
is available from The British Library
70 Quick fixColour balance
ISBN-13: 978 1 4053 1981 2 72 Silhouettes/backlighting
74 Accessory flash
Printed by Star Standard in Singapore
76 Quick fixElectronic flash
Reproduction by GRB Editrice s.r.l.in Italy
See our complete catalogue at
www.dk.com
Chapter 3 142 Filter effects
Radical 154 Selecting pixels
156 Quick fixRemoving backgrounds
conversions
158 Masks
80 Scanning: The basics 160 Greyscale and colour
82 Using flat-bed scanners 162 Text effects
84 Quick fixScan resolution 164 Cloning techniques
86 File formats: A summary 170 Photomosaics
88 Quick fixProblems with scans 172 Image stitching
91 Quick fixInaccurate
printer colours
92 Basic colour management Chapter 5
The output
Chapter 4 adventure
All about image 176 Proofing and printing
manipulation 180 Output to paper
182 Quick fixPrinter problems
96 First steps 184 Permanence: Ink and paper
98 Cropping and rotation 185 Poster-sized printing
100 Quick fixPoor subject detail 188 Publishing on the web
101 Quick fixPoor subject colour 192 Going further
102 Levels 194 Mounting an exhibition
104 Burning-in and dodging 196 Copyright concerns
106 Sharpening 198 Shopping for equipment
110 Quick fixImage distractions 200 Disabilities
112 Quick fixImage framing 201 Survival guide
113 Quick fixConverging parallels 203 Glossary
114 Colour balancing 214 www.resources
115 Colour adjustments 216 Picture sources
118 Curves 217 Manufacturers
123 Bit-depth and colour 218 Software sources
124 Colour into black and white
132 Duotones 220 Index
134 Tritones and quadtones 224 Acknowledgments
135 Sepia tones
136 Split toning
138 Hand tinting
140 Cross-processing
6 INTRODUCTION
Introduction
One hundred and sixty years after the invention of photography,an enemy
rose above the horizon. Digital imaging threatened to sweep away film,
make the darkroom redundant, and to exile the hard-won craft skills of
picture-making.In a short time the threat grew as numerous new enemies
appeared, in the shape of more and more digital cameras, scanners,
image-manipulation software, and the web, all banding together to raze
conventional photography to the ground.
Photographers watched with steadily increasing apprehension, but the
threat turned out to be the best friend photography could have hoped for.
Instead ofopposing conventional photography,digital technologies have in
fact revitalized whole swathes of photographic practice. Traditional
techniques – in use of both the camera and lens, as well as darkroom
manipulations – fully retained their relevance as the foundation upon
which many digital advances were based; this is reflected in references to
film-based techniques throughout this book. Indeed, the union of
conventional photography with digital technology has turned out to be
incredibly fertile,providing us with new worlds of practical,creative,and
enjoyable potentialities.
Digital Photography: An Introduction celebrates the maturing of digital
photography as a force to be reckoned with.So here you will find all the love
and enthusiasm I have for conventional photography and its subtle craft
skills for creating telling,effective,and rewarding images.At the same time,
INTRODUCTION 7
I hope to share with you my thrill and wonder at the flexibility,power,and
economies that are possible with digital photography. Photographers are,
today, working at the leading edge of image-making, contributing to the
ongoing development of what is nothing less than a visual powerhouse of
as-yet-undreamed-ofpotential.
This book’s aim is to help you get the most from this powerhouse. It
brings together a vast amount oftechnical information and practical advice
and reveals numerous tips and tricks ofthe trade,all in one compact volume.
It is offered in order to help you improve,enjoy,and understand the medium
ofcommunication that is photography.
This revised edition ofDigital Photography: An Introductionis intended as
your photographic companion.I hope it will help you on your own journey
of visual, technical, and creative adventures, leading to personal discovery.
Ultimately,I hope this book will give you the knowledge and inspiration to
surpass its teachings.For you to do so will be the best compliment you could
give – at which point you should congratulate yourselfheartily.
Total
photography
1

10 TOTAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographic pathways
People who have made a large investment in film- Something magical happens when you combine
based photography will wish to keep their legacy the pathways through film-based and digital
work but also fully participate in digital photo- photography.A world ofunimagined opportunity
graphy. With the proliferation of digital SLR opens to you,with more than one way to achieve
cameras (see p.17),many old lenses by makers such nearly any end – and from every fresh option arises
as Pentax, Nikon, Olympus, and Leica can (with yet more creative opportunities. In short, total
some restrictions) be used on digital cameras. In photography (the combination of analogue with
addition, developed films – prints, negatives, or digital) gives you the best of both worlds. By
transparencies in colour or black and white – can increasing your options, it can inspire as it
all be scanned to create fully fledged digital images empowers. It is no exaggeration to say that the
that may be worked on in a computer. only limit is your imagination.
Digital route
Digital camera Memory cards
Subject Anything you can photograph A digital camera uses
using a film camera can also memory cards to store the
be recorded as a digital digital representation of
representation of the subject the subject.
by using a digital camera.
e
ut
o
d r
e
s
a
b
m-
Fil Print
Negative Slide
Film camera Film Processing
A film camera records an Once exposed to light from Processing the film in special
analogue representation the subject,minute changes chemicals amplifies the latent
of the subject,with each take place in the composition image so that a recognizable image
image being recorded on of the image-carrying of the subject appears.Depending
an individual frame of film. emulsion layers of the film. on the film used,you could have
At this stage the image is a positive image (or slide) or a
invisible and is known as negative,which requires printing,
a latent image. in colour or black and white.