Portrait and Candid Photography Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent

One of the best books I have ever red. The author has a special talent in writing and explaining the most difficult terms with simple words and pictures related to every subject. Theory is combined with practice. When you finish reading the book you feel you are already equiped with all the necessary tools to take good portrait and candit photos. Don't miss this book even if you are not a new photographer.

Strengths: Nice layout. Reads like a well instruction oriented lessons. Good glossary and index. Good photos and screenshots. Good bold highlighting of the number of the chapters and the titles on the top left pages makes for easy access and shuffling through the pages you want to find or browse. Good basic information about software and editors. Weaknesses: If your require more information about photographic software and editors Chapter 10 is a good start but you might want to use other books to sharpen those skills. Novice/Intermediate/Advanced Rating: 5/5 Shooting portraits and candid photography is an art in itself. It is not just luck and takes much preparation. But how do you learn how to make better photos for portraits and candid shots whether for commercial, your business or just of family? This book is a good place to start. The author is Erin Manning, DIY Network host of The Whole Picture, who encourages photographers to take outstanding photos of people. This book represents the author's efforts to provide instruction in this area. She helps readers gain the skills and confidence to successfully use the digital camera as a tool to create and capture life's moments The 10 chapters include in-depth instructions and information about cameras, accessories, working with light, composing your pictures. I particularly like how the author details the information by focusing more concerning the using of your camera and using to its best advantage. Of course the technology and the basics are introduced. But what is even nicer, the reader can better learn to develop their artistic eye, using techniques that will help prepare for actual photography. Action shots are also covered. The last chapter 10, also includes some information about enhancing and sharing your photos (even includes information about using Picasa (Google) and iPhoto (Apple), Windows software , Adobe's Photoshop Elements and more. Working with lighting, location, angle, composition, physical characteristics, environment, and more , including the unique challenges of photographing babies, group activities, and action, are covered with insightful instructions. Every one of the ten chapter ends with an assignment that readers are encouraged to complete. Users can even upload their best image to [...] to Conclusions It is rare for a book to clearly show the photographer camera user how to study your subjects in their natural habitat. There are great ideas within this book which related to observing, reacting and interacting with your subjects and how make the photos come "alive". The techniques for improving photos of babies and children are very interesting and well done. Learning to capture facial expressions and learning how to tell a story with a series of candid photos is also included. There is a nice section concerning how to add interest to large-group shots. If you are looking for a great instructional manual that focuses on techniques for por

This is my favorite photography book by far. While I feel I have an eye for design and color, photography has always seemed intimidating to me. The author of this book, Erin Manning, writes as though she is a friend and mentor guiding you through the realm of digital photography. While digital photography may be old hat to many - especially the techno savvy - not everybody is adept (and from what I have experienced, most are not in every capacity). Erin leads us through the basics, then goes on to explain things even the most "camera competent", will find utterly engaging. Erin pulls you in and brings out the innate artist in all of us, no matter what level.....and for those of you that actually do understand the art of photography, Erin will only enlighten you more. This is an "easy read" as it is written as though a friend is speaking to you, acknowledging your expertise while giving you a boost where you need it. A great book that I will definitely pass along (and that I will constantly refer to in the future). Good job, Erin. Best of luck.

I had a problem: I was hired by a top ad agency to be their in-house A/V specialist, and while the job included things I'm good at like editing and videography, it also called for me to use a digital SLR and I never mastered the disposable point-n-shoot. I knew I could take pictures of landscapes, sunsets, and bowls of fruit because those things are patient and don't mind if you take hundreds of shots trying to get the exposure correct. I had an urgent need to learn how to fake a portrait and snap a fast candid shot, so I got this book. It is amazing! It's well written, covers everything from soup to nuts, and has some great real-world examples. It doesn't insult its readers by talking down to us, but it isn't full of jargon like most of my video manuals are. I realize I'm probably the exception to the rule - I know how to use a digital SLR now and I do it professionally everyday, yet I still need a book like this to give me some pointers to improve my shots. I know that the primary audience for this book is the aspiring amateur, but I'm very pleased that it's written in a way that is approachable for photographers of all levels. I'm going to be keeping this book in my collection. As an aside, soon after I bought this book I started dating a very nice woman who's father is a huge bird photography nut. Christmas rolls around that the book gave me some great gift ideas for him! I tell you, this book is a gold mine!

I bought good equipment but I wasn't getting good results. This book answered the questions I had and gave me good tips that showed instant results. Many of the suggestions were so simple that I wondered why I hadn't thought of them. I guess that sometimes you just need a little professional guidance.