Practical Photography Advice You Can Take Anywhere

SEBASTOPOL, Calif. -- Remember how awkward it felt the first time you drove a car? Maneuvering on four wheels with skill and confidence required learning how to use all the controls with hours of practice. Many digital photographers experience comparable awkward feelings when faced with the bewildering array of settings and dials controlling the operation of today's digital cameras.

Yet, "if you operate your camera the way you've mastered your car, you will take better pictures," insists pro photographer and popular teacher Derrick Story. Fortunately Derrick -- author of the bestselling Digital Photography Pocket Guide (O'Reilly) -- is back with an entirely new book. Derrick's highly anticipated, portable new guidebook -- The Digital Photography Companion (O'Reilly Media, $24.99) -- comes packed with information that shows you how to take control over your digital camera today.

Clearly written and richly illustrated, the information in The Digital Photography Companion helps put photographers back in the digital driver's seat, so to speak, by teaching them how to operate their cameras like the pros. Whether you're a beginner, a serious photo hobbyist or interested in turning pro, under Derrick's friendly tutelage, you'll improve your photography skills, boost your picture-taking and image-editing knowledge and, ultimately, shoot better images that truly reflect your creative spirit. So rather than wondering which button to push and fiddling with controls, soon you will focus on the world around you.

"And that's when magical things begin to happen," explains Derrick, who is also the coauthor of iPhoto '08: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly, 34.99) with David Pogue.

Indeed, maverick photographer, Rick Smolan, creator of Blue Planet Run and America at Home agrees. "Derrick Story has a unique gift for creating order out of chaos. Digital photography turns things upside down and even seasoned shooters need help. Whether you are a complete beginner or a photographer with experience, Derrick is the go-to guy."

Perfectly sized to stash in a camera bag, this timely new resource gives you plenty of examples of how to capture great shots of people, places, landscapes and more. The Digital Photography Companion offers basic instruction and clever techniques to help you capture the high quality pictures you've always wanted.

You'll learn how to:

• Choose the right camera -- with a roundup of features for Digital Single Lens Reflex, compact and hybrid cameras.

• Master your digital controls -- everything from autoexposure to white balance.

• Shoot like a pro -- capture flattering portraits, compelling action shots, distinctive landscapes and more.

• Take control of your digital photos -- find the right photo management software.

You'll also appreciate a no-nonsense chapter on pain-free printing. The metadata for every photograph in the book (with thumbnails) is included in the appendix. This lets you find out things like what aperture/ISO/shutter speed was used.

Derrick's online tips and podcasts have made him a popular blogger. And for more photography tips based on the techniques covered in his new book, visit http://www.digitalstory.com/dpc. You can also participate in the monthly photo assignment with results published on The Digital Story, contribute grab shots and if you figure out a great photo technique that you want to share with the world, send in a "How I Did It" entry.

By the time you've experimented with the techniques outlined in The Digital Photography Companion, "you'll have journeyed well beyond your peers," writes Derrick. "And the pictures you take will not only become personal treasures, they will also be admired by others."

Derrick Story is the digital media evangelist for O'Reilly. His experience includes more than 20 years as a photojournalist, managing editor for O'Reilly Network and a speaker for IDG, PMA and Santa Fe Workshops. He is the author of Digital Photography Hacks, Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 3rd Ed. and his latest, The Digital Photography Companion.


The Digital Photography Companion is available via the Imaging Resource Amazon affiliate program at a 34 percent discount.