I am constantly impressed by the ability of people just like me who have had no formal training to produce professional quality photos. Even starting their own photography businesses on what began as a hobby. With today's photo imaging technology it's easier than ever to take quality shots.Which is why I'm so excited to share a great resource with you other budding photographers out there. A couple weeks ago I saw this e-book on Made. I emailed the author, photographer Katie Perkes, for a chance to review it and give a few away. And happily, she agreed to offer three copies to three Grosgrain readers.
What caught my attention with this ebook was the info on getting good natural lighting. So often I see these great shots of kids whose faces seem lit up but you can tell the photo is not taken in full sun. Katie goes into detail about how to get those great shots and more.
Katie helps people with great cameras, take those great photos that they bought their great camera for in the first place! In her second chapter she discusses all the basics of SLRs. That being shutter, aperture, ISO. If you know the very basics of these three settings your photos will improve 100% percent. I promise. And it's not rocket science. Katie explains everything in very everyday terms. No professional words here. If you know zero about the manual settings of your DSLR by Chapter three you won't ever need to switch that dial to 'Auto' again.
Those are the most important parts of photography but they are certainly not the only great pieces of advice Katie offers. She also goes into detail about how to create a great shoots and how to compose the subjects in your photos for a great look.
And finally Katie goes into a chapter about something that I think should be a must for any photographer and that is a great photo editing software. Using a powerful photo editing software can sometimes take a really dull looking photo and turn it into the best of your shoot.
For those of you who've never even opened a photo editing program, Katie explains some very basic tools like contrast, vibrance and blacks and tells you how to use them to make your photos POP! But she also mentions some more in depth tips like converting to black and white the proper way, actions/presets, using brushes to highlight specific areas, fixing overexposure, using a really amazing tool called 'clarity' and many other highly useful tools.
So don't be one of those people with a great camera who takes mediocre photos. You really don't have to be scared of your manual settings! It's not like you're wasting film, right?! Katie's great ebook is a fabulous start to becoming a photographer and not just someone with an expensive camera.
And for those of you who would like some one on one experience with Katie she is currently offering a great workshop for beginners! In it, learn:
- the in's and outs of your camera so you can finally get it off auto.
- all about aperture, ISO, and shutter speed and how they relate.
- easy tips and tricks to get sharp crisp pictures.
- what kind of light to look for, how to position your subject in regards to the light and how to take a good picture in any lighting situation.
- how to compose a striking picture and what to look for in regards to composition through your lens.
- her entire editing process from start to finish.
Here's some of Katie's work from her website:
For your chance to win ONE OF THREE COPIES of Katie's ebook, Grosgrain giveaways can be entered by any ONE of four ways:
1) By linking about this giveaway (to your blog, facebook, or any other site) button is below.
2) By leaving a comment
3) By FOLLOWING Grosgrain using this link. If the link is not working please use THE LINK IN MY RIGHT SIDEBAR.
4) By following me on Twitter
Just remember to please leave me a comment telling me what you did so that I can go back and look for your entry. Either give me the link that you posted for the giveaway to or tell me that you began to follow me.
2) By leaving a comment
3) By FOLLOWING Grosgrain using this link. If the link is not working please use THE LINK IN MY RIGHT SIDEBAR.
4) By following me on Twitter
Just remember to please leave me a comment telling me what you did so that I can go back and look for your entry. Either give me the link that you posted for the giveaway to or tell me that you began to follow me.
Like not spending money? 