Photography FAQs

Frequently asked questions. Introduction. Essential hardware: Digital cameras; Film stocks; Portrait lenses; Wide-angle lenses; Telephoto lenses; Macro lenses; Built-in flash and flashguns; Artificial lighting; Diffusion and reflectors; Studio accessories. Metering: Types of metering modes; Exposure compensation and bracketing; High-key images; Low-key images; Metering challenging lighting. Using colour and monochrome: Colour temperature; Filters; Colour concerns; Black and white. Natural lighting and supplementary flash: Lighting outdoors; Lighting indoors; Bouncing flash; Mixing lighting sources; Long exposures; Reflections and diffusion. Studio lighting: Standard lighting arrangements; Simple lighting arrangements; Classic Hollywood lighting; Lifestyle portraits; Complex lighting and arrangements. Composition and posing: Depth of field in portraits; Rule of thirds for portraits; Portrait lengths; Posing the subject; Unusual angles; Group shots; Parties; Expressions and emotions; Props and accessories. Shooting on location: Finding good locations: Problem lighting; Candid photography; Action portraits; Locations and the law. The digital darkroom: Correcting exposure; Fixing common mistakes; Problems with colour; Cleaning up portraits; Black and white; Toning and tinting. Subject index. Acknowledgements and credits.