Camera & Craft: Learning the Technical Art of Digital Photography (The Digital Imaging Masters Series)

#2 on Photo.net's list of Best Photography Books of 2014! To create successful imagery, you need to balance technical know-how and aesthetic vision. In Camera & Craft, we deconstruct photographic principles in new ways to help you think through your process. Together with nine guest photographers, we explore photographic practice and follow up with inventive exercises and demonstrations that challenge you to engage with your tools—all with the goal of helping you work more creatively. Along the way are conversations with our guest photographers that address each topic, from how the professionals work with clients and models to what they think about as they look through the viewfinder. Here’s what you’ll find inside: Advice and insights from professionals working in a variety of fields, from photojournalism and portraiture to fine-art, landscape and commercial photography Technical explanations about how photographic tools work—so you can connect knowledge to your practice and work more instinctively and creatively Key steps for improving digital workflow Innovative exercises at the end of each chapter as well as on our companion website that encourage you to experiment with and understand the photographic process—from learning how far you can push your camera’s sensor to exploring the effects of neutral vs. creative color Interviews with technical and creative experts about developing skills and making images that matter This book is part of The Digital Imaging Masters Series, which features cutting-edge information from the most sought-after and qualified professionals and instructors in the photography field. Based on the progressive curriculum of the Master of Professional Studies in Digital Photography (MPS DP) program created by Katrin Eismann at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, these books are the next best thing to being in the classroom with the Digital Photography Masters themselves.

Introduction. Chapter 1: Prerequisite—Photo 101. Chapter 2: It’s Your Viewfinder: Interviews with the Pros. Chapter 3: Your Digital Skeleton. Chapter 4: Creative Control: Using Your Lens. Chapter 5: Light Becomes the Image. Chapter 6: Controlling the Light. Chapter 7: Your Color in Control. Chapter 8: Prepro/Shoot/Deliver: Interviews with the Pros. Chapter 9: Guest Photographs and Advice.

Andy Batt is a professional photographer who creates images for editorial, advertising, interactive and corporate clients. A former faculty member of SVA’s MPS DP program, he is known for his dramatic sports photos and portraits of interesting people. Andy’s photography has most recently been featured in Photo District News (PDN), and his advertising work includes photographing NFL players, Indy Car racers and reality TV star Dog The Bounty Hunter. Candace Dobro is a portrait and still-life photographer and a writer/editor specializing in photo-related topics. She is a graduate of the MPS DP program at SVA. Jodie Steen owns 127 Productions, Inc., designing and implementing color-management solutions for top ad agencies, prominent artists and industry-leading photographers. Jodie is a former faculty member of SVA’s MPS DP program. Series Editor Katrin Eismann is the founder and Chair of the MPS in Digital Photography program at SVA. Known as the Photoshop Diva, Katrin is an internationally respected artist, teacher and author. She specializes in creative digital photography and the impact of emerging technologies upon professional photographers, artists and educators.

To create successful imagery, you need to balance technical know-how and aesthetic vision. In Camera & Craft, we deconstruct photographic principles in new ways to help you think through your process. Together with nine guest photographers, we explore photographic practice and follow up with inventive exercises and demonstrations that challenge you to engage with your tools—all with the goal of helping you work more creatively. Along the way are conversations with our guest photographers that address each topic, from how the professionals work with clients and models to what they think about as they look through the viewfinder.