Harold Davis, the author of Digital Photography Digital Field Guide, maintains a companion Web site for the book. The companion site provides photographs from the book, a slide show, updates, tools, tips, techniques, links, and resources. The address for the companion Web site is www.digital fieldguide.com. Harold also writes a photo blog at www.photoblog2.com.
You find a great deal of information on the sites offered by the manufacturers of digital cameras. If you are considering buying a particular model, this is a good place to start investigating it. If you already own your camera, and your manual isn't handy, you can use the manufacturer's site to find product documentation. Here is Web site information for the leading digital camera vendors:
Canon (
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/)Kodak (
www.kodak.com)Konica Minolta (
http://konicaminolta.com/products/consumer/digital_camera/dimage/)Nikon (
http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/index.htm)Olympus (
http://olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_digital.asp)Pentax (
www.digital.pentax.co.jp/en/index.php)Sony (
www.sony.com)
Here are some suggestions for online resources that may help you find the right accessories to use with your digital camera.
Camera bags are important for protecting your camera from the elements in the field. The right camera bag, if it fits you comfortably, can help make your photography experience more comfortable and productive.
Lowepro (
www.lowepro.com)Tamrac (
www.tamrac.com)Tenba (
www.tenba.com/camera.htm)
Filters can be a great way to extend the creative range of your photography. You can find a great deal of information about filters on the sites of these filter manufacturers.
B...W (
www.schneideroptics.com/filters/filters_for_still_photography/)Filterhouse.com(www.filterhouse.com)Hoya (
www.thkphoto.com/products/hoya/)Tiffen (
www.tiffen.com)
A good tripod is probably the most important accessory a field photographer can have. You can use these sites to investigate tripods that work well in the field.
Bogen (
www.bogenimaging.us)Note
Bogen is the U.S. distributor of Gitzo and Manfrotto.
Gitzo (
www.gitzo.com)Manfrotto (
www.manfrotto.com)Slik (
www.thkphoto.com/products/slik/)
For more information about these software packages, see Chapter 7.
Paint Shop Pro (Corel) (www.corel.com)
An inexpensive product with much of the functionality of the better-known Photoshop.
Picasa (Google) (www.picasa.com)
Free program that let's you do a surprising amount of quick photo editing.
Photoshop Elements (www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/main.html)
Photoshop's less expensive younger brother; most of the Photoshop functionality you are likely to need.
Photoshop (www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html)
The one and only incomparable photo enhancement and manipulation program.
PictureProject (http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/pictureproject/)
Created by Nikon specifically for use with Nikon cameras; also let's you do some photo manipulation.
These are just a few of the many good resources for Photoshop.
Adobe Studio (http://studio.adobe.com/us/)
The Adobe Studio is a great resource for Photoshop users. Browse through the Studio to find tutorials and tips, download actions and plug-ins, and find out about online Photoshop courses.
Braintique Photoshop (www.braintique.com/barticles/photoshop/)
This handy site offers many articles about using Photoshop to retouch and manipulate digital photographs.
Planet Photoshop (www.planetphotoshop.com/)
Planet Photoshop includes weekly tutorials, discussion boards, and news about upcoming Photoshop conferences, seminars, and products.
PhotoshopCafe (www.photoshopcafe.com)
PhotoshopCafe includes many tips and techniques, actions and plug-ins ready for download, and forums. Also, check out the links to other Photoshop resources available on the Web.
When you've taken your photographs, you will certainly want some prints to frame or share with friends. Here are some of the commercial printing services I'd suggest checking out.
Costco (www.costco.com)
Hybrid online and bricks-and-mortar service
Kodak Easy Share Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com)
Formerly Ofoto; online service
Ritz/Wolf Camera (www.ritzpix.com)
Hybrid online and bricks-and-mortar service
Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com)
Online service
Snapfish (www.snapfish.com)
Online service
Wal-Mart (www.walmart.com)
Hybrid online and bricks-and-mortar service
These hosted blogging services are particularly friendly if you'd like to publish and share your digital photos as part of a blog:
Blogger (
www.blogger.com)LiveJournal (
www.livejournal.com)Typepad (
www.typepad.com)
These online services are designed for you to publish and share digital photographs:
Flickr (
www.flickr.com)Heypix (
www.heypix.com)Kodak Gallery (
www.kodakgallery.com)
You can learn a great deal about photography online and from books. I am particularly partial to classic books about photography because basic principles apply just as much to digital photography as to film photography. Here are some of my favorite books about photography, and Web sites I find interesting.
Ansel Adams, The Camera (Bulfinch, Reprint edition 1995, ISBN 0821221841): Classic book about photographic basics by the master.
Bryan Peterson, Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color ... Composition in Photography (Amphoto, Revised edition 2003, ISBN 0817441816): Good, if basic, book about photographic design and composition.
John Shaw, Nature Photography Field Guide (Amphoto Books, 2000, ISBN 0-8174-4059-3): Excellent discussion of photography principles as applied to field photography and pre-digital cameras.
Susan Sontag, On Photography (Picador, 2001, ISBN 0312420099): Intelligent and intellectual (perhaps overly intellectual) discussion about the meaning of photography and how it fits into life and society.
John Szarkowski, Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art (Bulfinch, Reprint edition 1999, ISBN 0821226231): 100 classic photos from the Modern's collection, with a discussion by curator and photographer Szarkowski about why they are important.
Digital Camera Blog (www.livingroom.org.au/photolog/)
Digital camera news, reviews, and tips.
Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com/)
Digital photography equipment reviews and news.
Digital Photography Weblog (http://digitalphotography.weblogsinc.com/)
State of the digital photography industry (motto: a picture is worth five megapixels).
George Eastman House (www.eastmanhouse.org/)
The site for the George Eastman House — one of the world's leading photography museums — features an online searchable photography archive.
National Geographic Photography (www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/) Field photography at the best professional level.
Open Directory Project, Photography Techniques and Styles (http://dmoz.org/Arts/Photography/Techniques_and_Styles/)
This category of the Open Directory pro- vides links to sites with information about photography.
PixelPress (www.pixelpress.org/)
Online magazine intended to "encourage documentary photographers, writers, filmmakers, artists, human rights workers, and students to explore the world in ways that take advantage of the new possibilities provided by digital media."