MODULE ONE : CAMERAS & LENSES

• Introduction to the Professional Photography Course
• About the Author
• The Small Format SLR
• The Medium Format Camera
• The Large Format Camera
• Small & Medium Format SLR Features
• Lens Faults
• Spherical Aberration
• Chromatic Aberration
• Barrel & Pincushion Distortion
• Flare & Vignetting
• Lens Types
• Specialty Lenses & Attachments
• Caring For Your Camera & Lenses
• Practical Lens Choices                
                        
MODULE TWO : SHUTTERS, APERTURE, ISO AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS                            
        
• The Shutter
• Shutter Types
• Stops
• F/Stops
• The Aperture / Shutter Speed Relationship
• Reciprocity
• Depth of Field
• Circles of Confusion
• Sharpness
• Depth of Field Scale
• Hyperfocal Distance
• The Depth of Field Preview Button
• Depth of Field & the View Camera
• Digital Sensors & the View Camera
• SLR Shooting Modes
• Putting it all Together
• Previsualisation                          

MODULE THREE : EXPOSURE & METERING

• Light Meters
• Hand Held Meters
• Average Reflective Metering
• Spot Metering
• Incident Metering
• In Camera Light Meters
• ISO & Exposure Compensation Control
• Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO Relationship
• The 18% Grey Card
• Dynamic Range & a Metering Method
• The Stepped Greyscale Test
• Zone System Basics
• Building Your Own Zone Ruler
• Metering Colours and Other Tips
• Some Final Thoughts on Metering                      

MODULE FOUR : THE FILM & DIGITAL PROCESS

• A Brief History of the Photographic Process
• A Timeline for the Development of Photography
• Development & Construction of Photographic Film
• Panchromatic Film
• The Wet Process
• Colour Film Processing
• Pushing (Lightening)
• Pulling (Darkening)
• Films D Log E Curve
• Digital Image Capture
• CCD & CMOC Compared
• Tri-Linear Array Scanning Backs
• Film vs. Digital
• Greens
• Digital D Log E Curve
• In Camera Filters & Sharpening
• The Histogram
• In Camera Controls & What to Do With Them                  

MODULE FIVE : LIGHT & COLOUR
                                              
• The Colour Spectrum
• Colour Temperature
• Early Colour Theory Development
• Maxwell’s Triangle and Modern Colour Theory
• Additive and Subtractive Colour Systems
• The CIE and LAB Colour
• Photographic Filters
• Useful Filters in the Digital World
• The Mired Scale
• Wratten Filters
• The Colour Temperature Meter
• Digital White Balance
• Seeing Like a Camera
• Some Useful Tricks
• Previsualisation
• Setting Shadow and Highlights
• Black and White
• The Red Channel in RGB
• The Blue Channel in RGB
• The L Channel in Lab                               

MODULE SIX : LIGHTING

• About Light
• The Sun
• Colour
• The Quality of Light
• I love Daylight
• Artificial Light Sources
• Lighting Outdoors
• Lighting People and Small Moveable Objects
• Fill in Flash
• Mirrors
• Scrims
• Reflectors
• Backlighting
• The World’s Best Lighting
• The Daylight Look Indoors
• Tungsten Lights
• Bouncing Lights
• Balancing Flash and Daylight
• Flash Duration
• Portrait Lighting
• Unisex General Portraiture Lighting Scheme
• The Vanity Index
• Lighting Men and Women                      

MODULE SEVEN : HOW TO TAKE BETTER PHOTOS

• The Big Question
• Commercial Reality
• Travel Photography
• Photojournalism
• Magazine Photography
• Advertising Photography
• Educate Yourself
• A Process for Photographing Objects
• A Mental Shooting Checklist
• Thinking like A Lens
• Previsualising
• Colour Management in Camera
• The Cameras Preview Tools
• Working Tethered
• The Photoshop Trap
• Sticking to a Subject
• Be Honest With Yourself
• Be Realistic
• A Word on Plagiarism
• A Cut-Out Portfolio
• A Style to Call Your Own                    

MODULE EIGHT : EQUIPMENT & SOFTWARE

• Camera Choices
• Format Size
• The Small Format Camera System
• The Medium Format Camera System
• The Large Format Camera System
• Questions and Considerations
• Buying vs. Hiring
• Which Lenses Do I Need
• Old Film Lenses in a Digital World
• Where Is the Technology Going?
• Lighting Equipment
• Studio Flash Units
• Which Brand Should I Buy
• Portability
• Tungsten Lighting
• Second Hand Gear
• Computers & Monitors
• The Calibration Device
• Data Storage
• The Graphics Tablet
• Capture Software              

MODULE NINE : RETOUCHING, RESOLUTION & PRINTING

• Photoshop & Other Retouching Software
• The Interesting Issue of DPI & PPI
• Image Size…How Big is Big Enough?
• Output Devices & Resolution Requirements
• Dot Gain
• Working in RGB
• Gamma
• Gamut
• The CMYK Workspace
• Bit Depth
• Colour Channels in Photoshop
• File Formats for Digital Imaging & Printing
• File Formats for Print Bound Images
• Working with 16 Bit Files
• HDR for High Contrast Images
• Photoshop Toolbox
• Quick masking
• Photoshop’s Densitometer
• Adjustment Layers
• Sharpening
• My Sharpening Methodology
• Camera Raw Image Adjustment Basics
• Photoshop Lightroom 3 Image Adjustment Basics
• Do Your Prints Look Like the Screen Image?
• Calibrate the Whole Shebang                       

MODULE TEN : THE STUDIO

• The Photographer’s Studio
• Do I Need a Studio
• Hiring a Studio
• Sharing
• Living In
• How Big a Studio Do I Need
• The Perils of Working from Home
• The Joys of Working from Home
• The Wedding and Portrait Studio
• The Question of Daylight
• Ceiling Heights
• Colours and Decorating
• The Studio Floor
• Poly Boards
• Must Haves
• Bus and Train Routes
• Parking
• Security
• Hiring Out your Precious Studio
• Start Small
• Where to Begin                                

MODULE ELEVEN : HOW TO CONSTRUCT A PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

• Where to Begin
• Selecting a Speciality Area
• Fashion & Beauty
• Portraiture
• Weddings & Family
• Nudes & Glamour
• Photojournalism
• Travel & Resort
• Food
• Product & Still Life
• Architecture & Interiors
• Industrial & Corporate
• Cars
• The Photographer’s Assistant
• Career Path Suggestions
• Try to Get a Look at Other Photographers’ Work
• Look at the Portfolios of Stylists to get Ideas
• How to Find the Right People to Schmooze
• Talk to Photo Agents
• Be Ruthless Don’t Dilute the Portfolio
• Is One Folio Enough
• Get Other Opinions
• Think About Your Presentation
• This is Where to Spend Money Wisely
• Some Ideas on Marketing Tools 

MODULE TWELVE : PHOTO AGENTS, PICTURE AGENCIES - HOW TO GET WORK…AND KEEP IT
            
• The Photographer’s Agent
• The Role of the Agent
• The Photographers / Agent Relationship
• How to Find a Photo Agent
• Avoid Mixed Agencies If You Can
• Be Totally Prepared For Your Interview
• Fees & Charges
• Agency Politics
• Don’t Argue!
• Photo Libraries and Picture Agencies in a Nutshell
• The Copyright Issue
• How to Submit Images
• Be Organised
• Do Your Homework
• Write Down Names in the Lift
• Sell Yourself!
• Going it Alone
• Befriend the Art Buyer
• A Final Word