Make Great Photos ― A Friendly Guide and Journal for Improving Your Photographs

Learning the basics of photography can seem like a daunting task. At first glance, there is a whole new world of terminology to digest and tons of numbers to master. It can be confusing, frustrating, and overwhelming. It’s no wonder many people set their cameras to Auto and hope for the best in whatever situation they’re shooting, whether that’s a child’s soccer game, a birthday party, or a vacation. Unless luck strikes, the resulting images are usually not very good.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Enter Make Great Photos: A Friendly Guide and Journal for Improving Your Photographs. In this book, photographer and author Alan Hess teaches you the basics of photography by breaking down the topic into its fundamental parts. In the first section of the book, Alan explains what makes a great photo in the first place, examining a selection of images and working through why each one is successful. He then dives into chapters that cover the photographic choices every photographer needs to make. These choices boil down to just three topics: light, focus, and composition.

In the second part of Make Great Photos, Alan addresses specific shooting situations—categorized into travel, action, events, and people—discussing the challenges that each scenario poses and how to conquer them. Finally, you’ll learn the top five basic edits you need to know to make your images pop when you share them online.

Alongside Alan’s images and words are journal sections that push you to learn and grow in your photography through thoughtful exercises and engaging assignments. These fun activities help you fully absorb the lessons throughout the book so you can head out with your camera and capture great images.

Alan Hess is a San Diego-based commercial photographer. He has photographed hundreds of concerts, three songs at a time. From small club shows to big arenas, Alan enjoys the fast pace of shooting on the fly, the rush of the house lights going down, and the drive to capture the "show" in the images of first three songs. ??The wide variety of bands that Alan has shot include Billy Idol, Black Eyed Peas, Bruce Hornsby, Bullet for my Valentine, Citizen Cope, The Dead, Death Cab for Cutie, Cher, John Legend, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Robin Williams, Slayer, Steel Pulse, Widespread Panic, and Willie Nelson, just to name a few. Alan is currently the house photographer for a large concert venue in Southern California.

When he isn't out shooting concerts, he is writing photography books. He is the author of more than a dozen books covering everything from concert and low light photography to the basics of exposure and composition and the Nikon Creative Lighting System. Alan has contributed to Photoshop User magazine and has been a part of the Instructor Dream Team at Photoshop World since 2009. Alan blogs regularly at www.alanhessphotography.com.