TPC's Textbooks

While our Online Tips & Tricks (30 pages) contain the 12 basic areas everyone needs to understand in order to enjoy photography, TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book I consists of 17 Chapters (over 80,000 words in 328 pages) of text, 100 color photos, 84 2D graphics, 44 3D graphics, and 41 charts to make your fundamental photographic technique education complete. We do not waste your time with instruction on how to load your film or why the sun rises in the east; we teach you practical and intuitive techniques that will make your photographs stand head and shoulders above any other photographer's work. If you like what you see online and enjoy the way we write (in our Book's sample pages) then you will find this extremely enhanced and updated Book version the answer to your needs and wants of becoming a successful serious amateur photographer. If you are looking to go Pro or want to expand your existing photographic technique skills, we suggest also ordering either TPC's PT Book II, or by enrolling in either TPC's Self-Study Course or TPC's Certificate of Completion Course. All of my Books include the same levels of support for both film and digital camera users.

This full-color Book is designed in a 5.5x8.5 inch horizontal format; the perfect size to neatly fit into the back pocket of most camera bags. The Comb Bound Softcover design allows for complete 360-degree folding, which means the book will lay flat or will wrap around to fold completely open for ease in studying or use in the field. We LaserJet-print our books in high-resolution COLOR using the the latest technology from Hewlett Packard to keep your cost of education affordable. This textbook also includes personalized email support for life on all the included chapters; TPC does not use 'form letters' in answering your email.

Chapters included in the TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book I:
1. Artistic Composition - immediately improve your photographic technique
2. Camera Types - deciding between the several different 35mm, APS, and digital camera designs
3. Film Types and ISO's - negatives or slides, fast or slow film or digital ISO speeds, memory cards - when and where to use them
4. Lenses - the whole gamut from fish-eye to PC to long telephoto to reflex types, extension tubes, close-up attachments, etc.
5. Basic Composition - more than you think goes into the basic and intermediate composition of a great photograph
6. Filters - the four filters you should initially own and how when to use them, plus inside information and advice on using lens hoods
7. Flash Photography - built-in, manual, fill, dedicated, and TTL for both your filma and digital camera
8. Up to Now - A review of Chapters 1-7
9. Apertures - what they do and why they are there -- amateur and professional instruction for both film and digital users
10. Depth of Field - four easy steps to master this dreaded technique, even if your lens doesn't have a DOF Scale
11. Shutter Speeds - what they do and why they are there -- amateur and professional instruction for both film and digital users
12. Priority and Program Modes - learn to use these instead of the drudgery of fully manual control -- for both film and digital users
13. Action Photography - Stop, Blur, Television, Panning
14. Exposure Compensation - learn to set your film or digital exposure settings regardless of your scene's lighting conditions
15. Available Light (Night Photography) - who's afraid of the dark; includes techniques, ideas, and a chart for most any night or low-level lighting situation, including fill-flash techniques
16. Putting It All Together - Step-by-Step: How TPC designs, sets up, and exposes a professional outdoor nighttime photograph
17. Finishing Your Photos - What to expect from your local photofinisher, and how to best present your finished masterpieces with the help of your professional frame shop
And, do not forget about our unsurpassed email support covering all the above chapters! It is included and is free with the purchase of any of our books!
If you would like to learn more about receiving Textual Critiques of your work from each chapter's Personal Assignments, click here.

TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book II: Comb Bound Softcover COLOR BOOK - $59.95

The chapters in TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book II offer the experienced and working photographer the twenty professional chapters listed below. With over 75,000 words in 314 pages, 202 color photographs, 7 B/W, 98 3D graphics, 89 2D graphics, 30 charts and tables, and 8 studio lighting designs (displayed in virtual 3-D), TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book II delivers the information you need to handle most any professional shooting situation. And if you have a question about any of the included chapters, you need only ask via our included and unsurpassed lifetime of personal one-to-one email support. We have already been in your shoes and are ready with the answers to your practical questions. This full-color Book is designed in a 5.5x8.5 inch horizontal format; the perfect size to neatly fit into the back pocket of most camera bags. We LaserJet-print our books in high-resolution COLOR using the latest technology from Hewlett Packard to keep your cost of education affordable.

Chapters included in TPC's Photographic Techniques, Book II:
1. The OriJen Exposure System - TPC's personal design for recognizing light and exposure settings without the use of an exposure meter
2. Leading Lines - learn to capture and hold the viewer's attention
3. Working Your Subject - learn to recognize when you have composed the best possible scene
4. Contrasting Colors - make your viewer 'Stop and Take Notice' of your photograph
5. Using Light Creatively - you will learn how to be the only one to see a great photograph that others might miss
6. Shooting for Effect - strike a pose or compose a striking photograph that truly makes a statement
7. Advanced Composition - and you thought TPC's Book I chapter on 'Basic Composition' was good? Add these techniques to the way you look at your scene
8. Double/Multiple Exposures - why stop at just two; we show you how
9. Advanced Fill-flash - put a flash on every camera and use it in every photograph you capture
10. Shooting Texture - reach out and make your audience want to touch your photographs
11. Shooting Close-ups - more than just using long or macro lenses -- be artistic with abstracts, too
12. Photographing Interiors - where most fear to venture; we show you how to be a professional with indoor lighting
13. Portraiture - learn how to photograph anyone's facial features; learn how to setup your studio lights eight different ways
14. Wedding Photography - Everything you need to know about photographing a friend's wedding -- and a great step forward into Professional Wedding Photography
15. Photography Underwater - SCUBA, Sport, or just rainy weather, TPC covers them all in-depth
16. Digital Photography - live and learn, what to expect, how to overcome any camera's resolution shortcomings through thought and some basic digital-editing techniques
17. In-depth Digital-editing - much more than any chemical photofinisher can offer your images; based on Adobe® PhotoShop®
18. Record Keeping - receipts, traveling, contact sheets, and more than just remembering which f/stop you used; includes log sheet designs
19. Security - protect yourself, your gear, your sanity, and your career
20. Personal Assignments - Brain-dead about what to shoot? TPC describes 14 different areas to help you build and perfect your portfolio

And, do not forget about our unsurpassed email support covering all the above chapters! It is included for free with the purchase of any of our books!
If you would like to learn more about receiving Textual Critiques of your work from Book II's Personal Assignments, click here.

TPC: Portrait Studio Design & Operation: Comb Bound Softcover COLOR BOOK - $59.95

My PSD&O is TPC's third book covering not only the design and operation of a successful portrait studio, but also how to build your clientelle and pose most any kind of individual or group of people who may walk in through your studio's front doors. TPC has gone to great lengths to include over 500 professionally created original and exclusive 3-D color graphics for this book; there are no photos in this book other than the self-portrait of me on the back cover. These color 3-D graphics demonstrate not only the latest technology in how to pose children, women, men, couples, and groups from many different angles and zoom ranges for your benefit and portrait studio education, but also how to position your studio equipment using eight different 3-D studio designs and lighting setups each from 4 different 3-D views -- top, side, camera, and a full page view of each lighting setup's finished portrait. We have included over 30 pieces of studio equipment you may some day own to use and over 30 different props that can be used in a variety of clever ways, again all in 3-D to help you in rapidly developing a style and presence in your local photo and studio community. This book contains over 53,000 words on 307 pages; our most content-intensive textbook yet!

This full-color Book is designed in TPC's familiar 5.5x8.5 inch horizontal format; the perfect size to neatly fit into the back pocket of most camera bags and will not occupy much space on your studio desk. We LaserJet-print our books in high-resolution COLOR using the latest technology from Hewlett Packard to keep your cost of education affordable.

Personalized email support for life is also included with this Book. Prior knowledge of exposure, action, and Depth of Field is required in order to use this book; TPC's PT Book I is a great addition if you need assistance in these areas.

Chapters included in the Portrait Studio Design & Operation Book:
1. Introduction - Premise and basis of the book
2. Portrait Studio Business Prerequisites - some legalities, bonds, licenses, locations, banking, insurance and more
3. Studio Equipment and Setup - lighting types, power sources, basic props, backgrounds and more
4. Locations and Layouts for Your Studio - how to find and select a studio location and then how to set it up with your equipment
5. Classic Studio Lighting Effects - 8+ Ways to Light Your Client - lightmeters, flashmeters, and studio set-ups for calibration and professional money-making use
6. The Psychology of Studio Portraiture - getting inside your client's head to identify and maximize your sales and profit
7. Understanding and Applying the Basics of Portraiture - why some portraits just don't sell and how to not make those mistakes
8. Posing Your Clients - whether it's a baby or a large family group, you're ready to create an income for yourself
9. Children in the Studio - infants and children require special posing knowledge for successful sales
10. Specialty Poses in the Classic Studio - how to pose every part of the body for that 'special and personal' portrait
11. Using Props in the Portrait Studio - whether the prop is yours or the client's, knowing how to add it can make or break a sale
12. Putting Some Specialty Lighting on Your Client - getting creative with lighting and backgrounds in your studio
13. Corrective Measures for Your Client's Characteristics - posing and lighting your client regardless of most any perceptual challenge

And, do not forget about our unsurpassed email support covering all the above chapters! It is included and is free with the purchase of this book!
If you would like to learn more about receiving Textual Critiques of your work, click here.