Improve Your Photography Skills (Basic Photography eBook Giveaway!)

The holidays are coming, friends. If you want to figure out the basics to taking good pictures, and take your camera off of the Auto setting, then today's Photography Basics ebook Giveaway from Kristen Duke Photography is for you. Just imagine the photos of your family and the Christmas tree this year! You don't need to be a Canon or Nikon expert to test this book out...just someone who has the desire to take better pictures. Keep reading to learn more about the book and to enter to win your own copy of "Say NO to Auto".

I was in elementary school when I received my first camera. I used it to take pictures of my Barbies all dressed up for a Barbie-Ken wedding. I used it to snap shots on field trips and family vacations. As I grew older, my little camera was replaced by newer models. As digital photography and DSLR cameras became more popular, I was thrilled when T gave me a Nikon and some awesome accessories. 

Confession time. The manual settings on my camera scare me a little bit. There are a lot of numbers and letters. Numbers and letters together remind me of Algebra. And Algebra reminds me of math. I hate math. I've looked at tutorials, camera manuals, and online tips before and they make me nervous. 

When Kristen asked if I'd like to take a peek at "Say NO to Auto", I readily agreed. Kristen is a lifestyle blogger and photographer based in Austin, Texas. I've featured several of her amazing projects here at Serenity Now. Her site, Capturing Joy is filled with creative ideas. I just knew she'd be able to explain things to me!

Kristen explains basic photography terms in a way that I could understand. Reading through the ebook made me feel like two friends were sitting down for a chat. This book is definitely geared towards readers who want to understand the basics. 

The format is easy to read, well organized, and she includes photo examples. I love that she shares pictures of both Canon and Nikon DSLR models and their features. This was a huge bonus for me. I've seen lots of tutorials geared for one model or another, and when you are new to using your DSLR it's helpful to see something similar to your brand. Kristen's book is not at all intimidating!

Here's an example of 3 UNEDITED photos in my dining room taken in Auto mode with the flash on (eeew! dark and harsh), Auto mode with no flash (eh, better, but still dark), and in Manual mode. Clearly the one taken in Manual mode wins here:

You can purchase a hard copy or the ebook (and if you win the Giveaway, Kristen will refund you the purchase price!). The ebook comes in jpeg form, 17 pages. I was able to print them out on photo paper and create a small booklet to keep in my camera bag. I had the pages laminated to keep them from getting beat up in my camera bag. You can even upload them to your iPhone as images. How handy is that?!

I highly recommend "Say NO to Auto"; it would also make a fantastic Christmas gift for a loved one who wants to learn more about taking great photos!

Kristen is giving away a copy of "Say NO to Auto" to one Serenity Now reader!

--UPDATE: Giveaway now closed--

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter, and note that I do verify entries:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and may all of us enjoy better photos this holiday season!