  Okay, so I have a confession to make: I am technologically impaired. Big time. I cannot assemble things for the life of me, I don't know how to program electronics, and I do not have the first clue how to use my Canon ELPH 300 HS that I got as a birthday gift from my husband. I generally rely on my husband to be the one to figure such things out, while I continue to sit here confused until he shows me, hands on, how to do something. Looking at diagrams and reading instructions has never been overly successful for me. When it comes to my nice new camera, I always just relied on the Auto setting to take the guess work out of things. However, I noticed that by using the Auto setting, I have not always gotten the best possible photos and my camera definitely hasn't performed to its full potential. I just accepted this as something I would have to just live with, since I didn't understand how to operate manual settings. That's why when Kristen Duke, the author of a great book called "Say NO to Auto", and professional photographer, asked me to review her pocket guide to understanding manual camera settings, I eagerly agreed to do so. The book promises to make learning how to capture the perfect shots consistently easy and relatively painless. One thing I really like about this digital book is that it can be printed out and carried in your purse or camera bag for easy reference. This makes it simple to find the ideal manual camera settings for any situation you may find yourself taking photos. Low light? Indoors? Sunny day with minimal shade? Overcast? A moving subject? Say NO to Auto has you covered! This book shows you exactly how to determine the best possible settings in just about any shooting conditions. It is written in plain English, with helpful example photos, and is sure to get you well on the way to taking studio quality photos with your own camera! I won't give away the secrets here, but I tried her suggestions when photographing the babies. When using the Auto setting, the photos came out blurry and odd looking. When switching to manual and following Kristen's 3 easy steps, I certainly saw a difference! Take a look!  Watching the Bears game recaps. This is NOT a good photo!  Ahh, MUCH better!  I am clearly NOT a photographer! Eeek!  This photo came out better! MY OPINION: Honestly, I am still getting the hang of it. There's still a lot I need to learn. While Say NO to Auto is very informative and clear, I am so technologically challenged that it is taking me some time to get a true understanding of the basic principals of photography. My husband on the other hand understood it all immediately and started playing with the camera and utilizing the different settings. By switching from Auto to Manual, he even found awesome photo settings we didn't even know existed! I would definitely recommend Say NO to Auto to anyone looking for an easy guide to great photography. Kristen's steps are easy to follow, and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find yourself taking better quality photos in no time at all! You might even be able to say Bye-Bye to Photoshop, since a picture taken using the proper settings will not need enhancements! How cool is that?! BUY IT: You can purchase a copy of Say NO to Auto on the Kristen Duke Photography website. Say No to Auto is available in both printable digital form and Hardcover versions. You can also follow her on Facebook for great tips and promotions! WIN IT: One very lucky follower will win a printable, digital copy of Say NO to Auto. This is so convenient, since you can print it easily and carry it with you for immediate reference! If the winner happened to purchase the book, Kristen Duke will gladly refund their money! Please use this handy Rafflecopter form to enter! This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE! (18+ please) until 12:01AM EST on 10/10/2011. Winners will be chosen at random and will be announced here, tweeted, shared on Facebook, and contacted via e-mail. The winners will have 48 hours to reply and claim their prize. If I receive no response, I will be forced to draw a new winner. ***Disclosure:I received a complimentary product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
24 Comments
9/14/2011 04:12:19 am
My biggest challenge is to get my kids to look at me. They used to be so good at smiliing at camera and now they look away. Stinkers!
Ginger Lee Dingus
9/14/2011 02:37:34 pm
Hi. Like you I am deeply interested in taking great pictures but even with a point and shoot I mess it up. I'm a reader... I read constantly 5 or 6 books all over. Like one in the car, one in the bath, one in the livingroom, etc. People ask me a lot how I can keep from getting mixed up and I say "If you're watching the brady bunch and you change the channel to football are you mixed up?" haha. Anyway, the hardest book I ever read (sort of) was a book on digital cameras last year. HELP!
Ally
9/14/2011 10:53:32 pm
My biggest challenge is trying to remember which setting does what! I've started using an SLR and I still just can't organize all of the settings in my mind. I think this would really help! 9/15/2011 01:49:15 am
I always the auto setting and no flash. Sometimes I wonder what all the other settings are for. The only way I get great pictures is by accident.
berry
9/15/2011 03:24:53 am
shooting in low light
Brittney
9/15/2011 11:50:57 pm
Lighting is my biggest challenge
Melissa Norwood
9/16/2011 10:37:22 am
My biggest challenge while shooting, is probably the lighting. If i'm inside i am always getting horrible shadows, and it doesn't make for a very good picture!
Kelly
9/16/2011 03:03:45 pm
My biggest photography challenge is trying to figure out which setting work best and how to do so quickly so that you don't miss the photo opp.
Melissa H.
9/17/2011 01:26:40 pm
Biggest challenge is definitely working in full manual mode! I have a dSLR and am trying to learn manual. Thanks!
Diana
9/18/2011 05:07:59 am
Lighting would definitely be my biggest challenge.
Erlinda
9/18/2011 07:17:57 am
Getting my husband to keep his eyes open! Seriously, it's getting nice natural light photos indoors.
Kathy
9/20/2011 04:49:52 am
My biggest challenge is getting the lighting right.
Melissa
9/21/2011 11:02:20 am
My challenge is the lighting.
Mary
9/23/2011 03:53:29 am
My biggest challenge is having the camera ready. I don't like staged photos, I want spontaneous. However, the camera is usually spontaneously in the camera bag.
lisa
9/23/2011 08:11:16 am
Lighting
Suzanne K
9/26/2011 08:23:31 am
My biggest challenge is taking the time to wait for the great shot! I just snap away and then discard (thank goodness for digital) just about everything I took because it isn't that good!
Nikki
9/29/2011 05:51:19 pm
night time shots! I cant figure out how to tae good pictures at night!
corey
10/1/2011 01:14:29 pm
Not bringing the camera in the first place - next, would be having a place to carry it on me so that it's not in the way and it doesn't look silly.
Kimberly
10/3/2011 09:42:15 pm
LIGHTING!! I am never sure when I need the flash when I am shooting manually, and I often miss a great shot.
Ally
10/3/2011 10:51:15 pm
Lighting is my biggest issue. I hate how "raw" everything looks with flash but I hate the graininess you get without it, too!
Daniel M
10/9/2011 05:40:04 am
my older 3.2mp cam has to many pictograms and i can't remember what 1/2 of them are for Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com 
 
 
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