Product Review

Expert advice helps you master your camera and capture great photos

The Nikon D3100 features full 1080p high-definition video with full-time autofocus and is an ideal upgrade for point-and-shoot camera owners who want to learn the features of a dSLR. This go-anywhere, full-color guide is the perfect companion for getting started with your Nikon D3100. Packed with nearly 300 lavish photos and professional-level tips and techniques, this handy reference explains how to make the most of the full-time autofocus and takes you through the more advanced features of the D3100.

• Walks you through the controls, features, and functions of the Nikon D3100 using step-by-step instructions
• Provides full-color images of each menu screen of the D3100
• Teaches you how to adjust white balance, autofocus, exposure, and explains why and how to adjust each of these settings
• Demonstrates how to capture portraits, candids, sports action, travel, and cinematic-quality movies

The Nikon D3100 Digital Field Guide goes beyond the owner's manual to offer you amazing examples, helpful tips and tricks, and invaluable advice for taking memorable photos and movies.

Author Tip: Using Leading Lines

One of the easiest ways to make your images more dynamic and interesting is by using leading lines. Leading lines draw the viewer’s eye through the scene, generate dramatic tension by creating or dividing negative space, lead the eye to the subject, or they can do any combination of these.

Leading lines exist everywhere, both in nature and in man-made structures. Oftentimes when composing a photograph we unwittingly include leading lines because in real life, just as in a photograph, our eyes tend to be drawn to leading lines.

The key is to recognize leading lines so you can use them more effectively in your photographs. Some leading line subjects are obvious, a path or trail leading off into the distance, railroad tracks, handrails or stairways. Some leading lines are less obvious, the curving shore line of a beach or the gentle sloping curve of a hill or mountain leading off into the distance.

Keep an eye out for leading lines and incorporate them into your images when you can. Keep in mind that the leading line doesn’t always have to be the key subject, sometimes the subtle use of a leading line is best.

Snail Shell In this almost surreal shot of a snail shell, the spiral draws your eye into the image. I purposely underexposed the shot to let the background go dark to further focus the eye on the center of the photograph. Shot with the Nikon D3100 with Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR for 1/500 second at f/4.8, ISO 800 Matrix metering.

Arts Center In this photo of the Long Center for Performing Arts in Austin, Texas, the balustrade leads the eye up through the image while it and the columns make separations in the dark negative space. Shot with the Nikon D3100 with Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 OS at 17mm for 0.6 seconds at f/8, ISO 200, Matrix metering.

Abandoned Grain Elevator The strong vertical pattern of these abandoned grain elevators creates a dynamic tension. Using the MC Picture Control and increasing the contrast serves to highlight the “lines within lines” of the texture of the concrete. Leaving the plants in the foreground adds a bit of an organic element to an otherwise harsh composition. Shot with the Nikon D3100 with Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR at 18mm for 1/320 second at f/10, ISO 640 (Auto-ISO), Matrix metering.