Hey folks, I might be running to the bookstore later...what are some good photography books that are out there right now?
good photography books?
- Thread starter King
- Start date
Bryan Petersen, "Understanding Exposure"
Freeman Patterson "Photography and the Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photograph"
Freeman Patterson "Photography and the Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photograph"
Anything by Joe Mcnally- Hot shoe diares and the moment it clicks
Most things by Scott Kelby
Most things by Scott Kelby
I'll echo Bryan Petersen's Undertanding Exposure. It is a great book with very good information. The Ansel Adams books on photography are good as well. Finally, John Shaw's Landscape Photography is a good one too.
God Bless,
David
God Bless,
David
+1
Good book. There's a revised edition published in 2008. I also picked up the Magic Lantern Guide for my D300 off of the FS forum. Excellent reference.
Digital SLR Handbook by John Freeman.
It taught me quite a bit that i needed
It taught me quite a bit that i needed
+1
This was one of the first books I read and is pretty good. Easy to read, great visuals to help you understand and the practice sections are easy to follow. Overall easy to read and understand too. As mentioned, he also has a few other titles on Composition and Shutter Speed as well.
I just picked up hot shoe diaries on ebay, waiting for it to come in. Scott Kelby has a style that isn't for everyone. His humor may be annoying to some in his books. You may want to pick up a cope and read a few chapters in the bookstore before purchasing to see if you like his writing style first.
most bookstores are pretty limited but the Peterson one is good and should be available
I actually saw Scott Kelby's site because I was cruising around amazon just checking to see what was out there and I really like his style of photography and saw his book "The Digital Photography Book"...seemed like a good book online. Has anyone around here used it?
I really like Kelby's books (now 3 of them). Very easy to understand, with short, brief, specific tips. You have to put up with his sense of humor (just skip the first 5 pages of any of his books).
you might want to check the "this information has helped me" post for ideas as well.
I own volume I & II, and some of the tips are pretty helpful. It's written as if the reader already has a decent understanding of DSLR photography though. It offers more "tips and techniques" then explanations and understandings. So he does not explain what shutter speeds are and how it works with aperture, but he'll tell you exactly what shutter speed and apaerture you will need to get a specific type of shot.
Again, easy reads if you can deal with his writing style. He is coming out with a volume III of this series as well. I picked up the 2-volume set from Buy.com for about $22 I think? Much cheaper than B&N.
Train Your Gaze, by Roswell Angier.
&
On Being A Photographer, by David Hurn.
&
On Being A Photographer, by David Hurn.
Learning to see Creatively and Close up Photography also by Bryan Peterson are excellent.
The Digital Photography Books Vol 1 and 2 (Vol 3 coming out soon) by Scott Kelby are also good, quick reads.
Tom Ang and Michael Freeman make excellent books as well, anything by them and you can't go wrong.
The Digital Photography Books Vol 1 and 2 (Vol 3 coming out soon) by Scott Kelby are also good, quick reads.
Tom Ang and Michael Freeman make excellent books as well, anything by them and you can't go wrong.
I picked up Vol. 1 of the Scott Kelby books and I actually like his writing style a lot. Not the in your face factual type, no. But to the point...after a few pages of comical wanna-be tech talk. Anyway, it's an easy and very quick read and look forward to putting some of the stuff from the book to use soon. I might go out and get the other books of his too, we'll see. I'm sort of strapped on cash and luckily this book was only $15, so maybe I can go out and get a few more.
Honestly the best photo book i read was "Scott Kelby's-The Digital Photography Book" It is a great book for beginners. Without it i would have been dumbfounded.
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I'll second votes for Bryan Patterson's Understanding Exposure - it's top-drawer - but not for others of his books that have been recommended.
I'll also second votes for Joe McNally's two books, although his efforts to be funny in them wear thin at times. Moment It Clicks is an entertaining and inspirational insight into a pro shooter's challenges and his famously-creative approaches to them. Hot Shoe Diaries offers insights into getting great results using an array of compact flashes, especially if they're Nikon flashes supporting Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS).
Michael Freeman's book The Photographer's Eye is arguably (and there WILL be arguments!
) the best book around on composition and design in photographs. Content includes coverage of classical design "rules" and the elements within them, color, and the ways in which viewers perceptions can be shaped. Sometimes technical, always illuminated with plenty of examples.
Galen Rowell's books, especially The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography and his classic Mountain Light, continue to inspire even though they are primarilily (exclusively? I can't remember if Inner Game mentions digital.) film-based. Rowell is sometimes compared to Ansel Adams, and did stunning work with filters and careful planning that is still instructive for landscape photographers today.
Finally, Freeman Patterson's books, especially his classic Photography and the Art of Seeing, but they're all worth having.
"Bookstore?" Is that, like, a store that sells books? Of all of the above titles, perhaps only Bryan Patterson's book is a pretty sure bet in a typical bookstore, the rest range from "long-shots" to "guaranteed not in stock". Amazon sells all of them.
I'll also second votes for Joe McNally's two books, although his efforts to be funny in them wear thin at times. Moment It Clicks is an entertaining and inspirational insight into a pro shooter's challenges and his famously-creative approaches to them. Hot Shoe Diaries offers insights into getting great results using an array of compact flashes, especially if they're Nikon flashes supporting Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS).
Michael Freeman's book The Photographer's Eye is arguably (and there WILL be arguments!
) the best book around on composition and design in photographs. Content includes coverage of classical design "rules" and the elements within them, color, and the ways in which viewers perceptions can be shaped. Sometimes technical, always illuminated with plenty of examples.Galen Rowell's books, especially The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography and his classic Mountain Light, continue to inspire even though they are primarilily (exclusively? I can't remember if Inner Game mentions digital.) film-based. Rowell is sometimes compared to Ansel Adams, and did stunning work with filters and careful planning that is still instructive for landscape photographers today.
Finally, Freeman Patterson's books, especially his classic Photography and the Art of Seeing, but they're all worth having.
"Bookstore?" Is that, like, a store that sells books? Of all of the above titles, perhaps only Bryan Patterson's book is a pretty sure bet in a typical bookstore, the rest range from "long-shots" to "guaranteed not in stock". Amazon sells all of them.
I'll second votes for Bryan Patterson's Understanding Exposure - it's top-drawer - but not for others of his books that have been recommended.
I'll also second votes for Joe McNally's two books, although his efforts to be funny in them wear thin at times. Moment It Clicks is an entertaining and inspirational insight into a pro shooter's challenges and his famously-creative approaches to them. Hot Shoe Diaries offers insights into getting great results using an array of compact flashes, especially if they're Nikon flashes supporting Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS).
Michael Freeman's book The Photographer's Eye is arguably (and there WILL be arguments!
Galen Rowell's books, especially The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography and his classic Mountain Light, continue to inspire even though they are primarilily (exclusively? I can't remember if Inner Game mentions digital.) film-based. Rowell is sometimes compared to Ansel Adams, and did stunning work with filters and careful planning that is still instructive for landscape photographers today.
Finally, Freeman Patterson's books, especially his classic Photography and the Art of Seeing, but they're all worth having.
"Bookstore?" Is that, like, a store that sells books? Of all of the above titles, perhaps only Bryan Patterson's book is a pretty sure bet in a typical bookstore, the rest range from "long-shots" to "guaranteed not in stock". Amazon sells all of them.
I am curious as to why Freemans book would cause arguments.
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