A good beginner photography book??

ferret_lovr · Jan 4, 2009

I am obviously a beginner and I just bought a Nikon 40D(Whoopee! :lol:

) and I am starting a class at the end of the month but I was thinking of getting a book to do a little reading on my own to begin with. What is a good book that starts way in the beginning but can go pretty far up as well? Thanks for any input!

impressme · Jan 4, 2009

Understanding Exposure

Dionysus · Jan 4, 2009

ferret_lovr · Jan 4, 2009

impressme said:
Understanding Exposure

I heard from quite a few people that that was a good book but I also heard that it doesn't get very far into it..just mainly about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for beginners and not necessarily for people who plan on photography one day. Is this true?

Dionysus · Jan 4, 2009

dont know where you would have heard that. it arms you w/ all you need to know as a beginner. and shutterspeed, aperture, iso are things you may spend a very long time mastering, so just these three subjects alone are most of what youre focusing on at first.

this brings to mind my favorite quote:

"...the advanced levels are just the basics done perfectly and consistently..."

impressme · Jan 4, 2009

ferret_lovr said:
I heard from quite a few people that that was a good book but I also heard that it doesn't get very far into it..just mainly about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for beginners and not necessarily for people who plan on photography one day. Is this true?

You did say you are a beginner, yes? shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are 3 elements that are vital to understand in order to create a properly exposed photo. Its a great book! If you're looking for a book on how to pose someone that's different, but what good is a knowing how to pose a person or group if you can't properly take the photo.

ferret_lovr · Jan 4, 2009

Oh I see. Ok great! I think I just may buy that one. It's not all that expensive either. Thanks!

Samanax · Jan 4, 2009

ferret_lovr said:
I heard from quite a few people that that was a good book but I also heard that it doesn't get very far into it..just mainly about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for beginners and not necessarily for people who plan on photography one day. Is this true?

Some feel it is a little simple but it was written with beginners in mind. It will give you a good foundation to understand what it takes to get good exposure. There are probably other more advanced books out there, but for a beginner you can't go wrong reading it at least once.

There are literally hundreds of good photography books out there...some are very general and some deal with specifics like composition, understanding light, studio work, photojournalism, landscapes, portraits, etc, etc, etc...

And there are literally hundreds of good web sites that offer lots of free information about photography. All you gotta do is use a search engine like Google and search for what you want.

A very good way to learn about photography is to join a local photography club or group and just hang out with them. Many have photo meets where they get together at some location and just shoot and socialize. You can ask them questions or just watch how they set up their shots. And looking at and examining their photos will give you insights into what makes a good photo good.

Right now are you more interested in the technical side of photography or on the artistic side?

TJ K · Jan 4, 2009

Hey so did you get a canon 40d or a nikon d40? I was wondering because in your one thread before this you just said 40d. Try understanding exposure. I hear it's great and it will be here the 7th for me from amazon.com

ths-acid · Jan 4, 2009

Well I can't really help you to much with books, but I did a little google search for you and here are a few free ebooks on photography.

Download Free Photography eBooks | FreeBookLinks.com

There are three pages, I hope they help!

Dagwood56 · Jan 4, 2009

I have "Understanding Exposure" and its a very good book and easy to read. I also just ordered a book - brand new, it only came out November 25 2008, called :"The Fundamentals Of Photography: The Essential Handbook For Both Digital and Film" , by Tom Ang. Its kind of an encyclopedic source, shows how cameras work, explains color and light etc., and I think its just as much a beginners book , especially if you plan to take a course in photography, as would be useful for advanced users as well.

ferret_lovr · Jan 4, 2009

TJ K said:
Hey so did you get a canon 40d or a nikon d40? I was wondering because in your one thread before this you just said 40d. Try understanding exposure. I hear it's great and it will be here the 7th for me from amazon.com

Oh sorry it's the Nikon 40D. Didn't know about the cannon.

lschaaf · Jan 4, 2009

I will second the Tom Ang books for beginners. I am also a beginner, a few workshops under my belt (where I was the only person w/out a DSLR, but am anxiously awaiting for my new camera to arrive this week). I am also a book junkie, so I have TONS of photography books, I unfortunately seem to spend more time reading about photography than actually going out and taking pictures! Having said all that, I have Tom Ang's Master Class and How to Photograph Everything and can recommend both. The How to Photograph everything is taken with a point and shoot, so it's not a technical book. Each page has a topic, children playing, night scene, running water etc... and it give an easy summary of what to do to set up the shot, ie low iso, use tripod, don't stand too close etc...again, VERY beginner, but actually is very helpful as I have gone out and just stood in places before, wondering what I should photograph! I have been using it as an assignment book, picking a page and going out to photograph it. His Master Class is more technical and it shows a lot of picture analysis...you may see 3 shots of the same thing and he shows why one works better than the others. I have not seen his Fundamentals of Photography, but I'm sure I'll order it! Oh, I also would get Peteson's Understanding Exposure that everyone is recommending and read it before your class at the end of the month. Even if it doesn't all sink in, it's helpful to be somewhat familiar with the basics when taking a workshop!

airgunr · Jan 4, 2009

One book I alway recommend is "The New Manual of Photography" by John Hedgecoe. Excellent book that breaks all the concepts down into 2-3 page sections and makes it extreamly easy to understand with great examples. There are many versions of the book and any of them are excellent for understanding the basic concepts wether you are shooting digital or film. Easy to find on Amazon or www.alibris.com

I also like the book recommened above "Understanding Exposure" but it would be my second choice. I do have both books in my library as references though.