Books and Videos?

matt_m · Sep 16, 2015

Just getting back into photography as a hobby after many (20+) years away. I'm not quite a beginner, but have been doing some reading as a refresher and am still relearning many things I knew and many things that have changed.

Maybe this already exists somewhere but I haven't found it. I'm looking to build up a reading/watch list for the cold, boring winter months that will soon be here. Books, blogs, free online video, paid video series, whatever. I'm probably mostly looking for intermediate to advanced reading as I'm already through 2 basic to intermediate books on general photography and have Tony Northrup's Lightroom book waiting on my iPad.

Bonus points for seminars and the like in the SE Michigan/NW Ohio region. I know about the "Meetup" group through Midwest Photography Workshops and am hope to start attending their meetings. Our community college also has some lifelong learning classes and workshops and I plan to take advantage of a couple of those. There's a local camera club but they haven't responded to my request for information. I know they are active with at least a monthly photo contest but haven't found out much else about them.

echoyjeff222 · Sep 16, 2015

Creativelive. I found out about the site a few months ago, and it has really helped improve my photography. The best part is that you can watch it free if it is live.

Derrel · Sep 16, 2015

Joe Edelman's got some interesting stuff online. Adorama TV has some good instructional videos on portraiture and lighting. The Sekonic people have some good lighting videos. B&H Photo has some great in-store guest speaker lectures/presentations as on-line videos. As Jeff mentioned, Creativelive.com is excellent. LOTTA stuff out there today!

wyogirl · Sep 16, 2015

I like www.improvephotography.com. They offer classes but also dole out a lot of free info in the blog and podcasts.

clel miller · Sep 28, 2015

Assuming this thread is not yet old enough to be called Necro.....
The Zone System.
Is the best place to get a good grasp of it from "those three" Ansel Adams books (which I have never looked at)..... or is there a good link to somebody On-Line who explains it well.?
The main reason I ask about a "link" is that I am new to this hobby. There are TONS of books I Could/Should buy that deal with the topic (of photography), but it all becomes overwhelming, and I will end up with a shelf full of Fantastic Photography Books that I will never read thoroughly.....if you know what I mean.
Thank You

wyogirl · Sep 29, 2015

clel miller said:
Assuming this thread is not yet old enough to be called Necro.....
The Zone System.
Is the best place to get a good grasp of it from "those three" Ansel Adams books (which I have never looked at)..... or is there a good link to somebody On-Line who explains it well.?
The main reason I ask about a "link" is that I am new to this hobby. There are TONS of books I Could/Should buy that deal with the topic (of photography), but it all becomes overwhelming, and I will end up with a shelf full of Fantastic Photography Books that I will never read thoroughly.....if you know what I mean.
Thank You

Seriously... use your local library. Its free and you can check out I'm sure that they have books on photography and I would bet that they have books by Ansel Adams. And as I said before.... www.improvephotography.com has a lot of resources that are free. And you can just google beginner photography and come up with lots of free resources.
Photography Tips and Tutorials for Beginners

matt_m · Sep 29, 2015

Our local library, which is generally pretty good, has a terrible selection of photography books--at least the main branch. Need to hit up the other two larger branches and see if they are any better (I hate trying to find something in the online catalog when I'm not looking for something specific.) Most of what they had was terribly outdated equipment-specific or software-specific books, mostly the hastily produced guide type books. In general they've greatly reduced the quantity of books at the main branch--half the floor space that used to be stacks is now administrative offices.

clel miller · Sep 29, 2015

Yeah...10-4
I went by one of our libraries today, but the Fire Department had the street blocked off for some type of "emergency".
I will check back there soon.
Thanks Again

soufiej · Sep 30, 2015

If you have a general knowledge of photography, I suggest your local community colleges. Find a course which will suit your equipment as many times a school course demands a specific camera to make everyone compatible.

You'll have weekly assignments which will up your thinking about photography. The feedback from a group will be beneficial to your progress if you can filter out the occasional "I like it because ... responses.

Otherwise, as a long time film shooter who came to digital with a lot of uncomfortable observations regarding early digital, I can tell you experience is your only obstacle. Very little has changed in the rules of photography since the analog days, they've simply been presented in a new light.

The greatest advantage to digital IMO is the shots are free. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more than delete them all. Sitting with your owner's manual is all you need to master the technical aspects of digital photography.

The next most significant benefit comes in the form of the histogram data. Learn how to read it and how to use it. You have very few features which will prove to be as beneficial as that data.

IMO the more challenging aspect of digital photography is the post production work. I would suggest you include a course in digital image processing. Select the software you want to use. There's a common (and some would say costly) selection but there are also numerous very good alternatives. Knowing how to extract a great shot from what is in your camera and on your SD card will be the greatest benefit you can bring to your digital life.