books...

[magicmonkey]

Not too sure where to post this as it doesn't quite fit anywhere, could this be moved if it's in the wrong place pretty please

I'm after a photography book and it seems that all the ones I find on amazon etc. are those books that 'tell you what you need to know without confusing you with technical stuff'. My problem is that this sort of book is the exact opposite of what I want, I've bought a couple before and while they do have a few helpful tips in them I really want to get to grips with the technical side of things like exposure equations and all that mind bending stuff. Does anyone own a book like this or know of one they could recommend?

 

[ksmattfish]

'The Camera', 'The Negative', and 'The Print' by Ansel Adams read like stereo instructions.

 

[magicmonkey]

They do look good but as I shoot in digital I wonder how relevant they would be in the most part, Do you think they would still be worth getting?

 

[JDP]

Yes. Especially 'The Negative' - you'll learn about the zone system (Though most dSLRs, like my Nikon, automatically use the zone system when in matrix metering mode (Think it's called evaluative in Canon-speak)), and more then what you wanted to learn about exposure.
;'The Camera' is also excellent, as it goes into more then just the camera itself, it also talks about lenses, meters, shutters, etc - things that carry over.
'The Print', well - not to sure if you'd NEED to read it exactly, as it how Adams gets his prints the way they do - from the darkroom setup to mounting - but it's a legandary trilogy, so you might as well throw it in there hehe.

 

[ksmattfish]

Do you think they would still be worth getting?

Sure, just look for used copies. You can probably find them very cheap at amazon.com. You could skip over the darkroom oriented stuff.

The problem with digital specific literature is that the technology changes so fast it's hard to get a book published before the technology has moved on. Websites probably have more up to date digital photography.

 

[magicmonkey]

Thanks for that guys, I've now got 'the Negative' on order and I'll order the others when I can afford to!

 

[ksmattfish]

Here are some websites that I've found to have good info about technical aspects of digital photography.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/

http://www.kenrockwell.com/

 

[magicmonkey]

Thanks for the links mate, one to add to the bnch which I found last night is:

http://www.normankoren.com/zonesystem.html

good explaination of the zone system which I could put to use straight away (in a very basic way but I'll get better one day!)