New to photography

[Crosby]

Hello,
I am new to photography and would like to know what books are recommended to help me take better pictures and understand all the features on my camera, what they do, when should I use them, etc. Currently I am using a Canon Rebel film with a 15-90mm lens and a 50-300mm lens. Plus, I am wanting to get a digital camera, probably a canon so the lens will match but there are so many versions of Rebels, what should I get?

Thanks,
Crosby

 

[MarcusM]

Welcome! The most recommended book by far on this forum is "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson. I've read it, and it is a great book for beginners.

Another one is Light, Science and Magic, but that is a little more advanced. It really goes into depth about light and lighting specifically.

As far as which Canon to get, that all depends on a lot of things, such as, how deep into photography do you think you will go, what do you plan on shooting, etc.

 

[Crosby]

Welcome! The most recommended book by far on this forum is "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson. I've read it, and it is a great book for beginners.

Another one is Light, Science and Magic, but that is a little more advanced. It really goes into depth about light and lighting specifically.

As far as which Canon to get, that all depends on a lot of things, such as, how deep into photography do you think you will go, what do you plan on shooting, etc.

Thanks,
I will check out the book. Eventually, I would like to go as far as an ametur photographer can go, but realistically I'd like to take some really great photos. I like the Canon Rebel, I've had it a couple of years now and want to learn more of what it can do. I like to take pictures of landscapes and everyday life stuff and some action shots. Mostly outdoor activities.
Thanks again, I'll find the book and get it.

Crosby

 

[Yahoozy]

i gotta recommend The Photography Bible by Daniel Lezano

 

[Crosby]

i gotta recommend The Photography Bible by Daniel Lezano

Thanks, I'll check it out too.

Crosby

 

[Crosby]

Thanks guys for the book recommendations. Here is a review I found for Understanding Exposure, sounds like a good book. I have both on order and should be here soon.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/understanding-exposure-by-brian-peterson-a-reader-review/

I'll wait a while on the Light, Science and Magic.

Crosby

 

[mrodgers]

There is also a TON of info you can find on the net. If you google for photography, you will find that ton of stuff.

Or, I've been collecting bookmarks and recently uploaded my list. I'm still a beginner as well. I plan on sorting through and organizing my bookmarks a bit better.

http://www.geocities.com/mrodg88/Photography_Links.html

 

[Tyler2026]

I'll second The Photography Bible. It is a great book filled with basic exposure concepts, techniques, and many more awesome ideas about photography.

 

[Crosby]

Thanks for your replies.

Mrodger, that is some list, I will refer to it when I get time.

Crosby

 

[filhunter]

All of these are fairly advanced books, but they'll all get you farther faster than silly superficial books like Exposure which goes on and on without ever mentioning the basic stuff you need to start with before you can learn anything else.

Try Photographic Science by Earl Mitchell. Out of print, but you can find a used copy online for $2-3. Ugly book, but the best foundation I've ever seen.

Among current books see Skin by Lee Varis. Originally intended to be a lighting book, the publisher insisted that the writer throw in a lot of other stuff. Therefore, much of it is trivial, but if you sort though it, looking for the good stuff, you'll find a very solid grounding in basic photography there.

And the one I'm currently reading, The HDRI Handbook, Christian Bloch. seems to be fabulous! It explains the Holy Grail (the book doesn't use that term) photographers have sought for 150 years and why we are about to finally find it.

 

[Stranger]

i think Skin seemed like an awsome book. I was flipping through it yesterday with intention to buy until i saw it was $45 :-X..


So i spent another 30mins just reading through it instead seems good though

 

[Crosby]

Thanks guys. I will check those out too.

Crosby