new to the forums

[Andrea K]

hi, im new to the forums and generally new to photography.
i was wondering if anyone can recommend any photography books for beginners that explain (in an easily understood manner) general functions and techniques of cameras
im into digital photography; however, every book that i have picked up on digital photography primarily consists of how to edit your "ok" pictures with a photoshop type program, rather than taking great photos the first time
to make a long story short, id like a recommendation of a book that will teach me how to take great photos without having to edit them a lot afterwards
thanks in advance

 

[Jeff Canes]

A lot people around there like Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, I got this book last month but have not read it yet, need to make a point to do so, along with Ansel Adams’s 3 book series The Camera, The Negative, The Print

Personally I like the old Kodak Joy of Photography, but that over 20 years old.

 

[Andrea K]

thanks, ill be sure to add these books to my christmas list 8)

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome. Don't look for books that are specific to digital. The basic rules of exposure and composition are universal so you can learn about them from any good photography book.

 

[terri]

Welcome. Don't look for books that are specific to digital. The basic rules of exposure and composition are universal so you can learn about them from any good photography book.

And if you find yourself getting turned on by film while reading, so much the better.

That is puzzling about the digital books being written that way. :scratch: Photography is photography. Props to you for knowing you were reading dumbed-down books.

Have fun learning, and welcome to the forums!

 

[Bokeh]

And if you find yourself getting turned on by film while reading, so much the better.

LOL, it' sthe opposite with me. I bought some old photography books (mainly because they wer echeap at the 1/2 price book store!), and reading about all the hassles, mess and expense of film, I'm so glad to have a digital camera. I've actually developed film, took a photography class in the 8th grade; what a hassle.

 

[terri]

Your stance makes a lot of people very happy and rich, Bokeh.

Keep upgrading, now....I'm sure the 30D will be on the market in a month or so....hurry or you'll be left in the dirt!

 

[danalec99]

Welcome andreag5

-Along the way, you will see a lot of Film vs Digital debates .

-Photography is photography be it digital or film.

-f8 is f8 in both the top-of-the-line Digital SLR and a 20 years old analog SLR.

-Both the film and digital has its place. Think of it as the paint and the painting. Paint is just the medium for the end result, which is the painting. People go to the art gallery to see the paintings not the paint or the brush.

-The "traditional" way is to learn photography the film way.

-If you plan to learn processing and printing in your own darkroom, it would be a wonderful feeling to create your own art work right from the scratch.

-I chose the digital way to start, since I could "see" what I was doing right then. For me it was important! (Not that it made me a better photographer overnight). You could be different. Pick the path you prefer.

-If you have time at your disposal, spend a lot of time at your local library. There are many areas that you might interested in photography - landscape, street, portrait, studio, photo journalism, product, weddings etc etc.
For starters, flip thru:
1. Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography
2. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera
by Bryan Peterson


-Here is the link to some photo vocab

What camera set up do you have, by the way?

Cheers!

 

[Andrea K]

thanks for the advice, and i have a canon g5, i got it last christmas and have since become more interested in photography

however, i am very limited in the "skills" department and am therefore trying to understand the concepts of different settings and the what not

i wanted to get away from the point and shoot cameras but i have found that it is a lot more complicated than i first thought which isnt necessarily a bad thing but just an oftentimes frustrating thing

 

[Big Mike]

I have found that a lot of people (my self included) get slightly overwhelmed when they first start to really learn about photography. Aperture, shutter speed, exposure, hyper-focal distance etc. There is a lot to learn. But one you get over the initial hump...and gain a basic understanding...you can run with that and pick up the rest as you go.

It's great that you are taking an interest in learning the art of photography. You may even want to read up on basic conmposition...which might be found in drawing or painting books.