MarkBarbieri
11-16-2007, 07:28 AM
What are some photography books that you recommend?
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216180&sr=8-1) by Bryan Peterson (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bryan%20Peterson) is the most recommended book on this forum. Regardless of your skill level or equipment, anyone with an interest in photography should own this book.
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting (http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216689&sr=8-1) is a great guide to the way photographic lighting works. Most lighting books are lists of setups that the author likes. This book goes well beyond that and teaches you the why of lighting instead of just the how. If you want to improve your lighting, I strongly recommend this book.
The Portrait Photographers Posing Guide: How to pose people for portraits (http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Photographers-Posing-Guide-portraits/dp/1419652338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216973&sr=1-1) is a simple, cartoonish book that illustrates lots of useful tips on posing.
Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography (http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Johnson-Digital-Photography/dp/059652370X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217065&sr=1-1) was highly recommened to me. I found it to be OK, but it never really captured my imagination.
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321492161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217221&sr=1-1) is, I think, the best of the young field of Lightroom books. Scott Kelby (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Scott%20Kelby) does a great job of taking complex subjects and making them understandable without watering them down.
Real World Color Management (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-Color-Management-Second/dp/0321267222/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217318&sr=1-1) by Bruce Fraser (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bruce%20Fraser) is a handy overview of color management. If you want to have consistent colors all the way from your subject to your monitor and to your printer, this is a good book for learning color management.
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 (http://www.amazon.com/World-Image-Sharpening-Adobe-Photoshop/dp/0321449916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217445&sr=1-1) also by Bruce Fraser (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bruce%20Fraser) is a good guide to sharpening photos. It's probably overkill for most people, but if you want to take your post processing up a notch, advanced sharpening skills is a worthy area of focus. I recently made the point that making a tack sharp photo of your wife's face may do more harm than good to your photography budget - learn what to sharpen and how to do it right.
Mastering Digital Printing (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Digital-Printing-Second-Process/dp/1592004318/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217742&sr=1-1) is a good overview of printing technologies with some specific information on how to make better prints. It's overkill for most people, but if you really want to improve your understanding of the printing process, it's the best book that I've found.
Photoshop Color Correction (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Color-Correction-Michael-Kieran/dp/0321124014/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218086&sr=1-2) is a reasonably good book on color correction. If you want to move beyond the basic white balancing, it's a way to learn more. I've been told by others that Dan Magulis (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Dan%20Margulis) book Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Photoshop-Classic-Guide-Correction/dp/032144017X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218086&sr=1-1) is a better book on the same subject.
Photographing Disney Theme Parks - Why doesn't this book exist?
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216180&sr=8-1) by Bryan Peterson (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bryan%20Peterson) is the most recommended book on this forum. Regardless of your skill level or equipment, anyone with an interest in photography should own this book.
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting (http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216689&sr=8-1) is a great guide to the way photographic lighting works. Most lighting books are lists of setups that the author likes. This book goes well beyond that and teaches you the why of lighting instead of just the how. If you want to improve your lighting, I strongly recommend this book.
The Portrait Photographers Posing Guide: How to pose people for portraits (http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Photographers-Posing-Guide-portraits/dp/1419652338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195216973&sr=1-1) is a simple, cartoonish book that illustrates lots of useful tips on posing.
Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography (http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Johnson-Digital-Photography/dp/059652370X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217065&sr=1-1) was highly recommened to me. I found it to be OK, but it never really captured my imagination.
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lightroom-Digital-Photographers-Voices/dp/0321492161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217221&sr=1-1) is, I think, the best of the young field of Lightroom books. Scott Kelby (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Scott%20Kelby) does a great job of taking complex subjects and making them understandable without watering them down.
Real World Color Management (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-Color-Management-Second/dp/0321267222/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217318&sr=1-1) by Bruce Fraser (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bruce%20Fraser) is a handy overview of color management. If you want to have consistent colors all the way from your subject to your monitor and to your printer, this is a good book for learning color management.
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 (http://www.amazon.com/World-Image-Sharpening-Adobe-Photoshop/dp/0321449916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217445&sr=1-1) also by Bruce Fraser (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Bruce%20Fraser) is a good guide to sharpening photos. It's probably overkill for most people, but if you want to take your post processing up a notch, advanced sharpening skills is a worthy area of focus. I recently made the point that making a tack sharp photo of your wife's face may do more harm than good to your photography budget - learn what to sharpen and how to do it right.
Mastering Digital Printing (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Digital-Printing-Second-Process/dp/1592004318/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195217742&sr=1-1) is a good overview of printing technologies with some specific information on how to make better prints. It's overkill for most people, but if you really want to improve your understanding of the printing process, it's the best book that I've found.
Photoshop Color Correction (http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Color-Correction-Michael-Kieran/dp/0321124014/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218086&sr=1-2) is a reasonably good book on color correction. If you want to move beyond the basic white balancing, it's a way to learn more. I've been told by others that Dan Magulis (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-8380600-6942031?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Dan%20Margulis) book Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Photoshop-Classic-Guide-Correction/dp/032144017X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195218086&sr=1-1) is a better book on the same subject.
Photographing Disney Theme Parks - Why doesn't this book exist?