Photography book recommendations

[MarkBarbieri]

I will take a different approach and recommend Ansel Adams "The Negative" and "The Camera". Written about 30 years ago they of course do not deal with anything digital but they deal very effectively with light and cameras, more so than any other book I have read.

If you read and understand these you will have no problem with camera settings and exposure, ever!

You need to modernize "The Negative" and re-release it as "The RAW file".

 

[Groucho]

yeah this one mentions rule of thirds but says it's a guideline unlike the normal dogmatic view i've seen elsewhere.
my barnes and noble stinks in the photo category ( like 20 copies of the same book on using your point and shoot) but i might pick up the "eye" one after i finish this one( almost done, once i start i book i can't put it down, bad habit when husband has to eat a sandwich for dinner )
and mind posting a review once you get into the other one? i would like a good reference book and didn't really see on that fit the bill for that.

I will try to remember to post something when I've gotten farther in the Masterclass book. I've glanced through it a little and it's very "packed" (dense is probably a better word) with information, since it covers so many topics - and I think it does assume a decent level of competency right off the bat. Each chapter has an "assignment" at the end and example shots from amateur photographers for reference.

The Photographer's Eye is very different, it's very spread out and there's very little talk of anything technical besides what is absolutely necessary for discussing composition. Each concept is given 2-4 pages with some text explaining it and large example shots and often the same shots smaller, with diagrams on them explaining what composition technique is being used there. It feels much looser. One book isn't necessarily better than the other from what I can see so far, but they are definitely quite different.

 

[boBQuincy]

That might well be the title if it were updated. Adams wrote that he considered the electronic image to be the next big advance in photography, that in 1980!

To be sure, some of the book does not apply, like the part on developer solutions and developing time. The part on the Zone System, on seeing what the brightness range is and knowing what part of the subject we want at what brightness, is still as applicable as ever.

Adams spent most of his life working on something similar to HDR. He would probably be amazed at the potential of the medium now.

 

[jann1033]

personally i wouldn't bother with understanding shutter by BPeterson, even though it's pretty easy to read, there is not much info. great photos and a tiny bit of explanation but i was really disappointed in the "knowledge gained" vs "time spent" factor, course that is just my 2 cents( plus the $30 for the book).just nothing really new i couldn't have gotten for free online at any basic photo site

i got a new one on composition i liked by tom grill and mark scanlon ( think it's called photographic composition, not real inventive title) it has some on film but not a bunch and most would still be applicable toward digital with just a different means to the end, ie grain, filters etc.

i've tried to find the negative but my library doesn't have it and i am guessing it's out of print...i did find a commentary type book on the zone system and couldn't make heads or tails out of it, must have had a lot of math involved

 

[Pea-n-Me]

... is at your local used book store.

They're usually older, and film based, but still very pertinent to today's photography.

Sometimes you can get a whole classic photography "series".

And something I really like is some of the Time/Life "The Year Of" type books which highlight pictures from the previous year, decade, century, etc. I've gotten quite a few of those and they're neat to look through and to see what made certain photographs great. I'm reading one now that gives the history of photography and shows the first photograph known to exist. Pretty interesting.

Best part is, they're super cheap. I'm getting quite the photography library going and it's cost me very little. (Not a bad thing where the rest of this hobby is so pricey!)

Along with some mom and pop stores, don't forget places like Salvation Army, Goodwill.

Happy Shopping! Don't forget to come back and share your treasures here!

 

[bob100]

also don't forget your local library- you might surprised at the selection and
you can renew books and DVD's online

 

[jann1033]

good idea about the used stores
unfortunately my library has some really old books but not much in the way of anything worthwhile new.

 

[Quicklabs]

Non stop from Dayton to Orlando and back again. We'll have 9 full days and 8 nights.
$72 each way. Can't beat that fare!! Heck, back in 1980, my husband surprised me with a trip to Florida when I finished AF Officers Training and the tickets were $100 each way (I think it was on Eastern Airlines). Almost 30 years later and the fares are cheaper (though flying is not quite the experience it was in 1980).

 

[jann1033]

wow good deal on airfare, you couldn't walk there for that ( plus you'd have to start today to make your reservations)

 

[Quicklabs]

wow good deal on airfare, you couldn't walk there for that ( plus you'd have to start today to make your reservations)

 

[annnewjerz]

YAYYYY!! That's exciting.

I'm always the type of person that books our flights waaaay in advance, but an attorney that I work with (in the Aviation department, who is also a very frequent traveler and a pilot) advised me that I should wait unti....September! I told him no no no, that's just cutting it waaaaay too close for me, but he insisted I will get the best fare (the best out there right now is $228 round-trip and he said I can probably get about $180 in September if gas prices don't skyrocket).

Just so you know---I CAN'T WAIT!!

I know I'll only be there 6 days and I know I'll only be in a studio---but I literally dream about the upcoming trip and try to live vicariously through people at work who are going sooner to feed the need for Disney!

 

[Quicklabs]

Actually, I booked because I just heard on the news that Air Tran had announced a good through mid-Fall fare cut today.
I am soooo excited for your trip!

 

[annnewjerz]

Actually, I booked because I just heard on the news that Air Tran had announced a good through mid-Fall fare cut today.
I am soooo excited for your trip!

I'll have to check on airfare to see if anything good is announced sale-wise in the upcoming months. I'm so bad at figuring out who has the best fare, I wish there was a site that you could just go on and it would tell you who was having a sale, who had the cheapest fare, who had no hidden fees, etc.

Luckily we have the option of leaving from Philly or Newark, so if one airport doesn't have a carrier that's running any sales, the other might.

I wish I could book today---if I find a fare for $200 or lower including the first checked bag, I'm jumping on it. The $20 savings I may get in September isn't worth the stress and anxiety that I won't get the flights I want.

 

[Quicklabs]

I suspect that when one airline cuts fares, the rest follow suit. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few days. I don't think there's any airline that includes bags anymore unless you're Active Duty military.

 

[annnewjerz]

I suspect that when one airline cuts fares, the rest follow suit. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few days. I don't think there's any airline that includes bags anymore unless you're Active Duty military.

Continental, which is why I love them so They include the first checked bag AND a full can of Diet Coke...how much better can you get??

 

[Suburbanmom]

Wow, Laura!!! That fare is awesome! We got $92 each leg last November and didn't have that nice non-stop flight, either. Oh, how I wish I could go again this year. November is a great time to go.

 

[Groucho]

Congrats!

We did Airtran last trip and there were flights both directions for $72 like you paid, but the flight down would get us there pretty late in the day. After hemming and hawing, my wife told me to go ahead and buy the more expensive tickets that got us there at 10:30am! That's why I love her. $45 extra per ticket but that much longer on vacation. Love those non-stops! 2.5 hours and you're there!

We were lucky enough to have bought when you didn't have to pay for each bag, too... and I'm glad that Airtran is finally on the list of airlines that you can check in to at your hotel on the way back. (This was our first trip where it was.)

I'm already anxious for another trip after we lost so much time to sickness last trip... but between the baby coming and not having enough vacation time, it won't happen this year! But maybe next January... hmmm... In the meantime, we'll just live vicariously through you and everyone else!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hey!

I always have good luck with SWA. I got last month's flights for $59 - it was the one and only time I'd seen them drop that low just for a little while one afternoon right after the election. I usually check prices daily, but it's worth it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I like to use Kayak to search multiple airlines for fares. It's a consolidator for most airlines except SWA who still doesn't play in the same sandbox as everyone else (which is fine IMO). It also allows you to search the airport of your choice and include nearby airports. On Kayak you also can sign up to be notified of fares under a price point of your choosing. You'll get an email when something falls below that price.

SWA also has DING which you can sign up for and you'll get notices daily of special fares they have going on. And SWA still allows 2 checked bags per person and will give you a diet coke and peanuts too!

 

[Quicklabs]

I wish Southwest flew out of Dayton, but we'd have to go to Columbus to pick it up, which is kind of a drag. If I couldn't get the Air Tran nonstops, I'd probably do that.
Have never been in November. I'm thinking the weather should be okay and the crowds not too bad (except for EPCOT on the weekend, since the Food and Wine fest will be going.).