Recommended Book List for newbies

[redmonsoon]

I know it can be daunting to noobs like us to just have advice to read books but then no idea which to pick. Some that I've picked are just too long winded, technical or simpler so boringly presented they're probably no longer on any bookshelf besides in the library.

So I'll just recommend a few books which I feel is surely worth-reading for noobs like us. Heres x5 to start the ball rolling..

Feel free to add on to this list, best if they're available in the public library.
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/

Joe Mcnally.
"The moment it clicks"
"Hot shoe Diaries" (*when u start using flash)

Bryan Peterson.
"Understanding Shutter Speed"
"Understanding Exposure"
"Learning to See Creatively"

 

[robertgl]

Digital photography by Scott kelby.

 

[Dream Merchant]

Before there can be photography of any kind, there has to be LIGHT ...

I would suggest ANY book on Understanding the Basics of LIGHT in Photography at your local library, followed by Understanding Exposure, then finally books on digital photography followed by PhotoShop BASICS.

 

[redmonsoon]

Before there can be photography of any kind, there has to be LIGHT ...

I would suggest ANY book on Understanding the Basics of LIGHT in Photography at your local library, followed by Understanding Exposure, then finally books on digital photography followed by PhotoShop BASICS.

Thats my pt bro, everyone says ANY book on so & so, until we all blur..enough of those threads lah.
Just recommend 1 or 2 specific books is better.

 

[redmonsoon]

Feel free to add on to this list, best if they're available in the public library.
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/

Joe Mcnally.
"The moment it clicks"
"Hot shoe Diaries" (*when u start using flash)

Bryan Peterson.
"Understanding Shutter Speed"
"Understanding Exposure"
"Learning to See Creatively"

Digital photography by Scott kelby.

 

[confession]

A few here might help:

Photography by Barbara London. Just got it a few days back (Text book based. Very in depth. Used in colleges)

Photographic Lighting by John Child

Mastering Digital Flash Photography

Perfect Exposure and The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman

Some very simple easy to read books. Except for Michael Freeman as that may be a little daunting.

For Photoshop:

Books by Martin Evening.

Interest in portraits and doing PP, the book Skin by Lee Varis is a good read.

 

[Dream Merchant]

Thats my pt bro, everyone says ANY book on so & so, until we all blur..enough of those threads lah.
Just recommend 1 or 2 specific books is better.

How many threads have there been about understanding the basics of light?

Not exposure.
Not Exposure Value.
Not Exposure Compensation.
Not aperture.
Not shutter speed.
Not depth of field.
Not the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and depth of field.
Not ISO.
Not field of view.

There aren't many books on the basics of light in photography at the library. And I've seen all of them. The one by Michael Freeman is excellent. And reading ANY book on understanding the basics of light is better than none simply because most don't bother about it.

 

[confession]

Thats my pt bro, everyone says ANY book on so & so, until we all blur..enough of those threads lah.
Just recommend 1 or 2 specific books is better.

well, any book to be picked up in the library on photography is good, but inly up to a certain point

The set by Scott Kelby (all three books) basically takes you to only understanding the functions of the camera. Beyond that, it does very little. Probbably once you see one of Scott Kelby's books, you have seen it all as it just covers about the same things again albeit in a different way.

Bryan Peterson's books are well written, but the problem is they tend to be abstract in a certain way, but that is just me. Having gone through all three books by Bryan Peterson, I think it is something that appeals to some but not all.

As for Joe McNally, I have not read "The Moment it Clicks" in its entirety, but having flipped through the pages, it just documents what he does. Same as "The Hot Shoe Diaries".

To offset these, it is best to find the books that suit you and what you want to read or find out. Hot Shoe may well be quite redundant if without knowledge of flash photography so Mastering Digital Flash Photography might be a good read before Hot Shoe.

Photographic Lighting IMO can be used to complement Perfect Exposure by Freeman as Freeman can be a little daunting to some people as Michael Freeman's style is a little technical so that might be a little offputting.

 

[ahbian]

Actually, one of the more reader friendly ones is already in the stickies, by Sulhan.

 

[Cartman2000]

Scott Kelby's guides to Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4

 

[sebianos]

Actually, one of the more reader friendly ones is already in the stickies, by Sulhan.

For decent basic stuff - there's a mag out called "The Ultimate Guide to Digital Photography - 3rd Edition" from MAGBOOK publisher ($14.80). It gives a good overview of photography - types of cameras, what to buy, settings, composition, some practical post-processing skills, and wraps up a chapter on showing your photos. Personally, i think this is great for beginners.

After that, you have to decide what type of photography you like. Landscape, Portraits, Macro, Street, Fashion, etc etc... and top up by looking at lots of photos.

 

[sebianos]

Actually, one of the more reader friendly ones is already in the stickies, by Sulhan.

That's a really good and brief rundown. Personally, I think everything should be put into practise as soon as possible. Reading too much only make bookworms and not stunning photos

 

[daredevil123]

This is the best ever book I read on DSLR photography.

http://www.ptpress.com.cn/Book.aspx?id=9585

It is in Chinese translated from Korean. It covers everything from basics to advanced topics with dedicated sections for specific type of photography like Portrait, Landscape, Night, Pet, Light painting, Food photography etc. Quite detailed, for example for portraits they even talk about how to plan poses, how to use certain angles to get a certain effect (make face or body seem more flattering.. etc.) and how to use flashes.

At the end of the section on that particular type of photography, it will cover PP methods for that kind of photography showing step by step examples in Photoshop. It also comes with a disc with pics they use in the examples so you can practice.

Tons of information, a little too much so take time to slowly digest. This is the best book for a beginner. Provided, of course, if you can read Chinese or Korean. Cheap too.. cost around SGD$18-21 (depending on which part of china you buy it at). You can try looking for it in Popular bookstore. Or if you are going to china, or have friends there, ask them to pop over to xinhua bookstore and grab it. Totally worth it!

 

[kinky1971]

Quite dry.

Light Science & Magic: An introduction to Photgraphic Lighting by Fil Hunter,Steve Biver & Paul Fuqua from Focal Press in its 3rd edition.

:bsmilie:

 

[xplorer2]

If I have the chance to start all over again....these are the 2 books that I wish I had read in the beginning:

1) Single Exposures - Brooks Jensen (editor of Lenswork)
2) On being a Photographer - David Hurn

 

[redmonsoon]

Thks guys, got a few books on my lookout list now..