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09-02-2020, 02:00 PM   #1
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Book recommendations

Hope this is in the right place, I’m looking for some good books for my daughter as she’s finally getting the shutter bug!

JJ

09-02-2020, 02:05 PM - 6 Likes   #2
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Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is an excellent place to start for the fundamentals. Well-written and extremely easy to read.
09-02-2020, 02:48 PM   #3
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Another vote for Understanding Exposure.
09-02-2020, 02:58 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is an excellent place to start for the fundamentals. Well-written and extremely easy to read.
He seems to shoot at f11-22 a lot. Was a bit confusing at first when he wrote "turn the aperture dial/ring until f (whichever) indicates the right exposure". Could have been me :-)

Nice photos and some handy exposure-estimating examples, but I was not as impressed as most others seem to be, though I had some years of experience before reading it.

09-02-2020, 03:21 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by SpecialK Quote
He seems to shoot at f11-22 a lot. Was a bit confusing at first when he wrote "turn the aperture dial/ring until f (whichever) indicates the right exposure". Could have been me :-)

Nice photos and some handy exposure-estimating examples, but I was not as impressed as most others seem to be, though I had some years of experience before reading it.
I too had some years of experience before reading it... but I found it helpful.

These days, many folks seem to use lens aperture primarily for depth of field control, with the part it plays in exposure being almost a secondary factor after shutter speed. My sense is that many film era photographers - Peterson included - learned that aperture be first and foremost a means of controlling exposure, with depth of field a secondary factor... a consequence, even. Indeed, lots of compact film cameras only had one or two shutter speeds, and employed aperture as the primary means of controlling exposure. Thinking of aperture in terms of the effect on exposure first and depth of field second can be fundamentally helpful, I think - especially when you go beyond natural light and venture into flash photography...

Last edited by BigMackCam; 09-02-2020 at 04:05 PM.
09-02-2020, 04:12 PM - 1 Like   #6
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Tom Ang's How to Photograph Absolutely Everything is terrific for getting a person out taking photos without worrying too much about technical aspects. You have to start somewhere and this is full of great ideas and examples.
09-02-2020, 05:27 PM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
I too had some years of experience before reading it... but I found it helpful.

These days, many folks seem to use lens aperture primarily for depth of field control, with the part it plays in exposure being almost a secondary factor after shutter speed. My sense is that many film era photographers - Peterson included - learned that aperture be first and foremost a means of controlling exposure, with depth of field a secondary factor... a consequence, even.
As a guy who learned on film I can say the opposite was true for me. I've typically been a "dial in my aperture first guy" and then figure out what I have to compromise on shutter speed. Often after a shot or two you realize the max you can get and or the minimum you can get by with. I shot a lot of ASA 100 and 400 but also 64... Choices in aperture were limited by this, but it didn't stop our focus fixating on it. Many people turned their noses up at the AE-1 because it was only shutter priority. The Nikon and Pentax use of aperture priority was far easier to mentally use if you had an aperture focus. Of course the AE-1 wasn't aimed at the enthusiast but at the beginner.

09-02-2020, 05:28 PM   #8
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I believe in addition to a contemporary book, one should read Adams book "Camera and Lens: The Creative Approach." Otherwise photography can be too much push this do that w/o understanding why. He (Adams) does the fundamentals very well.
09-02-2020, 05:43 PM - 3 Likes   #9
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Here's an interesting list. I don't think I've read more than one or two of these but some appear to be gems.

The 20 Best Photography Books of All Time
09-02-2020, 05:52 PM - 1 Like   #10
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I will also add that the 1970s era books I read were often very technical. Film and techniques related to it had complexities we don't have to mess with. Reciprocity, dynamic range and color balances of each film, transparencies vs print film, push developing, no feedback until long after the shot...

Digital is much much easier to learn and more accessible to master. Note, I'm not saying it is easy to master, I'm saying it is more accessible to more people to try to reach that skill.
09-02-2020, 06:02 PM - 5 Likes   #11
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Your library probably has many great books, as well. A library card is one of the best things any child could possess. Most libraries now have ebooks and audiobooks as well. I mention this because there are far more worthy books out there than any of us could list, and a library card makes them available for free.

Beyond the recommendations for the very necessary technical fundamentals, I recommend books about composition and books presenting great photgraphs. I know Joel Meyerowitz's book Cape Light influenced me quite a bit. Ansel adams, WeeGee, the Westons father and son, many more otheres, both well and lesser known.
You could turn these sirts of books into great father-daughter discussions, too, about what makes a good image or a great image. This in turn would reinforce those technical fundamentals and composition. You could also try a few techiniques out together.

I bought my daughter a used K-30 after she had learned film photography, and had gained some digital experience with my older, but still very pleasing Panasonic Lumix m4/3 camera. We still do photo wlaks when she comes home to visit

Last edited by robgski; 09-02-2020 at 06:10 PM.
09-02-2020, 07:23 PM - 1 Like   #12
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I have a collection of short reviews of some older photography books on my website:

Book Reviews - Jay Alan Richardson Photography

Most of these are not technical "how-to" books but rather collections of great photographs. Almost all are now out of print, but you can often find used copies at reasonable prices, and a large library may also have some of them. Parental discretion is, of course, advised.
09-02-2020, 10:00 PM   #13
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"Black & White Photography: A Basic Manual (3rd Edition)" by Henry Horenstein is a good book to read
09-02-2020, 10:49 PM   #14
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You can google up samples from good photographers. My easy favorites are George Hurrell, William Wegman and Eric Meola.
09-03-2020, 02:29 AM   #15
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I highly recommend Mike Browns videos and courses..... Online Photography Courses with Mike Browne
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