Good book for beginner?

mathie

Hi

I'm a beginner photographer and going to be doing a bit of travelling soon.
I'll be taking mostly 'touristy' shots.
Anyone know of a good digital photography book - preferably with lots of pictures - I'm not one for pages and pages of small text writing

I'd just like to know the basics (and a bit more) and some good tips.
Nothing too advanced!

Thanks!
M

sineadw

Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure You'll get it on amazon..

mathias

What kind of camera have you got ,
Sounds like a silly question , but whether or not you need a book just about composition or a book about composition using the features of your camera depends on what type youve got !
With a Dslr Bryan petersons book is the one , no doubt about it , that book would be of little use though , if all you have is a point and shoot compact as the settings mentioned in the book may not be available to you.

mathie

Thanks guys.

Im looking at getting this http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/544476/art/fuji/finepix-s5700.html

I just like to point and shoot and don't like messing around with the settings too much.

I guess Im looking for a book with advice on how to frame shots?

Thanks
M

mathias

This one then , although that camera is borderline in between a compact and a Dslr , ( you cant change the lens but you do have a lot of manual settings) so you might want to try both this and understanding exposure.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-See-Creatively-Composition-Photography/dp/0817441816/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/104-7644827-6134354?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185361822&sr=8-3

It shouldnt cost you much more than €30 for both , they are magazine style books , quick reads with a lot of information and examples, well worth it.

mathie

Thanks again guys.

I ordered the two you recommended!

Cheers
M

rymus

+1 for both the Bryan Peterson books. An inciteful read no matter how many times you find yourself going back to them.

311

Borders in blanchardstown have a good few photography books,no harm in having a look around.

But they don't have the bryan peterson ones

robbie1876

Yep, Understanding Exposure is a fantastic book, highly recommended for a beginner like me. It takes at least two reads of the book (plus lots of badly exposed photos) to get the best from it.

As an aside, Bryan Peterson's other books don't get great reviews on Amazon, does anyone have them and can comment?

bigeoino

Lonely Planet also do a couple of thin guides for travel photography which have some sensible advice, loads of pictures and give a good grounding in composition, your camera, types of photo's to take etc etc. and have the advantage of being a quick read.

Lonely-Planet-Travel-Photography-Pictures

Lonely-Planet-Landscape-Photography

311

robbie1876 wrote:

As an aside, Bryan Peterson's other books don't get great reviews on Amazon, does anyone have them and can comment?

Theres only two books that are mostly recommended here ,learning to see creatively and understanding exposure. I have both and think they are great buys.

I'd also recommend the national geographic photography field guide ,it gives descriptions and diagrams of how lenses work and how certain shots were taken. I bought it while in borders one time.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0792274989/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful/105-6585278-3449204?ie=UTF8&n=283155#customerReviews

leinsterman

If you are travelling then you need portable books ... There is a series of very good Lonely Planet books specifically designed for this purpose ... I have two Travel and Landscape ... I'd recommend them for a beginner ...

Here's a link -

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/Primary/Product/General_Travel/Travel_Photography.jsp?bmUID=1185393921253


EDIT - I see someone beat me to it ... two other good technical references are Langford's Basic and Advanced photography ... but you'll not be carrying these in your back pack.