Good book to learn photography

<p>Hey guys, I am looking for a good beginner photography book (or any other way of info) to learn the basics to more advanced techniques in photography. I have a Canon 50D.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any help,<br>

Cole</p>

<p>Check with large book retailers in your area, or on line. Most have aftermarket "how to" books for specific model cameras. The "Magic Lantern" guide series are very well written. I would start with their manual on your 50D.</p>

<p>The first place I'd look of course is right here atop this very page! Click on the "learning" tab and be enlightened.</p>

<p>Digital Photography vols 1-3 by Scott Kelby. Great bite-size pieces of wisdom from one of the best in the business. Funny, conversational, inspiring. Also you might like to check out "Canon EOS 50D- From snapshots to Great shots" by Jeff(?) Revel. Good luck!</p>

<p>Cole - This may be a bit off the mark, but wanted to share my own experience for your consideration. I started with photography using a Minolta x-700 SLR in 1986. Read a number of photography books; took some nice photos. Then bought a Canon XTi DSLR a few years back. Bought some books on digital photography, took some really nice shots.<br>

But it wasn't until I went back to shooting B&W photography using vintage 35mm and MF cameras and developing my own prints that I REALLY started to understand how to take a good photograph.<br>

And the reason is that I bought a couple books about ANALOG photography that finally cemented in my mind the principles at work behind all the electronics. To me, understanding those are essential. Therefore, I recommend 'The Negative' and 'The Print' by Adams from your local library. There are others, but these two really did it for me.<br>

I know that may seem counter intuitive. And certainly a lot of what is contained in 'The Print' in terms of the particulars of chemicals/development don't apply for digital, but I believe having a thorough understanding from capture to print is essential.<br>

You'll also gain an appreciation for everything photography especially in viewing other's peoples works.<br>

So as I said, it's a little off the mark, but I think I would still be thrashing about with my DSLR camera today if I had not read those books. And as I said, I got mine from the library, so didn't cost me a thing originally though I bought them later too. Cheers!</p>

<p>Bryan Peterson - <em>Understanding Exposure</em> and <em>Learning to see creatively</em>, for me two very solid introductions into the basics of photography without too much focus on camerabody specifics.</p>

<p>A truly outstanding text from beginner to advanced amateur is "Photography" by London, Stone and Upton and published by Prentice Hall. The ISBN is I believe the book is up to the ninth edition by now. You can find them on Amazon.com for anywhere from $70 to $85 based on condition.<br>

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<p>Bryan Peterson is good. Also look for books by Michael Freeman and Henry Horenstein. Good writing and illustrations and not a lot of b*%##@&ap. They both walk you through assignments and show you how to critique your results.</p>

<p>Books by John Shaw are good if your interest is in nature. They are pre-digital but well illustrated with photos and his technique used to create them. He is a natural teacher and easy to understand. What I like is that so many of his photos are ordinarly subjects found locally. he proves you do not need to travel to exotic places for good photos. He is a very good teacher and excellent communicator.</p>

<p>Cole,</p>

<p>I think you'll need to start with one book on "the basics" and then select a book or books on the subjects that either interest you, like Close-up photography, Landscape, Portraits, etc, or find books on the area that you still have trouble with, like getting the proper exposure, composition, etc. </p>

<p>I got John Hedgecoe's book "The new manual of photography" to cover the basics and give an into the other areas of photography.</p>

<p>I have a few books on Nature/Landscape photography by John Shaw. All of them are good.</p>

<p>I have two books by Bryan Peterson. "Understanding Exposure" , which sounds like a boring subject, worth of about a page an a half, but it goes into a lot of stuff that you really need to know. I also have his book on c;ose-up photography, since I had interest in that stuff. I like his approach to both subjects.</p>

<p>There are other books that people here often recommend for lighting and studio work.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your advice. I will look in to all of these books. </p>

<p>Thanks again,<br>

Cole</p>

<p>Also browse M J Langford's 'Basic Photography', 9th (?) edition.</p>

<p>You might also want to consider one or more of the online classes at <a href="http://www.betterphoto.com">www.betterphoto.com</a> or <a href="http://www.ppsop.com">www.ppsop.com</a>. I've taken classes from both and learned alot! They're well worth it, in my opinion, because you get direct feedback from your instructor and classmates.</p>

<p>Start with Bryan Peterson's<br>

1. <strong>Understanding Exposure</strong> (alternatively, a new book by him, <strong>'Understanding Photography Field Guide'</strong> )<br>

2. Learning to see Creatively<br>

Next, Scott Kelby's<br>

<strong>Digital Photography</strong> (Books 1 to 3)</p>

<p>One of the best "books" I have seen yet on photography (or at least the most complete one), is 123 of Digital Imaging. It contains a wealth (5137 pages) of information presented in easy way making it suitable both for begginers and pros alike. The articles are sorted according to content "difficulty" so all you need to do, is pick your level and read.<br>

It is not a book in a traditional sense (paperback, PDF), but a software book with interactive tutorials where you can read, experiment for yourself and explore as you wish. And they offer a free demo so you can try for yourself if you like it.<br>

You can read more about it on my blog:<br>

<a href="http://www.dpstudent.net/2009/12/123-of-digital-imaging-book-review.html">123 of Digital Imaging Book Review - Digital Photography Student Blog</a></p>