Photography Course Book
What is the best book for learning photography?
My ultimate goals are to be able to take photos worth displaying; either at home, the office or online. I want to be able to take quality portraits of friends and family as well as landscapes. When I’m outdoors (hiking, rock-climbing, skiing, or whatever) my photos usually fail to capture the beauty of the environment and just look like your average, very uninteresting snap shot. I’d also like to be successful capturing movement. Either of animals, my friend riding a mountain bike, or water pouring over rocks in a stream.
I’d really like to learn about composition and get an idea about how to pose people and frame photos so that they are interesting not only to me, but to my friends and family.
I'd also be interested in Online options, such as podcasts or websites that might have some sort of interactive course.
I know that’s a lot, but I appreciate the suggestions.
Well, to get the basics of photography down you really don't need a book that talks about digital (I'm assuming you work in digital format) photography unless you're looking more for editing information, how digital cameras work or the like. So, I suggest you check out your local thrift/goodwill/second hand book shops since most have quite a large selection of photography books.
If you do go in and find some, flip through. The suggestions I'll give may not be in the store but don't disregard the rest.
John Hedgecoe's Photography Basics
- I've seen this, lots and lots of times. It includes a ton of photographs (captions on all) and information on how to take types (and the specific examples) of photographs.
More Joy of Photography (Revised): 100 Advanced Techniques for More Creative Photographs
- By the Editors of Eastman Kodak Company
- You may want to try and find the previous book (Just the Joy of Photographs.) first since some of the ideas may be over your head (depending on your knowledge level).
101 Essential Tips: Photography
- Simple, simple, simple. It covers everything from the different types of cameras (point and shoot, single use, basic SLR, advance SLR - all film), aperture, focal length, lens options, composition, viewpoints, framing, colour, light, pattern & shape, using flash, photographing people, night time photography and how to present physical prints of your photos. It's small, compact and great for someone just getting into photography (it was my first photography book).
Prentice-Hall Pocket Encyclopedia: Creative Photography
- Has some great info but, it goes quite in depth in places and if you're not planning on developing your photos and other film practices most of it might not be relevant.
John Hedgecoe's 35mm Photography
- Anything John Hedgecoe is almost a set in stone great resource. All of his that I have include great, descriptive, captions to wonderful photos and lots of information.
It's really all what catches your eye though.
I'm more of a visual person so, when flipping through the books that I have any that included only a few photos and lots of writing I tossed aside. So, keep in mind, probably all the books I've chosen include great photos and lots of them.
The Fashion Photography Course book flip through