Saturday, June 5, 2010

Favorite photography books

I like to read photography books, specifically those about techniques that I'm interested in. I find the photos, stories from the author, and general discussions very valuable.

The thing with photography instruction, concept, and technique books is that if you don't relate well to the author's writing and instruction style then the book quickly becomes a big bore and not worth reading. Those books quickly find their way to the bottom of my bookshelf...

I'm glad to say that over the past year or so, I've found seven books that I can highly recommend to anyone looking to improve their photography. Some of these books focus on specific techniques, but don't let that put you off if that particular technique is not what you're interested in.

The reason I say that is because the general discussion in every one of these books is valuable regardless of the technique that they're focused on. For example, take Michael Freeman's book "Perfect Exposure". While this book is definitely about mastering the art of exposure and how to use exposure to express yourself more creatively with your photos, it also has very valuable general discussions about light, photo design, and "seeing your subject". Regardless of what Freeman is trying to teach in this book about exposure, those discussions are worth the cost on their own. So you really get two benefits in one!

These authors all have different writing styles for sure, and they all succeed at driving home their points with interesting stories and good photo examples.

So...Here is my list of some of my current favorite photography books that I think anyone can benefit from:

- "Perfect Exposure" - Michael Freeman
- "The Photographer's Eye" - Michael Freeman
- "On-Camera Flash" - Neil van Niekerk
- "The Hot Shoe Diaries" - Joe McNally
- "The Moment It Clicks" - Joe McNally
- "Take Your Photography to the Next Level" - George Barr
- "Night & Low Light Photography" - Jill Waterman

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