There are always two ways of learning things, one is to just start doing something rigorously and continuously until you get a hang of it, or get directions from someone experienced and learn from their mistakes. While the first one is more time taking and you will never know when you are on the right track, the second way of learning is smarter and faster. In a similar scenario Photography can be learned by practising on your own, by hitting different combinations of ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed you will understand it eventually.
However, some professionals guide rookies like me to become a better photographer through their books. These books not only comprise of many different techniques of clicking, technical functionality of a camera, etc. but also show you the journey of those whom you are looking up to. So, here I have a list of the Best Photography Books to Get You Started.
Understanding Exposure
Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson has many editions and you can start with anyone or read all of them. Brian has a very unique approach to tell you how to shoot great photos with any camera. This is why many beginners find it helpful and give great reviews in the online community. Brian Peterson himself is an awesome professional photographer who helps you out throughout the book with composition, depth of field, fundamentals of aperture, and shutter speed in this book. ‘Understanding Exposure’ not only is great for beginners but also for intermediate photographers who are not comfortable in getting out of the automatic mode, or to use their camera’s creative features.
This book is a very well round-up of educating and helping people explore their camera in and out. The fourth edition of ‘Understanding Exposure’ costs around INR 620 on Amazon and is rated 4.5 stars. This book has even been one of the bestsellers for photography reference books.
The Digital Photography
Digital Photography by Scott Kelby has a very friendly approach towards the readers. In this book, Scott Kelby never dives too deep into the technical terms or explains to you why something works the way it does rather he talks about what you should do to click certain types of pictures, or what pictures you should take in different situations, and more of the stuff that will help you learn to take good pictures.
Scott Kelby wrote ‘The Digital Photography’ with a little bit of humorous touch to it as well and has a ‘photo recipe’ section which has many beautiful pictures shot by a pro and the settings used and how you can replicate it. The book is a set of 5 books with chapters covering a specific occasion to take out your camera and click pictures. This set costs you around INR 7,786 and is rated 4.6 stars on Amazon.
The Photographer’ Eye
The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman is focused on the composition of a picture, just like the subtitle of the book says ‘Composition and Design for Better Photos. Michael Freeman compels you to take note of the design of a picture which will help you in creating a successful photograph. In this book, he has poured his work into accurate analytical terms making it the best composition book ever. ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ helps you gain the talent or perspective of a professional photographer so that you can hone your skill of organizing the camera’s graphic elements to take pictures with effective composition.
The book is divided into six chapters of The Image Frame, Design Basics, Graphic and Photographic Elements, Composing with Light and Color, Intent, Process, and has tons of impressive work from Michael Freeman which makes you appreciate the book even more. On Amazon, this book sells the paperback variant for INR 5,089 and is rated 4.3 stars.
Extraordinary Everyday Photography
Extraordinary Everyday Photography by Brenda Tharp and Jed Manwaring is a book known to give vision to new aspiring photographers. Many people who read this book when they started as a photographer say that this book helped them to find extraordinary in their everyday life. Brenda Tharp and Jed Manwaring emphasize the idea that there are photos everywhere waiting to be taken a photographer just needs to see the world differently to find those. ‘Extraordinary Everyday Photography’ is available on Amazon for INR 1,222 and it is rated with 4.5 stars.
Mastering Digital SLR Photography
Mastering Digital SLR Photography by David Busch is a proper guide for beginners to get the best out of their camera in high-quality Digital SLR photography. Ever since Canon released its Rebel series which was a cheap price DSLR that anyone can afford, the sales of DSLR cameras have increased rapidly. This caused a rise in the number of people who want to learn photography and this book helps you exactly with that. Reading ‘Mastering Digital SLR Photography’ is like taking a live class where they give you theoretical knowledge about the camera and practical sessions to work on your photography skills. The book is available on Amazon for INR 2,545 and is rated with 4 stars.
Good Pictures
Good Pictures by Kim Beil is a book that talks about Art, History, and Culture of Photography. Everyone has a smartphone with a great camera and everyone likes uploading on social media, so almost everyone can differentiate between a good and a bad picture but this book helps you know what a good picture is made up of. Kim Beil has written this not in the sense to teach people how to click beautiful pictures or how to adjust your camera settings but for people to get a grasp on what is photography and what is a good picture. ‘Good Picture’ is available on Amazon for $35.
Photography cannot be learned in a day or overnight. Even if you have read all of these books, you have to go out click pictures and hone your skill to perfection. Develop your vision to a point where you can create an image of what your photo should look like and then actually click the photo with perfect camera settings. If you wish to become like one of the writers mentioned above you have to keep clicking.
