Photography Books Review
The following is a brief review of some of the various photography books that I have bought and read. They are my own personal opinion based on my own interests and tastes and therefore may not necessarily mirror your own thoughts.
Clicking on the cover shot will take you to the Amazon UK site where you can check their latest price (where applicable). Other booksellers may stock the book at a lower price.
Why the cup? - so that you can see the comparative size of each book. Simple eh?
Currently I am reading:
The Complete Guide To Night & Low-Light Photography by Tony Worbiec
Review available soon.
The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman
Paperback : 192 pages
This is a great book. It is aimed at photographers who already have basic experience so it doesn't tell you how to use your camera or what settings to use. It is all about the next step: - understanding composition and the elements that go together that turn an ordinary photograph into a special one. This is not a 'coffee-table' book that you can dip-into and look at the pictures, it is one where you need to sit in a quiet room and read. It is also a book you can come back to time-and-time again since there is no-way that you can take it all in the first time.
The illustrative photographs are good examples and complement the text well but the first three chapters are by far the best ones and as you get towards the end of the book it can feel as though the author is starting to clutch at straws.
Non-digital user? : Don't be swayed by the term 'digital' in the title. The points made in this book are just as applicable to film photography.
Conclusion: If you know how to use your camera then this could be the next step in improving your photographs. I recommend it.
Mastering Digital Flash Photography by Chris George
Paperback : 160 pages
This is for those photographers (AKA: strobists) who want to further develop the use of flash. It is split into 6 useful chapters: What Flash, Essentials of Light, Fill Flash, Low-Light Flash, Studio Flash and Computer Techniques - and each chapter is then sub-divided into 'chunks' of information so it is easily digestible and hence the book can be dipped-into whenever required. There are numerous comparison shots that show why a particular set-up works and various explanatory diagrams to show how individual shots were lit.
Non-digital user ? : It is quite a recent book and so concentrates on digital cameras and modern strobism equipment so although some of the theory can be carried over to film it may disappoint in many respects.
Conclusion: If you want to make more use of that flashgun in your bag and wondered why pro photographers always have a flashgun on their camera even in the middle of the day - this is the book for you.
7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 by Scott Kelby
Paperback: 264 pages
The basic idea behind this book is that there are just seven basic Photoshop editing techniques that can be used on all photographs and that if you can remember them you will be able to 'fix' everything. There are 21 chapters, each one edits a different photograph using three or more of the seven techniques and you can download the 'before' images from Kelby's website and 'work along' with the book. Because you are repeating the use of the tools 21 times the theory is that by the end you will be able to use them from memory. In practice it does actually work and it gives you a better understanding of Photoshop and the confidence to use tools that you otherwise wouldn't have done. However, you need to take the 'only seven tools' bit with a pinch of salt because you will be a bit restricted if you limit yourself to these. Note that this is aimed at CS3 and Adobe Camera Raw users - if you use Lightroom or a different version of Photoshop then you may have to adapt some of the stages to suit.
Non-digital user ? : Although the Photoshop parts are equally applicable to a scanned photograph the Adobe Camera Raw parts are not - so don't bother.
Conclusion: If you need more confidence in using Photoshop then this is the book for you. Being able to 'work along' with the book on the same images is inspired and you will be able to take that knowledge and apply it to your own images afterwards. Just be aware that eventually you will find you need more than just these seven techniques.
Understanding Exposure (Revised Edition) by Bryan Peterson
Paperback : 160 pages
This is a very good book for when you suddenly realise how many shots you are losing due to poor choice of exposure settings. It starts by explaining the basic 'triangle' relationship between shutter speed, aperture and film sensitivity using bees as an example (yes, really!) and then further develops each one - of particular note is his summary of aperture settings into three: Storytelling apertures, Singular-theme apertures and Who-cares apertures. There are many good example photographs throughout the book, each with applicable data of lens, focal length, aperture and shutter speed so that you can see how each one was conceived.
Non-digital user ? : Film users will feel quite at home here. It is obvious that this book was written before digital cameras and then 'revised' by adding a few 'digital specific' sentences throughout. Although the basic principles are the same digital users should not expect any mention of histograms or RAW post-processing.
Conclusion: The basics of exposure are the same whether you use film or digital and it is always better to get the exposure correct in-camera than to try and rectify an image later. For that reason I recommend this book.
The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby (Volumes 1, 2 and 3)
Paperback: Each volume about 220 pages
You either like Scott Kelby or you loath him. Personally I'm in the former camp which is why I bought each volume as they were published. These are packed full of useful snippets of information contained within small sections - each a maximum of 2 pages long - so ideal for 'dipping-into'. These books won't teach you how to take photographs from first principles - but if you are a keen amateur there are enough little tips to keep you going for years. The later volumes tend to build on information from the previous one so I would advise buying them in order rather than assuming that volume 3 must be the best (actually it's probably the weakest). In fact, volume 1 is probably the best 'all-rounder' since the later volumes tend to be a bit more specific in subject matter.
Non-digital user ? : These volumes concentrate on digital cameras and associated equipment so although some of the tips can be carried over to film the majority will be useless.
Conclusion: If you can put up with Kelby's style of writing then these deserve space on your bookshelf.
Digital Nature Photography - The Art and The Science by John and Barbara Gerlach
Paperback: 187 pages
This husband & wife team have written a comprehensive book on nature photography that encompasses equipment choice, exposure, light, composition, macro and flash. It is clear that this information is the result of years of experience and the book is packed full of stunning photographs all taken, as far as I can gather, by the authors themselves. It is genuinely written with digital photography in mind and so feels very up-to-date:- it discusses such subjects as white balance, JPEG vs. RAW, ND filters and tripod heads. It is a book you can sit and read for hours or just briefly pick up and look at the pictures.
Non-digital user ? : As stated above, this is really written specifically for digital users.
Conclusion: Since this is probably one of my favourite photography books I can only recommend that you get a copy if you're even remotely interested in nature photography.
Microstock Photography: How To Make Money From Digital Images by Douglas Freer
Paperback: 209 pages
Actually this reminds me of a saying of a good friend of mine: "What's the only way of making money from photography? - Sell your camera gear!". Anyway, I digress. This is a very up-to-date book that takes you through the history of stock photography, a profile of the main players in microstock, the equipment required, the high quality standards that need to be met and then gives an insight into what sells and what doesn't. It's an entertaining read and is good preparation if you want to go down the microstock route. Of course, it cannot prepare you for the feeling of despondency when 50% of your images get rejected from your chosen stock site but that's just a bitter pill that you have to swallow yourself.
Non-digital user ? : The problem for film users isn't the book but the fact that microstock agencies want full-size large digital files submitted which means that you would have to create very high quality scans and try to eliminate film grain which many microstock agencies will reject since it looks like noise.
Conclusion: If you're thinking of going down the microstock route then this book is worth reading first.
Taking Pictures For Profit by Lee Frost
Paperback: 160 pages
No longer in print - but can be bought second-hand.
To be fair, this book was first published in 1996. I bought it second-hand a number of years ago but since it is still in my bookcase I thought I would briefly review it. Frankly the only good reason to read this is to see how things have changed over a relatively short space of time. There is no mention of those things we now take for granted such as digital cameras, microstock agencies, Flickr, web-sites or even e-mail. It does briefly mention a computer on one page: "you can then copy the file onto a high density floppy disk....this may all sound like a science fiction movie, but it really is happening". How times have changed.
Non-digital user ? : Doesn't matter - it's still out-of-date.
Conclusion: I cannot recommend that you buy it - even second-hand. You may see some good reviews on Amazon but check the dates they were made. Probably a good book in its day but life has moved on.
Close-Up Photography by Jonathan Hilton
Paperback: 160 pages
No longer in print - but can be bought second-hand.
In contrast to the book reviewed directly above, this was also obviously published some time ago (it is not dated) but here the basic content has stood the test of time. It is packed full of inspirational photographs and text that will benefit anyone who wants to improve their close-up photography technique - or just wants some ideas.
Non-digital user ? : It is clear from the data supplied with each image that they were all taken with film but it really doesn't matter since the basics are the same whether digital or film.
Conclusion: If you see a copy in a second-hand shop for a couple-of-quid then buy it - you can't go wrong.
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