‘What digital photography book should I buy?’
I get asked this quite a bit by readers and while I’ve read quite a few good ones am always on the look out for more recommended resources. So I thought I’d open up the question to readers – what digital photography books have you found most helpful? Leave your recommendations and reader reviews in comments below.
To start the conversation I thought I’d post a reader review of The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. This review was left in our forums by forum member ny156uk who won this book in a competition here at DPS. I hope you find it helpful.
The Review
The book is set as if you are a buddy of Scott’s out on a shoot. Each page is another tip/’technique’ so you get headings like “When to Shoot Flowers” or “What to Shoot in Bad Weather”. The book doesn’t explain ‘technical’ information about how cameras work/why X creates a small depth-of-field etc. instead it focuses on what settings/things you need to do to capture a specific look.
Throughout the book there is light-hearted humour. This appears to be an attempt to make the book less reference-y. I quite like the less formal approach, but imagine for some the humour may diminish the otherwise clear writing style.
Each chapter spans a specific area covering off the usual (weddings, landscapes, sports, nature, flowers, travel and portraits). It also has a ‘photo recipes’ section with several very beautiful photos, each containing a breakdown of what compositional elements/features make the shot and how to replicate it.
Throughout the book you are presented with short snappy stories from the perspective of a pro, situations they have gotten into and some rather unique little tips (there is a photo showing a method of wrapping your camera-strap around your arm that is said to achieve a sturdier grip for hand-held shots).
Top things I learnt from The Digital Photography Book:
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