Books for Beginners - what would you recommend?

[GHK]

Originally Posted by Leif

I would recommend books by John Shaw. They are getting a bit outdated as far as the equipment is concerned, given that they were written in the pre-digital age, but the basics of exposure, aperture, composition, and so on are as well described as anywhere. Leif

I agree; he is one of the best writers on landscape and natural history that we have seen in many years.
GHK

[EdR]

Originally Posted by Marmeduke

I have always found 'The Photographer's Eye - Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos' by Michael Freeman a real help. It's great on the things that make a strong photo but can't normally be summed up in a quick lesson. It got me thinking about the principles of effective photos and helped me to take less 'almost' shots! I definitely recommend it!

I would +1 with a !! this one. There are two versions, this one and the Graphical Guide. They approach the same compositional material from different perspectives, I have and recommend both.

[LindaAdams]

Originally Posted by Baycat

As a begginer myself I can highly reccommend 'The Art Of Photographing Nature' by Martha Hill and Art Wolfe. As the title suggests, this non-technical book deals with the art of producing great wildlife photos and discusses such things as isolating the subject, composition, colour, dof, reading the light.... The book uses side by side comparison of similar photographs to discuss why one photo is superior to the other. This book is a pleasure to read and is packed full of Art Wolfes' beautiful photographs.

Couldn't agree more Amazing book!