ABJanes Loc: Jersey Boy now Virginia

I just purchased Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson 4th edition, which is far superior than the 3rd edition. It is very well done!

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski (former curator of photography at the NY Museum of Modern Art)

nannyg

thank you for your book selections. i have some of them and the other seem excellent. do you mind sharing others that you have liked/found useful?

thank you

nancy

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Any book by fellow UHH member Steve Perry:

https://backcountrygallery.com/

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

You are the king of resources! Thanks for doing all of the research for the rest of us.

PeterBergh

I recommend Bruce Barnbaum's books, in particular The Art of Photography and The Essence of Photography. Both are available on Amazon.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Everything by Bryan Peterson. Mike Hagen is great for flash.

Nikonman44

Try going on the "Expert Photography site and just preview what Josh shares and then decide.

He has done an excellent job

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I've found the following books to be both inspirational and instructive. Actually spend time with each photo, look for what the photographer wants you to focus on, find the special something that makes each photo memorable, or not. Enjoy!

Light, Gesture, & Color by Jay Maisel
Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs
At the Water's Edge by Ansel Adams
Stunning Photographs by Griffiths (National Geographic).

Nikonman44

Both of those are excellent and there are so many good ones out here today.

Nikonman44

There are numerous sites which are all pretty good. Anyone of us on UHH can probably recommend several.

There are also sites that pop up when you are going through this site. Expert Photography has been a great help to many folk in early days of practice. Evan Shaboneau is another.

Really depends on what you want to learn first and better,

Thinks look around and then choose what interest you the most. There are so many books ( good ones) out there you could be in a position of reading and never getting out to shoot .

dyximan

I am looking for a book with more technical aspects perhaps with examples. To explain dynamic range, histograms, light metering, white balance, exposure compensation. With both examples of how they work and how it affects the photo and or photos being taken. Any suggestions thank you and in advance hogs.

lrn2bgd Loc: Ct.

Look at Amazon's web site for Bryan Peterson's books on photography. He has many to choose from and you could double click the picture of the book and look through the table of contents. Then go to a Barnes and Nobles and see if the actual material is what you want. I now own his book on Understanding Exposure and it is very good. Also look through the replies in this post. Some of the authors have many books and you can do the same research with them as well. Good luck.

whwiden

I would second these choices.

whwiden

I have used books containing collections of photographs from master photographers to try to learn different things about composition. I give two examples. In "An inner silence, the portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson" you will see examples of what some call environmental portraits. Many of these portraits appear to have been taken with a 50mm lens, which is often thought a bit wide for a portrait lens. Yet, these photos are excellent, precisely because they include more of the surroundings of the subject. The faces do not take up very much of the frame, yet they are effective. Not just head and shoulder shots. And, the subject faces often are not centered in the frame--which operates to create more interest. Particularly if you are a prime lens shooter, it is interesting to see what you can do with a 50mm lens--that is to say, you do not always need an 85mm or 105mm lens to create portraits.

The aperture masters of photography book on Paul Strand is similarly useful for framing shots. Several things come to mind when you look at these photos.
First, you will see some which are very abtract--relying mostly on light, shadow and form, rather than specific identification of objects. And, you will find some architectural photos which do not try to get an entire building in the frame. Rather, some aspect of the structure is focused on--and it is quite effective. Again, this skill is particularly useful for a prime lens shooter.

When I look to buy a photography book containing collections of pictures, I gravitate to those which teach me something about composition which works to my taste, but is not something I might have arrived at on my own. Most of the books I listed I find have some educational message that speaks to me. And, the ability to review the photos periodically helps reinforce the lesson.

Though I am very interested in technical camera settings and so forth, I find that these sorts of things matter most. You can set a basic camera in manual to ISO 400, f/8 and just vary the shutter speed to get a decent enough exposure outdoors in daylight, and then focus on these sorts of things to get better photos. Without proper framing and composition, no amount of other stuff will give you a fine photograph.