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.

I want to thank you and all of you for your responses, however I am a believer that although there are certain rules to live by composition rule of thirds etc. I find that I often think outside the box and I'm told that I have a pretty good eye. And believe certain artistic abilities are in need and not necessarily taught. That being said I also consider myself a bit of a Renaissance man and that I believe I can meld both the sciences and the arts. And at this time I am interested in what my photo looks like based on what the camera was telling me I was doing with it. Hence my questions and inquiries about histograms, light meter readings, exposure composition readings etc.

I am interested in books that have meant something to you as being good/excellent in your photography endeavors. Topics could be landscape, macro, flowers, post processing images using artistic techniques, exposure, composition etc. I have seen many book references on this forum, for example Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson, that I was unable to find tonight through the UHH search feature. Peterson's book was definitely worth buying and I am interested in creating a list of similar books. This list of books, title and author, would be great for gift giving as well as a condensed source for new or experienced photographers who seek ideas from third parties for personal improvement. Perhaps this list could become a permanent topic found in the UHH search feature. Thank you in advance for your help.

I am interested in books that have meant something to you as being good/excellent in your photography endeavors. Topics could be landscape, macro, flowers, post processing images using artistic techniques, exposure, composition etc. I have seen many book references on this forum, for example Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson, that I was unable to find tonight through the UHH search feature. Peterson's book was definitely worth buying and I am interested in creating a list of similar books. This list of books, title and author, would be great for gift giving as well as a condensed source for new or experienced photographers who seek ideas from third parties for personal improvement. Perhaps this list could become a permanent topic found in the UHH search feature. Thank you in advance for your help.

I am interested in books that have meant something to you as being good/excellent in your photography endeavors. Topics could be landscape, macro, flowers, post processing images using artistic techniques, exposure, composition etc. I have seen many book references on this forum, for example Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson, that I was unable to find tonight through the UHH search feature. Peterson's book was definitely worth buying and I am interested in creating a list of similar books. This list of books, title and author, would be great for gift giving as well as a condensed source for new or experienced photographers who seek ideas from third parties for personal improvement. Perhaps this list could become a permanent topic found in the UHH search feature. Thank you in advance for your help.

I am interested in books that have meant something to you as being good/excellent in your photography endeavors. Topics could be landscape, macro, flowers, post processing images using artistic techniques, exposure, composition etc. I have seen many book references on this forum, for example Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson, that I was unable to find tonight through the UHH search feature. Peterson's book was definitely worth buying and I am interested in creating a list of similar books. This list of books, title and author, would be great for gift giving as well as a condensed source for new or experienced photographers who seek ideas from third parties for personal improvement. Perhaps this list could become a permanent topic found in the UHH search feature. Thank you in advance for your help.