Book for an absolute beginner?

Mart61

Mart61

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Martin
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Hi there

My wife has taken her first cautious steps away from iPhone photography and now has a Panasonic LX100.

She's after a book that will start at the very beginning and not get into too much detail at this stage. She would also like a book that suggests exercises that put the theory into practice as the book progresses.

I have done a little homework and identified Tom Ang's Digital Photography - Step by Step. Is this a good tome for her? I note that this is from 2011 - perhaps there's a more current volume?

Also she will most likely PP only in Snapseed on her iPad. As such chapters on LR or PS may be irrelevant to her.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
 
Hot Shots by Kevin Meredith, lots of ideas there without boring her with irrelevant theory. Or just let her find her own way.. maybe she could join the forum? or a FB group?
 
PSILVERMAN said:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is excellent
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In what way did you think it was good?
I read it a while ago and was very disappointed, don't think it explained the subject at all well (photos of his attractive bikini clad wife were the highlight for me)

Admittedly not read the very latest edition, but considering it was titled exposure no mention was made of the very important histogram or "blinkies"
Both of these are integral to producing a well exposed photo in the digital age and definitely deserve a mention

Personally feel its a book everyone feels they should recommend, but there are many other better reads out there especially for beginners
 
Checkout your local College for some part time courses for hands on experience.
 
Personally feel its a book everyone feels they should recommend, but there are many other better reads out there especially for beginners[/QUOTE]

Such as?
 
tijuana taxi said:
In what way did you think it was good?
I read it a while ago and was very disappointed, don't think it explained the subject at all well (photos of his attractive bikini clad wife were the highlight for me)

Admittedly not read the very latest edition, but considering it was titled exposure no mention was made of the very important histogram or "blinkies"
Both of these are integral to producing a well exposed photo in the digital age and definitely deserve a mention

Personally feel its a book everyone feels they should recommend, but there are many other better reads out there especially for beginners
Click to expand...
I've said it before; I don't understand why anyone would recommend that book any more.

It's not really fit for purpose in the digital world. But there doesn't appear to be a suitable replacement either.

The photographers eye is a good read but maybe not suitable for the OP's wife.
 
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Phil V said:
I've said it before; I don't understand why anyone would recommend that book any more.

It's not really fit for purpose in the digital world. But there doesn't appear to be a suitable replacement either.

The photographers eye is a good read but maybe not suitable for the OP's wife.
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Funny, the one book og rather the books I return to frequently is a pair from the early seventies. Translated into english called something like " Im photographing" 1 and 2.
 
soeren said:
Funny, the one book og rather the books I return to frequently is a pair from the early seventies. Translated into english called something like " Im photographing" 1 and 2.
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The general principals of photography haven't changed.*

However when it comes to a book only about 'exposure' then it's important to know that digital capture is significantly different to film, and particularly that digital gives us tools and techniques not available in the film age.

*its still worth mentioning that some techniques go in and out of fashion.
 
Mart61 said:
Hi there

My wife has taken her first cautious steps away from iPhone photography and now has a Panasonic LX100.

She's after a book that will start at the very beginning and not get into too much detail at this stage. She would also like a book that suggests exercises that put the theory into practice as the book progresses.

I have done a little homework and identified Tom Ang's Digital Photography - Step by Step. Is this a good tome for her? I note that this is from 2011 - perhaps there's a more current volume?

Also she will most likely PP only in Snapseed on her iPad. As such chapters on LR or PS may be irrelevant to her.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Click to expand...


Read it a couple of years ago - from memory it would be a good choice. It may well be available in your local library.
 
tijuana taxi said:
In what way did you think it was good?
I read it a while ago and was very disappointed, don't think it explained the subject at all well (photos of his attractive bikini clad wife were the highlight for me)

Admittedly not read the very latest edition, but considering it was titled exposure no mention was made of the very important histogram or "blinkies"
Both of these are integral to producing a well exposed photo in the digital age and definitely deserve a mention

Personally feel its a book everyone feels they should recommend, but there are many other better reads out there especially for beginners
Click to expand...

I gave a copy to one of my friends who was starting out on his photographic journey, he knew absolutely nothing whatsoever about the subject and from reading the book he's come away with a very good grasp of the exposure triangle and how everything relates to each other. Yes I know there's nothing in there that you can't find elsewhere online but sometimes it's best for some people to learn from a book.
 
Thanks for the replies. Some food for thought.
 
PSILVERMAN said:
I gave a copy to one of my friends who was starting out on his photographic journey, he knew absolutely nothing whatsoever about the subject and from reading the book he's come away with a very good grasp of the exposure triangle and how everything relates to each other. Yes I know there's nothing in there that you can't find elsewhere online but sometimes it's best for some people to learn from a book.
Click to expand...

Must admit, I found it very useful when starting out (2010 ish). With the benefit of hindsight I can see that it's a bit limited in what it covers specific to the digital era though the principals it does cover are still valid in the main. I still see Understanding Exposure as a good place to start and experiment from even if it leads to buying other books further down the line to fill in the gaps (or in my case, joining TP and asking stupid questions). No one book is going to cover everything you need to know but I thought UE did a good job in inspiring me onto the learning curve.

Of course though, there aren't going to be many people out there who have read more than one 'my first photography book' unless they picked a bad one in the first place so all recommendations ought to be treated with some degree of caution.
 
Phil V said:
The general principals of photography haven't changed.*

However when it comes to a book only about 'exposure' then it's important to know that digital capture is significantly different to film, and particularly that digital gives us tools and techniques not available in the film age.

*its still worth mentioning that some techniques go in and out of fashion.
Click to expand...
Yes there are definitely lot of new tools in digital. I must say though that i found the move from color transperancies to B&W negatives resulted in more fails and difficulties than analog to digital. For beginners i find the basics to be more than adecuate, how the meter works i regards to light and dark tones, the effect apperture and shutterspeed have on the final image but most of all learning to see, compose and use light and you get a long way without in debth coverage of the technical aspects in photography. Keep it simple, keep it fun.
 
soeren said:
Yes there are definitely lot of new tools in digital. I must say though that i found the move from color transperancies to B&W negatives resulted in more fails and difficulties than analog to digital. For beginners i find the basics to be more than adecuate, how the meter works i regards to light and dark tones, the effect apperture and shutterspeed have on the final image but most of all learning to see, compose and use light and you get a long way without in debth coverage of the technical aspects in photography. Keep it simple, keep it fun.
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And that's what I've said many times. ;)

You're only reacting to a post I made regarding a particular book I don't think is suitable.
 
PSILVERMAN said:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is excellent
Click to expand...

For an absolute beginner, I'd still recommend this.
It certainly won't do any harm, and if you pm me your details I have a well thumbed issue I'll happily mail to you. :)
 
It's not as if she can't learn from her own experiences? I wouldn't trust these guys advice as far as I could throw up on it.
Seriously, if she has an urge to record then that's a good start point
 
+1 for Tony Northrup.

If your wife is okay with youtube, look at Mike Brown too.
 
When I saw this headline one of my favourite books came to mind: "Absolute Beginners" by Colin MacInnes.

It's a novel about a photographer in the London of the late 1950s. No pictures included but a lot of interesting observations about, well, observing. The hero uses a Rolleiflex, which was the aspirational camera of the period. They made a truly terrible film from the book, ten years after the author was safely dead, so couldn't sue them for destroying his story.

As to the original question - I wouldn't bother reading any books. Just get out and take hundreds of pictures - it's digital after all and you'll learn far more from looking at your own pictures and deciding what you like than looking at someone else's shots and being told what you should like.
 
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PSILVERMAN said:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is excellent
Click to expand...
I'm another in agreement with this. It's a slim tome that intends to cover the basics that apply to any kind of photography, not just digital. It explains the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO very well, as well as some elementary stuff about light quality and composition . I've recommended it to many, some of whom are not in the slightest bit interested in digital photography, so information on blinkies and histograms simply isn't that relevant to some beginners. It's always been well received.

And no one is saying to only read this book, there are plenty others to follow up with if you want to learn about all the bells and whistles.
 
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As beginner, the books that you can refer are from authors:

John Hedgcoe
Davis (Phil)
Chris Gatcum
 
If you've got a Works near you they are selling Michael Freeman's the Photographers Pocket Book for a couple of quid.
Quite a nice starter book
 
PSILVERMAN said:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is excellent
Click to expand...

I bought that book many moons ago on the strength of reading recommendations in this forum. I think it is one of those items that people have, for reasons that are mystifying, taken to recommending. I felt that it did nothing to aid or inspire me.

I have found Tom Ang's books to be enlightening and informative. Money well spent.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=T...vKDQrzzHREnAsLcnILwrJd8rPz_bPy6kEAPrzyfMuAAAA
 
tijuana taxi said:
In what way did you think it was good?
I read it a while ago and was very disappointed, don't think it explained the subject at all well (photos of his attractive bikini clad wife were the highlight for me)

Admittedly not read the very latest edition, but considering it was titled exposure no mention was made of the very important histogram or "blinkies"
Both of these are integral to producing a well exposed photo in the digital age and definitely deserve a mention

Personally feel its a book everyone feels they should recommend, but there are many other better reads out there especially for beginners
Click to expand...
Blinkies No use at all if you shoot in RAW, as this is only for the JPG on the camera screen, if you work to keep no blinkies you most likely underexposing.
 
I learnt with mixture of
shruggy63 said:
It's not as if she can't learn from her own experiences? I wouldn't trust these guys advice as far as I could throw up on it.
Seriously, if she has an urge to record then that's a good start point
Click to expand...

Who don't you make your own forum with that attitude and watch the members count never move further than yourself EVER
 
Who don't I?!
There's no easy answers. But wanting to is a great start?
 
shruggy63 said:
It's not as if she can't learn from her own experiences? I wouldn't trust these guys advice as far as I could throw up on it.
Seriously, if she has an urge to record then that's a good start point
Click to expand...
I know I promissed to shut up but.
Ive seen to many basic questions on fora that could have been solved by a quick web search and/or watching a video or two, or simply not been a question at all if people dared to pick up a book and learn the basics, or even the little pamphlet that came with the camera (RFM). So discouraging beginners from picking up books on the matter, h... be it Digital Photography for Dummies, is malpractice, sorry
 
Chaz Photos said:
Blinkies No use at all if you shoot in RAW, as this is only for the JPG on the camera screen, if you work to keep no blinkies you most likely underexposing.
Click to expand...
I believe you've made a huge assumption based on a small amount of information.

Many pro photographers shoot raw (not RAW btw) and use 'blinkies' with great results.

Though they're not 'avoiding blinkies' they're using that information along with their 'brain' and 'experience' - one of my most popular 'snaps' from a recent holiday had the whole background blinking - made no difference to my shot - I didn't want to keep detail in the background - the subject was sat in the shade in a bar - the background was a busy street.
 
I found Scott Kelby very good when I was learning, especially his "Digital Photography Series" books -5 volumes now I think.
 
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