books to improve

[pazifico]

hey guys, sorry if i'm writing a common topic, but i have some difficulty with english and for me to search in forum is not easy (because i have to read a lot of post... and i read in english slowly.
then, can you all advise me some interesting and important books to improve my photography?
i read "The Photographer's Eye" by freeman, and some books about digital photography... but i don't know anything about film photography.
now i'm in california, and i can buy american books (so, i can improve my english at the same time)
which books you advise me?
i thought to take the 3 adam's books, but maybe they're too difficult for me... i don't know (but these 3 i want to buy, because here cost 20$ each, in italy thay cost 58$ each O.O )


thanks a lot

 

[Jeff Bradford]

The Ansel Adams Photography Series is a place to start. There will be many arguments for, against, and around Ansel Adams' methods and techniques, but Ansel Adams is always at the center of those discussions.

 

[bernard_L]

David Vestal: The Craft of Photography. No-nonsense, get the basics right. Lots of useful information/advice. Can be found for ~30€ (Amazon, second-hand).

 

[andrew.roos]

Bruce Barnbaum, The Art of Photography, is an excellent book that covers topics such as light, composition, exposure, filters, the zone system, printing, dodging and burning, presentation and artistic creativity. It is not an entry-level introduction, but more of an intermediate level book.

 

[MrBrowning]

+1 to the suggestions I'll add Tim Rudman's Printers Master Course & Ctein's Post Exposure (can be found here in pdf for free) for the darkroom end of it.

 

[philosli]

All of John Szarkowski's books are great: in particular "Looking at Photographs" and "Atget". You get a full-page commentary for each selected photo from one of the most influential photography curators (he was the chief curator of the photography department at MoMA for over 40 years). Interestingly, he also has a book "The Photographer's Eye" that I think is also great.

I have 2 of the 3 Adam's book, and Barnbaum's "The Art of Photography". But don't be bogged down by these mostly technical books. I don't think they help much about the appreciation and vision of photography, which I think is more important than whether your should place the shadow in zone III or IV.

 

[winger]

I have liked the older editions of "Photography" by Barbara London and John Upton. The recent ones are probably more digital-oriented, but if you can find an older one in a used book store, that will be cheaper and maybe more useful. Lots of basics.
"Light, Science, and Magic" by Hunter, Biver, and Fuqua is a good one for learning how to understand light (mostly about studio light, but not entirely).
Finding an older Henry Horenstein book would be good, too. He has several, including a couple just about Black and White.

 

[jimjm]

I'll second Vestal's "Craft of Photography" as a good place to start. Comprehensive book, and the sections on control of exposure are very well-explained.

If you stick with film photography (especially developing/printing), you will eventually buy Adams' 3 books. The first one, "The Camera" would be most useful for you to start with.

Barnbaum's book "The Art of Photography" is excellent, and for me a good motivational tool. He has a lot of technical information and beautiful photo examples, but also touches on emotional issues of photography like creativity and personal integrity. This is a book that is useful even for digital photographers.

 

[pdeeh]

If you want to read about the technical and craft side of photography, I'd suggest sticking to one or two authors at most.

Different authors explain things in different ways, quite often use terminology specific to only themselves, give greater emphasis to different areas which they consider most important, and of course have their own "theories" about which different techniques are best and how they work.

These conflicts can lead the unwary beginner to a state of confusion rather than enlightenment.

Older books (and this includes Adams' superb three volumes) can also often refer to materials (films and paper especially) which no longer exist, and some of the more general suggestions may not be strictly applicable to the most modern materials. This in itself doesn't render them without value (far from it in Adams' case) but is also something to be aware of and careful about.

Books about the conceptual and artistic side of things are more timeless, I think.

 

[pazifico]

thank you all a lot for your suggestion

seba

 

[MrBrowning]

Pazifico send me a PM with your address and I'll send you one of Henry Horenstein's older books on black & white photography at no cost. I just need to dig it out of storage.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

hey guys, sorry if i'm writing a common topic, but i have some difficulty with english and for me to search in forum is not easy (because i have to read a lot of post... and i read in english slowly.
then, can you all advise me some interesting and important books to improve my photography?
i read "The Photographer's Eye" by freeman, and some books about digital photography... but i don't know anything about film photography.
now i'm in california, and i can buy american books (so, i can improve my english at the same time)
which books you advise me?
i thought to take the 3 adam's books, but maybe they're too difficult for me... i don't know (but these 3 i want to buy, because here cost 20$ each, in italy thay cost 58$ each O.O )


thanks a lot

You can hardly go wrong wth the AAtrilogy!I didn't find them difficult at all.and English is not my mother tongue either.

 

[bdial]

St. Ansel's books are a good resource, but he can be a little hard to read. Fred Picker's Zone VI Workshop covers a lot of the same information as AA's The Print and The Negative but is much is a much easier read, IMO.

 

[John Koehrer]

Consider this another +++ for Vestal's books

David Vestal's "Craft of Photography" and "The Art Of Black and White"
are easily read because you're reading English. It's the only pair of how to books I've kept for over forty years.
Others come and go.

Another pair that are good are Ansel Adams Guide pair. "Basic Techniques of Photography" volume 1 and 2. Fortunately not
written by Adams but by John P Schaefer.

The AA books mentioned above are good but I say not great for someone wanting to learn to read English. Excellent for bedtime though.
Better than sleeping pills.

The above are technical/how to books. Use the local library to examine picture books. Go through a variety of them & see if you can
find a style you enjoy, then go out & take some pictures.
A good source for used photo books would be used book stores.

 

[kobaltus]

Vote for AA trilogy: camera, negative, print. Very concise and not to hard to understand for non english speaker.
Bruce Barnaum The Art of Photography also inspires me sometimes.
But Ctein's Post Exposure book was boring and quasi-scientific for me. Mine copy ended its short life in garbage can.

 

[pazifico]

thanks, but i'm not in my house, i'll looking in the library and bookstore.
thank you a lot, you're very kind

 

[Black Dog]

See also John Blakemore's Black and White Photography Workshop. +1 on Vestal as well.

 

[Renato Tonelli]

Henry Horenstein's "Black and White Photography - A Basic Manual" and "beyond Basic Photography" are excellent: concise explanations and straightforward language. I learned from these books when my English skills were very poor.