Noob Photographer: Best book

[StevenH72]

Hi all,

Being a complete noob to Film photography, and very willing to learn, I am looking for the best book to start from, maybe one which covers basic techniques?

I am also looking for suggestions of where to go from there? Do I choose a direction of what particular photography I am interested in, or would I be best off learning a wider array of more complicated techniques?

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I did try seaching but probably didn't use accurate keywords.

Thanks in advance

Steve

 

[Jon Shiu]

Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein
is clear concise book. He also has a second book called Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual that has a lot of good stuff in it.

Jon

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I would recommend starting to crawl before trying to run, let alone walk. Bryuan Peterson has a couple of good basic books on exposure and composition. If you want to go all the way, but little by little, get Ansel Adams' three books 'The Camera', 'The Negative' and 'The Print'. It's all in there and you can learn what you wish when you wish. It's a heavy read but chock full of vital information.

 

[Rick A]

"Photography" by John and Barb Upton
"The Negative" "The Camera" "The Print" Ansel Adams

 

[Shawn Rahman]

"Photography" by John and Barb Upton
"The Negative" "The Camera" "The Print" Ansel Adams

A resounding YES on the Upton book.

But do you really think the Adams books are good for beginners? I think they are FAR too technical for even advanced amateurs.

 

[lns]

Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein
is clear concise book. ...

Jon

I totally agree. Many photo classes use this as a text. It's helpful and detailed enough and covers everything you'll need at the beginning.

As for where you go after that, you should go wherever you like. There's no right or wrong. Maybe take a class, if you can find one. Enjoy!

-Laura

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I would advise the AA books in conjunction with a basic book for easier to eat reference. Many come to mind and are on my shelf, though that shelf is upstairs and I suffer from CRS Syndrome. John Hedgecoe's books come to mind, just had a relapse. But I would definitely pick up Adams' trio. That way when you have a more-than-basic question, you'll probably have the answers. As well as the all of us here on APUG.

 

[36cm2]

I think all of the recommendations so far are very helpful, but if I were starting out again and could buy ONLY one book to guide me throughout my entire photographic experience it would be "An Ansel Adams Guide - Basic Techniques of Photography," by John P. Schaefer. This book summarizes Ansel's great series in one book, presents a host of more current information, addresses color photography and is extremely well written and organized. The Upton book is excellent, but it is formatted more in snippets, whereas Schaefer's book reads more fluidly through topic chapters. If you're more ADD, the Upton book may suit you better.

The recommendation for Bryan Peterson's, "Understanding Exposure" is an excellent one as an ADDITIONAL book. Gaining personal control over manual exposure of film may be the most challenging and frustrating aspect of starting out in film photography. The book does an excellent job of breaking down this particular area. But again, I would only recommend it as a supplement to a broader book, like Schaefer's, as exposure is a single component in the much larger scheme of photography.

 

[StevenH72]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, I think I will start of with the Schaefer and Horenstein books, and will probably also purchase Peterson's for further reading.

Thanks again.

 

[John Koehrer]

I would never recommend the Adams Trilogy as an introduction book to a newcomer, leave that for a year or two down the road.
There are so many more readable books available. Horenstein, Upton, Vestal, Schaefer, Swedlund, etc.

 

[Tim Gray]

The Horenstein book is good, but basic. I'd pick up a copy of The Craft of Photography by Vestal as well, if for no other reason it can be had for dirt cheap used. It's quite good too.

 

[KenM]

Try this one:

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