As far as taking pictures, before you learn anything else there are two books you should read:
1) The manual for your camera. Regardless of the camera that you own, you need to know what it can do. You need to understand what the settings do for you. You need to know how to adjust the different components of your system. If you do not do this, you won’t know how to achieve the potential that exists within your purchased system. It sounds obvious, but I did not read it at first. I finally read it, front to back, and I learned an amazing amount of things about my computer. This was the single most helpful step I took in bettering my photography.
2) Understanding Exposure
Any of the editions of this book will help you. The book is a fast read (literally one or two nights if you’re a quick reader), but packed with amazingly helpful information. This helped me to understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in the creation of beautiful photographs. My husband, who wasn’t at the time a photo junkie, read it as well and immediately got more enthusiastic about photography. If you are a math/science mind, this one will help you immensely. This gives you the bones (understanding of the numbers) upon which to hang your creativity. If you choose a digital version of this book, be sure to get it in color. The photos are gorgeous, and the detail they provide assist in your understanding of the different principles that they illustrate.
For those of you whom are photographers, is there any other “suggested reading” titles that you can provide? I’m always looking to learn!
