Photography Books
Is it a good idea for an aspiring photographer to read about the technical stuff in Photography books?
I was just reading about some photographers like Diane Arbus who didn’t even know about stuff like exposure, apeture, and f-stops. Do you think it is a good investment of time for an aspiring photographer to read the technical books on photography? Or do you think it’s better to just get out there and shoot?
I believe your source on Diane Arbus was very misinformed.
A lot of people seem to think that if you “… just get out there and shoot…” you’ll somehow take a good picture. Of course, using this logic, its possible that you’ll take 300 lousy pictures and have no idea why they are lousy pictures. That’s where the “technical” part comes in. (A person once stated in here that if they took 100 pictures and got 1 good one they were happy. Talk about low expectations! I honestly believe you’d get similar results if you just gave the camera to a chimpanzee.)
If you don’t know and understand the exposure triangle of ISO, shutter speed and aperture then how can you control your picture making? Sure, you can set your camera on Program AE and let it make all the decisions about aperture and shutter speed but how does the camera know what effect you are trying to achieve? It doesn’t. It can’t. Cameras are just dumb boxes.
If you don’t understand how aperture and focal length are used to produce either a shallow Depth of Field (DOF) or a deep DOF then how do you isolate your subject from the background? How do you make sure that everything from 3′ in front of the camera to infinity is in focus? (Depth of Field is defined as that area in acceptable focus in front of and behind your subject).
If you don’t understand the role of shutter speed then how do you expect to use it to stop motion or to allow a subject to be slightly blurred to show motion?
If you don’t know how the ISO you choose affects both the aperture and shutter speed and the picture quality then how will you know what ISO to use on a sunny day? For sports/action? For the best possible picture quality?
Without a good technical knowledge of photography, how will you know what to do when confronted with scenes that aren’t average and that will cause your in-camera meter to give you a bad exposure? Suppose you have a subject against a bright background and don’t want a silhouette? What if the subject is frontlit against a dark background? If you depend on your camera you’ll be disappointed. Your subject will not be correctly exposed. Suppose your scene is white sand or snow. Let the camera’s meter decide and your white sand or snow will turn out gray.
You also must know and understand the “Rules of Composition”. By knowing them you make your pictures more interesting. You know to not center your subject. You know to keep empty space to a minimum. You know to check the background so you can eliminate trees “growing” from someone’s head. You know how to eliminate ot at least minimize a distracting background. Of course, knowing the “Rules” then allows you to break them when your creative impulses overrule them.
So yes, having the technical knowledge is needed. Without it you are just a snapshooter. Point. Shoot. Hope. With it you are on your way to being a photographer. Compose. Shoot. Know.
For the record, I almost always shoot in Aperture Preferred because I like a lot of DOF and I know that lenses are designed to give their best results at between f5.8 to f11. I watch the shutter speed to make sure it isn’t too slow to hand-hold.
“Pictures are not taken, they are made.” Ansel Adams
“Best wide-angle lens? Two steps backward. Look for the ‘ah-ha’ “. Ernst Haas
Top 10 Arts & Photography Books
|
|
Acrylic Ice Cubes Square Shape, 2-Pound Bag $16.99 1 inch (2.5 cm) square Artificial Acrylic Plastic Ice Cubes. These Faux Plastic Ice Cubes are ideal for theatrical productions, photo shoots, or as display props. Each package of Artificial Acrylic Plastic Ice Cubes weighs 2 lb (.9 kg), and contains 40 ice cubes. Will not float. Hand wash…. |
|
|
12 Inch Lazy Susan $5.82 SHEPHERD LAZY SUSAN BEARING *12″ round plate *1/4″ ball bearings *500 lbs. max *Zinc plated… |
|
|
Advent candles, Paris, France, Europe Photo Mugs Advent candles, Paris, France, Europe…. |
|
|
HP Folio 13-1020US 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Steel Gray) $949.99 Stay more comfortable with HP CoolSense technology on the HP Folio 13-1020us. You control the cooling so heat is directed away from your lap. At less than 1-inch slim and under 4 pounds, this ultra-thin and ultra-fast notebook is designed to help you do everything without weighing you down. Integrated Bluetooth® helps you sync your HP laptop to other digital devices, like your smartphone or deskt… |
|
|
Wacom Intuos5 Touch Medium Pen Tablet (PTH650) $369.95 For creative professionals such as photographers, designers and illustrators or anyone who desires professional results, the Intuos5 touch Medium Pen Tablet combines Wacom’s most advanced pen technology with multi-touch functionality. Natural and intuitive to use, the tablet lets you alternate between using multi-touch gestures to position and navigate your artwork and the pressure-sensitive pen t… |
|
|
Lowepro Fastpack 250 Camera/Laptop Backpack $68.99 Go all day with the lightweight, comfortable Fastpack 250 backpack. It protects your digital SLR and 15.4″ wide screen notebook compactly while providing generous storage for your other gear. Side-entry compartments let you quickly grab equipment and accessories, even while you are on the move…. |
|
|
Intex Recreation Froggy Fun Baby Pool, Age 1-3 $12.50 10 gauge vinyl pool, 7 gauge sunshade, colorful sunshade provides partial protection from harsh UV sunlight, 12 gallon capacity.Product Measures: 45″ x 39″ x 27″Recommended Ages: 1 years – 3 years… |
|
|
SCHOOL MEMORIES KEEPSAKE SCRAPBOOK ALBUM K-12 BOOK $18.25 This is the School Years Memory Keeper that you have been looking for! With pockets for storing memorabilia, space to attach class photos, and room to record details of each grade, this school memories album has it all! This is a great way to mark your child’s growth from year to year! WOW!! WHAT A SUPER WAY TO PRESERVE ALL OF THOSE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES!!… |
|
|
Awkward Family Photos $18.99 The Awkward Family Photos Game blows Monopoly out the park as the newest favorite family board game! Based on the ultra-popular website AwkwardFamilyPhotos, this board game features hilarious photos of other families sure to bring you closer to your own! Gather 4 to 6 teen or adult family members and friends and this board game will be an instant hit! This party board game uses classic and never-… |
|
|
Jim Croce Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits $6.87 Until his untimely death, Jim Croce was a force to be reckoned with on radio playlists. Photographs & Memories repackages some of his best work. Romantic acoustic-oriented songs were his hallmark, and songs like “Time in a Bottle,” were huge hits because of their easy sentimentality. “I Got a Name” was the singer as well-worn folk traveler, while “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and even “You Don’t Mess Aro… |
