Photography books?

[Vashin]

I'm not sure which section to post this, but I was wondering what are some good photography books that can help me expand my knowledge on taking pictures with my Nikon D50.

I'm thinking a more begginer - intermediate type book.

Thanks!

[robattoronto]

The Toronto library has tons of good photography books for beginners. Every location I've been to has a good section on Photography.

[klam]

"Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is always a good recommendation for beginners.

[WalnutCrunch]

http://www.shortcourses.com/using/index.htm

Decent free book. It should give you a good overview on everything. Then you can get into the more advanced books for techniques or composition.

I would also recommend Understanding Exposure. There are things specific to digital cameras that it won't cover, such as white balance. You'll need to pick up other books to read up on digital stuff.

[Satyr]

Have you read the Magic Lantern Guide to the Nikon D50?
The Magic Lantern series of guides are available for almost all Nikon/Canon cameras.

[eelfliw]

Don't forget to check out art and creativity books too.

Photography is about creating art thru image. The camera is simply a tool. Any idiot can learn to use a camera to shoot technically execllent pictures with perfect exposure and sharpness. But it takes a artist to create a nice looking picture.

[DirtyLude]

The Toronto library has tons of good photography books for beginners. Every location I've been to has a good section on Photography.
I recommend the library as well. I hit my local library and there were loads of books on photography, technical and composition.

[fast1fred]

"Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is always a good recommendation for beginners.

I second this - excellent book!

[Anteros]

Don't forget to check out art and creativity books too.

Photography is about creating art thru image. The camera is simply a tool. Any idiot can learn to use a camera to shoot technically execllent pictures with perfect exposure and sharpness. But it takes a artist to create a nice looking picture.

Great post.

"The History of Art" and "The History of Photography" are good books. The author of "Understanding Exposure" also has a book called "Learning to See Creatively."

Some great magazines for stoking the creative fires are "Aperture" and "Lensworks" (my favourite magazine right now).

You'll also need to become proficient in photo editing software. I would recommend "Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Digital Photographers" by Scott Kelby, "Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers" by Martin Evening, and "Mastering Black and White Digital Photography" by Michael Freeman.

I've heard good things about the VHS series "Art of the Western World" too. I haven't watched this yet myself, but you should be able to get it from your local library.

[canook]

Given what you've posted, I think the best starting point would be something like National Geographic's Photography Field Guide -
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/079225676X/qid=1154636493/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/701-4987583-5837906

I have the first edition and I still refer back to it regularly for both technical info and for inspiration regarding the creative side.

It's got lots of example photos and it's small enough to toss into a backpack wherever you're going. I seriously cannot recommend this book highly enough! :)