Reddit mentions: The best photography & video books

Surfing, Scuba Diving, kayaking, randomly capitalizing words For no reason, photography, painting, drawing, graphic design, gaming.

To start surfing: Get a long board. Less maneuverable, but easier to learn on. You can rent a "learner board" for fairly cheap.

Scuba diving is expensive and requires certification. Best way to check this out is to find a cheap event that will cover all the costs and has someone to watch your ass so you don't have to worry about certification (which normally takes several weeks).

If you pick up photography before you try scuba diving, you might be able to take some awesome pictures with a cheap underwater (disposable) camera, or a higher priced "usable up to xx feet underwater" camera. As a new diver, I doubt you'd go below 50 feet, so you could probably reasonably get one that is safe up to that depth.

There are photography resources everywhere, but for the sake of concision, you might just get [this book.] (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-Scott-Kelby/dp/032147404X) Scott Kelby is decent about explaining things succinctly without being horribly boring.

Kayaking, go to a marina and rent a kayak and paddle around. It's more fun to do with a few friends, but if you have an area nearby with interesting landscape features, you could just go check them out yourself. Again, if you pick up photography before this, you could get some interesting shots, provided you have a water-resistant camera.

Drawing is hard, because it isn't something that I think can be picked up quickly. I would suspect they have videos on youtube that might be helpful.

Painting, honestly, seriously, listen to Bob Ross. For someone who has never painted before, he's a pretty good instructor, and he can show you results who never would have thought you could get. I showed him to a few art-illiterate friends and they all had pretty good luck with him.

Graphic design for me has always been more about obtaining desired results than exploring and experimenting, so what I would say for you to get into this, is come up with something you want. I want an icon I can use for my own personal logo, or I want to make myself a new desktop for my computer, or whatever. And do it. Learn what you need to learn to accomplish your goal. Others will be a better resource for this, I mainly do graphic design for work, but I had friends who did it for fun who could make some really incredible images.

Gaming, I would say pick up Steam, and go to town. Awesomenauts has had my attention a lot lately for being fun, fast-paced, competitive, and requiring that teams work together to succeed, but any online team-based games might be good for you to check out for a lark, and they would give you a chance to socialize to an extent.


Socialization seems to come along with competitive pastimes in general, so find out what is around you. I injured my knee a while back so I'm not much for bowling, but a ton of my old coworkers formed their opwn league and would go every week. Find a local bowling alley and practice some, you could meet people and have a good time, but you might also consider going to a driving range and renting some golf equipment or any number of other sports. Your options are open, though I would avoid contact sports until you feel a little more confident in yourself. Maybe around week 30 or so.

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If you're brand new I would highly recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It's an awesome book that will teach you the fundamentals you will use along the way. Here

Another important thing is a good memory card. I loved my D90 and SD cards are much cheaper than the CFs I have to use in my D300. I used to used transcend cards like this one It comes with the card reader too which is something you should definitely invest in. They're faster for putting the photos onto your computer and also they get rid of the risk of connecting your camera to the computer and having some type of short circuit or something ruining the brand new expensive camera. I say get 2 cards at least the more the better. Cards will fail and it's good to have a backup I always have 2 or more of everything.

To clean my camera and lens I always use my Giottos rocket blower and a lenspen and a microfiber lens cloth to clean my lenses and body.

You're probably going to want a new camera strap if you're using that too. I used this one on my D90 and it was super comfy and strong.

Depending on how much you're shooting you could also get a second battery if you're going to be out all day somewhere with your new camera. Don't get fooled into thinking you always have to buy Nikon brand. For a lot of accessories you can get the cheaper 3rd party versions and they'll do you just as well if not better most of the time. I had this battery with my D90. Lasted longer than my Nikon one!

I saw you asking about a flash. If you want a nice flash that will do everything you want without really breaking the bank definitely look into the nikon sb600 if you can find one used it's an awesome flash! I would be hesitant to get the Sb400 because you may eventually want more from the flash and then you have to pay more and upgrade. The sb700 looks to be pretty nice but also pricier. If you're only going to be doing off camera flash which I doubt you can check out a Vivitar 285HV flash.

Then comes the tripod. Don't cheap out when looking for a tripod. Remember that it's holding your multi thousand dollar equipment so don't cheap out. They say when buying a tripod you have: price,weight,sturdyness and pick any two. There's a million different tripods out there. I have a manfrotto 190xprob but wish I would have spent the extra money on the 055xprob.
Check out these make sure you look at how much weight it can hold and then make sure it's a few pounds more than you think you'll be putting on it to be safe.

This little remote was awesome I still have mine actually if you want to buy it for pretty cheap i'm sure I could help out.

If you already want another lens depending on what you're shooting a great walk around lens is the Nikon 35mm 1.8 it's the equivalent of a 50mm on a DX (52mm ish) Here or maybe you like portraits more and sweet bokeh check out the 50mm 1.8D Here also a great lens.

You're going to need something to keep all of this in so check out a nice camera bag. Take a look at some of these I have the kata 3n1 Medium and a Tenba shootout to hold all of my stuff and the Kata is great for when you have some gear and walking around town or hiking or something.

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While I do use M at times unless you're shooting using studio lighting and everything controlled I don't really recommend it. People say you have to use it to learn photography but I don't agree at all. I have my camera on Aperture Priority 90% of the time. You still have to control your ISO and aperture (f#) but the shutter speed is taken care of.

Remember it's digital so just keep shooting and changing things until you get what you want. That's the beauty of it all. Have fun and enjoy it.

If you want to see some reviews of some of the products I mentioned I did some on youtube Here and a few photoshop beginner tutorials.

If you have any more questions about stuff just ask I might have forgot a few things. Most importantly get out shoot and have fun with it all!

Since you don't say whether you want to learn how to operate a camera or the field of photography in general and what interests you in photography in particular this is quite a stab in the dark but here are a few suggestions of books I keep coming back to or hold important.

This assumes that you have a basic understanding on how to operate a camera. If you don't, read your camera manual or something like Adam's The Camera and .


Technical advice

• Light, Science and Magic - the best theoretical book there is about understanding how light behaves and how to work with it. Its exercises are quite focused on artificial light and if you are just getting into photography it won't be easy but at the end of it you will know how to work with light artificial or natural and get to your vision or have a better understanding of other people's work.
  
• Studio Anywhere - this is not the most technical book per se (far from it) and the images are not to my taste but what it lacks in pure knowledge it makes up for with motivating you to take images no matter how little you own. This was a fun (if a bit too quick) read and is a good book to jump into when Light, Science and Magic feels like you are a profoto pack and 3 Chimera modifiers short of what you are trying to do.
  
  Theory/Motivational advice
  
  
• The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer - Great book about the history of American photography, its origin and how it flourished. This book is really easy to read and a very good way to start gaining some theoretical knowledge about the wide field of photography.
  
• Understanding a photograph by John Berger - Great collection of essays from one of the greatest art theorist and a fervent believer in photography as a medium pieced together by Geoff Dyer. Super engaging reads on a variety of topics and styles.
  
• Ways of Seeing by John Berger - An absolute must read in my opinion, not focused solely on photography but in the arts in general. The BBC series is also a great watch and its content is still as relevant today as it was when it came out.
  
• On Photography by Susan Sontag - A very important book, if not the most important when it comes to identifying the role of photography in our world. Personally found it quite hard to read but when it finally hit home it was with great impact.

Dude thanks for the proverb but I asked for book titles. I understand that I need to take more pictures, that wasn't even remotely in question. As an athlete I don't think reading a book on rugby tackling is going to make me the perfect tackler but it'll sure as hell help with the basics and knowing what to look for.

Similarly, if I know little to nothing about exposure, composition, and the basics of photography, continuing to take bad pictures will not help me as much as if I had actually read into these concepts and covered the fundamentals as to what I should be doing/prioritizing when taking a picture.

You don't go and just solve mathematical problems. You learn HOW to solve them (or at least build up a toolbox) then you go and practice solving them and using your tools until you've mastered that process.

And yes, your photography will improve through taking pictures, but to say that it will ONLY get better through photography? That's just incorrect. Reading a manual? I'll learn how to use my gear better. Better knowledge of gear? Better pictures. Knowing how exposure works? I'll know to crank up my shutter speed and change my aperture before I just resort to setting my ISO at 6400 and taking bright enough yet terribly grainy pictures. Knowing how to frame a picture or where to place the subject? That will make my photography more pleasing to the eye.

Going and taking a bunch of pictures will not inevitably make my picture quality as great as if I actually studied photography.

You don't tell someone who makes finger paintings to just keep painting. You show them what great art looks like, and maybe even teach them the basics. You don't say "eh, maybe if you do a couple thousand paintings you'll learn how to paint a beautiful landscape."

Just leave the cookie cutter answers that everyone gives when they don't want to be helpful in your head, and actually answer a question. If you have no answer, keep it to yourself.

The pretentious, non-helpful answers in this sub need to stop. Everybody knows that they need to take more pictures to get better. Help people when they ask questions.

OP- if you're looking for books I decided to look some up:

Understanding Exposure

The Photographer's Eye

These are both seen as great introduction books for beginners. From what I've read, the first will basically help you figure out what type of lighting and exposure settings you would want to get your desired look for a given scenario, whereas the second book will help you develop your creative abilities and understanding what makes a good picture.

Those might help out your photography a teeny bit, and you won't have to take a picture!

Yes, as you've mentioned the head is tiny, knowing is half the battle I guess. The contours are pretty nice, but the picture is missing value/shadings so it looks incredibly flat. A lot of folks here will recommend anatomy lessons, which would certainly be a good start. Understanding how the the arms relate to the chest, the chest to the head and neck, all the processes in the skeleton that compose the human figure and how they all interact with one another will greatly improve how you see those things.

If I may, I'd like to elaborate on something that is easy to miss as an upcomer: people in real life almost never stand up perfectly straight or are never seen straight on by the eye in a perfect symmetrical orientation. The body is not perfectly symmetrical in most cases. In this picture, we see your model looking off to the side while holding the bow, but it looks uncanny and stiff. The hand on the hip exacerbates this flaw because usually when the hand is on the hip, the body's weight is usually leaning into it even if it's only slightly. Shifting the body's weight will help make the pose less stiff and more natural.

My recommendation is to draw from a photograph or some other reference (real models are awesome)! If you don't have a friend that likes being drawn, there are some sites out there that can help you refine your chops. Then, you can revisit an imagined piece like this and be able to make the adjustments that will make her come life. One site frequently recommended on here is the Pixel Lovely Trainer (also in the side bar); it cycles through tons of different pictures that you can sketch out at your own pace.

Some books about Anatomy:
Artistic Anatomy
Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist

An awesome tome about Figure Drawing:
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth

Gesture Drawing Tutorial (video) - something that may help you develop your skill

Additionally, and some folks may not like this, but taking some kind of drawing course might help you build your skills efficiently. I know when I did a 101 Drawing class for a college elective, it kept me focused, forced me to explore different elements of drawing that I would never have considered, and really helped me understand the relationships of different shapes and objects in a space. (another thing it helped me do was force me to work within a deadline window, which becomes fairly important when looking for confidence).

All in all I think you are onto a great start and with a little direction you can improve pretty quickly. There's a shit ton of information out there and it's all waiting for you to check it out!

First off, let me paste this... I keep this in a text file on my desktop for this question, when it pops up:

• Order Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Box Set. His books are incredible resources.
  
  
• If you're going to use Photoshop and/or Lightroom for your post-processing, also pick up Scott Kelby's Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers and Scott Kelby's Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers.
  
  
• Order Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. This, along with the Scott Kelby boxset, should be required reading for any aspiring photographer.
  
  You're on the right track, starting with the /r/photoclass subreddit. Now for your other questions...
  
  As far as what is and isn't relevant, given most of your work would be shown on the web, don't get all hard over megapixels. Get what you can afford, but don't let yourself be swayed into getting a camera with a huge MP count. The higher numbers of megapixels come into play when you're doing close cropping, or printing large prints.
  
  For example, take a look at this picture. I shot this several weeks ago with my Canon 40D, which has 10 megapixels. Are there cameras with higher megapixel counts? Sure. For the type of photography I do, though, this camera suits me perfectly.
  
  As far as why you should get a DSLR versus a point-and-shoot, the biggest reason is lens interchangeability. A DSLR will let you change your lens based on the kind of shots you're taking, which gives you much MUCH more freedom in the kind of pictures you take. Also, DSLR's generally can offer you more freedom as you grow in your photography due to more advanced features (full manual mode, the ability to shoot Raw, etc), which ultimately give you far greater control over the finished product.
  
  So to blanket answer your question, it's not the camera that produces great photos, but the photographer. Hand Ansel Adams a point-and-shoot camera and I guarantee he'll outshoot me with my 40D. You want to get a camera that you feel comfortable with, you can afford and gives you the greatest freedom to grow as your interest grows.
  
  Does that help? :)
  
  
  
  
  

The D90 is still a great camera, but I'd also lean towards the D7000.

Adorama has [refurb D7000 bodies.](http://www.adorama.com/INKD7000R.html?emailprice=t&utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=rflaid21866
)

Buy from B&H Photo, Adorama, 42 St. Photo, or another of the biggies. Abe's of Maine is great too. Even if they're slightly more expensive than some little outfit, it can pay for itself many times over if an issue needs addressing. The big guys just fix it. Put together the package you want, and call all of them to get their best price.

Get her a copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

Despite the plastic build, the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens is optically very good, and a great place to start. The $99 "import" is fine. If it breaks, screw it. Put it on eBay for parts, and get another one.

Nikon 35mm prime. ("Prime" means that it doesn't zoom. Fixed focal length.)

Used Nikon 28-105mm -- Good, older lens.

Which lenses she uses most will depend on how/what she shoots. Go general. Later, she may want a macro lens or a long zoom--you can't predict that.

At least two memory cards. Getting three mid-capacity cards is better than getting one huge, fast one. (If a card dies, you don't lose everything.)

At least one additional camera battery. Nikon is best, though there are good 3rd party batteries out there, it's hard to know which use good cells.

A couple good lens cloths (I love the BIG Nikon ones,) and a lenspen. Also, a Giotto Rocket Blower.

A decent bag. Don't go crazy here. I found a LowePro Slingshot 200AW on eBay for $40, shipped. I like it OK, but I'd prefer a backpack style. Look at what kind of bag she carries -- backpack, messenger, etc. Different styles work for different people. The key is to have everything padded and held immobile.

Also... If you're computer savvy, maybe think about some software (there's plenty of good, free stuff available,) to organize and edit her photos.

Um... that's all I can think of right now.

Don't want to make any assumptions, but the right gear is pretty low on the list if you are new to filmmaking or taking video. In photography here everyone will tell you knowing what ISO/Aperature/Shutter speed mean and how to work with them will make a MUCH bigger difference then if you don't learn that and just buy nicer gear.

In video this applies DOUBLE at least. Because now when you edit it all together you will need specific shots. My wife is an excellent photographer and spent a few weeks this summer doing photography and some video work for a nonprofit working in Africa and came back with some footage that was pretty tough to use, not for the sake that she didn't have the gear or equipment. Almost unusable just because the shots were not there, not the right length, not the right distances, etc.

Focus on the video aspect, the storytelling aspect, how to take and "think in shots" first and foremost. Don't worry about the gear yet.

This is incredible and concise and I cannot recommend it enough: "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck"

But not to come across smug or anything and blow off your question, some gear recommendations:

A cheap, battery powered lapel mic with extra batteries. If you do any interviews on site (you should try!) this can improve your audio dramatically for dirt cheap.

Tripods make a difference in panning and zooming and whatnot, but honestly the MAJORITY of your shots should NOT be panning and zooming shots (this was the problem with all of my wifes footage). So don't worry too much about this.

SD cards obviously you'll need very fast cards, but even on top of that some are better than others with different cameras I have no idea why. I can put a "90m/s" SD card in my 60D that works fine, and another that runs out of buffer in 5 seconds, even when trying to reduce quality or other issues. Both are the same "speed" cards! I recommend checking your specific camera or some forums where people have discussed that.

Some of those editing tips:

• Stop, point, shoot for a bit, MOVE. Try to take a particular action or subject that is happening, and get an overview of what is going on, then get a little closer and get a good focused idea of what is happening, then get REALLY close and get a nice close up of the eyes, emotion, face, or specific action. Do this for each subject, event or specific action you're filming. (EDIT: Like what this guy is getting at, don't worry so much about the order, just getting multiple shots for every one action).
  
  
• Pan and zoom sparingly. While motion seems to be the pinnacle of "film" over still photography, it is not workable to have EVERY shot panning or zooming around (I just saw a buddy of mine shoot an engagement video like this, with great equipment, that just looked so awkward). Watch videos, it is more often than not quick cuts between different stable shots that give the 'looking around' feel of video. Not actually moving the camera around and following things or pointing the camera at things while they move around.
  
  
• Things like avoiding cheesy effects, transitions and fonts and whatnot. Did you end up wanting to edit this yourself or the same friend that did the promo?
  
  What it is going to boil down to is if you sent some professional video crews out with iPhones they would come back and put something much more watchable, interesting, and engaging than a group of beginners with the best equipment. This is sort of true in photography as well to some degree, but absolutely a fact in video. So focus on the important part.
  
  Anyway tl;dr, focus on learning the language of video, filmmaking, and that kind of stuff before worrying too much about gear.
  
  (But really let me if you have any more specific questions or need any other help, I am not professional at all, but have been doing a lot of amateur video work and editing perhaps a dozen small projects and stuff over the last few years, I can show you some specific examples of stuff too. Do a lot of overseas work and deal with portability issues and stuff. Have even been teaching a beginners crash course "media" class with the disaster relief organization I work with, mostly focuses on ethics and stuff. We send teams with a very low end but user friendly video setup I put together to use for the work we do).

Edit: Whoops... my eyes completely skipped the word "skate". Ack. I'll leave this here since it's still good advice in general.

• Read up on photography composition theory, but just the basics and don't take anything as gospel. The rule-of-thirds is a good starting point.
  
• Learn your camera one button at a time. I started off in Aperture-priority auto-exposure mode. This let me manually set my aperture to control the depth-of-field and just experimented with that for awhile. Then I switched to shutter-priority for awhile. Once you've got a good handle on those, you can jump into manual mode and set both by hand.
  
• When shooting JPEG it is pretty crucial to get your white balance setting as correct as possible.
  
• Learn how to switch your ISO setting quickly and efficiently. ISO 100 == slower but less noisy, ISO 1600+ == faster, but grainier.
  
• Take pictures. Thousands and thousands of pictures. I am not kidding. Thousands. (JPEG mode is a good place to start due to the reduced size.)
  
• Experiment. In those thousands of photos, try every kind of framing you can think of.
  
• Review the photos you took. Pick out good ones and examine why you like them. Pick out the worst ones and figure out why they're bad.
  
• Only ever show people the very best photos you've taken. Out of a set of 100 images I'll usually wind up with maybe 6-10 good ones (if I'm lucky). The more I practice, the better my success ratio gets, but know now that you'll wind up not using the vast majority of pictures that you take.
  
• Cropping can save a bad photo. Do not be afraid to crop.
  
• Brightness/Contrast and Color Balance are your friends. Do not be afraid to digitally develop your images. Film photographers have been doing this sort of thing since the invention of photography.
  
  Do this for a year, and then you'll be ready to really start studying the "rules" of photography. I recommend getting The Photographer's Eye as a good all-in-one crash course in photography.
  
  Get Photoshop (or similar program) and learn Brightness/Contrast, Color Balance, Levels, and Curves. Shoot in RAW. Get addicted to expensive pro-quality lenses. Have fun. :)

A thread I can help with! Nighttime urban shots are my thing. First and foremost watch this video if you want to shoot low light handheld. By far it has helped me up my game more than any other advice I have receeived. Also, this has some great advice as well.

On your submitted photo

Good news:

1. Your composition is great! I love the people at the end of the street, the location of the street lights and the leading lines.
   
   
   
2. The colors are very natural for your first go, working with those lights is a PITA until you get used to it.
   
   
3. You did not go overboard with most of the typical newbie mistakes and end up with a very artificial-looking image.
   
   
4. This is a great first attempt, especially with a 3/4 sensor. Gear does not make the photograph and you're making the most out of what you have. I started with a 3/4 sensor RX100M3 and got some really great results, work with its limitations and you can still capture great images.
   
   
   Areas for improvement:
   
   
5. Lower your total exposure let more of the background fall into shadow
   
   
6. Increase your contrast just a little to help create pools of light it will really add a lot of depth to your image
   
   
7. When you are shooting large buildings or a vanishing point down the stret, try to keep the camera level if at all possible if not, you may need to adjust your keystones to help straighten the image back out
   
   
8. Straighten your horizontal lines. the rest will fall into place after that
   
   
9. Watch for lens flare it tagged you in this image, cheater notes, you can pull the blue out of that flare and it will look a lot less obvious, also a local decrease in contrast for it and lowering its exposure will also help cut it down. But the key is to get rid of them at the point of capture.
   
   You have a good eye keep shooting! It gets easier every time you do it. I love this kind of work and I am happy to help with whatever advice I can. Feel free to message me with any questions.
   
   Advice for the total newbie to lowlight shooting:
   
   Time for some hard truths.
   
   
10. If you want low noise, ultrasharp shots at night you will need a tripod. This is the reality. Long exposure is the name for god on the lips of low light photographers and that means tripods. This is the one I use and it fits in a backpack.
    
    
11. Anything other than long exposure, usually even multiple exposures setup with a very low level hdr with a light touch will be a compromise between noise, detail level, or clarity usually all three.
    
    If you still want to shoot handheld.
    
    
12. Shoot in RAW you will need all the dynamic range you can get
    
    
13. Expose for the brightest object you want in focus, rely on your dynamic range you can get away with
    
    
14. Set your camera to about 1/30th shutter speed faster if you can't keep it steady at that, motion blur is worse than noise. Set your ISO to auto and your aperture wide open. This captures the most light your camera is capable of with the shortest shutter speed.
    
    
15. Be ok with shadow, not everything needs to have full detail visible.
    
    
16. Remember you are shooting digital you can recover shadow but you can't recover anything blown out. I will often adjust my exposure dial to -1 or even -2 at night wich is counter-intuitive but allows you to preserve the highlights.
    
    
17. Out of the camera, most low light shots are going to come out oversaturated and if you are shooting under tungsten lights may have wonky colors. Use a cheap white balance card to help resolve this. Also, drop your saturation in your editor by a point or two until the lights shrink just a smidge. It's hard to explain but you will see the effect easily enough.
    
    
18. For a shot like this, I like to put in just a little bit of split one, a little bit of blue into the shadows, and a little orange into the high lights. It will really make it pop. The key here is a little dab will do you.
    
    
19. The "waxy" look you're talking about it is noise, open your aperture all the way, or get a faster lens, or better sensor are your only ways to minimize it short of long shutter speeds. You can correct a fair amount of it with a specialized software, I use either DxO or Topaz Denoise. Keep in mind not everyting needs to be made for large printing, don't fear some noise if it makes the difference between getting the shot or not.
    
    
20. Shooting at night is very rewarding, it's hard, you make do with a lot of compromises but always remember to be safe. I wrote up a list based on my experiences shooting in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cinncinati, and Indy at night. Please read this..
    
    
    Obligatory link to my work so you can get a sense of the style that I go for.
    
    Full disclosure:
    
    None of the links are affiliate links, they are simply products that I use every night I am out. I have bought all my own gear, this is strictly my own experience so your mileage may vary.

Well, I assume that you know much of the technical aspects of photography, I suggest reading into some resources that talk more about the art of photography, which by the way The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnum is an excellent book.

Everyone advances at their own pace, some have a talent, others are more slow and need to be more deliberate. For me, I have to work a little harder so that I could subconsciously take better shots.

Some tips.

Study some movies you like. Pay attention to the composition that they use as well as the lighting.

Take an art workshop, like painting. (or mooch off an artsy friend) Photography workshops like to delve into techniques and post processing, but other art forms like to do more on composition. you could learn a lot from the way painters think about composition.

Practice certain composition techniques. You don't have to do this on medium format, your digital setup will do just fine, especially if you are short on cash. Spend some time learning how use the "rule" of thirds (when shooting not cropping), "rule" of odds, negative space, texture, lines and shape. Spend a week shooting one aspect of composition. Every now and then start mixing up one or two aspects together. The idea is that you get these general concepts of photographic composition down to a subconscious level. My music theory teacher said this, "we learn these rules, so that we can learn how to break them." We have these "rules" of composition because we know what the human eyes prefer. Learning when use or break them can create a powerful composition.

Walk around with your hands in front your eyes framing the things infront of you, like a movie director would. Like this. You don't always have your camera on you, but you should still think about your photography. see something interesting? Frame it, play with it, and ask, is this a good shot?

Most importantly, write things down. Every shot you take, write down what you did. Write down what you wanted to get out that shot you just took, the settings you used, time of day, type of lighting, etc. On digital, we have exif data to tell us some of the stuff, but we still need to write down. I think your composition will get stronger as you learn what you want out of a photograph and being able to achieve it. Basically, knowing what your shot will be like, without actually seeing it (my ultimate goal).

I read that it is probably also best to shoot black and white exclusively, as it will force you to think about lines and textures even more, but I never did that, and maybe I am at a bit of a disadvantage for that. I don't know.

Like you, I am always striving to improve. I use these tips to help my composition as well. I like to think of every day as a chance to improve.

I hope this helps.

There's a lot to learn, most of it trial and error, but I'll give a few stepping stones, and one piece of advice.

Start here as far as lighting goes: Strobist

For more lighting, look up people like Joe McNally, Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias, and Dan Winters.

As far as posing goes, skim through various fashion magazines—there are lots of books out there about it as well. Any magazine that has quality portraits will help with posing, and lighting. But I wouldn't really spend any money on them.

If video training is more your thing (it is with me), then check out Kelby Training, and CreativeLive. Kelby Training is a subscription based model with some pretty big name photographers, and subjects that range from portraits, weddings, landscape, Photoshop, and copyright law. CreativeLive however, is a free live viewing, with a paid viewing later. Pretty similar to KT, but the one-time price can be a bit steep.

There are obviously A LOT of photographers out there so the few I mentioned just happen to be some of my favorites. And even though you mention portraits specifically, I highly recommend all three of [Ansel Adams' books.](
http://amzn.com/0821221841)

As far as models go you can check out Model Mayhem, but quality can vary... I don't know of any more professional services. I'd imagine people that cosplay would also be available regular modeling as well. This is one area I'm not too familiar with, except for MM.

Now for my advice: 1) Don't get caught up in the gear and 2) copyright your photos!

Buy what you need, one piece at a time. You might think that you need three lights; four different light modifiers; the latest Pocketwizards; a carbon fiber tripod; etc., but you really don't. One light, one shoot-through umbrella (you'll learn why shoot-through), and you'll be fine.

Copyright is a huge deal. If someone uses your photo without permission, and you didn't copyright, tough. The licenses can get pretty complicated, but as you begin going down the path of learning the legal side, you'll definitely learn more and more. Sadly, the legal issues are rarely talked about when people first start taking photos, but they end up being the most important.

Anyway, with any creative endeavor: have fun!

Hi /u/acamu5x - welcome to the world of filmmaking!

You might want to read a book or two before you start.

The book I recommend to everyone just starting out is a [$14.72CAD paperback, "How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make any Amateur Look Like a Pro] (https://www.amazon.ca/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-20)" [Referral Link].

This book was written by Hollywood writer/director [Steve Stockman] (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1870021/), who directed Sally Field in [Two Weeks] (https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Weeks-Sally-Field/dp/B00R26EMEA//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-20) [Referral Link]. It is a great introduction to visual storytelling for beginners.

Here is the book trailer: http://vimeo.com/24147165

Reading Steve's book will save you a lot of time and money - and make your videos better right out of the gate.

It won't really help with equipment selection, but it may help with something even more important - storytelling.

Once you've read the book, you can get started by shooting your first videos with your smartphone. If you have an iPhone, you can download FiLMiC Pro ([$9.99 from iTunes] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filmic-pro/id436577167?mt=8&at=1000l8mT)) [Referral Link].

For Android, you can download [FiLMiC Pro] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.filmic.filmicpro&hl=en) or [Cinema FV-5 for $2.49] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flavionet.android.cinema.pro&hl=en) on Google Play.

These apps will allow you to control aspect ratio, white balance, exposure, resolution and frame rates - turning your phone into a pretty good approximation of a camcorder.

For about $25, the price of a book and an app, you can get started on the road towards becoming a filmmaker.

Hope this is helpful, good luck and best of the holidays to you and yours!

[Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist] (http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Anatomy-Artist-Stephen-Rogers/dp/0195030958/)

This book is one of the best artist resources out there for the study of anatomy. Not only are there detailed illustrations of skeletal and muscular systems, but there are accompanying sketches that show you some shortcuts in how to depict various parts of the body.

There is also a good deal of written information explaining muscle function and relative proportions.

One of the best ways of learning is to study from the book, and then work from models or photographs. Your progress, if you draw daily for a few hours, should develop over the course of several months. In each of the following stages, I recommend that you do 24+ different figures per stage.

Start with the bone structure. Using the book, learn which bones are visible "landmarks" on the surface of the skin. Study the skeleton and learn to simplify it into basic shapes. An Oval or egg shape for the rib cage, with the thoracic arch indicated(as an arch with the apex at the sternum), a box or girdle for the hips, triangles for scapula, elbows are a cylinder or mallet, and the knees are a box or two stacked cylinders with a keecap shaped like a small shield. Indicate whether the bones of the forearm cross , as in pronation, or are parallel, in supination.

Use photoshop or tracing paper. Map out a very basic skeletal structure over a reference photograph, indicating each of those landmarks on the skeleton you've drawn. As you become familiar with these points and how the skeleton fits into the figure, move on to drawing the skeleton on its own, without tracing over the photo.

Next, you begin working on drawing a very simple figure to contain the skeleton. Go back to the tracing method. Your goal is not to copy the contours of the reference, but to simplify those contours into basic shapes. For example, a leg that is held straight can be indicated by only two slightly curved lines. The torso+pelvis is treated as combined into a beanbag or pillow-shape (or a kidney bean), and the limbs are drawn with 2 lines (one for each contour) if the limb is held straight, 4 if it is bent. Block in the general shape or area within which the limb exists. Ignore any contour that is the result of a muscle. The head is a sphere, with a wedge shape added for the jaw. The hands and feet are drawn as triangles or occasionally in the case of a hand which is spread, as a circular shape.

This should get you a solid foundation from which you can begin to study the muscles. Learn where each muscle group generally connects to the bones. I suggest breaking this down into subgroups. Do a set of separate studies just on the torso, the neck and head, the back, the legs, and the arms. Once again you return to the tracing approach. This time for each of the subgroups, you draw the skeleton and the figure foundation first, then you draw the muscles you see, drawing them as they would look if the skin were clear.

Once you are comfortable doing this in overlay, move on to drawing side-by-side. Your goal is to draw every muscle group you can, and have the figure look as accurate as possible to your reference.

The next step is to map everything out as described above for the entire figure, and then render the figure. Having learned quite a bit about anatomy at this point will help you to observe and better understand the shapes you see in the regions of the figure that are in light or shadow.

You will find that your figure drawing abilities at this point have strengthened, because you have learned how to better observe the figure.

The biggest tip I can give you is to pay attention to light. While you perceive the world as a bunch of 'things', you really need to pay attention to the light, and how it interacts with the 'things' in the scene. The tip on early/late day light is a good one, but should be treated as a guideline rather than a rule. You can make great photographs at any time of the day, but you may have to work harder when the light is less forgiving.

Check out this book by Bruce Barnbaum: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Photography-Approach-Personal-Expression/dp/1933952687/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474377504&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+photography

It spends a lot of time talking about light and composition, which may be useful to you. It also focuses (ha!) a bit on film photography, but the general concepts of photography are universal, so the book is still very useful.

One other tip is to look at photographs. A lot. Look at good ones. Bad ones. Try to understand why the good ones are good, and the bad ones are bad. This will help you with composition.

Equipment is a tool; learn to use your tools well. Don't think buying the best tools will make you a better photographer. It may help, but learning how to photograph will help much more.

Good luck, and photograph. All the time!

I've recently taken up photography as a hobby. r/photography can be a little pretentious, but the resources linked on the side are generally pretty helpful.

Granted, there is a bit of a startup fee, whether that's buying a point and shoot with manual controls, a bridge camera, or springing for a full-blown DSLR. I started with a Panasonic DMC-LX5 which is a very, very good point and shoot, but I recently have been using my dad's Nikon D40x that he never uses since I felt increasingly silly looking into the screen instead of a viewfinder. Learning about exposure and being able to shoot in full-manual mode is incredibly rewarding.

To improve my photography, I plan to take a picture every day for at least 100 days. Having a guideline really helps motivate me to get out and shoot.

There are a lot of good books out there like the Tom Ang Digital Photography books, which are good technical information about exposure or The Photographer's Eye and its sequels for composition. Recently I've been reading The Passionate Photographer by Steve Simon, which is an incredible photo essay/photojournalism book that is my favorite photography book so far, and has inspired me to start taking more photojournalistic style pictures.

edit: fixed a link

Photography!

Anything in particular you want to know? I think people fall into two categories with photography:

1. People who have "the eye", but lack the technical knowledge of their equipment to take full advantage of their natural ability.
   
2. People who have learned technical knowledge and artistic concepts, but who lack artistic intuition.
   
   Of the two the first kind of people are the best raw material, but anyone can make a career out of photography with enough work, and the most important component is perhaps not how good your photography is, or how much of a natural you are, but how well you market your work.
   
   I, too, considered going into professional photography when I was younger. When I got my work printed for the first time I was told that it looked much better than the professionals who frequently came to get their stuff printed. I say that not to brag on myself, but to demonstrate how essential marketing is. No one knew about my work and I wasn't bothering to market it. So, does it matter if mine's better if no one knows about it? I ended up pursuing a different career path because at that time in life I knew I lacked the experience and discipline to wake up each morning and essentially run my own company.
   
   Have you identified your weak points/areas for growth? What are you doing to attack them? Personally, I'd say steer clear of school. You do not need to drop money on school for photography. You just need equipment, knowledge and experience/practice. Do you know how to shoot glass? Metal? In mixed lighting situations? Do you know how to work with artificial lighting to create a scene from scratch? Do you have an established post-processing workflow? Are you tagging your photos in Lightroom/Aperture so you can find them again?
   
   What kind of photography do you want to do? If it's wedding/portrait, there's money in that, but some of us (me) hate those types of photography. If you want to do nature/macro, then it'll be tougher to make a living off of that. You might need to build an extremely large portfolio of very high-quality stock photography, most of which is shot at daybreak or sunset.
   
   Going back to education for a moment, knowing how to recreate very specific lighting scenarios is nice (Rembrandt lighting, "high key" lighting, "butterfly" lighting, soft vs. hard lighting), but the most important thing is understanding how to identify and control light itself. So, when looking for books, it's arguably more important to find books that explain the nature of light (polarized vs. unpolarized, angles, reflections, shadows, etc.) than it is to find books that show you a photo and tell you exactly how to recreate that specific scene. If you know the concepts and techniques, you don't need to know how to recreate a scene step-by-step; you can figure it out yourself. This book does a better job of explaining light than most formal education will and for a very reasonable price.
   
   Try to build your portfolio however you can. This might involve shooting for free. I worked at a summer camp for pennies on the dollar to build mine, but ended up with a robust array of kid shots to fill out that area of my portfolio. You could shoot music shows to learn how to deal with low-light and unpredictable lighting... You might be surprised how thankful some starving artists would be to have someone shoot 'em with nice equipment. Just try not to let people take advantage of you. If you're doing it for you, great. If someone needs some headshots and it's not going to help your portfolio, consider setting the precedent of getting paid.
   
   Oh yeah, and get insurance for your gear. Some lowlife can literally steal your business by taking your stuff. My 40D and 24-70mm f/2.8L got stolen out of my house a few years ago. Took me about a year and a half to save up and get new equipment.
   
   Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I can't speak much about photography as an industry as I've never done it "professionally", but I have done a lot as a hobbyist, and as someone who, at one point, considered going pro. Finally got a 6D recently to replace my stolen gear. Might get into a little astro or night photography down the road now that I've finally joined the full frame club.
   
   Wish you the best

I'm not an architect but somebody who's moving focus into a design related field (who has a healthy interest in the field) - I'd get her the following.

To keep on her, a GOOD sketchbook, Mechanical Pencil, Pen, small Ruler and a Camera (a point a shoot should be fine) and a good backpack.

For the home, craft supplies and lot's of them, don't go to the store and buy them order them in bulk and online, get her a selection of cutting mat sizes and some scalpels and scissors and glue / tape, kid's want to create and they just love having the thing to hold and show off with.

Also book's there are lot's of really dry books on the subject but there are also wonderful ones as well, and also harking back to my suggestion of getting her a camera get her a book or two on photography - I live with a x100T on my at all times and it's taken so many pictures of interesting buildings new and old to serve as inspiration to me, I'd get this one for a start - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-This-Want-Great-Photographs/dp/1780673353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500713320&sr=8-1&keywords=read+this+if+you+want+to+take+photographs

It's a older book but it's more about skill than it is the hardware she will learn a lot from just reading it to be honest.

Learn composition. You have a compact camera so you already have the tool to take interesting photographs. I would start with a book like The Photographer's Eye to start learning about what makes certain photographs compelling and interesting. You can hit the photography section of the local library and just start looking at great photographs. As someone posted here couple weeks ago, "Buy books, not gear."

Later on, you may decide to buy a DSLR, but think carefully about what you need. A camera is a tool, nothing more. A great camera will open up new possibilities, but you still need knowledge and experience to convert those possibilities into good pictures. Since you brought up the classical music analogy, think of the camera like a piano. A grand Steinway can make beautiful music, but it cannot turn a novice into a concert pianist. Only hard work, training, experience, and knowledge can do that.

For inspiration, here is a great war photographer who uses only point-and-shoots.

Good luck and happy shooting!

Thanks for the advice. I can't find your Flickr. Your flair links me to your website. I'll start checking out John Free's videos today.

On Books:

I'm currently in the process of deciding which book(s) to get. I was thinking The Americans by Robert Frank or Magnum's Contact Sheets. At some point, probably both. I was originally looking for written books by author describing how they think when out shooting, but all I usually find on Amazon and the web are bland books on the essentials of your camera, such as how to get good exposure. Or only the basic compositions like the rule of thirds.

On Gear:

I actually really do agree with you on the gear part. Books(education) over gear. This is partly why the only camera I own, which I purchased a year ago, is my Fuji X100S. One camera, one lens. My thought process is that I want to earn my next camera. Meaning not switch over to another camera or lenses until I have finally decided I can benefit from it when my photos begin getting better.

On Resources:

That John Free guy is a great resource. I also find that Adam Marelli and Eric Kim do well to put out good info. Though the former is more reserved (I think he would rather get paid via a workshop for it). But if you have any more people you can think of on photography techniques and/or philosophy, please let me know.

Welcome to the wonderful world of photography. Enjoy the process of taking photos, loving them, hating them, and getting better at it everyday (just don't get caught up in the bottomless pit that is "why don't I get more likes on social media" :))

> I take a few seconds to compose before I shoot. Is this too slow or should I hold down the shutter button to take multiple shots?

Definitely not a rule set in stone, but composing and shooting a single frame is generally regarded as the "correct" way to shoot. It helps you develop your eye and mind in looking and finding subjects, frames, composition.. The other method is usually "spray and pray", and yields a very low keeper count. It's only relevant when you're shooting action and sports, where you only have a split second to get a frame worth capturing (and even then, you pre-compose and anticipate shots).

> I've enabled the rule of thirds grid in the EVF already, but how I can improve the framing/composition?

It may be cliché, but it's said that rules like the thirds are "always meant be broken". They are just suggestions, a place to start. There are lot of different aspects to composition, and it's best to study some basic techniques and look at a lot of examples. I find this article to be helpful. If you're looking to go even more in-depth, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

> Is there a decent post processing software on the PC that are free? If not, what's a good budget friendly option?

There are quite a few good options to choose from. Here are the most commonly recommended ones (may not be available on all systems, check their websites). The first three are Lightroom alternatives (they offer photo processing), the last one is a Photoshop alternative (photo processing + manipulation). I recommend starting with photo processing.

• Darktable
  
  
• RawTherapee
  
  
• Lightzone
  
  
• GIMP
  
  *Edit:Forgot to add GIMP to the list.

You did catch a genuinely nice moment between these two kids, but being a professional photographer is 90% business. There are countless awesome photographers that have zero business skills and never make it professionally. Please read books like Best Business Practices for Photographers before making the decision.


I don't mean to be harsh, but definitely polish up on your photo skills too. It seems like this was an under exposed image that the blacks/shadows were lifted (quite a bit). This makes the photo very flat tonally and saturation wise.

I'd suggest creating a mood board of photos from your favorite photographers. Figure out how to achieve the looks on your mood board and especially understand why they appeal to you. If you have any questions on how to get a certain look, feel free to ask /r/postprocessing. With time, you'll reference less and less, but reference photos are absolutely critical when starting on your own path. Best of luck!

> Do you guys have any tips on how to start?

Get a camera

Invest in a decent DSLR, just an entry level camera, doesn't have to be fancy, and just start playing around with it.

Learning

Depending on your learning style, whether it be in a classroom environment or more hands-on, start learning the fundamentals, like ISO, aperture and shutter speed and how they work together. There are plenty of books, blog posts and video tutorials online to help you.

I found this book helpful: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-This-Want-Great-Photographs/dp/1780673353/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Once you get to know the basics, see if you can find a local photographer who would be willing to let you assist them.

Post-production

Find a tool that works for you that allows you edit your photos. I use Lightroom as it allows me to organise and make adjustments to my photos.

Practice emulating others

Find other photographers whose work you like and try emulate them. I don't mean blatantly copy them as your own work but this helps you to practice shooting and editing in different styles. This helped me to understand what I did and didn't like about someone's work. You might also find your own style along the way!


> What helped you getting in to photography?

My grandfather was a keen amateur photographer and his father was an artist so I guess it runs in the family a bit for me. I used to draw and paint a lot but sometimes I felt impatient because drawing and painting takes time. Photography was a little more 'instant' and it allowed me a lot more freedom edit in post-production. I also live in London now so I don't have a lot of space to store physical art equipment. Photography allows me to be creative, expressive and capture things/people but without taking up too much space!


> What inspires you?

There are a number of photographers out there who inspire me. I primarily shoot weddings and portraits so I guess people and people in love inspire me :)

It is possible to make great photos with a T6, or any camera really, but like with any craft, that depends more on the experience of the person using the tool than the tool itself.

You should read up about the business of photography, something like John Harrington's book would be a good start. Another good resource is aphotoeditor.com. These are both geared toward more commercial photography than fine art selling, but have great information.

You're young, you should focus on making good work, and start reading about the business side of it now, so once your work and confidence is in the right place, you will be prepared to do a proper job. You can't expect professional results tomorrow, but if you start working hard now and have the willingness to hustle, you will see results over time.

On a side note, being a server would pay much better than being a dishwasher, so as long as you're working in the restaurant industry, you should try to do that instead.

I use the Light Meter app on my phone in lieu of a dedicated light meter. It works really well for anything that is moderately well lit, but can struggle in the dark. For that I use the Ultimate Exposure Computer which works well on the caveat that you can guess the EV level accurately. One of these days I'm going to get a Zone IV Pentax spotmeter so I can become a true zoner (or is it zoneist?) Luckily there is about a stop of latitude with B&W film and it is possible to print stuff that is pretty far gone--it is just significantly more difficult.

If you are shooting in the daylight, go with Sunny 16 all the way. It makes things easy and I've gotten really good results working only off of that.

As far as exposure goes, I've been concentrating on creatively working with the depth of field more than anything. Exposure is just a way for the subject to be properly captured. If you want a book, I found "Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson to be very helpful even though I already had a good handle on the basics.

One of the biggest elements to learning exposure from my personal experience is figuring how to see light. Next time you go outside look at where direct sunlight and the shadows fall and imagine how that will be translated to film. It takes a while to get used to, but eventually you will be able to make small adjustments to aperture or shutter speed based on the lighting conditions being faced. Hopefully this helped a bit--it's a bit late and there is a chance this didn't make a lick of sense.

I'm a portrait photographer primarily. I wouldn't quite say I'm exactly where I want to be, but my photography has improved tenfold in the last 12 months, which I attribute entirely to deliberate effort.

For me, there are two major components- education and practice.

For education, I've proactively worked to educate myself with reading, watching, and asking lots of questions.

Here's a book I found invaluable to understanding light. The main focus is the behavior and characteristics of light, and would be useful for all photographers: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0415719402/

Also, following photographers on YouTube/IG/etc. who make work I admire has been greatly helpful. Often, they're available for questions and providing feedback on your own work.

Reading and interacting with the community here has been incredibly useful as well, of course.

For practice, I've worked to establish a feedback loop which enables me to receive critique and evaluation from others I respect. Joe Edelman's TOG Chat group on Facebook provides the most insightful critique I've found and has been invaluable in helping me refine my work.

I also work to be critically honest with myself. This starts with reverse engineering work I admire so I can pick apart the elements which I appreciate.

What does this look like? I focus on the pose, clothing, background, lighting, retouching, sharpness, composition and any other elements of a given image which can be defined and manipulated by the photographer. Once I can understand these variables and how their manipulation changes an image, I can take intentional control of them during the photo-taking process, rather than allowing them to happen incidentally.

I think that these two components- education and practice, are the basis for becoming an "expert" in any field, especially photography.

I am: not a lawyer, only knowledgeable about the US, an amateur photographer, and have a copy of www.amazon.com/dp/1435454294

What you are doing is very common on Flickr, I've had this happen numerous times. I don't think it's a violation of their terms or that you're doing anything wrong, but that's just my impression.

What I think you are trying to accomplish here is to negotiate a license with the photographer to use their photos. They maintain copyright and it remains "all rights reserved" for them - but you have an agreement with them to use the photo according to some specific terms. I think that it's in your best interest to formalize this with a contract so that there aren't any questions further down the line (i.e. they agree to let you use it now and then realize you are making money using their art and get upset). Searching online will find lots of resources for this sort of licensing. Obviously an expert in intellectual property rights could draft something specifically for your situation.

As /u/lord_humble says, there may be concerns about releases as well. My understanding is that this can range from a model release for the person/people pictured in the image to releases for other copyrighted works shown in the picture depending on usage. There's some interesting "common sense" reading here that talks about releases: http://www.danheller.com/model-release-copyrights.html

The expanding stock photo market addresses many of these issues by letting you buy a license with a one time fee for specific use of imagery. You may want to pursue that approach if you believe your usage will become popular enough that this could be an issue.

I run an 8" schmidt-cassegrain and from my backyard balcony on clear cool nights I can see some spectacular stuff in the city (some colours on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn if I am lucky, some larger nebula). If you don't want to spend a fortune, and are okay with something bulky get him a Dobsonian, the larger the aperture the better light collection and a better chance he can pierce through the light pollution of our city. Some Dobsonians can be broken down for easier transport.

For better viewing head to a park (nose hill, fish creek, etc.), or better yet out of the city (I know not feasible).

The U of C has an observatory south of the city towards priddis/millarville, and I believe they have open nights for amateurs that you and your son could visit to get taste for things. If you contacted the U of C they might be able to get you in touch with the people that go and you could car pool out there to see what its like. While there talk to the people on what to get him, and get some contact info help get things setup, they are super friendly as a community.

To feed his appetite you could buy him the The Backyard Astronomer's Guide which has tons of great info.

Edit: Forgot to say... When I got started it was with a reclining lawn chair and some binoculars, you can work your way up from there if he really stays interested.

1. Get yourself an entry level consumer dSLR and use the lens that comes with it. A Nikon D60 or if you have a large budget, a D90. Or the equivalent Canon.
   
   
2. Buy some books to learn the technical aspects. When I got started I found John Hedgcoe's Photography to be very helpful. Scott Kelby's book is a good one as well. My best advice is to peruse the books at Barnes and Noble or Border and pick one you like best.
   
   
3. Take lots of pictures. Experiment. Don't be afraid to do things "wrong".
   
   
4. Join Flickr. Share your photos. Find photos you like. In your head, try to deconstruct how those photos were taken. Also search for critique groups, photo tips groups, feedback groups, and groups dedicated to your equipment and techniques that you like.
   
   
5. Did I mention take lots of pictures? I mean lots of pictures. Every day. Every time of day. Every lighting condition. And mess with settings. The great advantage of learning photography today is that you're not paying for film - so shoot, shoot, shoot. Underexpose, overexpose, get close, get far, get wide, get narrow, try lots of different settings just to see the different results.This is by far the best way to learn.

The most important thing that 99% percent of the photographers don't seem to know: if you want to make good photos consistently, learn the fundamentals.

Because a photo can be made in an instant, a lot of photographers work intuitively, without making any informed decisions about their pictures whatsoever. This is why a lot of photos taken without any training aren't appealing.

If you learn about composition, color, light, etc. like an illustrator or a painter does, you will be able to make repeatable successful photos. In the beginning, you shouldn't be overly concerned with sharpness, depth of field or your equipment. No, you should be concerned with how your photo looks at the most basic, fundamental level.

Since I started taking drawing lessons and reading books on color and composition this year, I feel way more confident about my photography. I make informed decisions that I know will work. I am able to analyze pictures that work for me, and I know why they work now. Thanks to drawing lessons, I can see a lot better, which is also a great help for retouching. I can think in terms of lines, shapes, forms, spaces, light, shadow. But the most important thing of all: I feel like I can reach the level of photography that I only could dream about last year, the high-end commercial automotive photography.

Some books that helped me a lot:

• Betty Edwards - The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
  
• Betty Edwards - Color
  
• Michael Freeman - The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
  
  Believe me, you want fundamental knowledge to rely on, not a list of incoherent 'protips'. :-)

The D3300 is a great starter camera. In Ken Rockwell.com's review he describes it as:
>
> The D3300 is for people who want great pictures. More expensive cameras are for people who want fancier cameras.

Obviously it's meant to be tongue in cheek but it's a great camera. I bought mine 3 years ago and still shoot with it. I constantly evaluate upgrading but with what I do there's just no reason to shell out the dough for a new body over some sweet sweet glass.

Check out my Flickr for work exclusively shot on a D3300. It's all about prioritizing investment in lens at this point.

Also if you aren't shooting in manual definitely invest in some material to get you there. I started with Understanding Exposure and I really enjoyed reading through it. You'll learn the most by actually getting out there and shooting though as cliche as it sounds. Also I really enjoy Mango Street Labs for video tutorials; they're short and to the point and quite pleasing from a style standpoint.

Also look to invest in some post processing software. Right off the camera pictures are often pretty flat and while you don't want to completely pervert them in post some small touches can really make a huge difference.

Most of all though just get out there and shoot what you want and how you want. Don't let the hipsters on instagram dictate what you like and don't like.

I received one gift, but it is still, like the highlight of my year. Just knowing someone would want to do something nice for me was so amazing. I feel like I would give that person a kidney, now, if they needed one.

It was the photography book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I just finished it last night, and it was so incredibly helpful. I can't wait to read all of his books.

Another reason it was awesome, besides being a great and helpful read, is that I got it right before all electronic devices (cellphone, kindle, tablet, even iPods) got banned at my work. I work in a machine shop, where I have like 5-20 minute cycle times. I used to read my Kindle or browse Reddit. Now I can't even listen to my iPod! This book helped save my sanity.

This book focuses more on the general process of video production, but it has a section on editing and is filled with various exercises to help you improve filming as well as editing. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0761163239/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1456888590&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=how+to+shoot+video+that+doesn%27t+suck&dpPl=1&dpID=51MzH-YZtoL&ref=plSrch

This presupposes of course that you have at minimum a basic video camera but I don't think that assumption is too unreasonable. A phone camera should work in fact.

Additionally, an exercise I recommend is that you get someone to record dialogue for a fake (or parody) infomercial and then edit together a video to go with it using clips from YouTube (download with something like MP3 Rocket).

Most of all, it really helps to have someone else who also enjoys editing that you can form a constructive-competative relationship with. This is particularly beneficial when it comes to inspiration and getting notes as to what you've done well and what you need to improve.

>And I saw the A7III with it’s kit lens 28-70 and I loved the picture quality you can get with it.

Just me, but before buying one, maybe rent one and see the pictures you can get with it. The fact that the pictures you see as examples of what an A7iii can do may have been taken by a very talented, experienced photographer who was willing to drop all that cash on the body+glass and may also be extreme skilled at post-processing sometimes doesn't occur to a newb. :D Composition, timing, subject matter, processing: those are still up to you.

Higher resolution, better tonal smoothness, wider dynamic range, better high ISO performance those are all very nice, but they don't always equate to "more beautiful," especially in unskilled hands. A full-frame camera doesn't turn you into a great photographer any more than buying a guitar turns you into a great musician.

>Should I leave the RX100 M7 and get that A7III and learn or what?

I'd vote for learn with the RX100.

Are you sure you've exhausted what your RX100 can do? Do you shoot with it in M mode? Do you post-process its RAW files? Have you used it on a tripod? Have you tried off-camera flash? (Dumb optical slaving can still work with its built-in flash). Have you taken a class or read a book on basic composition or exposure control? I'd say try those things (and price out the cost of those Sony FE lenses for an A7iii) first before sinking into the money pit that is interchangeable lens camera systems. It may turn out that an α6000 (or a Fuji X or Panasonic/Olympus micro four-thirds body) is a better starting point for getting into interchangeable lens cameras.

Well this is my bible, I bought it when I first got into photography as a hobby and it honestly is so enlightening.

Understanding Exposure

It pretty much breaks down the different conditions in which you can find yourself, from lighting to framing etc and talks practically about how to get your head around f stops. In truth there is no 'right' way of doing things, as long as you have a basic understanding and get the results that you desire.

If you do ever wish to invest more time and money into things I'd recommend getting a decent second hand variable lens that can give you wide angle for things like landscapes, and also a good zoom to help you with portraits and the like.

I hope you do find the time one day as it is such a rewarding passion.

I wouldn't critique this if I didn't like this-- so, disclaimer. I also realize it is a doodle, but you posted it on the internet, so I'm assuming you would like feedback.

A little more fluidity and variance in line weight would be nice. Your anatomy needs some work-- even if this is supposed to be stylized. The jaw is very square, more characteristic of a male face, and the eyes and pupils are not pointed the same directions (A good way to help with this is to look at the drawing in a mirror, ocular dominance can be a bitch). The mouth and the nose are too high up on the face and could be pulled down a little further. I don't think the lines for the clavicles were necessary-- they pull my eye away from the face. You did a really nice job shading most of the nose, but the rest of the face lacks structure and I'm not really sure where your light sources are going, especially with the reflections on the eyes. Maybe emphasize those a little more.

I did a really quick redline here to better illustrate my points.

Some good books to help with the fundamentals that are causing these issues:

• Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck
  
  
• Color and Light: A guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney
  
  Keep up the good work!

YES. Photography is fun and really easy to get the hang of once you do a bit of studying. I'm a wedding photographer, and use Canon gear. Canon and Nikon both make top-notch cameras and lenses.

Honestly, the lens is the more important part. Nothing wrong with getting good used equipment to save some cash. You can get a 4-5 year old camera body (like a Canon 50D or 5D) for $500 or less. A couple of beginner lenses with good optical quality will set you back another $400-500 depending on what you want.

I always recommend "Understanding Exposure" for photog newbies:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390

It's a great book that puts things in simple terms and makes photography very accessible.

I would also highly recommend checking out POTN forums:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

I've been on POTN for about 8 years and it has proved to be a great resource. I've bought and sold thousands of bucks worth of gear and gotten great advice from other users. Lots of pros and amateurs alike. It is Canon-centric but the photo sharing section obviously is open to anything.

Feel free to PM me with any questions as well!

Honestly I don't think that the post processing is the thing to worry about. Get out in front of people, get pictures of them not of them in a group from way in the back. There are a few where you're up in folks grills, but (and I may be projecting here) don't be afraid to just go up and make a portrait of the people. Taking pictures of people is terrifying for me, so up until the last year or so my shots looked a lot like yours, groups of people from the back, obvious that the camera wasn't in their field of view or consciousness. Then I sacked up a bit and got up in their faces and started asking if I could take their picture.

You'll be amazed how easy it is to just do once you decide to do it. The camera is a great ice breaker and for a shy guy like me, having it between me and gulp humans helps a lot.

Also go and buy the book Exposure, read it, then read it some more. Then take pictures, and read it again.

And regarding free software LR and PS both have 30 day free trials to check out.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I know The Americans but not the rest; very helpful. Since we're living out of the car, I'm limited on book space. So, for the next 18 months, I probably shouldn't purchase a book. I downsized my library to a Kindle pre-trip.

Do you know of any great PDFs/digital books that would be worth considering? That's one of the benefits of the course; to be able to do work and study from anywhere.

Regarding Magnum Contact Sheets, can you help me understand the difference between these two?
$55 hardcover vs stupid expensive.

Any courses you might recommend now that I've made the lack-of-space a bit more clear? :) I'm attempting to get work as a non-paid second shooter in the cities we travel to.

There are a few things you can get without much info; but it'd help if you know what sort of things he likes to shoot (and where - indoor, outdoor), as well as how long he's been shooting for! (If he has an online portfolio (especially flickr) that may say what camera/lens he uses etc in the metadata, or just show what subjects he likes if you don't want to ask!)

Your best option however might be a book; understanding exposure and the photographers eye are ones often mentioned here that are pretty universal to any model camera or photography subject. (I don't own exposure, but I believe it's pretty useful for most beginner to intermediate shooters, Eye is probably a little more intermediate+ (it's understandable to all levels, but you have to want to put the effort in to use it if you see what I mean!))

I got the dummy book for my camera, and love it. So definitely give this a shot to get out of trial and error shooting.

This looks promising as well.

This may be another one to help get past the trial and error and help you understand more what you are doing.

This is one on my list because exposure can make or break a good photo.

This may help with your environmental/landscape photography.

And finally, this may help you challenge yourself to shoot things you wouldn't think of shooting normally, which will help you get better.

So hopefully some of those help you find what you are looking to do! :)

Anytime. I love encouraging new/young artists. If you get a chance check out this excellent book on photography. Even after years of photography this guy still teaches me amazing things. It's great for beginners and experts alike. It's easy to follow and is an amazing resource. Lots of people get frustrated early on, especially with modern/complicated cameras. This book breaks it down and makes it fun. Of course a little toke goes a long way in keeping it fun instead of frustrating. I wish you the best man.

If you're going to be looking into the academic side of it, you will definitely be encountering some math. A degree in astronomy will be nearly tit-for-tat with physics majors in math classes. I'm not either (engineering, here) but from what I've heard they are very much alike.

I would say that starting at a community college is a great idea! Higher chances of boosting your grades and looking more attractive to other universities. If you do, maybe consider transferring to a larger, more prestigious school once you've got a a good foundation/GPA. Not necessary, but a great move if possible.

I got a book this past Christmas to fuel my armchair-interest in astronomy - I believe it was recommended by this subreddit too! Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448

Good luck!

In all honesty there are many entry level DSLRs out there that are great and very afordable. Canon 60D, nikon 3200, sony 320; it really doesn't mater, just get a good body with a stock lense from a reputable dealer.

Now as a photojournalist you will do lots of staged shots, usually for interviews and such; you'll have time to sit down with the person in their field of work, setup an area to take a picture, and take it. More important then the camera itself would be the lighting. I would make sure to put some money aside to get a shoe flash and a remote wire for it. The remote will allow you to hold the flash off to the side or above your subject, pointing it in whatever direction you want, allowing you easy, afordable lighting solution.

Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe McNally has many great examples how to use a single, or several flashes to achieve professional results. Learn how to bouce light with a shoe flash, it will do wonders for your photography.

Good luck to you!

Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs https://www.amazon.com/dp/1780673353/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Cgi1Cb5XKRJTX

I mean the title itself sounds pretty "clickbaity" but I did enjoy this book, it talks about perspectives and angles and technique. it's a pretty good and easy read.

or maybe even one of those photo challenge kind of books. I've never bought one but they're books that have like ideas and tasks in them and your job is to take a photo and place it in the book and that's how you complete the challenge. makes sense since she likes to make albums and such.

>I know very little about them

With all due respect, if you are asking such generic question, perhaps the best way to spend that money is to pay for a photography class or buy a good digital photography book.

Some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-Scott-Kelby/dp/032147404X

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Digital-Photography-Ben-Long/dp/1584507004/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291507787&sr=1-4

Better yet, save the money. Just spend more time with your camera so you understand exactly how to use it and what its current limitations are for what you want to do. Once you know what these are, then you can begin researching a lens that will answer that need. For example. I enjoy outdoor wildlife photography. Therefore I quickly learned about my cheap 70-300 canon lens' shortcomings and deficiencies (compared to "L" quality lenses, of course).

My point is, once you are more knowledgeable, the answer to this question will become much more obvious. Good luck and happy shooting!

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's a solid lens for your camera at a very affordable price. There are a few other options like random and sigma but he 55-250 optically surpasses them.

You really can't find a better lens anywhere near that price for that camera. Make sure you shop around for a good deal. Check Adorama. BH photo. Amazon. Ebay.

It's not a very long lens but like I said you have a camera with which you can crop and still get usable images. Take a look at the canon 55-250 on pixel peeper or the flickr pool for it.

That's a couple hundred thousand photos to show you the quality you can achieve.

Remember photography is not about gear as much as skill. This is a great starter lens and if you're unhappy with photos you're making there are plenty of good books to read to improve your skills.

I usually recommend these three to start

Understanding exposure
Learning to see creatively
National Geographic ultimate guide to field photography

I've got some tips!

I went to film school at an expensive place and stopped going because the commute was a nightmare and the cost was unreal. I later enrolled in the state school in my town and found out that they were teaching much of the same stuff for a significantly lower cost. Moreover, everybody got director experience, not just the people who were "good enough".

Filmmaking is a tough career to get into, so consider what you want to do with it. I know lots of talented people working in news, sports, and documentary, but not a ton doing steady work for feature films. If that's the kind of work you're looking for, you'll need to live in a place where they are made on the regular. (LA, NYC, Vancouver, etc.) If you have a wanderlust, cool, but city living is expensive.

If you've got the bug and want to make movies, don't wait for school to start. Grab a book and your phone and start shooting. You'd be surprised how little it has to do with your equipment and how much it has to do with proper technique. (I was on a team that won a national award for covering an election. We used iPhones and Skype.)

Here's some helpful books:

How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck

Television Field Production and Reporting
This is an older edition of what they are using in schools to teach electronic news gathering.

Good luck!

>Where can I go from here on an extremely constricted time schedule?

It's not going to be doable when time is of the essence.

I think you need to more carefully compose your shots. Most of those are shot at or near the minimum depth-of-field your lens will afford you but in all of them, there is way too much going on in the background none of which contributes in a good way. Ideally, an image has an element that leads your eye into the frame until it finds the main subject.

The eye then begins wandering around and the eye's path may follow very different routes. It might be zig-zagging through it or swirling around the center in an elliptic fashion but ultimately the eye should be led out of the image again. In traditional paintings, particularly in portraiture, you often find somewhere in the background something as obvious as a door or a window that serves as that exit.

Mind you, achieving the above is hard even for a very good painter but it's harder in photography because you have to make do with what you have in the scene and you can't freely rearrange or add items as you see fit. Somewhere I read about the five-seconds rule: Look through your viewfinder and when you think you are ready to take the shot, look for another five seconds to see if there are any obvious flaws in your composition or things that could be improved. Pay particular attention to the background where the most obvious blunders tend to occur.

If you are interested and have the patience, there is quite a bit of literature out there that strives to make you a better photographer. I often hear The Photographer's Eye getting recommended. I have no first-hand experience with it myself but I have no reason to believe that it isn't excellent. And looking at the preview, it seems to be dealing with all the right topics.

Something that I am currently reading (and I am sure the members of this subreddit are already getting tired of hearing me mention it again) is Pictorial Composition which only talks about composition in paintings. From what I have read so far I can tell it's going to be very tough to apply this to photography but at the very least it will make you aware of the many aspects that make a great a image.

All right, since you said you do photograph events and weddings:

The Luminous Portrait: Capture the Beauty of Natural Light for Glowing, Flattering Photographs
by Elizabeth Messina et al.
Link: http://amzn.com/0817400125

Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models (Voices That Matter)
by Roberto Valenzuela
Link: http://amzn.com/0321966465

Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs (Voices That Matter)
by Roberto Valenzuela
Link: http://amzn.com/0321803531

These three are from my wishlist. The Valenzuela one on posing comes highly recommended from some of my wedding photographer friends.

If Jose Villa is your thing, he also put out a book:

Fine Art Wedding Photography: How to Capture Images with Style for the Modern Bride
by Jose Villa et al.
Link: http://amzn.com/0817400028

If you might want to expand into boudoir:

The Art of Boudoir Photography: How to Create Stunning Photographs of Women
by Christa Meola
Link: http://amzn.com/0321862708

As for settings, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ1-lTg6AoQ

For shooting action shots (like a sporting event), you'll want 1) Focus area: wide 2) Drive mode: continuous shooting fast 3) Focus mode: Continuous AF 4) Lock-on AF: On (that setting is in the menu under the camera icon in section 5

For general photography, it's extremely useful to have the a6000 set up to do back-button focus. To set that up set 1) Pre-AF: Off 2) AF w/ shutter: Off 3) Under custom key settings set the AEL Button to: AF on 4) Focus mode: AF-C, I also like to 5) make the focus area: Center -- this allows you to use the focus and recompose method of taking photos

With back button focus set up, you hold down the AEL button when you want to focus (perhaps using the focus and recompose method to focus), release the AEL button once you've set up your focusing, compose your shot, and you can then take as many photos as you want without your focus changing. THEN, if something starts moving, hold down the AEL button again and keep taking continuous photos and track the subject in the center of your camera (or use Lock-On AF to keep track of the moving subject) -- it'll make more sense once you start taking photos, but back button focus allows you to essentially use AF-S and AF-C at the same time and it saves you valuable time when taking photos

Intelligent auto (the green icon) is a good setting if you're just starting out and need to shoot an event but don't know what you're doing. It chooses everything for you and can get some good shots. But it limits your creative control and the camera's choices aren't always the best choices. I use aperture priority most often, it's a good way to start learning about exposure -- I recommend this book if you're a beginner and don't yet understand the interaction between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483816559&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=composure+photography+book

Well first is there enough light, you would need it to be quite bright to get a good exposure with those manual settings. Even though there is plenty of light in the hotel room I am in to see without a light my camera takes a black shot with those settings.
 


At ISO 100 and 1/250 I had to widen my aperture to f1.2 to get an ok shot

or

At ISO 100 and F8 I had to go to 1/15

or

at F8 and 1/250 I had to boost ISO to 2500

 

But ... I would also guess that you have skipped some of the book and gone straight to the practical exercises, you are not understanding what effect the settings have

Also - understanding shutter speeds is too specific in my view, this was my favourite book to get started
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390

 


Aperture mode (Aperture priority) means that you can change the aperture and the camera decides the shutter speed. Very simplistically this is so you can have control over the depth of field
 

Shutter mode (Shutter priority) means you control the shutter speed and the camera decides the aperture. Very simplistically this is so you can have control over how quick the shot is taken. Fast (1/250 and faster) for fast moving subjects like animals, sports or children, slower (1/80) if you can get away with it for static objects or very slow for long exposures for effect (1/4, etc)

 


In both of these your camera might be able to have 'Auto ISO' to be sure to get a good exposure - but you are letting the camera make decisions (Which is good for you at this point!)

I would suggest you set the camera to each of the above modes, setting the aperture and priority to the settings from the book respectively in each mode and take note of what it sets the rest to for a good exposure - so you can start to understand the relationship

 


But... if you are only just starting photography, just go out and shoot in Auto or in Shutter mode at 1/100 with Auto ISO (1/100 is a good shutter speed to use for hand held photography, it's difficult to hand hold slower than 1/80 - 1/100 without good stabilisation)

 


Why? Photography is about composition, just go and take some photos of things, in your back garden or around your town - go and photograph, the technical bits can come later

I shoot almost exclusively film, even though I have a good digital camera. If it works for you, then that's fine.

Personally, the only reason I'd start shooting digital again is for cost reasons, but at one or two rolls per week, I'm happy enough with the costs of film.

As for books, I flicked through Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs the other day and I thought it was a great wee book. It focuses a lot more on composition than on learning how to calculate exposure and other more technical things, which I think is a great approach. It has lots of example images to illustrate concepts.

Nice, I love that ur supportive of her interests :) If she's new to photography then you might want to consider buying her a book about the real heart of photography - composition

I like this book - https://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Eye-Composition-Design-Digital/dp/0240809343/

Through all the high priced lenses, cameras and other gear - if you've trained your eye to see pleasing images that skill transfers into every photo u ever take :)

For what you're hoping to accomplish, nearly any DSLR and lens combo will get the job done. It mostly depends on the size of the products you're shooting and what your final use of the image files will be. (Ie just for web, print ads, billboards etc - do your research based on that).

Some mirrorless camera systems would work, but you need the ability to change lenses, set exposure controls manually, have a hot shoe to trigger strobe lights (even if you don't have any yet it's good to plan for) and ideally have the ability to shoot tethered to a computer - and you can get all that reasonably inexpensively with some of the base model Canon & Nikon DSLRs.

That said, the difference between mediocre product images and excellent images has little to do with the camera and EVERYTHING to do with lighting. Especially with reflective or glass objects.

You don't necessarily need to drop $10k on ProFoto lights, but you'll want to start looking into strobes and light modifiers because you'll reach the limit of what you can accomplish with Home Depot clamp lights super fast.

You also need to understand that product photography is one of the most technically complicated styles of lighting and if you want to level up your images, it's going to take a bit of an investment and a lot of damned patience.

Step 1: buy a copy Light: Science & Magic

Have fun!

[This book from Scott Kelby]()http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-Part-2nd/dp/0321934946/ is great for beginners and really helped me a lot when I first started, it skips all the technical talk and goes straight to how to get those great shots.

Not sure what is out there now but I know that when I started learning by myself almost all of the books out there where either too technical or complete garbage as a learning tool, lots of books out there that are more like the authors personal portfolio and this is the one that actually taught me in an easy fun way.

There are 3 books on this series but I don't really recommend the other two unless you really like the book and like the author style because they are more like an expansion of the first book and not as good bang for your buck.

I picked up a m43 camera earlier this year after using point and shoots and crappy cell phone cameras for years. It's been a learning process, but it's also been a lot of fun. Here are the things that helped me most:

• Learn a little about composition (frankly, this is a lifelong pursuit). I love this book and you can probably find it at your local library.
  
  
• Learn your camera's settings. Look through the manual, watch YouTube videos. Modern cameras are very complex and some menu systems are complicated, so get familiar with at least the basic operational points of your new camera.
  
  
• Get out and use the camera! Take tons of pictures, review each and every one and decide what you do and don't like about each picture. I toss roughly 85% of the photos I take, but I try to learn something from each one.
  
  
• Don't go gear-crazy until you've taken some time to use the base kit. Assuming the G7 comes with a kit lens, use it a lot and decide what types of photos you like to take before considering a new lens. I used my OM-D E-M10 with the kit lens for months before picking up another lens because I wanted a larger field of view for street and landscape photos, and the kit lens wasn't up to it. Glass is the real expense in photography.
  
  Really, just use it and enjoy it. I hope Santa is good to you this year!
  
  
  

There is nothing like reading White Fang or Call of the Wild while in the Alaska backcountry. You start reading, and with no evidence of civilization suddenly it's 1890. Also read the short story, to build a fire.

Get a copy of a book or Robert Service poetry. You have to read the Cremation of Sam McGee at least once around a campfire (our most famous poem), it's even better if you cam manage to recite it from memory.

Here's a YouTube vid of Johnny Cache reciting it.

Here's one I read years ago where the sea breaks it's back it's the story of how captain Vitas Bearing and scientist George Stellar discovered Alaska. A truly harrowing tale.

this book is the memoirs or Dick Proenneke. He lived by himself in a cabin by a lake in remote Alaska for decades. The documentary based off of it (alone in the wilderness) is excellent but I haven't actually read the memoirs myself.

Since you're in the mountains read desperate passage this is an exceptionally well researched and written account of the Donner Party, it's chilling, I read while snow camping in the Chugach, powerful stuff.

Anther great thing to read in the wild, journals of famous adventurers. The Lewis and Clark diaries, for example.

A translation of the Poetic Edda (pretend your living in Viking times)

True Grit always an enjoyable slogging through untamed wilderness read.

Hatchet by Paulson, this book is aimed at a younger audience, but it's a good book for reading when out in the woods.

I'll second song of fire and ice, Alaska is the perfect place to read it and imagine themselves the king in the north, or wandering out beyond The Wall.

Also blood meridian is another good suggestion. Adventure in the wild lands with a big element of the unknown and sleeping under the stars. By that same token I'd recommend Dead Mans Walk by McMurtry, the fist prequel to Lonesome Dove, lots of slogging through the wilderness and mountains.

Those are all I can think of at the moment.

Also a note on into the wild, I've never read it but it a lot of people up here do not like it because it's caused a lot of people to come up and emulate the guy, some of them have died or almost died. So don't tell anything to the effect of that book being your inspiration for coming to alaska.

Before I even suggest anything, or in any way pretend to authority, here is my disclaimer: What you're doing is already advanced and inspired (and appealing - which is the most intangible quality).

I think you are looking for just a few rules of construction. You can either start logging hours in figure drawing to develop your own system or find a proper system to absorb (and still do figure drawing if you care to).

The best modern system is Loomis - you can grab pdfs guilt free at http://www.alexhays.com/loomis/ and print/bind them at a copy shop. Start with "fun with a pencil" and just zip to the parts about realistic head construction - the book projects the tone of being just for amateurs but don't let that put you off...this is a good way to think about heads. His other "go to" book is "Figure Drawing for All its Worth" - you should just use and refer to the first 100 or so pages to get fully comfortable the the head as a unit of measurement and how it relates to different parts of the body so that you are always "correct" within your chosen proportions (stylized or otherwise).

Last thing I would say - because it has always been an issue for me - is to realize that when you begin making decisions and putting a model on paper it becomes YOUR likeness/your model. Pictures can have weird distortions or models can have awkward features; you aren't a slave to these things and you can definitely apply the construction stuff you alrdy know/will learn from these books to idealize/fix/keep balance in your work (even if it means departing from the source!)

**This guy's book will also help with blocking out forms ( i alternate him in with loomis - also helps keep things in perspective...diff ppl can have diff systems and you can take what you want): http://www.amazon.com/dp/0195030958

I'd say get the Canon t2i kit with the 18-135mm and a nifty fifty.

That's $970 so far, but he'll probably want a bag that can hold the camera and extra lens. Tamrac makes great bags.

So you've got a great kit with a lot of range and a sharp prime that rocks at low light.

Additional recommended purchases would be the book Understanding Exposure and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.

Edit: To be fair, maybe have him check out a Nikon DSLR (D5100 would be a comparable choice) along with a Canon to determine which one feels better. Both companies make great cameras of similar quality and performance—it really does come down to personal preference. And as a side note, I personally shoot a Nikon.

Everybody knows it but it still needs to be said: shoot, shoot, shoot.

Willief is spot-on in my opinion. An exercise I think you might find helpful is to give yourself assignments. Just like practice, or buying books about photography, it only works if you stick to it. You have landscapes, and your still-life work is coming along well too. I would say that in addition to portraiture (both studio and candid), you should consider other genres that 'put you out there' more, that are less under your control than your current work. Street photography instantly springs to mind - you don't have to live in NYC or LA to have amazing opportunities at street photography. If you're in a more rural locale, consider work like Frank's "The Americans," or Bruce Davidson, or even combine what you can do with what you want to learn, something like R.E. Meatyard.

When you want to push your landscapes farther, I would send you in two directions: Ansel Adams for technical mastery (if you haven't, read the holy trilogy, Camera, Negative, Print), and Minor White for artistry/composition.

You're already doing great work, keep on keeping on, never settle.

I checked it out, and.. well, most of it is all beginner and clichéd. Lighting is atrocious is many of them, especially of fair skinned people where the flash harshly bounces off.

white balance is wrong in many of them

some of the pictures are not properly in-focus

framing isn't there

She needs to learn to photograph a discernible point where the viewer will focus (or subject) when actually photographing a certain thing.

In the majority of her pictures, i'm not really drawn to any one thing and my eye just rolls of the page. That makes a picture uninteresting (IMO). Along with that, the majority of pictures she took are already pictures I have seen many times before, and pictures I myself (and many many others!) have done in the past. They are beginner's subjects.

Something I also feel is that she is trying to make every single one (or at least a majority) of her pictures be good. This will simply never be the case. Not every picture, no matter how hard you try to make it good, will be good. Some photographers will take over 500 pictures, but only 5-10 will be truly good and worth publishing. For wedding photography, expect to take 500+ pictures, but only have 50 or so that are good.

Anyway, what she needs to do is get herself a proper flash and learn to bounce to create softer light. I also strongly suggest she picks up a book called Understanding Exposure to learn to properly expose things.

I can give you a few of the most important pieces of advice, and answer the most common questions right away.

1. Yes, at the moment you'll do fine with the kit lens. You have no idea about what you're doing anyway at the moment. So you don't need anything else. By all means, if you get a deal that involves an extra lens at a reduced price, then go for it. But that's just about it for now.
   
   
2. Understanding Exposure. Buy it. Read it. It is without a doubt one of the best books you can purchase when you're starting out with photography.
   
   
3. Now that you have a basic understanding of what the knobs and dials and buttons do, you will discover that your equipment has limitations. So yes, you do need another lens. I recommend the Canon 50mm f/1.8 , also known as the "nifty fifty" or the "plastic fantastic". That should cover all your needs in low light. You could do well with a telezoom as well. Any cheap-ass lens will do as a start, until you learn to hold your camera steady and you know what you're doing wrong. Then, and only then is it time to upgrade.
   
   
4. After getting what I mentioned above, you need to think a bit more about what you're gonna do, and what you really need. Gear Acquisition Syndrome is a serious problem, which can end up costing you thousands. There's a good chance you will need a monopod or tripod. You will probably find yourself wanting a flash. A polarizing filter is almost a necessity if you want to take pictures of nature.
   
   
5. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE KIT LENS. People will be lining up around the block to tell you how terrible your canon EF-S 18-55mm is, should you end up buying a rebel. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM.
   The time to throw out the kit-lens and replace it with a better standard lens, is when you understand for yourself why you need to throw out your kit lens and replace it with something better. You will eventually get to a point where it's your equipment and not your skill that's holding back the quality of your pictures. That time wont come around this year. Quite probably not next year either.
   
   
6. Good luck. Welcome to a hobby that will cost you a lot of money, time and frustration. Remember, the only way to become a better photographer, is to take loads of pictures. Every mistake is a learning opportunity.

I'm a beginner too, and I recommend you Read This Book If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll.

It doesn't have a lot of technical stuff; this book talks about different techniques to take good photos (using different light, exposure, lenses, etc), and inspires you to be creative and to start shooting with your camera. It explains everything in a simple and effective way, and it's easy and entertaining to read.

It really depends on what kind of shots you're looking for.

For street photography, you don't need permission or a model release form as long as you don't use the image for any kind of commercial or financial gain. As mentioned before, as long as those you're photographing are in a public place and have no "reasonable right to privacy", you're fine. Personally, my street photography is done using a telephoto lenses at events like parades, carnivals and things like that. There's a pamphlet written by a lawyer here in the US called "The Photographer's Rights". Here is the link:

http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

If you're interested in shooting model photography, look around online for some good beginner tutorials on posing and lighting, then get some friends to come model for you.

Here's a good site with some information on portrait photography (just search around, read related articles, etc...):

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips

This site has some good tips and stuff, too:

http://photo.tutsplus.com/

Sooner or later you'll get into lighting. Here are a few blogs that have a lot of good information:

Strobist: http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Zack Arias: http://www.zarias.com/

David Ziser's Digital Pro Talk: http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/

Dustin Diaz did a lighting 365. His Flickr Photostream is full of BTS information: http://www.flickr.com/photos/polvero/sets/72157611811908959/

I also read Joe McNally's Hot Shoe Diaries when it came out. It has a lot of information:

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Shoe-Diaries-Light-Flashes/dp/0321580141

He also has a blog:

http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/

To really figure this out (and or realize the limitations of what can be done), you may need a bit more education than a reply to a reddit post will get you.

In a nutshell:

Objects have different properties of how they react with light, reflection being the most important to us. Two main types of reflection are diffuse and direct. Something with mostly diffuse reflection will not show glare (think of a white piece of paper). The thing that most exemplifies direct reflection, is a mirror.

Another property is absorption, which is how we get/see colors & black etc.

So if you have something that is highly reflective, it has lots of direct reflection, and if it's black like a Darth Vader helmet, then it probably has plenty of absorption (and thus less diffuse reflection).

So when it comes to lighting something like this, we need to consider what type of reflection we want to (or have to) use. If the item is mostly black, then it probably doesn't have enough diffuse reflection or the direct reflection properties are going to be dominant.

So when lighting something that is dominated by direct reflection, we need to understand the family of angles. Basically, you will see a reflection of the light source (usually glare) when the angle between the lens, object and light all line up.

When the object is flat (or has flat sides etc) it can be easy to 'hide' the lights by placing them (or the object) where the reflections won't be visible to the camera. Of course, if the object is rounded, your family of angle will essentially be anywhere in front of the object, which can make it impossible to 'hide' the light..

However, if the object is mostly direct reflection, you may need to use that reflection glare, because there is nothing else.

So the task for the photographer then becomes getting the best looking reflection, to achieve what they want for the photo. So we would find/create the right size and shape of light, and place it carefully. A good example is wine bottles. Using a square or round light would leave a square or round glare on the bottle, which doesn't look good. So a photographer may use a strip light and align it with the bottle, so that the reflection shows up as a vertical line on the bottle.

Sometimes, the solution is to make your light source as big as possible (relative to the object). So getting something big and/or getting it really close. This is why we might use a light tent, it basically puts the light source all around the object.

So what you will likely have to do, is experiment by moving the lights around (while viewing the object from the camera position). You may find a position that makes for better looking reflections. Changing the size & shape of your lights may also help.

Read this book... Light: Science & Magic.

My favorites are:
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448

A Guide to Backyard Astronomy (I found this one at a 2nd hand bookstore, not sure if it's still in print. This is my absolute favorite because of some great starhopping tours they put in the back)
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Backyard-Astronomy-Starhopping-Exploring/dp/187701933X

EDIT: Here's an example of one of the starhop tours in A Guide to Backyard Astronomy. http://imgur.com/a/enXLO
The icons clearly indicate whether the target is a naked eye, binocular, or telescope object.

Of course there's the ubiquitous Turn Left at Orion. I can't say much about it since I've never actually gotten around to reading it. http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/0521153972

Alternatively, check out http://eyesonthesky.com/
as well as Mr. Fuller's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/eyesontheskyDOTcom

The "Basics" playlists are damn good, and unlike a lot of other sources, the practical demonstrations on video make things super clear to understand.

Do not worry about gear. As a new photographer you may get caught up in the "I need more gear" phase. That phase is expensive and not correct. You can take great pictures using whatever camera you have now and great lighting. I would suggest reading Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. People take great pictures with little to no gear. Check out this video by Chase Jarvis He is one of the best Commercial photographers in the world and talks all about how you dont need as much gear as you think. Good Luck.

Only 5~ months ago did I decide to get serious about improving my art in my free time. For most of my life I only doodled occasionally. So I thought I would describe my plan of action with books and resources that I will likely be using. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My process will be basics of construction-> perspective -> figure drawing -> digital art and rendering. Approximately 45% will be improving, 45% will be doing what I want for fun and 10% will be a daily sketch(this subreddit) that takes anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to complete. for fun I will be doing anything from digital to water color.

Construction and perspective: First I am starting my art journey by completing draw a box . Next I will go through Marshall Vandruff's Linear Perspective Videos and Perspective Made Easy simultaneously while referencing with how to draw by Scott Robertson. Briefly I will gloss at Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain or keys to drawing pulling ideas of where I might find weakness.

Figure drawing: Once those are finished, I will begin my figure drawing phase. I will move onto free proko subsided with loomis books such as this, other photo references sites like http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en and Figure Drawing: Design and Invention. I will also reference Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist and maybe more depending on my budget.

digital art and rendering: For the final stage of my journey, I will venture into ctrlpaint. Simultaneously I will be reading How to Render, Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter

After that.... I don't know. We will see were I am in a year.

Here's his vimeo!

This guy is seriously awesome. Amazing photography. And he's a redditor!

Cheers, Terje!

My friend wrote this, for real, check it out. It's awesome, trust me.

I would highly recommend you get a copy of the book Understanding Exposure: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509

I have a Nikon D3400 and got a copy of this book to help push me out of auto mode. The book is very well written and explains how to capture the best images. It'd probably be better to have a foundational understanding of how a picture is taken and processed than to try making up for the lack of experience with different lenses and filters.

Is there anywhere you post your images so some of us can check them out?

Good luck and have fun!

These two books (best sellers in photography) worked for me. They're also very active on youtube. You can read Kelby's in a night though will take time to learn to apply everything. Everyone learns differently but given they're best sellers good chance it will speak to you.


Books Links

• Tony Northrup's DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography
  
  
• The Digital Photography Book: Part 1 (2nd Edition)
  
  Their youtube channels
  
  
• Tony & Chelsea Northrup
  
  
• KelbyOne
  
  

Read John Harrington's book as soon as you can: Best Business Practices For Photogaphers

In the meantime, as everyone has said, charge for everything. Materials should get a small (18%) markup; figure out a cost per shot and a base creative fee -- the creative fee is paid to you for your time, vision and mastery of technique; the licensing is paid to you per shot for a given target (web, print ad, promotional material, etc.)

If it makes life easier, do the above math and then create a rate based on a set number of images, so if your creative fee is $750/day, and each image license is $350/year, then pick x number of images as a minimum, add it to the creative fee and you've got a ballpark you can use to guide your rates. You may benefit by offering the client to choose from both a per-image rate, or a package flat rate that is based on days worked (assume ten hour work days).

Coworker: I immediately thought she should get a really graphic Batman poster. You could even get it framed if you have enough left over. Here are some from Etsy: 1, 2, 3, 4, this one's a little different.. but it's video game related so.. here! 5
____

Boss: A nice photography book would probably be a safe bet: 1, 2, 3, 4, last one is $5 over budget, but 5
__

Professor: I'm sorry I don't have more original ideas for him but here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
__

GOOD LUCK!!

Thank you! Yes it's a plate. I love shooting on dark tables, plates, and backgrounds. It can add really nice contrast to an image.

The most important thing for food photography is the styling so being a chef should give you a huge advantage. Grab the book Light Science and Magic to get an understanding of lighting and you will be producing masterpieces in no time!

The best way to choose which DSLR you want to buy is to find out what brand of camera your friend who is the most in to photography uses. Then buy a camera of the same brand in your price range. Now you can borrow all their lenses.....

The second thing you need to do is realize that the best camera in the world can't fix crap composition or use of lighting. This book right here is an excellent tutor for understanding what all the settings on your camera do and why you might use them.

I personally have a Canon Rebel T2i (because my friend who has thousands of dollars invested in equipment, also shoots with a Canon). I shoot primarily with a 50mm lens (they refer to it as the Nifty-Fifty because it's $100 and offers huge bang for the buck).

Depends on what she already has, but if she doesn't have any of the following, she might like it.

• Skin Illustrator palettes
  
• Airbrush and compressor (I really like Iwata)
  
• Airbrush makeup (Dinair is pretty good for beauty, Skin Illustrator for FX)
  
• Atlas of Human Anatomy book
  
• Sponges. Wedges, red, stipple <-- even if she has these, she'll need more
  
  edit: You can probably find lower prices than from Amazon, and you can get aquarium filters to cut up for the stipple sponges.

Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs. Great book. Not very detailed in technique and not niche - very good for beginners and getting an overall understanding of photography and the related physics and skills. This book can also be good for pros to get inspiration... the author is great at taking some skill/style that you thought you knew and sticking it in your face to look at again, and most of my friends (and a photography teacher in high school) said the book gave them a new perspective on photography.

> 150 shots

Don't you love digital? So much easier than learning by 36 exposures at a time.

I'd work on your composition some. I'm not a huge fan of your final composition, but it is definitely better than the original one. Maybe de-clutter it some, as someone else suggested. If you're trying to get the kid's clothes in the shot to go with the monkey, maybe remove the laundry basket, fold and stack the clothes, and put the monkey on top of that stack.

I'd also consider bumping your ISO setting down, and opening up the aperture for this shot.

If you're looking for book suggestions, try Bryan Peterson's series, particularly Understanding Exposure. It's clear, concise, has a lot of examples, and is less than $20.

Anyways, have fun. Don't take any of our criticism too seriously, it's mostly subjective. Shoot the way you want, and have fun!

Here are some excellent reads;

1. The Digital Photography Books, by Scott Kelby
   
2. Complete Digital Photography, by Ben Long
   
3. The Art of Photography – An approach to Personal Expression, by Bruce Barnbaum
   
4. The Photographer’s Vision, by Michael Freeman
   
5. Chasing the Light, by Ibarionex Perello
   
   In addition, this very nice article by PetaPixel has a nice breakdown of the best free online Photography Courses and Tutorials.

>ask ppl to cluck like a chicken

I'm gonna hafta try that one!

Check out Picture Perfect Posing by Picture Perfect Posing by Roberto Valenzuela.

I first saw it recommended here in /r/Photography. It was a great read that, instead of giving you poses to imitate, it gives you the theory behind why you'd want the arm or fingers at one angle or another, or why you'd tilt the chin this way or that- and what effects it'll have on how your subject is perceived.

Shutter speed affects exposure and motion (freezing or blurring). Aperture affects exposure and depth of field (how much of the scene is in focus). ISO affects exposure and noise/grain. There are a lot of ways to get the exact same exposure in terms of brightness, but different combinations of the three main exposure controls result in different side effects in the photo.

Reddit photo class explains all that pretty well and in greater detail. I also like the explanations at Cambridge in Colour. If you're looking for a book, Understanding Exposure is highly recommended for the same kind of info. You also want to read your manual so you can connect the general SLR terms from those resources with the specific buttons on your camera.

> I'm kind of back on my feet and could afford a DSLR. Worth the investment ?

Maybe.

I started really getting into photography about 18 months ago after I started using a Canon A1 camera which I bought for £20 ($35) on ebay.

I started taking photos and got some nice results considering I had little photography experience.

Then I decided to take the plunge and invest in a digital SLR, I bought a Canon 5D MK II, a £1500/$2000 camera.

I started getting so obsessed with lenses, memory cards and gear that I stopped taking photos. I got a few decent results and took some photos that I'm really proud of but I never really got the magic back of the photos I took on my old A1.

I think photography equipment can be a path to better results, but it's no substitute for ideas and inspiration :)

PS: whichever path she chooses to go down this book, Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera is almost obligatory.

There are a lot of books on composition there, like The Photographer's Eye, by Freeman and The Art of Photography, by Barnbaum. I can recommend both of those, and they aren't terribly expensive on the used market. They are both going to give you way more than what you can read online. Barnbaum's book is more in depth and more focused on film photography, so that may be of more interest, although Freeman's book is not digital-specific (despite the subtitle).

The other approach, perhaps more intuitive, would be to study photos that you like and try and figure out why they work, why they strike your heart, and what is happening in them in terms of the placement of the subject in the frame, the lighting (what's lit and what isn't, what's high contrast, what's not), how your eye moves around the image, and what your eye rests upon. All that kind of stuff.

Turn Left at Orion is often recommended. It seems to be great for learning about navigating and observing the night sky with binoculars or a telescope and what you can expect to see.

I have the Backyard Astronomer's Guide, which is extremely comprehensive and teaches just about everything such as navigating the night sky, information about the various types of objects, observing with the naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes, details about different types of telescopes and accessories and how to use them, and a few sections on astrophotography.

However, it is a bit hefty and not super cheap. And it doesn't include a detailed sky atlas (but it does talk about them).

Stellarium is a very popular planetarium program. It's awesome. And free!

This is a great start! Anatomy is a tough subject to nail down. The biggest thing I can say to you is to work on your forms. It appears to me that you are falling into the trap that a lot of new artists do when starting with anatomy in ZBrush and thats "carving" in the muscle definition rather than building up the forms that create the muscles. By building the forms up in order form deeper muscles to surface muscles you will end up with a lot of the "Creases and lines" between muscles that a lot of people identify with being "ripped" or "shredded"

When I'm doing anatomy I like to use the clay tubes brush to build up base forms, hPolish to setup my plane breaks, and than the clay brush to do a final refining pass.

One of the best books I can recommend about true anatomy that looks at it for what it is and avoids the artists personal style is "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist" by Stephen Rogers Peck (http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Anatomy-Artist-Stephen-Rogers/dp/0195030958/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406854979&sr=8-2&keywords=anatomy+for+the+artist). Its a little known gem among most people and its super cheap. this guy really knows how to break down the subject into terms for an artist and avoids unnecessary detail.

Keep up the practice!

Just keep in mind that the principles of photography ie exposure and all that are universal. You'll be tempted to seek out info specific to/learn about the camera, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't - but it's kind of like if you got a new Ferrari with a six speed gated shifter (yeah I know they don't make 'em any more), you wouldn't be looking for a book on how to drive a Ferrari, you'd want to learn how to, I guess, "drive" at a new level. Same here.

Yeah there are all kinds of obscure settings buried deep in the menus but understanding how aperture, ISO etc all work together is what you want to learn about. Don't worry too much about the camera's specific quirks while you're busy mastering that stuff. One of the fun things with the Fujis is that they have physical controls so you can just look at them and see what you're at, vs checking a screen.

If you're into books, check out "Understanding Exposure". Best thing out there.

Usually photographers use the terms "wide" and "long" to talk about angle of view. In the beginning it would make the most since to say zoom in or zoom out because that is how everyone learns. But there are lens called primes that have a fixed length and don't zoom in our out. The most correct way to talk about the length is probably in mm. Lens lengths are measured in mm because the further away the lens is from the sensor the narrower the angle of view is and the bigger far away objects are. This is why telephoto or long lenses are also in fact big and long. Lenses get shorter up to a point where they can't physically get closer to the sensor because of the mirror or whatever and then some trickery is used (which I don't understand) and they get bigger again. If you have a zoom that comes with your camera try zooming all the way out then zooming all the way back in. There is a good chance it will be getting shorter and then pop back out suddenly at the end.

The longer your lens the more exaggerated any movement becomes either from you shaking the camera on accident or from the subject itself. There is actually a quick and dirty rule photographers use to eliminate camera shake - if you aren't using a tripod try and keep your shutter speed above the mm length you are using. So if your lens is set at 80 mm try to have a shutter speed above 1/80th of a second. It isn't absolute but it will help you know when you need to start worrying about camera shake.

As far as learning the basics Understanding Exposure is one of the best books I've ever read. There is a reason it is a best seller. At the time I read it I already knew exposure pretty well but I still learned a lot. This is because the book has a ton of example pictures with explanations on how the photo was taken and what thought process was used to get them.

Maybe you could pick up a camera and start taking an interest in it with her? That way its something you could do together and you learing something.

A book that thought me an awful lot was,
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=pd_sim_b_1

From what I remember of it, I think it was pretty straight to the point, shouldnt be too much for an 11 year old, but you could fly through it yourself pretty quick and just explain it to her yourself.

As a few others have said too, the reddit photo class is fantastic.

Keep us updated on her (and yours?) progress.

I found this comment over in the main photography subreddit.

In particular, the first 2 youtube videos were extremely helpful for me. They were long, but worth it to watch the entire thing. The Sam Abell one in particular is great since he will show a sequence of his photograph attempts leading up to some of his more famous work. For me this helped me understand what are the minutiae that can make a photo great.

These videos are on the compositional/artistic side. For the more technical side of things, I have been learning a lot from the book Understanding Exposure.

I have a few recommendations for you:


Master the Business of Photography with Sal Cincotta: This class will give you a good primer on the business side.


Build Your Lighting Knowledge with Peter Hurley: Peter will teach you simple lighting setup and whatnot.


Because I like books, I'll recomend some as well.

• Best Business Practices for Photographers by John Harrington
  
  
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  
  
• The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister
  
  
• Ziglar on Selling: The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional by Zig Ziglar
  
  
  Beyond that: practice, practice, practice.

Well, yeah, but everywhere else is more expensive. If you think about it, an 8.5x11 full color book 100 pages long for 25 dollars isn't that bad. Personally I would stick with the soft cover because bringing the price up to 35 dollars is a pretty big jump in price. I think they might give discounts to places like Amazon so it would cost a little bit less than that.

Some comparisons:

30 dollars being sold for 20, 200 pages, same size

25 dollars being sold for 17, 225 pages, about the same size, B+W

Expose series(You can look through the entire book on that page)

The expose series is probably the closest to the sort of book we would be looking for, but it is done by professional artists so it would be moderately more expensive, but 70 dollars instead of 25 is a huge jump. I think it wouldn't be too bad, but I would also get at least a second and third opinion.

Aye carumba, you've got quite a task ahead of you! To improve your studio photo skills, you'll need a solid understanding of lighting. When I was first starting out, I found this book extremely helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Fourth-Introduction/dp/0240812255

In particular, it explains the family of angles--something you'll need to get a good grasp on--as well as giving you a solid foundation of understanding for things like managing reflections and lighting ratios.

Someone else might be able to point you toward something online, but for me, The Negative and The Print are pretty essential. Understanding the Zone System opens up a new world of possibilities when you're ready to progress past blindly following manufacturer recommendations for developing. :)

The Olympus 25mm (if that's what you have) is really, really great. I spent a year shooting almost exclusively with that for a 365 project, and came to love it (just wish they made a 17mm of the same quality).

There are two books I always recommend to anyone just starting out, as they really helped me: Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye. Might be worth a look!

General 'snapshot' street photography is a matter of chance, with a small amount of composition. Very little work and thought goes into the output. What's notable about HCB is that he frequently framed a shot based on artistic composition; and waited for something to happen. Other times he had time to compose a shot he took the time to find the geometry. Even when just out snapping, he looked for scenes where geometry was striking. If you're curious about the way he does this, he talks about it in an old movie.

Asking someone else how to make your work stand out is inherently uncreative, for the record.

One of the most important things I ever learned about photography was that buying gear isn't really useful. Having a working camera and some working lenses is necessary; but if you have something 'semi-professional' or above, there's little to no advantage in upgrading. You have an M8 (or possibly an M6 by now?) and a lens. As long as both are in functional condition; that's all you need in terms of equipment.

Instead, buy books. Here's some suggestions that you might want to consider:

• Koudelka - Gypsies
  
  
• Relationship - Zachary Drucker & Rhys Ernst
  
  
• The Decisive Moment - Henri Cartier-Bresson
  
  
• The Magnum Contact Sheets - Multiple Artists
  
  
• Vivian Maier - Vivian Maier, John Maloof
  
  
• An English Eye - James Ravilious
  
  
• Labyrinth - Moriyama Daido
  
  
• The Americans - Robert Frank
  
  You can also look at libraries for these, and keep an eye on thrift stores and used bookshops. I think you're in London, right? There's a huge gallery on Oxford street, and in Mayfair there's a Leica store where exhibitions are held a few times a year.
  
  The key point is to look at photos; individual photos, contact sheets and whole curated books and exhibitions. Think about how the artists made something like documentary and snapshot photography into an art. Look for ideas you can use, and look for things that haven't been done that you could use to be unique. Look at studio photography. Look at erotic photography. Look at cinema and still life and landscapes and architecture and paintings and drawings and every other image created with artistic intent, that represents a moment of reality. And go from there.

>I wonder if he owned the property or just picked a spot in the wilderness and decided to set up camp.

Dick had a good friend who already had a cabin nearby on that same lake, not far from the site he picked for his. His friend allowed him to make use of the existing cabin (and his canoe, etc.) while he was building his there. He also had an arrangement with a bush pilot who regularly flew in supplies and materials for him. That lake is visited occasionally by Alaskan hunters who have the means to fly into the area, so although it's very remote it's not 100% devoid of human presence (especially now).

The DVD is actually kind of a companion piece to his journals, which are great and definitely worth reading if you like this kind of thing: https://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp/0882405136/

The best thing would be for his parent to read this book and make a decision based on that. I'd be a little concerned to set someone up with a GOTO or computerized scope if they aren't "good at the internets." The amount of finesse in getting it aligned and up and running properly is fairly high if you're not already experienced and/or patient.

The book steps you through the differences between the types of telescopes, specific recommendations for beginners at different price points, and how to use, clean and care for your optics. It also gives basic tips on stargazing and learning your way around the sky. I can't imagine throwing someone into the deep end without a corresponding book, unless they will be happy looking at the moon and bright stars or planets 99% of the time.

It's probably because your question is so vague. For example: were you referring to ambient light or artificial (meaning strobe) light? The two subjects are radically different, and combining the two is another discussion entirely.

Another thing to consider: pretty much everything about photography eventually boils down to light, because it's about capturing said light in an image, utilizing a wide variety of tools to do so. Asking about guides for light/lighting for beginners is a bit like going to a BMW association forum and asking about guides about cars and fuel.

If you'd like to learn about using strobe, I'd second shamrok's suggestion of [strobist.blogspot.com](http://strobist.blogspot.com /). It's great for it's huge section on Lighting 101, and has tons of tips, tricks, reviews, and how to do things on a budget. You might also look into some of Joe McNally's books, particularly The Hot Shoe Diaries.

I've also written a description of how and when to use strobes with modifiers, in case that's also of interest to you.

I always recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson for anyone looking to take better photos. It's basically the best book possible for learning to take great photos.

The other issue that I noticed to the blown out highlights in the cloud and the overall look of the sky as you've processed it. Sunny landscapes are tough.

I’m a beginner myself, but here are some things that really helped me to understand the true basics:

https://tldr.photography/

I also bought this book, which gives you an insight of the art behind photography:

Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1780673353/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_kxr5XO1i42ldv

What I recommend though, is practice, practice and practice! And never delete pictures, you’ll always make mistakes and learn from them, to improve you further as you go along.

Camera type is irrelevant. Those pics can be done with most any SLR (film) or DSLR. If you really want to know, then I recommend reading a book such as Bryan Peterson's, Understanding Exposure.

wrt cars specifically: flat metal surface & glass = polarized light so play with a circular polarizer (see reflection, see no reflection). Which, other than bokeh, I suspect you're picking up on but not articulating.

I doubt you'll see benefit from buying lenses before you understand the principles (aperture, focal length and iso) and Understanding Exposure is a very good resource. Also, old school still wins. ie., take a notepad, experiment and write plenty of notes.

I've been trying to improve my composition skills. I read [Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye"] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Photographers-Eye-Composition-Digital/dp/0240809343/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331946138&sr=1-1) and it opened up whole new worlds for me. The problem is that when I go out in the field to shoot, I forget every damn bit of it (well almost).

I started to re-read it taking notes, but can't find the time to do it justice and end up with long gaps between sessions, and again, I forget stuff.

So now, I've typed all my notes into a document, and I'm going through each section, taking pictures that illustrate each point. I should end up with a nice photo journal. Hopefully the concepts will be driven more deeply into my pea-brain, and some of it might even stick.

It might take a while to get through it all, but hopefully it'll help me to grow as a photographer.

The building on the left balances the picture. For one it frames the scene. Especially because it's relatively bland and uninteresting it guides the eyes back into the picture. Besides that, it is a similar facade as the beautifully lit building on the right. This gives the picture both symmetry and contrast as visual elements.

The image does adhere to the rule of thirds since all the lines are filled with interesting elements. Perhaps you've had trouble applying the rule of thirds because you've focused too much on the crossing points of the lines. The reason these four points are the most interesting ones for the rule of thirds, is because items on those points adhere to the rule twice.

If you want more background information on composition, I can recommend this book.

For myself, whenever I'm learning a new photography skill I do the following: As soon as I have taken the shot I'm after, I take at least five more where I play around with whatever element I'm practicing with. So for composition, I would take the shot I want. Then go look for alternative angles, other elements to in- or exclude, maybe a different foreground or background, whatever options are available at the time. After a while I start seeing the options beforehand and will be ready to incorporate it and move on to the next element to work on.

Well, I haven't read a lot of photography books, but two instructional/anecdotal books that have done a lot for me are The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman and The Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe McNally. None of them are strict, step-by-step instructables-style lectures, rather they cover various aspects of composition and technique. I'd say that the former one covers more of the basics if that's what you were looking for - it's kinda hard to help you when you don't provide any info apart from "photography books pls" ;)

And yeah, I am unable to recommend one photography book. I'd rather recommend two :D

If you're interested, there's a wonderful book called Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Don't worry, it's not overly technical and it's a pretty smooth read. It will inspire you and make you feel like an expert on ISO, shutter speed, and aperture in just a couple of hours. Strongly recommended.

Edit: here's the book

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390

That was a great doco, and his book is really good. If you liked reading this article, grab the book - you'll love it!

http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp/0882405136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410281104&sr=1-1&keywords=dick+proenneke

My first DSLR was a Nikon D3100 and I remember finding it so intimidating I was almost afraid to hold it or pick it up. I've definitely been there! You have a fun adventure ahead of you, so enjoy it! Get a good book or do some youtubing to understand your camera. I recommend both of these:

1. https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Northrups-DSLR-Book-Photography/dp/0988263408
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492692662&sr=1-1&keywords=understanding+exposure
   
   Before even diving into them though, I'd check out some web articles or youtube videos on your specific camera, but also on the exposure triangle so you have an idea of the basics of photography in general, and you can build from there. Your camera has a lot of bells and whistles, but the most important thing is learning aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Everything else is icing. Have fun!
   

I did enjoy the PBS documentary. If you like, you can read the book written from his journals - One Man's Wilderness or another which is mostly his actual journals collected into a book More Readings From One Man's Wilderness.

The first book is a retelling of his life from the journals. However, Dick stated that if his journals were ever published, he wanted them in his own words (which the original book didn't) so the second book was put out.

Of course, if you don't want to drop any money or support the author, and don't mind reading from a PDF, the second book More Readings is available on the National Park Service website at http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/lacl/proenneke.pdf

And as a final esoteric entry, if you read his books and enjoyed all the sourdough cooking he did, you can purchase the actual sourdough starter he used at http://alaskasgoldenspoon.com/page2.cfm?recordid=45

Lastly I don't think it's fair or reasonable to compare Dick with Les or Bear as they have different goals. I don't think Dick's intent was to survive under difficult conditions. He like the Alaskan wilderness and wanted to live a comfortable life using his own skills to provide. He certainly didn't live off the land as his diet was primarily supplied by groceries brought in periodically by air. He did supplement his food with items he hunted (only legally during hunting season) and foraged food. But his main diet was sourdough products like pancakes and biscuits and beans.

Dgital Photography School is great, Lightstalking.com is another good one. I'd suggest studying on composition first, then work on mastering exposure. Bryan Peterson has written arguably the best book ever on exposure (all of his stuff is worth looking at) and this series by Scott Kelby can really accelerate the learning process, there is a lot of good information in there not directly related to operating your camera that you otherwise would only learn after years of experience.

Honestly, since you're just starting out, I can't recommend this book enough. I think I bought the 2nd edition when I started, and have since given it to friends (and even bought a copy for a good friend when she was starting out). It's fantastic, and will get you shooting in manual mode before you know it.

I agree with reading the manual, but I would recommend reading it in conjunction with something like Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Maybe manuals have gotten better (I have an older DSLR), but my manual explained the technical side of my camera's features without delving too much into the "why" aspect. This book (and there are others like it) will explain why you should be changing settings to get the most out of your camera.

Astronomy is an expensive hobby. I would start (for about $100) with:

1. An introductory astronomy book (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368414312&sr=8-1&keywords=backyard+astronomer)
   
   
2. A way of identifying constellations, stars and messier objects (this can be an android app, a laptop application, or a sky chart--the backyard astronomy book will have one as well)
   
   
3. A pair of binoculars (10x50 or so, I have a pair of Baush and Lomb and they suit the purpose, here's one on amazon by Bushnell: http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Perma-Focus-10x50-Binocular/dp/B00005AXIV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368414522&sr=8-1&keywords=bausch+and+lomb+10x50)
   
   Where you go from there depends greatly on your viewing habits/locations (e.g. will you generally be looking in light polluted skies or nice dark skies, any interest in astrophotography or just viewing? Do you want to spend a lot of time viewing the planets?, etc.).
   
   Also keep in mind that having a telescope with no accessories is kind of like having a car with nothing in the engine compartment. You also need a few eyepieces, a telrad or some other mechanism to help with spotting, and soon you'll want filters, a spotting scope, a CCD (if you want to do astrophotography), a better mount, etc.
   
   Anyway, I'd advise to start with those first 3 components and see how you like it. :)

Well, first thing would be using a scanner not based on SCSI ports, or using a cellphone from the early 2000s to take the picture. >3

There really isn't much to say beyond the tired "learn anatomy" line. You've got to look into things like Gray's Anatomy, or the Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist, or apps like Mara3D (iOS and Android available). Alternatively, go outside with a sketchbook and just... Draw people. Sitting on the bus for a while? Try to draw someone across from you. Waiting forever at a checkout in a food store? Draw the person in front of you (get their basic form sketched out quickly and then use them as a reference to fill out that form). Draw classmates over lunch, or colleagues at work, which ever is applicable. The more real things you draw, the better you'll get at drawing imaginary things.

The important thing though is to keep drawing. Filling sketchbooks with bad drawings will only help you improve. Just start from the inside out. You'll find that, like building, having a solid foundation to build a character on will make drawing easier. Make a simple stick figure skeleton with the correct proportions, learn your muscle groups, and the rest of the drawing falls into place.

Let me recommend this book to you. It's a very cool collection that shows entire rolls of film that famous photos came from (e.g. the iconic photo of Che). It's mostly targeted at film nerds like me but it is also a great piece of storytelling and I think you might enjoy it based on your comment.

When my husband got his first SLR, I got him this.

The writing is a bit cheesy, but it does a good job prescribing what settings you'll need for what type of picture. This allowed him to start snapping immediately rather than trying to study the camera for ages before getting started.

As for collections of great photographs, try National Geographic's collections if she likes landscapes.

I am also new to photography but I have heard great things about Tony Northrup's Stunning Digital Photography book and I am looking to buy it: http://www.amazon.com/Tony-Northrups-DSLR-Book-Photography/dp/0988263408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421293740&sr=8-1&keywords=tony+northrup+stunning+digital+photography

He also has a helpful youtube channel you might want to check out.

>Isn't there some kinda verbiage you need to have ready to go for how long they can use it for

Yes. This is called a licensing contract for usage rights (or something like that).

A book like this can help you understand how to handle writing such a contract:

https://smile.amazon.com/Best-Business-Practices-Photographers-Second/dp/1435454294/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1435454294&pd_rd_r=BYMEZ05X7ADQNZ28MG3X&pd_rd_w=qoJ3o&pd_rd_wg=eTKTp&psc=1&refRID=BYMEZ05X7ADQNZ28MG3X

You could also use those calculators on Getty and Corbis to understand each factor you need to address in the license you create. There is more than just "how long they can use it for."


-----

>proof that its your picture

This is on them to ask for.

You should be able to do this in a number of different ways.

The easiest and most important one is to have a copyright registration document to show them.

Without that, there are many other ways. Use common sense with this.

There is a phenomenal book called "Light: Science and Magic" and I cannot stress the importance of reading it. There is so much information contained in this one volume, that it would take years to find it all on the internet. This will not only help you with your strobe photography, but it will also vastly improve the way you analyze natural lighting situations, the use of reflectors, how you control light spill, and even the angles you choose for your photographs.

Read Strobist. While it focuses on getting the speedlight off of your camera, it will still show you some invaluable lighting tricks that you can use all the time. There is some phenomenal work to be seen, and some great knowledge to be had here.

Finally, practice. Put yourself into some tricky lighting situations, put the speedlight on, and learn how to bounce the light off of objects around you to achieve the effect you desire. Remember that the zoom setting on the speedlight will control the spread, and the higher the millimeters of zoom on the strobe, the narrower the beam of light will be.

Go outside on a nice sunny day with your speedlight, practice using it at low power to provide fill for a backlit photo. Use the sun to light the back of your subject, and the flash to fill in the rest.

If you overpower your flash, you will lose all the subtle texture of your subject. It is irrelevant how small your aperture is at this point, the light just becomes too overpowering. It is about balance.

If you mess around with these basics, you can't lose. Just keep practicing.

Let's see, there was Understanding Exposure, which is especially helpful for people who have only ever shot digital b/c it explains so much of the basic functions of the camera that most people take per granted and can improve your pictures dramatically, another one of Peterson's books, Learning to See Creatively is also really good, I also like The Photographer's Eye. Another really good book if you're into B&W is Black & White: Photographic Printing Workshop, which was written for using enlargers in a darkroom but can equally be used with basic Photoshop technique, shows how to convert blah pictures into really amazing imagery using basic dodging and burning techniques. I'll post some examples of his later when I get home.

All of the comments sound like good advice to me too. Standardising the processing is a good plan also - to my mind there are far more interesting parameters to experiment with. I'd also endorse looking at Adams' zone system - The Negative, it's mainly intended for sheet film, but he's an easy read and it gives a really thorough grounding in what can be achieved with film - I'll bet it improves your digital work too

A pretty solid book to look at to gain perspective is Magnum Contact Sheets. Flipping through it helped my view of how my own photos looked quite a bit.

Arbus' contact sheet for that photo is pretty enlightening due to the context it was taken in.

One of the reviews on Amazon said that "...this book doesn't read easily, or fast. It forces the readers to engage both sides of their brain, since paying close attention to the images is as important here as carefully reading the words." Do you think this would be overwhelming for a beginner?

I'm also looking at another book posted in this thread, Understanding Exposure. Have you heard anything about that one? I feel like Understanding Exposure is more technical with some elements of design while The Photographer's Eye is more focused on purely design and composition (like the subtitle says :P). Maybe you could give me your opinion of which is more valuable for someone with not much "real" photography experience?

K-70 is a great camera and honestly Pentax cameras are easier to learn than others.

This guy writes E-Books for Pentax and I got one for my K50 and it helped a lot.

https://ebooks4cameras.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fk-70-book

Also check out this book by Tony Northrop

How to Create Stunning Digital Photography https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988263408/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I3WWDb2CDSHXJ

Renting a good camera doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get good pictures; how good you are with a camera and how much you are willing to learn are the most important factors. If you're looking into a DSLR then you need to take time to learn the camera and what settings to use when before you depart. Additionally, you'll probably need to get a better lens for it as well (whether renting or buying).

I guess what im trying to say is if you want a DSLR you need atleast a few weeks learning it + $1000 entry cost if purchasing, if you go for the low end model (Rebel XS body and, lets say, Tamron 18-270mm 3.5-6.2 VC Lens with rebate) and Understanding Exposure (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284264&sr=8-1 ) is a highly recommended book for learning how to get started.

I don't know renting costs near you.

If you're looking for something less sophisticated but still want some power behind your punch look into something like the SX30IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-SX30IS-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B0041RSPR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284110&sr=8-1) or http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX130IS-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNG8/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284168&sr=8-10

Ben Long's Complete Digital Photography, now in its 7th edition, is pretty good for beginners, and only costs $30. I used it to design an online course in digital photography for a graduate school project (e-learning design).

Edit: for aspiring professionals, I'd recommend Best Business Practices for Photographers by John Harrington (2nd edition), around $22 on Amazon. It's chock full of recommendations for starting your own business, shooting professional paid assignments, handling releases and contracts, copyright protection for your work, etc. Great resource.

Hey /u/buffalogriller this is a really thoughtful answer! You totally get what I'm trying to do. Unfortunately, I'm only going to visit him and he doesn't live nearby enough for us to share a camera. I actually did think about giving him mine with a 35 mm lens... but it's my only camera.

I'm definitely going to give him my great Henry Carrol books to try and stir something up too (this one and this one)

What color did you get?

I know the feeling. When I bought my K200D it seemed like a ton of money and forever before it arrived.

As soon as you can start using the AF-200 and see what it does and doesnt do to images. Then get on the Strobist and learn what you can do with off camera flash. If you really want to get into that kind of photography it is extremely rewarding. You create light that doesnt exist. Read "The moment it clicks" and "Hot Shoe Diaries" and be prepared to be addicted. When you are ready to take the plunge, go to Gadget Infinity and check out the Cactus RF60 can do.

There are lots of photography videos on YT for beginners and plenty of good books and I can recommend this one. The make of camera should not make any difference as they all have the same basic functions.

The K70 is a great camera as I have the same model bought it a few years ago and it's pretty damn good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-This-Want-Great-Photographs/dp/1780673353/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LGKL8ZRUGMS0&keywords=read+this+if+you+want+to+take+great+photographs&qid=1573052581&sprefix=read+this+%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1

The single best way to get better at anything: practice! In your case, take your camera and walk out the door. Go to a park, the mall, walk through your neighborhood.... and just shoot. Take pictures of anything and everything. And don't wait for something to shoot... go out and find something to shoot. You'll take a lot of crappy pictures at first but eventually you'll start finding diamonds in the rough.
As far as educating yourself, make sure you read your manual at least once from front to back. Knowing how to use your gear properly is essential. Secondly, pick up a copy of Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure It's a great read for the beginner and helps you understand the basic mechanics of photography. Here are a few other links for you to check out: Kelby Training | Digital Photography School | photo.net

Bridging the Gap: Classical Art Designed for Photographers

This is a good video that I found through another comment on this sub.

But since you asked for a book, this one is pretty good: The Photographer's Eye

Have fun!

Buy the book The Backyard Astronomer's Guide.

It will answer so many questions you have in getting started. It is a bit more expensive, but it will save you tons of time and money that you may spend on the wrong thing down the road. It's one of those books that comes in handy all the time when learning about astronomy.


It covers the basics of telescope types, what you should expect to see, what to avoid, where to look based on where you live, etc.


You need to learn a few things before you can fully enjoy a new hobby like this. It is a great book.

You can learn how to use the camera by just spending time with your manual.
On the other hand, if you want to learn photo basics here are some great resources -
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson -
http://www.amazon.in/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381293576&sr=8-1&keywords=understanding+exposure

Cambridge in color - one of the best online photography learning resources -
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/

There are a lot of good reading around, on the internet and books as well, like http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390

Also, this guy has pretty informative videos about basic stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3A3SnPFPk0 you can SEE what happens when focal length, aperture, distance change..

I must add that shooting a lot, experimenting, asking questions, thinking is something you should do too :)

You're welcome. I'm glad I was a bit of help.

Honestly, I'd probably go with a photography composition book if I were to pick one, however, I learned from many places. The one thing that every book on composition will tell you is that you can't really learn it by reading the book. What you can learn is the rules. Then you have to practice a lot! I would recommend finding subs that deal with photo critiques. I learned video composition through photography. I basically read everything I could get my hands on about composition (magizines, web articles and a few books) and then I spent an enormous amount of time looking at popular work and practicing with my own pictures. Eventually something clicked and I had my own idea (although not perfect) of what looked good.

The problem is that no one can just say, "These are the composition rules," and then you're set. It's a feeling you develop over time. You have to work at it.

You can learn the rules anywhere. Google is full of resources. The problem is when you learn one of these rules for the first time, it's hard to keep your own head, your own opinion and for a while it can be difficult to really know for yourself what you find beautiful. Is the rule working? Is this really beautiful? After you practice a rule to death, you'll start to get your eye back for what's good. You'll start to feel moments when you can break the rule outright, cheat just a bit or hot damn that rule was spot on.

If you're really into getting a book, I enjoyed this one, however, to each his own. I read every damn thing I could get my hands on and we all learn in different ways. Most of what I have learned has come from shooting shitty video and then trying to edit it. During every edit I've ever done, I've taken notes on what shots I've missed. I've also googled "Sexy BRoll" a lot.

I think the number one key isn't just blind practice but practice and critique. It helps a huge amount to look at pictures you took a month ago. You're more removed, you can see the comp better. Practice, practice practice. Never turn off your viewfinder, meaning look at everything in life as if you've got a viewfinder stuck to your eye. When watching TV, look at all the shots. Look at what they use for different reactions, different cuts. Practice ;)

PS edit: I started worse than you dude. I taught myself. I'm no master at this but I have worked my way up to some amazing jobs using video. Don't give up, fight for it and practice.

Why is there never any love for Hedgecoe in these threads?

For a beginner, go with John Hedgecoe's New Manual of Photography. It breaks everything down into easy to read lessons that are no more than two spreads long (most actually cover one spread with lots of pictures). It's great.

Then I'd suggest McNally's Hot Shoe Diaries but it's a bit advanced though a great read if you want to get into flashes.

Theft is a problem, yes...but fear gets in the way of good photography.

First, get some black gaff tape, and cover all the brand-names on your camera. Next, get a body cover and rough it all the hell up. Delkin makes a body protector for your camera called a Snug-It. Scuff it. Maybe spray paint it a little bit. Make it look horrible. This may serve as a deterrent to someone who is looking to steal cameras for resale. It may not. But (in my humble opinion) it's better than walking around with a shiny, sexy camera body.

Another way to lower your profile is, as you said, to carry your camera in a small, unobtrusive bag. I don't have a Nikon, so I can't comment on how durable they are. My Canon 5d Mark iii had to have its LCD screen replaced because it broke at some point. I don't know where or when. But 5d's are supposed to be relatively robust. So do be aware, putting your camera in a bag not designed for a camera could be rough on your camera.

Low profile camera bags are a thing. And while they're not cheap, they're not very expensive, in terms of what camera stuff usually costs. Do the same thing. Get one, make it look crappy.

Big lenses are also attractive to thieves. And at the beginning, big zooms and such are a distraction (at least they were for me). If you're going to get a lot out of your camera, you need to learn to shoot in a more precise way than the camera's auto setting (though they do pretty well, usually). You'll see the terminology "zoom with your feet" a lot. That means changing your position instead of relying on a zoom. Two good beginner lenses are a 50mm, or an 85mm. I would go with the 50 for all-purpose use. The 85 is great for portraits and such. They both are. But I like the 85 better for that.

Beyond that...there's not a lot you can do if someone decides to nab your camera. Keep an eye on your surroundings...be aware. But that's true whenever you're taking photographs.

As for learning the basics, I would pick up the Digital Photography Book. Easy to follow, teaches how to push the right buttons on your camera.

Youtube videos are also helpful. Usually, you can put the make and model of your camera in, and lots of folks will have made free tutorials for you.

In the beginning, you just have to learn how to get your camera to work for you, so you can tell it what to do. It's about proper exposure. I'm three years in, and I haven't figured it all about. The main thing is this, take lots of pictures before you go on vacation. Every day. On your lunch hour, at night, whenever. You don't want to go on vacation and be distracted by trying to learn your camera. You could miss the fun times. Try to get the basics down pat before you go. There's always an element of learning something new in every new situation. But you'll enjoy yourself more if you're not grumbling at yourself for missing a moment because you got the settings wrong.

Most of all...don't take it all too too seriously. You'll learn by doing.

Good luck!

For an absolute beginner shooting digital, Ken Kobre's Photojournalism and Bruce Barnbaum's The Art of Photography would be my pick, if only because those were the books I learned from in j-school.

For an intermediate film photographer who needs inspiration or thoughtful meditations on the medium more than they need inspiration, I am always going back to Vivian Maier: Street Photographer, Annie Leibovitz's A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, and the exhibition book from Francesca Woodman's exhibit at SFMOMA/the Guggenheim. But I have an abiding interest in female photographers, self-portraiture, and the female gaze, so YMMV there.

A few that I would point out that I have read, loved, and learned a lot from:

• Picture Perfect Posing by Roberto Valenzuela
  
• Picture Perfect Practice by Roberto Valenzuela
  
• More Brides by Mark Condon
  
• The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris

Introduction & enjoyable read:

Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book series (there are 3 books - 1st one is highly recommended - by many is #1 best selling photography book ever)

...aaaaand The Moment it Clicks (by Joe McNally)

For portraits: Peter Hurley

Masterpiece: James Nachtwey - Inferno (if fact ANYTHING of James Nachtwey - the guy is alone in his own league)

This is a really helpful book. Comes with a lot of video instruction. I think the e-book is like $10. Well worth it. How to Create Stunning Digital Photography https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988263408/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qpq0BbZTVB12B

First, (and I'm probably old and crusty enough that my advice will sound like it - I learned to shoot on film back when...) don't worry about the editing. Learn to use your camera. Learn what the controls are and how they affect the image you take. Learn to compose an image well, and how to get what you want in the image to come out that way. THEN you can learn / worry about editing. Way too many people think that the magic of "good" photography is in Photoshop or Lightroom, when really it's in knowing how to use your tools (i.e. the camera). I've shot for automotive and motorsports stuff for a good while now, and while I'm ok, there are guys out there who can out-shoot me with a potato phone camera because they really know what they're doing.

​

Get yourself a copy of Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson and learn what he has to teach. Once you learn how to use the camera and how to compose a good photograph you'll be taking awesome shots of your bike.

I would recommend ["The Print"] (http://www.amazon.com/New-Photo-Negative-Ansel-Photography/dp/0821221868) by Ansel Adams. A techincally deep but easy to read book covering the zone system and how to capture different forms of light.

For thinking about photography Susan Sontag's ["On Photography"] (http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Susan-Sontag/dp/0312420099/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341440297&sr=1-1&keywords=sontag+photography) a great book on the meaning of photography.

Both are somewhat dated, but are the basis upon much has been written since. They are the touchstones.

Also, this book is great for learning some basics, but not in a way that teaches you in depth. The author, Scott Kelby, takes an angle of just telling you what to do, not so often does he tell you why.

For that, I would look into a good magazine subscription, or Digital Photography for Dummies. Either way, you can't go wrong. Read Scott Kelby's book and you'll very quickly find yourself taking much better pictures.

Here are a few I've found to be helpful.

John Harrington's Best Business Practices for Photographers:
http://amzn.com/1435454294

Scott Bourne's Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer
http://amzn.com/0817435794

In addition, PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) offer tons of resources on their websites, as well as several publications, seminars, and online courses. If you go pro, membership to these two organizations is extremely helpful.

ASMP's Professional Business Practices
http://amzn.com/1581154976

I actually read two books, that I found pretty interesting:

"Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models" - Which takes on the rather technical side, almost drawing charts about where to put which body parts and what it signals. (Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Perfect-Posing-Practicing-Photographers/dp/0321966465)

"Psychologie der Fotografie: Kopf oder Bauch?", which is a German book about the psychological aspects. Here the focus is not about the perfect focus point, but telling stories with the pictures. I'm not sure whether there is an English version of the book, but I bet there are similar titles or articles if you google.

What I've learned: just start doing something. Just shoot some models. While during that, try out some weird and creative stuff. If you like the not-so-posed pictures, do stuff with them and document them in the meantime. Personally, I find that more fun than just posing, too. But it's all down to just getting started, learning to see, learning to communicate and direct, and then start exploring while using the experience.

Have you considered some books instead of in-person classes? Obviously quite different from having an actual human look at and critique your work, but Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye are two of my favorites for learning the fundamentals of how to make good and interesting pictures.

> What's the most important things to know, the basics, what I should/shouldn't do, etc.

A lot of recommendations for blogs and videos, but I really found Understanding Exposure (amazon link) to be a great tool.

If you're reading replies here and are thinking to yourself "I don't even know what that is" this might be a good jumping off point.

> Is that a textbook available online ?

Not that I know of, but it's the best 30 bucks you (your company?) could spend, a little technique can save a lot of time.

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0240812255

Admire the initiative and effort of making your short film, must've taken some work!

Allow me to recommend the book "How to shoot video that doesn't suck" by Steve Stockman. It basically details every basic rule to help your viewers suspend disbelief, and how to look at cutting out any little thing that doesn't progress the story. If you do anything else, get this book. You're already on track to grow if you keep making films, the book will only expedite it and give you a strong foundation. Cheers!

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239

The book "[Understanding Exposure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817439390/"Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera ")" is an excellent resource. It will help you better understand the discrepancy between what the camera meter sees and what your exposure settings should be. One example is how you should dial back the exposure compensation when shooting in a green forested setting.

Since you already got answers I'll add some other stuff. Thats a great camera and hopefully you be able to get loads of good shots of your daughters in the future that you will treasure. Pick up this book: Understanding Exposure and you will learn lots about how to use the camera and skills you will need as a beginner photographer.

• Digital Photography School
  
• Ken Rockwell's website to learn about lenses/cameras
  
• This Scott Kelby Book (this is what I read, his other's might be good too)
  
• Also you're camera's own field guide is pretty useful to figure out how to do all the things mentioned in the above sources. Should look something like this

If he's more of a reader get About Looking by John Berger

Its a great book that talks about why we take pictures of the things we do and much more.

If he's more interested in looking at actual photographs, I would recommend a number of books

Genesis by Sebastiao Salgado

Magnum Contact Sheets

The Americans by Robert Frank

The Last Resort by Martin Parr

Haha, wow, even B&H has that book! (Even cheaper than Amazon...)

It's a good primer on light indeed—highly recommended.

Either this book to improve on my picture taking skills, or a gift card to go towards the purchase of a gopro camera (for corgi point of view shots, wedding, and honeymoon stuff)

I want an early present!

Happy early birthday and thanks for the contest! :D

An 8" Dobsonian reflector telescope, such as the Orion XT8i with Intelliscope to help you find your way around the sky. $640.

The book NightWatch, $20.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, $30.

A planisphere. Get one appropriate for your latitude. $10.

A comfortable camping stool for sitting at the eyepiece, or your back will quickly complain. ~$30.

SkySafari for your iPhone/iPad, $3.

A pair of good binoculars, 8x50 or 10x50, $120.

A nice wide-field (62-degree) eyepiece, like the Explore Scientific 24mm. $140.

That's about $1000.

One more thing to add: a dark sky. Priceless.

If people want to learn the same kind of basics regarding photography, but with picture illustrations and diagrams of the concepts discussed, I can highly recommend the book Understanding Exposure. It's very well written, and easy to understand.

I recommend the same book to every single beginner. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0817439390

Thanks to all the great photographers that recommended it to me when I was a beginner.

> Ah okok, so what you mean is I am just compensating for the exposure with the ISO. Therefore it doesn’t matter in the developing right?

Yes, exactly.

> Does that also mean that I can change the ISO in a tricky situation and then set it back to box speed in a normal one?

Yes, the camera does not have a register of what the ISO was the previous frame. You can put ISO 50 for a three stop light boost (assuming a 400 speed film) in one frame, and ISO 1600 for two steps underexposure in the next frame (if you are trying to photograph a glowing lamp, for example).

> Also lastly what would you deem as a ‘tricky’ situation? Thank you so much for taken your time to answer me though!


An object directly under the sun, and the same object in an open shadow (for example, under a cloud shadow) has a three stop difference.

If the same object is under 'closed' shadow, like under the arches of your bridge, there's a 5 stop difference.

Imagine a car under the sun, and in the same frame, another car under the bridge. If the camera exposes for the sun, you will have a perfectly exposed car, and another 5 stops underexposed. Which is pitch black, and no detail.

Now, your meter averages the scene to a medium gray, so it's not as bad. A perfect average would be your sunny car 2.5 stops overexposed, and your shadow car 2.5 stops underexposed.

That can be good enough, but your scenes typically have vast expanses of 'light' sky in the sun, and smaller expanses of important detail, of a blacker tone, in the shadow. Your meter will try to average everything to a medium gray, and the sky will make it underexpose everything - especially the parts that were already in the shadow, and lacking light, and the ones you're most interested in.

So in your particular case, I'd have fooled your meter by setting an ISO some three stops lower.

All been said, it's one of the reasons small, compact cameras are nice and carryable, but ultimately can be difficult to use. A more featured camera can give your more tools to manage these kind of situations, like AE lock (you meter the ground, lock exposure, and then shoot normally), or be fully manual, letting you decide what the exposure should be.

If you want to delve deeper this is an excellent book and is not expensive. You may want to get an older used copy which deals specifically with film cameras.

I have this book, which I found quite useful.

Laurence Kim's blog has also been quite useful as well, and his blog touches on a lot of what you're interested in (I'd suggest reading it in an RSS feed since his redesign destroyed any easy readability of post titles).