BOOKS

Recommended Photography Books 

                                             

Scott Kelby does it again, The Flash Book, is an easy read and simple to understand book all about flash photography. I really like the way Scott breaks everything down and makes each page about one thing with step by step information regarding the topic of flash.
 
Standing in front of a room packed with 360 photographers at his seminar, Scott Kelby asked for a show of hands: “How many of you own some kind of an off-camera flash? A Nikon, Canon, Yongnuo, etc.?” About 340 hands went up. “Okay, I have one more question, but before you raise your hand, I want you to really think about your answer. Let’s see a show of hands―how many of you love using your off-camera flash?” Out of those 360 people, just four people raised their hands. He was stunned.

Sadly, the results were similar in city after city, even in different countries. It’s like we all bought a flash during the “hot shoe flash revolution” of 2008–2011, but we’re not getting the results we got them for in the first place. Not even close. We don’t “love” our flashes, and worse yet, in many cases, we’ve even stopped using them altogether. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You just need somebody to help you unlock the real secrets to getting beautiful, consistent, and easily repeatable results.
That’s why The Flash Book book was created―to help you finally fall in love with your flash―and the best news is, it’s way easier than you’d think. In fact, you’ll be surprised at how simple it really can be because you’re not going to learn a bunch of geeky flash stuff, and you’re not going to have to do math, and you’re not going to need a light meter (it’s not that kind of book). Instead, you’re going to learn an amazingly simple system―one that Scott has been using for years―and the best thing about this system is that it’s so darn easy (it’s probably very different from what you might have seen “on the Internet,” but this system works, and once you try it, you’ll become a believer).
Here’s how the book works: Each idea or technique is just one page, and it starts from scratch, taking you through the flash settings (just the few simple ones you actually need to know); the camera settings (Scott gives you his own settings, and you might not even need to change them during your shoot); and which affordable accessories you really need to start using flash like a pro.
This isn’t a book of theory, full of confusing jargon and complicated concepts. This is a book on which settings to use, and exactly how and when to use them. The whole book is written in Scott’s plain-English, down-to-earth style, which makes the experience more like the two of you are out together on a shoot. It’s time to fall truly head-over-heels in love with your flash, so you can start creating the type of images with your flash that you’ve always dreamed of, and this is the book that can take you there.

This (1st edition), the first of a five book set, is a must have for every photographer at any skill level. From novelist to pro this book is easy to read and understand with a lot of good information on “how to” get the shot. Each page of this book gives an example picture with an explanation below telling you in detail how to set your camera and equipment to achieve the same picture. Scott Kelby makes every shot look so easy,  If you are like me, you may not pick up your camera every day and you may forget what is needed to get that picture you are looking for. That’s where theses books come in, just find the picture you are trying to create in the book and all the information you forgot is right at your finger tips. 

 Here’s how Scott describes this book’s brilliant premise: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, with the background out of focus?,’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a photography lecture. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Put on your zoom lens, set your f-stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ That’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend—without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With over 200 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade,” this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time.

Each page covers a single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

In Volume 2, (1st edition), Scott adds entirely new chapters packed with Plain English tips on using flash, shooting close up photography, travel photography, shooting people, and even how to build a studio from scratch, where he demystifies the process so anyone can start taking pro-quality portraits today! Plus, he's got full chapters on his most requested topics, including loads of tips for landscape photographers, wedding photographers, and there's an entire chapter devoted to sharing some of the pro's secrets for making your photos look more professional, no matter what you're shooting.

In Volume 3, (1st edition), each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look “okay,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book 4 (1st edition), the best-selling digital photography book of all time, is back with another follow-up to his smash best-seller, with an entirely new book that picks up right where volume 3 left off. It's even more of that "Ah ha, so that' s how they do it," straight-to-the-point, skip-the-techno-jargon stuff people can really use today, and that made volume 1 the world's best-selling book on digital photography.

Scott Kelby, author of the top-selling digital photography book of all time, is back with an entirely new book in his popular series that picks up right where part 4 left off. It’s more of that “Ah ha—so that’s how they do it,” straight-to-the-point, skip-the-technojargon stuff you can really use today that made part 1 so successful.

In parts 1 through 4 of this series, the most popular chapter in the book has always been the last chapter: “Photo Recipes to Help You Get ‘The Shot’.” In each of those chapters, Scott shows a final image and then describes how to get that type of shot.

Here, in part 5, he gives you what you’ve been waiting for: an entire book of nothing but those amazing photo recipes. But, he took it up a big notch by adding a behind-the-scenes photo for every single recipe. Now you can see exactly how it was done, so you can get that exact same look every time.

In these extra pages, each spread allows you to dig in a little deeper and really unlock the power of these recipes. Scott breaks each spread into four segments: (1) he explains exactly what you’re seeing behind the scenes, (2) he lists all of his camera settings, and lens and lighting info—it’s all there, (3) he gives you his thought process, so you learn exactly why he does it this way, and (4) he shares all the post-processing in Lightroom or Photoshop that goes on after the shoot (this is something other books leave out). Plus, the whole book is packed with tips and insights you won’t find anywhere else.

This isn’t a book of theory, full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which settings to use, and exactly how and when to use them. With around 100 of the most popular photographic “tricks of the trade,” the entire book is designed to get you shooting like a pro starting today. You’re gonna love it.

Veteran professional photographer Serge Timacheff walks you through the features of the Canon EOS DSLR camera; selecting, understanding, and using lenses and accessories; and caring for your equipment. You'll also get professional insight into protecting your gear and building your skill set. Once you understand how to build a photography system that meets your needs and discover which filters and accessories are best for you, you can begin to embrace all the Canon EOS camera system has to offer.

Automatic flash technology has revolutionized photography. Originally seen as just a way of illuminating dark scenes with portable light, flash is used today for many creative functions, including supplementing daylight and designing complex scenes lit by multiple light sources.

Creating striking or natural-looking images using flash photography can be a difficult artistic and technical challenge. Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography is the authoritative book on the subject, guiding the reader through Canon's Speedlite flash system, off-camera portable flash, and professional studio lighting. Covering the fundamentals of flash metering technology, it discusses key concepts, and documents the features and functions available with EOS gear. Highly illustrated, this book is loaded with examples and diagrams describing important functions and lighting arrangements, and beautiful photographs demonstrating sophisticated flash techniques.

Author Bob Davis is a photographer whose high-profile clients include Oprah Winfrey and Eva Longoria, and whose work has appeared in Time, OMagazine, and People. Along with his invaluable professional advice, this beautiful full-color book includes a DVD featuring portions of his workshop curriculum. He covers the elements of lighting and shares his two-strobe technique that will enable you to create studio-quality lighting anywhere with only minimal equipment.

• High-profile photographer Bob Davis is especially known for his lighting techniques; this book shares his advice on lighting for professional photographers and serious amateurs
• Covers all the key elements of photographic lighting, with informative illustrations and lighting grids
• Details the author's pioneering two-strobe technique that reduces the amount of equipment a photographer must carry to a shoot and dramatically lowers equipment costs
• Features professional tips and stunning full-color images
• 60-Minute DVD includes video from the author's three-day lighting and photography workshop

“Exposure is the heartbeat of photography… If you try to overlook this key fundamental, your photography will never realize its full creative potential.” That’s the compelling message of this extraordinary tutorial. It explains why automatic settings limit the digital camera’s artistic possibilities, and shows with a gallery of spectacular examples how technically “incorrect” exposures achieve dramatic effects—creating bold silhouettes or blazing highlights, manipulating depth of field, blurring to give the sense of motion, or freezing fast action. This exhaustive state-of-the-art manual covers all aspects of its subject, from the basics of metering and the use of flash and filters, to the four-thirds system and exposure in the digital darkroom.