Here is a list of the books I have covering various
aspects of photography, along with my comments and recommendations. The best
books are at the top. I'll add much specific text when I can.
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National Geographic Photography
Field Guide by Peter Burian and Robert Caputo.
If you need a
first book on photography, this is the one to get, to the exclusion of all
others! It contains everything you'll need to know for all styles of
photography: landscape, portrait, existing-light, travel. Also contains
enough info to keep the professional informed. Has many interviews with
National Geographic photographers explaining their techniques and how they
got particularly amazing pictures. Peter is quite active in the rec.photo.technique.nature
newsgroup. I used to carry this with me until I got the next book on the
list.
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Kodak Professional Photoguide
This is the only book I carry in my pack. Very condensed
information about Kodak films, exposure, filters, existing-light, artificial
light, flash, DOF, focal length, etc. This isn't a reading book (well, I
have read it a couple times), but a reference book for when you get into
those situations where you don't trust your instincts or automatic camera
performance. Has lots of those nifty "wheel" calculators to
determine DOF and such.
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Kodak Color Darkroom Dataguide
The same as the previous book, only for the darkroom.
Contains information about the Kodak developing processes (C-41, E-6, RA-4,
R-3000), negative and reversal ring-arounds for determining enlarger filter
packs, and the most useful item: a "wheel" calculator for figuring
exposure times for different magnifications.
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The
Camera, The
Negative, The
Print
by Ansel Adams. Even before I started doing any black & white photography,
I still loved these books. Adams describes the result of his early effort
to "scientize" photography in the early part of the century. In Book
1: The Camera, he goes through a beginners discussion of 35mm,
medium-format and large-format cameras, lenses, and shutters (well, there is
a little more detail than would be needed for a beginners-only discussion,
good for B&W and color shooters). He then runs through some
picture-taking info (position, camera angle, lens choice, tripods &
hand-holding, stopping or enhancing motion). Then a section on view camera
movements and perspective correction, meters and exposure, and filters. Book
2
covers the negative, where his famous Zone System is introduced.
The zone system, used in B&W, divides all luminescence into 8 levels, or
zones. The zone system is a method of knowing what you want the final print
to look like before you take the picture. You do this by measuring the
brightest and darkest areas the camera will see, choose how you want them to
be displayed, then finding the correct exposure. You then can adjust the
recorded exposure on the negative by adjusting the development method
(changing the contrast of the negative if you need to). He talks a little
bit about how he controls the contrast during development, but in the end
you'd need to practice for decades to get really good at it. The
end of the book contains a lot of technical information about papers and
chemicals you might use. Book 3
starts with darkroom design/use, then talks about the basics of B&W
printing. He comes back to the Zone system here, and talks a little about densitometry
(measuring densities on paper, the way he did at first, for those who want
to get it exact), and finally, presentation of your prints. Like I said, I
don't do B&W, but I still found these books very good. Unfortunately,
the photographs in these books are not reproduced with great care, so the
contrast and density are shown different than what Adams intended.
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Examples - The Making of 40 Photographs,
by Ansel Adams This book, printed carefully, contains some of
Adams best work, along with a page or two description of how they were
taken. Most of the ink is spent discussing the artistic aspects of the shot,
with some technical detail thrown in. I'll never get shots like his, but
it's very nice to know how it should be done.
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John Shaw's Landscape Photography
First of all, John Shaw is a great landscape photographer.
His book, full of his photographs, is one-half equipment, one-half
landscape artist. One of the better "how to do landscapes" books
out there. Has chapters on exposure and DOF, cameras, film and support,
lenses, judging and enhancing light, using position, format, framing in
composition, problems and solutions, and then an overall "getting the
good stuff" chapter.
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Nature Photographer's Complete Guide
to Professional Field Techniques by John Shaw Organized
the same as the previous book but with more technical detail and poorer
pictures (taken during the Kodachrome era). Get Landscape Photography before
you get this one, but either one is good. Spends a little more time on
wildlife photography. More words than Landscape Photography.
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The Art of Outdoor
Photography-Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional
by Boyd
Norton Organized differently than most books of this kind,
has chapters on seeing and light, then starts on lenses, composition,
capturing time, and being creative with what you see. He then goes into film
and filters. He skipped cameras? Yep. He figures you have one and know
how to read the manual. He goes into using the camera, not just operating
it. The last half of the book discusses wildlife, travel, landscape, closeup,
and underwater photography. About as many words as the previous book.
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The Art of Photographing Nature,
by Art Wolfe and Martha Hill An unusual collaborative effort by
one of the best nature photographers working, and his editor at Audubon.
He presents many different shooting situations using both the first shot he
(and we) would get, then how to make it a better shot. For each picture set,
he has a paragraph or two telling why he took the picture he did, then
Martha discusses why it's a good picture. The comparative shots are very
informative, and all the shots in the book are wonderful, beautifully sharp,
and examples of how it's done.
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The Practical Zone System
by Chris Johnson A modernization and simplification of
Ansel Adams Zone system, with an update on new developers (T-max and XTOL).
This is good if Adams is over your head and you want the latest info. It introduces some nice techniques,
and has some nifty forms for using the Zone system, and in the end is
summarized as "Expose for density, print for contrast". Note, this review originally was in the not
recommended section until I started doing B&W. It immediately jumped up
to the recommended section.
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Kodak Gray Cards
Not a book, but darned useful if you are going to do your own
printing and have trouble getting the filter pack right. Two 8x10 cards and
one 4x5, each in a plastic cover. I carry the 4x5 card. Each card is gray on
one side (18% reflectance), and white on the other (90% reflectance, 2 stops
brighter).
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Basic Photographic Materials
and Methods A textbook, long on words and short on examples,
with lots of technical information. Marginally interesting.
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