Best "Quick Advice" Photography Book

If you have a dSLR camera and you have yet to use any of the settings beyond "auto" shoot, you owe it to yourself to read this quick digital photo tip and hint book - get it from the library or buy it from Amazon. I bought it and I've found The Digital Photography Book to be my most valuable quick reference of all my photography books. It is simple and to the point, and isn't full of techno mumbo-jumbo that's hard to understand. The author, Scott Kelby, is a well-known author of many computer books as well as Editor-in-Chief of Nikon Software User magazine. He has a rather tongue-in-cheek, humorous writing style which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Sample inside pages - very easy reading format

Chapters included:
Pro Tips for Getting Really Sharp Photos
Shooting Flowers Like a Pro
Shooting Weddings Like a Pro
Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro
Shooting Sports Like a Pro
Shooting People Like a Pro
Avoiding Problems Like a Pro
Taking Advantage of Digital Like a Pro
Taking Travel & City Life Shots Like a Pro
How to Print Like a Pro and Other Cool Stuff

The last chapter, Photo Recipes to Help You Get the Shot, gives a common scenario on each page and then tells you how to capture the shot, step-by-step.

Scott's book is just as informative for those with point-and-shoot digital cameras.

Do give it a look-see. I think you'll find this book will help you to improve your basic photography skills.

Also in my photography library:
The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman
Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Nikon D60 Guide to Digital SLR Photography by David Busch

Digital Photography MacWorld SuperGuide
(This book was specifically helpful to me for post-processing since I have an iMac computer.)

Most of these books have been helpful, and I'm sure I will go back to them time after time. But the first one I mention, The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby, is my go-to reference. As you may have noticed in the photos, I have flagged some of the pages for quick reference.

Without further ado, I'm going to read some of my photography books this afternoon and see if I can improve my skills even more!

11 comments:

  1. I love this book...have poured over it several times as well as his second volume! Great recommendation! :)

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  2. Scott is the king of Photoshop too. I should get this book but there's one problem.....my brain. I read and I figure something out and then if I don't do that particular thing again for a while.......I've forgotten everything so I'd have to keep this book attached to my camera. grrrr........why can my brain be a sponge instead of a lump of very hard and nonporous clay???

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  3. why CAN'T my brain.......

    Also....why can't I type what my brain is thinking? grrrr....

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  4. Now this sounds like a really good book for me. I'm good if you put my head in a light box, but take me outdoors and my pics end up soft and not as colorful as I would like. I don't like to use any photo editing either...good tip here!

    Got your twitter and let me tell you...this can get super addicting! Who ever would have thought I would like it? Definitely not me!!

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  5. Thanks for the reminder on this great book. I think it was already on my Amazon wishlist... somewhere among the 9,000 other things :) I'm movin' it to the top... I need this! (And the time to read and try it all out!) -Tammy p.s. love the new blog design... way cute header/banner!

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  6. Thanks! I will try to find some time to check them out. Embarrassingly, I am almost always just shooting on auto no matter which of my cameras I'm using, and mostly just because I haven't taken the time to learn. I'm a snap-shooter much more than a photographer. Oh well, I have fun with it no matter what :-)

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  7. Someday I'd like to get a really nice camera. Since I have started blogging, I find myself taking pictures of anything and everything. It would be nice to have something other than a point and shoot!

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  8. Superb recommendation - I am not great at photography, but would like to be! By the way, I love the new blog layout!

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  9. We must have a look at that - we would love to be better at photography too!!!
    love
    Martha & Bailey xxx

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  10. Techno mumbo-jumbo? LOL. Thanks for this post Susan. I'm about to buying a new camera and I really appreciate every information :-) I would love to read more about your camera advices...
    Much love: Evi

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