I just bought my wife an entry level SLR film camera. I am looking for some beginner photo books that you might recommend. Nothing too techy, she has never done any photography. I am trying to encourage her to take a class at the local community college. Thanks in advance.
Check out your local library, it wont cost you anything and they most likely have dozens of good books. I have learned a lot that way. Also for more current stuff, go to your local big box bookstore and look around. There are to many to choose from. The local community college idea is an excellent one to. They will teach you all you need to know to get started. They start you with black and white normally to get your feet wet. Hope this helps a bit.
What kind of camera did you get? Many cameras have specific mag type books that go with the camera...try Amazon for the specific make of camera.
Tell her to take a calss at the CC.. if she has a teacher who's worth their salt you won't be able to drag her out of the darkroom except to shoot more! That being said... there is a book by John Hedgcoe.. I forget the name exactly but its a Basics of Photography book. Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc will all have it readily available. Then he has variations on shooting at night, filters, etc, etc.. Start with the basics. Film is a good way to learn but expensive to develop, etc. Taking a class is the best way because you can spend as much time in the darkroom as you like. Its cheap darkroom rental! I've been doing it "semi pro" for about 10 years now. Its a hobby you usually don't ever lose. Either you got it or you don't.
As bztech said, try to get this book.... John Hedgecoe's Complete Photography Course by John Hedgecoe. Out of print at the moment, but check e-Pay etc for a copy.... I read it when i was younger, and it served me well... I've been known to take a reasonable picture in my time... Tell her to go for it, and enjoy. And take a class, they are fun & informative.
use google. its quicker..... and just experiment. you can learn more by trial and error than a school could teach you.
Like Roothawg said..... She's never done any photography, so thats the reason we both said college & the book... Trial & error's cool if your using digital, but using film, you really wanna try & grasp the basics, as it can get real expensive!!
I took a photogrpahy class at community college the teacher didnt like my photos but i learned a lot! she should def. take a class its a lot of fun. here are some pics i took while in the class.....
I have a degree in photography. Big deal...ha ha. I would also suggest enrolling in a introduction type course at a community college. They'll teach her how the camera works, how to compose an image, how to develop film and make prints. She'll learn much more by taking a class than by reading a book.
I think it's great somebody wants to learn the "old" chemical process film photography. Maybe she'll learn the joke behind the song "kodachrome".
I think its great that she got a film camera. Film teaches you the basics of photography. She'll actually learn what different shutter speeds do and how they effect film, what an aperature is, and film speeds ETC.. So many people jump straight into digital without learning the foundations of photography first. I learned by shooting lots of film and developing it myself. I only read books if I couldn't figure it out on my own first. Maybe that's not the best advice, but that's how I learned. What is the brand and model of the camera she has? Is it fully manual everything (focus,exposure,winding)? My first camera was a Pentax K-1000 that is totally manual. I still have it! Spike
Rebel is a good basic (but not too basic) camera... I learned back in the day on an old pentax "spotmatic" full manual SLR w/ the old screw mount lenses. Still got it.. solid solid camera. Graduated to shooting with a EOS5 and EOS1V (film) when I was shooting more "pro" and swapped up to digital w/ a 10d and now that I feel comfortable shooting/post processing in digital a slightly used 1Ds or 5d is in the future. You don't need fancy equipment to get the desired results.. its like rodding. You can work on a budget but the more hooked you get the bigger you start making that budget! Just ordered some more photography equipment this week...its a sickness
I also have an old Cannon AE-1. I need to send it off and have it all cleaned up. It still works pretty good but it has led a non-maintained life. The nice thing is that if we upgrade to the Cannon Rebel digital, the lenses will still interchange.
Roothawg, not to turn this into a photography form... but the EOS series lenses (like the rebel/digital rebel) use are some of the best lenses on the market. I'm a canon guy though so I might be biased! If she doesn't have one already have her pick up a Canon EF 50/1.8.. they are cheap lenses. $50-80 used/new and one of the best lenses they make. I know guys who've shot cover shots using that $50 lens!
Try this used for 6 bux http://www.amazon.com/National-Geog...1916047?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182458134&sr=1-1
Stick with he Canon, any kind. I've had Nikons that are just too complicated and they cost too much. The most important thing to think about is that chunk of Glass you are getting light thru... The bigger the lens the better your shots will be. And I don't mean focal length, like 100mm or 300mm teles. It's how much light you can get into the film. a 1:4 lens is better than a 1:8 etc. I like an old Canon F1. The thing is a HAMMER! I had one blown off a fence post at US 30 dragstrip in the 70's (ouch I feel old) by a jet car. It bounced twice and I stomped on it before it could fall into hole. It still worked like new. I use a Canon 30D digital now. Shoots at 1/8000 of a second if you want it to. Can't beat it for shooting fast cars or stopping action. I also agree that you should shoot film first. It costs more but you can learn alot. Have fun with it and learn to LOOK at what you are seeing. Don't just shoot it. That is the hardest part. Dave
I did book reviews on a couple books named How to Photograph Cars at http://classicdragsters.com/photography.html
Thanks guys. Good stuff. I bought her a couple of books for beginners, that'll get her started. Sorry Ryan for the O/T post but I know you'll forgive me cause you have a camera fetish too.
Eh, fink, I checked out the James Mann book from the library, HOW TO PHOTOGRAPHY CARS. I skimmed through it, didn't see any mind blowing info, and I returned. I might recheck it out, after reading the review. As far as books, once she has some darkroom experience under her belt, I recommend Darkroom Dynamics by Jim Stone. I spent 3-4 hours in the darkroom everyday in high school experimenting. That book was my bible. The opportunity to be creative doesn't stop when the film is done. You can learn camera basics in a day, and composing a photo is usually the easy part. Mastering the print is the challenge. By time I got to college, the photo teacher said my darkroom technique was flawless and my prints perfect, so, I dropped out. I tried digital for about a year, but I've gone back to film. It's not dead yet.
I dont have any pics on my PC but my wifes friend whose a photographer took some pics of my 57 with a piece of panty hose over the lens, they came out looking old, very cool. Duke
If you have a Costco near you, you can have the film developed straight to disc. I shoot with Fuji film a lot and I have them develop this way so I can touch up my photos in photoshop. After she masters that, have her get a medium format camera. I have a Mamiya 645 and out of my digital and film cameras, that is my favorite.
April, I'm not surprised you wouldn't find much new in the book. You're stuff has surpassed it and is art. Those books are written for personal and commercial photography mostly. There is quite a bit a beginner might learn from, and maybe a few tips you can pick up, but your photographic skills are superb. Now if you want to send a copy of your book for me to review, I'd be happy to do it!
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson... not a bad soft cover book with decent examples of the results of different settings and when and where to use them. Not earth shattering stuff to seasoned pros, but for a beginner, it's very helpful and has great insprirational photographs.
The Jalopy Journal
