which book or all of them

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markyboy80

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Ho guys I've been reading other threads on here about different books to buy and there are a few that keep coming up, these are

Understanding exposure by Brian Peterson
Photographers eye by Michael freeman
Scott kelby set
Light science.and.magic

I would like to know which I should go for or should I slowly read through them all I read a lot anyway so I will just substitute my usual fiction novels for a while. I would be interested in getting an in depth knowledge of all things photographic as when I take something on i like to do it properly but do these all go over the same ground. Are some more for.basics and others more advanced? If so which order should.I read them etc. All advice as always is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks
Markyboy
 
I've got the first 2, and both are very good reads and both impart the information you need in a clear consice way. Havnt read the others though, I'd say the first 2 are worth reading, I got them from amazon and together they were under £20 so no complaints from me
 
Photographer's Eye is very good. His other books called Photographer's Mind and Exposure are also well worth getting.

Light Science and Magic is also excellent but was a bit heavy going.
 
Photographer's Eye e-book is only £2.99 from iTunes at the moment (Father's day special)
 
Haven't got the Kelby books, but I have the other three.

The Freeman book you'll find yourself returning to again and again, LS&M is a great reference for product/tabletop lighting, the Peterson book you'll probbaly work through two or three times and then only dive back into very occasionally after you've grasped manual mode.

All three are very worthwhile.
 
All of them. They're all good, each of them having a specific place on your bookshelf.
 
Thanks all in that case does anyone recommend an order in which I read them either by which ate the most basic to the most advanced or the most important principles first
 
I'd probably read the Michael Freeman books first as they're easy to digest. Save the light, science and magic til last.
 
markyboy80 said:
Thanks all in that case does anyone recommend an order in which I read them either by which ate the most basic to the most advanced or the most important principles first
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Library.. big place with books.. your local one almost certainly needs your support :thumbs:

Have a look through them all and see which you think you need to get to grips with first. Personally I'd say start with the Freeman book, because most cameras can meter a scene pretty well for themselves in an automatic mode and composition is the bit everyone ignores. This results in a lot of perfectly exposured yet deeply uninteresting photos.

Peterson next so that you take control of the exposure into your own hands and away from auto.

Light, Science & Magic is a specialist reference book and can wait until you're wanting to shoot still life or table-top projects. It's a very good book, but not something you'll need when starting out. Reading the Strobist 101 (online) would be an easier primer on off-camera lighting as the principles of off-camera lighting apply in all scales.
 
I disagree about the comments that Light, Science & Magic is mainly about table top and product photography, it's about the use of light and the impact that that light has on different shaped subjects and those of different materials, yes, many of the examples are of table top scenarios but that is mainly due to the ease of illustrating a point using smaller objects. The scenarios in practise would be the same for both large and small objects. There is also a considerable amount of information on portrait lighting and how to overcome difficulties when shooting portraits.

I do agree however that it is best utilised once the basics have been understood.
 
L,S&M heavily emphasises still life subjects, it wouldn't be my first choice for portrait photography - although my copy may be a couple of editions behind the current one, so perhaps the portrait lighting section has expanded?
 
Can't comment on LS&M, but the Scott Kelby books are quite different to the other two. Not necessarily better or worse, but a completely different approach.

Essentially, the SK books are one tip per page. The tips are in logical groups, e.g. portraits, lighting, equipment, but you really can learn something just one page at a time. And SK is unashamedly prescriptive - do this, this and this, then that will happen. Don't worry about why, it just will. His take is that this will get you going quicker and then lead you into stuff like Peterson and Freeman's books. I recommend SK; but many do not like his style.

As far as Understanding Exposure is concerned, suggest you look at Ed Bray's tutorial on here first. It really is excellent.
 
I bought the Photographer's Eye and I was a bit disappointed. Perhaps it is because I am a beginner but I found the book hard going. I thought it would be more practical. And I did not find the photos all that stunning.
 
gazzag said:
As far as Understanding Exposure is concerned, suggest you look at Ed Bray's tutorial on here first. It really is excellent.
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