A couple posts ago, I mentioned that a lot of my friends and family members were going to be getting photo gifts for Christmas from me this year. As much as I would LOVE to be able to share those images on todays post, they must be kept under wraps until the big day because I know a few of them read this blog! :)
So I thought today I'd do something different and post some reviews of some great photography and wedding-related books. I'm a frequent reviewer on Amazon.com, but there are a few books that I haven't reviewed there and they may be helpful to some of you out there! Whether you're planning a wedding and want a good planning book, or you're just looking to capture some better photos of your kids these are some fantastic books!
The 35mm Handbook by Michael Freeman: IMHO the best basic photography book out there! It's pre-digital, but explains ISO, shutter speed and aperature on the most basic level and guess what...that translates right back into digital! The book describes focal length, depth of field and the camera itself so that anyone can take great pictures!
The Art of Wedding Photography by Bambi Cantrell: A wonderful book with lots of great examples of poses, techniques and processes. Short on words, but long on images! For every picture, she jots down exactly how she acheived the desired look. She goes into a little bit of album design too, and although this book came out before the digital revolution there are still some great principles there.
Storytelling Wedding Photography by Barbara Box: Another one that came out before digital, but still some really great examples of photojournalism and black and white photography. She gives great tips on how to find great photo ops. Amond my favorites, "I look for those elements which, like sculpture, display an elegance of form and composition while capturing the essence of the subject. These could be details like folds in the gown, wrinkles in a glove, or the flow of the veil".
Light Science & Magic by Fil Hunter and Paul Fuqua: A good textbook-like approach to studio lighting. Although it goes into more detail on lighting situations more appropriate for product photography (think "spatulas"), and the photos are all black and white (color would have shown some of the techniques a little better), it's still a good read.
Professional Techniques for Digital Wedding Photography (2nd Edition) by Jeff and Kathleen Hawkins: One of my all-time faves! The authors show great examples of composition and then go a few steps further by showing some of the techniques achieved by good digital editing! Everything from partial colorization to special effects and vignetting!
The Lighting Cookbook by Jenni Bidner: Although so much of what I do now is with available light, there are still times when studio lighting is neccesary. This book provides "recipes" for different situations. Example: For "Fail Safe Portraits" You take 1 studio flash unit with umbrella, 1 lightstand, 1 fill flash, and backgrounds of assorted colors, etc. etc.
And finally...Bridal Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields: Great strategies for staying on budget! Complete with lists of questions to ask each vendor (including the photographer), and helpful information of what your best bet is for flowers given your wedding date and your locale!
Whew! That's a lot of books!
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Interesting to know.
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