1. The Moment it Clicks – Joe McNally

This is a unique coffee book/educational book hybrid that combines beautiful full-page photos with informative text on how to capture such images. McNally uses a three-point system in his process to teach the reader. He succinctly describes the photography trick or technique, includes a photo that uses said technique, and then explain how he got the shot and the obstacles he encountered in the process. With years behind the lens shooting for publications such as National Geographic and Sport Illustrated, you can put faith in his experiences as a photographer.  See HERE

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  1. Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition – Bryan Peterson

An essential guide for learning the relationship between aperture and shutter speed. This guide will teach you how to free yourself from auto mode and learn how to capture the scene that you want. The 3rd edition proves its popularity with photographers, and it includes new information for new technologies and on white balance, flash, and HDR. See HERE
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  1. Digital Photography Book – Scott Kelby

Kelby's book skips the traditional lengthy technical explanations of how something works and simply tells you how to get the shot you want. No photography jargon or theories on depth-of-field or diffraction. Just practical advice on how to take great photographs. Every page covers a different trick or concept, so you learn something new for every page you read.  See HEREkelby image

  1. Understanding Photography Field Guide – Bryan Peterson

Peterson's Field Guide is a handy book for carrying around with you as you're learning your new camera. The guide covers a wide range of topics from basic aperture and shutter speed control to more creative techniques about composition and lighting.  See HEREfieldguild image

  1. Stunning Digital Photography – Tony Northrup

For those of you that are more visual learners (as most of us photographers are), Tony Northrup's book may be the best book for you. In addition informative text, this book includes 3 hours of training videos that shows you the techniques you want to know. The best thing is that when you buy the book, you get a free copy of the e-book which releases new content. See HEREnorthrup image

  1. Direction & Quality of Light – Neil Van Niekerk

Photography is essentially all about light. Once you've learned to control your exposure, it's time to learn how to control your light. This guide covers several lighting scenarios including available light, hard sunlight, and several situations with flash. It also includes 10 different sample sessions to show the techniques put to use in a practical situation. See HERE direction image

  1. The Print and Process – David duChemin

Though there are many books on how to use cameras and use different techniques, few focus on the process of image making, however, David duChemin's book does just this. He guides the reader through his entire process – motivation, creation, and post-processing - of how he ended up with his final images from four separate photography projects that include his trips to Iceland, Kenya, Antarctica, and Venice. See HERE
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  1. 2013 Photographer's Market – Mary Burzlaff Bostic

If you're looking to put your photographs out into the world, Photographer's Market is the book to finding any outlet you may be looking for. From magazines to greeting cards, to stock agencies and even contests, PM has all the details on how to submit, when to submit, and how many hires each outlet is looking for. Plus, it's updated every year with new listings! See HERE 2013 image

  1. Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer – Scott Bourne

So you have the technical know-how, the gear, and the motivation. You just need to know how to make that step from amateur to professional. Bourne's book will guide you through this transition, providing you with important business knowledge on how to promote, price, and push yourself to becoming a professional. The book even includes advice from 25 of the biggest names in the industry including Chase Jarvis and Vincent Laforet.  See HEREpro image

  1. Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash – Joe McNally  

Flash is one of the trickiest techniques to master, but McNally's guide makes learning a little simpler. His straight-forward approach will help you understand what works and what doesn't when using strobes and studio lights. With plenty of examples, you'll not only understand what looks great and what look bad, but why. See HERE

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  1. Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography – Bryan Peterson

The photographic eye is not one that you are just born with, but one that must be honed in order to capture great photos. Peterson's book explains how you need to practice seeing in order to get visually appealing images. He shares the pitfalls and dead-ends that many photographer's face when trying to improve on a photo.  See HEREcreatively image

 Check out: THE 19 MOST EXPENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHS EVER SOLD 

Recommended Reading:

 

 

Written by Spencer Seastrom