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1
Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs (2014)
10.0/10on Open Library
Published
Carroll uses photographs to explain one idea at a time, which makes this an easy book to take out with a phone. Try the composition section and make two pictures of the same scene, once with the main subject near the center and once closer to an edge. Compare what happens to everything else in the frame.
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Magnum contact sheets (2011)
Published
A contact sheet puts successive exposures next to one another. Here you can see the frames Magnum photographers made before and after a published picture, with notes about the selection. Pick one sequence and choose a frame before reading the explanation. See whether a gesture, a gap between people, or something at the edge decided it for you.
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Understanding exposure (1990)
10.0/10on Open Library
Published
Use the shutter-speed section if you’re trying to decide how much motion a photograph should show. With a camera that lets you set the shutter speed, try a short exposure on moving water, then a longer one from the same position. The two pictures make the difference between showing individual splashes and showing a continuous flow easy to see.
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The Photographer’s Playbook
Pick up this collection when you need something to do with a camera this afternoon. Different photographers supply assignments for making and editing pictures. Aperture even exhibited work by two photographers who took on the same Paul Reas prompt. Give one assignment to a friend and compare what you each noticed.
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The Photographer's Eye (2007)
8.0/10on Open Library
Published
Freeman explains how the shapes inside a frame work together. Look at where the lines of a sidewalk, railing, or row of windows take your eye. Then move and make a second picture that sends those lines somewhere else. The book gives you ways to talk about why one arrangement holds your attention longer.
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Light, Gesture, and Color (2014)
Published
Maisel treats a gesture as something you can catch even when the subject is almost still. Watch a hand settle on a railing or the space change between two people waiting together. His photographs and short explanations make a good case for paying attention to those small shifts before you press the shutter.
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Light: Science & Magic
The chapters on reflection explain why a bright patch appears on a shiny subject and what changes when the light moves. Set a spoon near a window and turn it a little at a time. Once you can see where the window appears in the metal, it’s easier to decide which reflection belongs in the picture.
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Mary Ellen Mark on the Portrait and the Moment (2015)
Published
Mark explains what happened around her portraits, including the difference between meeting someone once and returning when you know them better. In one account, she arranges a second visit to photograph a girl she met on an assignment. Take that as a prompt to make another portrait of someone who wants to work with you and see what a second session makes possible.
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Authentic Portraits (2019)
Published
Orwig gives as much attention to approaching people and building rapport as he does to lighting. Try making a portrait beside a window after a conversation, then compare the frames where the person is holding a pose with the ones where their expression changes. The book gives you a reason to keep looking after the expected smile.
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Within the frame (2009)
9.0/10on Open Library
Published
DuChemin asks what actually caught your attention when you walked into a place. His examples include photographing people, food, and festivals. Go somewhere familiar and choose one feature you care about, such as the way people greet each other. That gives you a reason to decide where to stand and what to leave out.
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The Practice of Contemplative Photography
These exercises draw on mindfulness and give you a specific thing to notice, such as color or texture. Take a short walk and look for one color before you decide what objects are worth photographing. A patch of reflected light can become the subject once you give it the same attention you’d usually give a face or landmark.
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John Shaw's Guide to Digital Nature Photography (2017)
Published
Shaw’s guide is useful when the natural subject is easy to spot and the surroundings are hard to organize. Make one photograph that shows a plant in its habitat and a second that emphasizes a single leaf or stem. Decide which edges and background details help convey what you saw. That choice matters whether you’re at a trailhead or in a backyard.
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The nature of photographs (1998)
Published
Shore’s primer makes you slow down and look at what focus does inside a finished photograph. Pick an image with details both near and far. See where your eye goes first and whether a sharp detail draws you toward the background. It’s good preparation for choosing where you want someone to look in your own picture.
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The art of photography (1994)
Published
Start with the chapter on visualization. Barnbaum asks you to think ahead to the picture you want to make. Decide before shooting whether you want a dark doorway to hold visible detail or read as a silhouette, then judge the finished frame against that intention. The book goes much further into exposure and printing if you want the technical background.
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On Being a Photographer
Their conversation about selecting a subject is a good place to start a project. Think of something that holds your interest and that you can get back to without difficulty. Photograph it more than once before deciding whether it can sustain a series. Hurn and Jay also discuss how to turn the resulting pictures into a photo essay.
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The Photography Storytelling Workshop
Beales takes a shoot from the first pitch through the final edit. Start with a brief story about something you can watch happen, such as a cook setting up a kitchen. Plan a picture that shows the space and a closer one that shows a step in the work. The book also includes exercises for a smartphone.
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PhotoWork (2019)
Published
Wolf gives 40 photographers the same questions about making a body of work. The different answers are useful when your project starts going somewhere you hadn’t planned. Read Justine Kurland’s response about letting a narrative unravel, then lay out your strongest pictures and see whether they suggest a different order or a better question.
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