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Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Bryan Peterson

August 31, 2004
I bought this book because of the reviews on Amazon, and I wasn't disappointed. I agree with reviewer Bill Martin -- this book has helped me improve my photography more than anything else I have read. (Thanks for that recommendation, Bill.) It has helped me make much better photos with my DSLR. I would also recommend the same author's "Understanding Shutter Speed". (His "Understanding Digital Photography", however, is not as good and I would pass on it.)

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The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Scott Kelby

September 10, 2008
I have several books by Scott and he is the best at making learning fun and getting to the essentials of what you need to know about your subject! I have been with digital four about 4 years after 40+ years with 35mm and I can tell you thanks to Scott and his work flows, I have learned more in weeks than I ever learned the hard way with 35mm. If you want a book that will teach you and be real, Scotts books are the way to go. I just wish he could get them to press quicker!

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The Digital Photography Book

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Scott Kelby

September 02, 2006
I just bought my first SLR camera and needed a book to get me started. This book was great because it wasn't heavy on theory. It was much more geared towards practical applications which I liked. For example there's a separate chapter on how to shoot flowers, how to shoot landscapes, how to shoot portaits, etc.

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The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Scott Kelby

January 06, 2008
If you only get one book on digital photography, then get Volume 1. If you get two, then pick this one up next. Scott Kelby's approach to this subject is much better than other books on the same topic. One topic per page, and very easy to digest. Read it once, go play, and then in a month or two, come back and read it again.

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The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Michael Freeman

May 23, 2007
I purchased "The Photographers Eye" to improve my pictures; the book did that.

"The Photographers Eye" is not a cookbook giving recipes and rules for better pictures. It is a textbook discussing composition and techniques for better photography, filling the readers head with ideas to use when the time is right.

The first half of the book describes photo composition, followed by a section on colour, and ending with two chapters on a photographers though processes. I found the last section fascinating.

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The Dot

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Peter H. Reynolds

September 15, 2003
Reynolds does a fantastic job showing how someone can be creative or artistic and not even know it. I picked up this book at an elementary book fair first because I thought it was well written and illustrated. Second because I want to help my children realize they have hidden talents. And third because my husband is an art teacher in high school and his students are constantly telling him they can't draw.

This book not only teaches that anyone can be artistic but it teaches that creativity is not something only some of us are born with - it is something we all have inside of us, we just need to find a little bit of inspiration to bring it out. In Vashti's case, it was her teacher framing her dot and hanging it by her desk.

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The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Martin Evening

August 08, 2008
Reynolds does a fantastic job showing how someone can be creative or artistic and not even know it. I picked up this book at an elementary book fair first because I thought it was well written and illustrated. Second because I want to help my children realize they have hidden talents. And third because my husband is an art teacher in high school and his students are constantly telling him they can't draw.

This book not only teaches that anyone can be artistic but it teaches that creativity is not something only some of us are born with - it is something we all have inside of us, we just need to find a little bit of inspiration to bring it out. In Vashti's case, it was her teacher framing her dot and hanging it by her desk.

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21 Nights

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Prince

September 30, 2008
I was very impressed by this book. The packaging is absolutely beautiful and the photos inside are artistic and pretty. They are certainly now 'raw', as many amateur concert photos of Prince are, and reflect Randee St. Nicholas' very polished style. Do they give any new information on Prince, his performances and his life? No. But, they sure are beautiful photographs.

The poetry inside is a mix of previously-released song lyrics and short (unreleased) poems by Prince. Interesting to read.

The live CD (Indigo Nights) is great. Again, it's not as raw as the bootlegs of these shows, and you can argue about the song selection, but any officially released live album by Prince is hard to come by.

If you've ever purchased ... Read More:

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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Hunter S. Thompson

May 12, 1998
Thompson was one funny guy. Some of the anecdotes in "Fear and Loathing" are destructively hilarious. The bible of the drug counter-culture. Worthy of a read, that's for sure.

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Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Arts and Photography
by: Bryan F. Peterson

October 30, 2003
This book is a must have, I read the whole thing in one read, and I can assure you that I will browse through it from time to time. Bryan Peterson explains everything step by step and after you're done, you'll understand reasonably well if not perfectly what he's trying to say.

If you're looking to go beyond amatuer and make that transition to take really good photos, here's a time saver. By going into the details of photography from line, shape, texture, to the rule of thirds to tips on macro photography, he starts by making you a serious photographical critic AND I assure you that you'll see things you never did before picking this book.

All in all, he makes you that much more fond of photography than you already are (otherwise you wouldn't ... Read More: