if you were to recommend one book to a beginner

someone just starting out using a digital camera and would like to experiment a little and learn the basics, just wondering which book you might recommend

are you a beginner to photography or digital.

both....

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but your camera manual should be #1. There is a lot of good information there to start with and understand what your camera's setting do.

Once you understand what each of your settings are for on your camera, then other books are helpful to learn how to use these settings in different situations and for the look you want to achieve.

A book that helped me a lot at the beginning (and still does) is "Photography" by John Freeman, but don't underestimate your manual. Camera manuals are not like other manuals, where you glance over them and then put them away forever. They are very useful and should be referred back to often - even while reading other books.

Hope this helps.

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Albert-O
Colorado
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Please visit me at
http://www.berto.zenfolio.com

I liked "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205911654&sr=1-1

Jon
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Give me something to shoot

If you aren't familiar with the principals of exposure - iso, aperture, shutter speed you'll have to get a book such as Peterson's Understanding Exposure to explain this first. You'll need the basics in order to understand the camera manual. You may have to refer to other resources to further explain certain topics that may not be clear in Peterson's book. Look on the web and read some books in the bookstore or library to supplement what Peterson says.

I just loaned my copy to a friend as he just bought a Canon 40D. He is not familiar with the basic principles, thus making the manual difficult to read. I think with this book and the manual it should help him for a long time.
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• Johnny

http://tuxbailey.zenfolio.com

I'm in the same boat (i.e. newcomer to photography).

I read Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" and I would HIGHLY recommend it. it is excellent. I also strongly recommend that you read it BEFORE you read the camera manual (which I agree you should read cover-to-cover). The manual will make a LOT more sense after you have read Peterson's book.

I wouldn't recommend one book because your local library has a number of good books on photography. Don't worry if they are older and deal only with film, the basics are all the same with very little differences. Once you understand much of the basics, then move to some digital books.

Once you have that down, them move to image editing books. These should all be available at your local library unless you live close to a shack with a blind guy sitting on a porch playing a banjo.
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Rationally I have no hope, irrationally I believe in miracles.
Joni Mitchell

I have a Magic Lantern Guide for my k10d which I find very useful.
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