photography book for dummies?

[Azylum]

i have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say depth field and aperture, and when you start typing numbers its all japanese to me. id really like to get into this and was wondering of there are some simple books out there you guys recommend that would be an easy read for someone with ADD. :rofl:

thanks guys.:mrgreen:

[M38A1]

i have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say depth field and aperture, and when you start typing numbers its all japanese to me. id really like to get into this and was wondering of there are some simple books out there you guys recommend that would be an easy read for someone with ADD. :rofl:

thanks guys.:mrgreen:

Well, I don't have any books handy, but here's a simple rundown on a few of them...

Depth of Field or DOF is the distance in front and behind the point of focus that's actually in focus. If say, you have a flower pot on your back porch and you focus on the flowers, some distance behind and in front will be be in or out of focus. That's what Depth of Field is.

The next part to that is aperature. That's how open or closed the lens is. The smaller the hole (more closed lens or higher f/stop number) the greater the DOF. On the flip side, the larger the hole (more open lens or lower f/stop number), the shorter or 'tighter' the depth of field.

How's that for a start?

[silvElise]

My suggestion is to just find tutorials online... Thousands of good ones and they are all free :)

[jonny rotten]

A college photography textbook has all the info a beginning photographer could use regarding basic camera functions and techniques. Old edition textbooks can be found for cheap on amazon marketplace (I get almost all my school books there at great prices). Here are some used copies of the book I used in the few classes I took for $15; it doesn't have a whole lot of digital camera specifics, but its a great reference to have.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0131896091/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_all?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=&sr=&seller=&colid=

[Jerry]

Here's a start: Ken Rockwell (http://www.kenrockwell.com/)

[wanabeguru]

Well, I don't have any books handy, but here's a simple rundown on a few of them...

Depth of Field or DOF is the distance in front and behind the point of focus that's actually in focus. If say, you have a flower pot on your back porch and you focus on the flowers, some distance behind and in front will be be in or out of focus. That's what Depth of Field is.

The next part to that is aperature. That's how open or closed the lens is. The smaller the hole (more closed lens or higher f/stop number) the greater the DOF. On the flip side, the larger the hole (more open lens or lower f/stop number), the shorter or 'tighter' the depth of field.

How's that for a start?
Excellent!
But how is aperature [ "fstop" ]controlled? By existing/useable light. And that is controlled by SHUTTER speed. So, if you want stop action; a fast[1/1000sec] shutter speed is chosen which FORCES the f-stop to be opened up [ small #=more light ] but at the expense of REDUCED DOF. So it is a juggling act between all 3!!!
With lottsa light, you can have many shutter speed/f-stop/DOF options. Light determines what you have left to play with. You pick whats most important to your picture [ of the 3 ] and then juggle whats left.
Hope this helps
Before i forget, if you have an ajustable digital, take the same picture by using a fixed shutter speed and matching all else, then by a fixed f-stop, and then by fixed light. Notice the differences and you can put it all together.

[Azylum]

thanks guys, this really helps alot. gonna play around with this. :mrgreen:

[Richard_]

I found How to do Everything with your Digital Camera (http://www.amazon.com/How-Do-Everything-Digital-Camera/dp/0071495800/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236991729&sr=8-1) by Dave Johnson to be a good intro to digital photography and suitable for beginners. The current edition is the 5th, but you may be able to find an earlier edition at a used book store (I found mine, the 3rd edition, at Half Priced Books).