23 free books for the aspiring photographer

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Practice and experimentation is good. But there is always something to learn from the professionals, and this should not be neglected. I warn you right away, this post is for those who read English well, or at least are ready to sit with a dictionary in order to comprehend the secrets of photography from experienced photographers. In this article, you will find a large selection of free photography e-books.

First, let's add an archive with books in PDF format. These books cover topics that are important to the photographer, such as studio lighting, copyright, software choices (Lightroom vs. Photoshop), manual photography, and more. Download, select the books you are interested in and replenish your knowledge box.

If you don't want to download everything, and you are only interested in books on a specific topic, for example, street photography or lighting, you can choose a book from the list below. Many of them are in the archive.

23 free photography books:

1. Ultimate Field Guide to Photography from National Geographic. This book can be a huge help for beginners as it covers the basics of photography - from camera settings to composition and perspective. It will help more experienced photographers refresh forgotten knowledge.
2. Going Candid, Thomas Leuthard. Thomas Leuthard, street photographer, talks about his many years of experience and approach to street photography. The book is suitable for everyone who is interested in the genre of street photography.
3. Essays on Inspiration, Vision and Creativity in Photography, Scott Bourne Collected essays from photographer Scott Bourne, his advice and opinions on vision and creativity in photography.
4. Insights from Beyond the Lens, Robert Rodriguez Jr. This book talks about landscape photography. From which camera is best for this type of photography, to tips on how to use the light available to create stunning landscape photos. Robert Rodriguez also cites several examples from his experience, inspiring aspiring photographers.
5. Good Photos in Bad Light, Darwin Wiggett. How often has bad lighting ruined great photos? After reading this book, this will not happen again. Darwin Wiggett talks about ways to take great photos, even in poor street lighting.
6. Set Up Your Own Photoblog, Nancy Messiah. To create your own photoblog, you need to know a lot - from choosing a hosting to ways to attract readers. In her book, Nancy Messiah reveals in detail all the questions of creating a photoblog: what you need to know, what to do and what to remember.
7. Street Photography, Alex Coghe. Street photographer Alex Kogh has created a truly comprehensive guide to street photography. In this book you will find a description of the very approach to street photography and ways to improve your art, as well as advice from the practice of Alex himself.
8. A Photographer's E-Guide to Making Sharp Photographs, Scott Bourne. Of course, clarity is not all that is required of a photograph to be considered professional, and even more so brilliant. However, sharp photos can make a stronger impression than blurry photos. Scott Bourne explains how to avoid blur and sharpen photos.
9. Urban Exploration Photography, Neil Ta. The book tells about the genre of industrial photography and techniques from the personal experience of photographer Neil Ta, who is passionate about this genre. Read, take your camera and experiment with the abandoned buildings of your city.
10. Collecting Souls, Thomas Leuthard. Street photographer Thomas Leithard talks about different aspects of street photography and how he got to know the genre himself. This book contains many amazing ideas, rich food for thought, and opportunities to improve your street photography skills.
11. Bicycle Touring Photography, Paul Jeurissen. This book combines cycling and photography. The author, Paul Gerison, went on a bike tour with his wife, taking photos along the way, so in this book you will see both - a bike trip and lessons in composition and various photography techniques.
12. Introduction to External Flash Photography. This is a very short guide to using the flash. From indoor flash to bounce flash, everything is covered in just nine pages. In easy and simple language, it explains how to use the flash outdoors and how to get the best results.
13. How to Take Stunning Food Photos. This book teaches you how to shoot stunning food photography, lighting, and composition. It says that there are only two factors to take into account for great food photos - thoughtful composition and verified exposure.
14. Explore Flickr, Thomas Leuthard. Flickr Explore is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, with its help, your photos receive a lot of views and comments, on the other hand, you gradually become dependent on it. Street photographer Thomas Leithard, quite famous on Flickr Explore, gives some tips on how to see your photos on these pages.
15. Lighting 101, Strobist. Here you will find a lot of information about lighting: artificial lighting, mixing artificial and natural light, equipment, lighting patterns and much more.
16. Nine Motivational Essays on Photography, Scott Bourne. All photographers periodically lose motivation and do not know where to get inspiration from. Nine motivating essays by photographer Scott Bourne will help you survive your creative crisis and show you how to get back your inspiration.
17. The Shy Photographer's Guide to Confidence, Lauren Lim. There are situations in which the photographer feels uncomfortable taking pictures. Lauren Lim talks about how to overcome embarrassment and always feel confident when working, in meetings or traveling.
18. Starting a Photography Business. If you want to start your own photography business, but have no idea where to start, this book is for you. Professionals talk about different aspects of the photography business, as well as how to best allocate your finances. Everything is written in a simple and accessible language.
19. Street Faces - The Art of Candid Street Portraiture, Thomas Leuthard. Street photographer Thomas Leithard prefers to photograph strangers on the street from a very close distance. At the same time, he does not ask permission so that the photos are natural and candid. In this book, the photographer shares his experience with this approach and how you can do it yourself.
20. Photojournalism, Technology and Ethics, Scott Baradell. This book is about ethics in photojournalism and how digital technology is changing reality. It contains several axiomatic rules that can be used by young photojournalists in their work, as well as a selection of famous photo-falsifications of the past and staged photographs.
21. 31 Days to Overcome Your Fear of Shooting Street Photography, Eric Kim. Photographer Eric Kim created a street photography guide from 31 days of training. Every day he offers you a new lesson in this area of photography, so in a month you will significantly improve your skills.
22. Selling Fine Art Photography. If it seems to you that the main thing is to take a cool photo, and it will be easy to sell it, you are greatly mistaken. In this book, you will learn what problems a photographer faces when he wants to make money on his work, where to start, what should and should not be done during the sale of his work.
23. Lightroom 5 Quick Start Guide. This is a complete guide for anyone looking to work with Lightroom 5, from installing and importing photos to editing tricks and full features.

That's all. I hope these books will help you improve your photography skills in different genres, start your own photography blog, or successfully sell your work.