I get asked all the time to recommend some good books for new photographers wanting to learn how to be a better shooter. This is very easy for me to do since I have literally read dozens of photography books over the last couple of years. In my mind there is no doubt that every beginner photographer (and even some that are more seasoned in the craft) should read two books: “The Digital Photography Book” by Scott Kelby and “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson.

“The Digital Photography Book” is a very quick and easy read. It is written in a very simplistic format with the idea being that if you were to ask the author how to make a particular shot in a given situation, he would tell how to do it in a simple and straightforward answer. Not a ton of theory, just a simple “do it like this” kind of answer. This book is actually the first in a series of three books (the 3rd is coming out soon), each of which continues from where the previous one left off and gets progressively more advanced. Kelby is a prolific author and the reason fo his huge success is that his books are very easy to read while still being extremely useful. This is a must read for all new photographers.

“Understanding Exposure” is a classic. It’s actually somewhat out of date since it was written before digital cameras were common, and therefore makes very little reference to ISO, but that hardly matters given the rest of the content. It is an excellent guide to getting the right exposure using the basic creative controls within the camera, while also discussing creativity and composition. Almost everyone that reads this book immediately feels that they have become a better photographer. It’s as simple as that. Read it.