National Geographic: The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

Sufficient detail to keep the attention of the advanced photographer or hobbiests attention. Great discussions of fundamental photography principles and techniques.

I'm not even halfway through this book yet, but I feel the need to pause and share my feelings about it. This book is fantastic for the beginner who wants to grab a better understanding for terminology and techniques of photography. I have taken several workshops and read several other books on photography as well, but for the first time, I'm actually UNDERSTANDING what terms mean. They have written this book so that it is easier to understand than others I've seen. True there are some sections I feel needed to be in a different book such as selecting your camera to buy, using your cameraphone, film photography (though this is debatable since that is where it started), scanning and archiving. That said, I still think that the price paid for this book is quite a steal! ($13, Bargain Bin at Barnes and Noble)

It uses simple, easy-to-understand language to draw amateurs into the greater world of photography, and yet contains enough advanced content to expand the understanding of professionals.

This is definitely an ultimate guide. There is so much information, great tips, and very nice photos. There book is filled with amazing photos with tips on how to acquire similar looking photos on your own. The writing style is understandable, with the authors explaining things without talking down to the reader. I highly recommend this guide.

This is a solid, basic, but fairly detailed and up-to-date intro to various aspects of photography, that includes sensible introductions written by expert photographers, and covers a range of topics from obvious (exposure) to more exotic (using phone cameras for diaries and travelogues or putting edible versions of your pictures on a birthday cake); it includes brief 2-page interviews with luminaries that explain a particular photo or similar 2-page " portfolio" spreads that showcase their work. I wish it had more info about each of the numerous photos included, especially regarding camera, exposure info and lens info (a few examples have it, most don't). There is an intro section on photo-editing in Photoshop, a section on scanning, and a very brief but competent history of film photography every aspiring amateur should know. This is not an in-depth book on a particular type of photography (such as sports or macro or travel) or technique (such as exposure or nigt-photography), but it is a good point of departure for beginners, and a good orientation in exosting techniques and possibilities. Highly recommended.