Photography has an intensely steep learning curve, but a good manual can be your best friend along the way. This book takes all the guesswork out of the complicated elements of photography and presents it in a manner that builds upon itself to create a solid foundation.
This book is divided into 20 weeks or chapters with 14 pages for each week. Read at your own pace, or use this as a framework for a photography class. Each week is divided into the following parts: Test Your Knowledge (observe several photographs and identify which one shows a particular technique or flaw); Understand The Theory (detailed diagrams and example photos to help you grasp the concept); Learn the Skills (explains the necessary camera settings or equipment); Practice and Experiment (gives you several different types of photos to try, allowing for kinesthetic learning); Assess Your Results (encourages you to review your images and points out correct and incorrect things to look for in your own pictures); Enhance Your Images (goes over basic image editing techniques with Photoshop, though these elements are, for the most part, available in any quality editing software such as Lightroom or Elements); and Review Your Progress (a short quiz to help you review the technical information you learned that "week).
While this book is a little text heavy and will require a good amount of reading in addition to actual "doing, the information is very good and is sure to improve your photography if you are willing to take the time to work on it. 360 hardcover pages. Laura