I finally learnt the basics of photography - that's where all those seemingly tricky settings on your photo camera come in! And surprise, surprise: they don't seem all that tricky, or certainly not difficult at all, when someone explains them to you in connection with the results you're hoping to achieve. Hah!
Like taking pretty pics for my Ravelry projects page. Or even this here blog thingy. Probably more the blog than the Ravelry page but my new found knowledge will, I feel entitled to hope, contribute to both!
Franklin recommended the National Geographic Guide to Photography, by: the Editors thereof. So I had a mooch around the various online sites that get most of my book buying custom these days, and that's when things got a touch confusing.
It turns out that National Geographic has not just published one book on photography, but there's a whole series of them!
Yikes!
Now I was quite sure that I wanted the sort of beginners book that would explain the basics just like Franklin's class did so well. I wanted to go over all those settings again, and I was also very intrigued by Franklin mentioning that the guide goes into what to do with the digital snapshots on the computer with something like Photoshop. Fabulous!
So guides for photo film cameras as well as black and white photography were immediately out. I also have no need (just yet, but give me time!) to get the one about landscape photography (I don't think my knitted projects have anything particularly panoramic to them...) nor the action shot photography that I almost dumped in my shopping basket before I realised that there's more than one (right at the very beginning before aforesaid confusion set in).
I almost got the one where the customer reviews describe their delight in having various Nat Geo photographers describe their tips, when I wondered if they'd ever taken pictures of knitting and came to the conclusion that, sadly, they probably hadn't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel quite certain in that little bit of crystal ball divining...
I briefly considered the 'People and Portraits' version (seeing as models come under people, and portraits might have to do with things being close up) but was put off by the fact that there are named authors and not 'the editors' that Franklin mentioned. I could at least make the attempt to get the one he described! No matter how difficult and time-consuming this endeavour was turning out! No: perseverance, girl, that's what you need, I told myself...
So after a fairly lengthy process of eliminating all those that I felt weren't the most ideal first buy, I was still left with two books that I couldn't make my mind up between!
Here are their covers:
They are both called the National Geographic Field Guide to Photography, - the first one has the subtitle: Digital (I reckon that's a good one if I wish to sidestep all those tips that might apply to the old-fashioned photo film cameras and associated techniques) and the second one says: Secrets to Taking Great Pictures.
Well, I'm sorry! But I was sold on the second one!
I have no idea if this is a good one to get, but come on! The promise of learning secrets - I mean that's what gossip is based on, isn't it? The allure of finding out something that not everybody knows, basically the definition of a secret. Though at least one customer review said that though they appreciated what they learnt, they were still left confused about just what those secrets were meant to be...
So you've already guessed the outcome: of course I got both. Duh. (This is me we're talking about: Ms Overenthusiastic!)
But only (that's my justification) because I went for the used option and got both of them on the cheap. I'm sure the words in them are just the same as in a new book and should this copy ever fall apart I'll be able to re-buy the one that I preferred. I don't mean to boast but including postage I got both for under a tenner (in Great British Pounds, or Sterling, that is) - none too shabby!
I'm very pleased with my shopping spree and I am even more delighted to be advised that both books were despatched already as well.
I shall keep you updated on what they are like and if I like them.
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