Reading Materials--(of the paper kind)

Alright, let's talk about the books I currently have, and keep in my arsenal. Some of them I have read more than once, some of them I would recommend to you....and then others you might use to prop up the couch when the leg falls off.



List of Reading Materials
Photoshop Classic Effects, by Scott Kelby**

Creative Lighting and Posing Techniques for Portrait Photographers, by Jeff Smith

Group Portrait Photography Handbook, 2nd Ed., by Bill Hurter

The Business of Portrait Photography, by Tom McDonald

Posing for Portrait Photography, A Head-to-Toe Guide, by Jeff Smith

Successful Self-Promotion for Photographers, by Elyse Weissberg

The Outdoor Photographer's Bible, by Lawrence/Watson

The Waterfalls of South Carolina, by Brooks/Cook

Business and Legal Forms for Photographers, by Tad Crawford

Photography Your Way, by Chuck Delaney **

Power Marketing for Wedding and Portrait Photographers, by Mitche Graf

Master Lighting Guide for Wedding Photographers, by Bill Hurter

Digital Wedding Photography, by Paul F. Gero

Professional Techniques for Digital Wedding Photography, 2nd Ed., by Jeff and Kathleen Hawkins

The Best of Wedding Photojournalism, by Bill Hurter

Minimalist Lighting, Professional Techniques for Location Photography, by Kirk Tuck

Garage Glamour, Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple, Rolando Gomez

Holywood Portraits, by Hicks/Nisperos

Great Photography Workshop, by Bill Fortney

The Tao of Photography, by Gross/Shapiro

Shooting and Selling Your Photos, by Jim Zuckerman

Wedding Photography, by Mark Cleghorn

The Make-up Book, by Joy Terri

Get The Most From Your Digital Camera, by Simon Johnson

Photography-The Art of Composition, by Bert Krages

The Digital Photographer's Guide to Photoshop Elements 4, by Barry Beckman

Photoshop CS2, The Art of Photographing Women, by Kevin Ames

Canon EOS Digital Rebel Field Guide, by Charlotte K. Lowrie

Professional Techniques for Pet and Animal Photography, by Deborah H. Muska

The Photographer's Guide to Light, by Nigel Hicks

Close-ups in Nature, by John Shaw

Best Business Practices for Photographers, by John Harrington


This is not a complete list. I have also read hundreds of magazines, and school based texts on the subject.


Oh, and this is a book I have found useful many times, for improving the appearance of various webpages. It gives you all the HTML codes for colors, fonts, etc.

Creating Web Pages with HTML Simplified, 2nd Ed., by Maran Graphics, IDG Books


**books I recommend.


Now, if you haven't fallen into an ADD induced coma yet, I would like to tell you what really burns my onions! In all the material I have read, very little applies to the actual day-to-day running of a photography business! I'd say roughly 5%. This is very aggrivating.


Anyway, I'll get back to that later.....for now, I just want to show you a couple shots, and show you how I look through the camera to get them.







This one is a detail shot of a Jack Daniels minibottle that was attached to a Harley Davidson, with a light underneath. It was a very unique detail, and I had to get a shot of it.





The owner of the bike is now a friend of mine, due to the fact that I was one of the few people to notice that it was even there. Sometimes details rule!









Here's a detail shot of a 105th Anniversary Harley gas tank. The whole purpose of the shot was not really to capture the tank, but to get the silhouettes of the people near the bike. I wanted to show the comraderie, and atmosphere that a "Harley" fosters.















I used the same concept in this one. You can see the bikers on their bikes, handlebars, the sun going down....just hangin' out. Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to put a picture within a picture. This can open up all sorts of possibilities.

Try to come up with a few shots using this technique this week. You might be surprised at the results.