If you have been taking photos for a while and finally you are starting to get recognition for your art, you should take the next step that will turn you from an amateur into a professional. Great talent and a good eye are an excellent starting point for becoming a great photographer, but to improve the quality of your art you must look for more ways to develop your skills. The most common piece of advice you could get at this stage of your progress is to find a teacher or an instructor. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to find a good teacher, and if you do, they will probably cost you an arm and a leg. Therefore, we suggest the second-best thing – books. But not every book is a good book, and there are many books that you don’t need to read right away. Here you can find some tips on how to pick the right photography book for yourself.
Books on photography equipment
First, you should look for a book that deals with your photography equipment. You may think that you can already use your equipment without any problems, but if you want to make sure that you can realize the full potential of your equipment, you must understand it perfectly. It is of paramount importance that you know the limits and possibilities of your camera and lenses or any other piece of your equipment. If you know all of this, you will have more options when taking a photo. Your photos will always be sharp and you will know under what conditions you can take a good photo and when you need some extra equipment. So, get yourself a manual, watch reviews and research the technology of your camera.
Research your subject/ object of photography
The next thing you should do is research the subject/object of your photos. If you are now thinking that everything can be the subject/ object of photography, but you can’t do research on everything, you are both right and wrong. Yes, you can take a photo of everything, but the subject/object of photography is a phenomenon. You can regard it as an image that only exists for a moment thanks to the given circumstances. It is a moment filled with emotions and the best photos are those that capture that moment. So you should read books that can inspire you to capture such extraordinary moments.
Art catalogs
Finally, we suggest going through various art catalogs. Catalogs can help you learn how to distinguish between good and bad photos or techniques or how to refine your skills further. They can also be a great source of information and inspiration.