Photo Contest Insider / The Best eBooks Every Photographer Needs to Read

One of the easiest and most portable methods of education is the humble eBook. For those of you who may not have heard of the term ‘eBook’ before, it’s basically just an electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or other handheld device such as a smartphone or Kindle.

Apart from their ability to be read straight from a device you already use, eBooks also pose many other benefits, including the fact that you can gain access to the material straight away, as well as their usually affordable (or sometimes free) price point.

Because of this, we’re going to look at the best eBooks every photographer needs to read today, and have narrowed these down to some of our absolute favorites. Let’s get started!

Advancing Your Photography: A Handbook for Creating Photos You’ll Love by Marc Silber

This popular eBook is also available in print format, however both versions of the publication made it to the best-selling list on Amazon upon its release. It was created by an award-winning professional video producer, photographer, and photography educator (the famous Marc Silber), so you know you’re in good hands!

In fact, you might even recognise Marc Silber from his award-winning YouTube channel, Advancing Your Photography. This publication is actually a “distillation of all the pro tips and wisdom in the YouTube series, in a format you can take with you and refer to constantly when you are out taking your photographs.”

Advancing Your Photography also enlists the help of plenty other professional photographers, offering their best tips and advice to help you take your photography to a whole new level. Whether you’re a beginner within the industry, or someone who has been running their own photography business for years, photographers of all levels are sure to gain something special from this eBook.

Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera by Bryan Peterson

The fourth edition of Bryan Peterson’s popular book, ‘Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera’ is also available in Kindle or eReader format, meaning that you can take the usually-heavy text book with you wherever you go – all within the size of something no larger than an iPad!

In this edition, the author explains the fundamentals of light, aperture, and shutter speed and how they interact with and influence one another. It aims to “demystify the complex concepts of exposure in photography, allowing readers to capture the images they want.”

The Photographer’s Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone by Lindsay Adler

Lindsay Adler isn’t just an award-winning fashion photographer. She’s also a world-famous photography educator who has produced five publications. When it comes to learning about posing, who wouldn’t want to take on the advice from someone who has been named one of the top 10 best fashion photographers in the world?

In ‘The Photographer’s Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone’, Lindsay teaches you how to analyze a pose so that you can create endless posing opportunities and continuously improve your work. Whether you’re working with a woman, man, couples, or groups, you’re sure to come away with plenty more knowledge about what goes into the perfect pose.

The Photographer’s Guide to Copyright by Photo Shelter

We mentioned that there would be free eBooks among this list and here’s just one of them! ‘The Photographer’s Guide to Copyright’ by Photo Shelter tells you everything you need to know to keep your photography safe.

It covers topics such as major trends in copyright today, how to make copyright registration part of your workflow, the risks to weigh before posting your photos to social networks, what counts as “Fair Use”, major learnings from recent court cases, copyright for motion and video, and so much more. Not bad for a completely free publication eh?

Insights from Beyond the Lens: The Art and Craft of Landscape Photography by Robert Rodriguez Jr

This fabulous eBook from Robert Rodriguez Jr, titled ‘Insights from Beyond the Lens – The Art and Craft of Landscape Photography’, is also completely free to download and read. The publication explores the artistic side of this art form, delving into composition, as well as how to see and how to think. Many readers quote that it is the perfect blend of exquisite photographs, theory, inspirational quotes, and an unrivalled passion for outdoor photography.

The author further explains: “While many books focus on the gear and technology, the aim here is to look inside the motivation, passion, and vision involved in successful landscape photography. Go behind the scenes as I explain how several images were made, how I draw inspiration from the Hudson River School of painters, and what resources I recommend for further exploration.”

There you have it – the best eBooks that every photographer needs to read. With a combination of both paid and free publications on this list, there really is no excuse as to why you can’t start enjoying one of these today!