Not everyone can spend every day out taking pictures. There's always down-time. It's the perfect moment to improve your photos with a bit of post-processing or the ideal time to catch up on how to improve your photos still further with a little bit of light reading. Here's our list of the best books and software of 2007.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Combining elements (no pun intended) of Photoshop and Lightroom, Elements is a deceptively powerful photo management and image manipulation program, dressed up in user-friendly clothing. This does 99 per cent of the stuff you need for 99 per cent of the photographs made by 99 per cent of photographers. Mac users please note: Elements 6 is due to be launched soon (we'd recommend iPhoto '08 as a good alternative in the meantime).
Langford's Starting Photography (Focal Press)
Over the years, Michael Langford's trio of photography books (Starting…, Basic… and Advanced…) have formed the basis of many a photographer's technical understanding of the medium (whether self-taught or at college). The books are such a powerful standard, they outlived the author (who died in 2000). The latest revisions bring the series into the digital age, but still cover film as well. Perhaps slightly dry for some, 'Starting…' takes the newcomer to virtually A-Level standard and includes practical examples, too.
Adobe PhotoShop Lightroom
Fast becoming the de facto living space for photographers, Lightroom does not replace Photoshop as much as augment it. The program allows you to non-destructively adjust files, store, categorise your images. Arguably best for power users, who regularly shoot hundreds or thousands of images in RAW and then want to manage where they store them.
The Nature of Photographs: A Primer
By Stephen Shore
If you feel that you've 'nailed' the technical and compositional elements of a photograph, the next step is to look at photographs with a more critical eye. Taking classic images from Atget to Gursky, Shore instils in the reader the tools for critical analysis required to understand why some images 'work', but without diving into inaccessible critical theory.
Adobe Photoshop CS3
The industry standard for everything photographic, the full Photoshop is expensive, but ultimately worth it if you plan on learning how to work on your photographs in a professional manner. With plug-ins, actions and myriad filters on offer, this is the most powerful software on the planet for retouching and post-processing. Available in standard and Extended versions, we snappers are better off with the standard version because we don't do 3D enough to justify the extra expense.
The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos (Ilex)
By Michael Freeman
Books on photographic composition fall into two categories - fluffy picture-led books about the rule of thirds or weighty technical tomes about Gestalt theory. Freeman's book is the exception, as it is not scared of the heavy stuff, and takes the reader from basic graphic elements to dealing with the photographic intent in pictures. Well worth studying hard.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
The traditional PC-only alternative to Photoshop Elements is now part way to being a rival to Photoshop proper. A very thorough photo manipulation program in its own right, PSP X2 has some excellent features like HDR control and one-touch 'makeover' tools like the ever-popular 'thinify' control.
Photo Idea Index (How Design Books)
By Jim Krause
We all get flat spots, the photographic equivalent of writer's block when no good photos (or bad photos… just no photos) happen. Designer Jim Krause's vinyl-covered book is the answer. It's essentially a mind-dump of hundreds of ideas to spark your creativity in ways you might not have thought of before. Sometimes, his exuberance hides a lack of photographic understanding (his knowledge of lighting leaves much to be desired) but this is more than made up for by the sheer wealth of bright ideas inside.
Ulead PhotoImpact 12
An entry-level photo editor for the PC only, Ulead (now a part of Corel) has made PhotoImpact extremely easy to use and yet deceptively powerful. Given what most photographers do is adjust white balance, reduce noise, quick compositing and exposure fixes, PhotoImpact makes these adjustments easily and fast. An ideal first step into post-processing.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 (or Photoshop Elements 6) Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
By Scott Kelby
Some hate his worn-thin humour. Some dislike the fact that he tells you what to do rather than shows you how to do it. Regardless… faced with a daunting program like Photoshop and no real way of understanding any of its functions, Kelby's easy-to-follow guides make the process a little bit less scary. If you want to learn the short cuts through the program (and aren't particularly bothered by the twiddly bits that you might learn through a more meandering, formal route) this is the best book around.
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