National Geographic Complete Photo Guide: How to Take Better Pictures

by Heather Perry

Photography is a fundamental skill with the power to enhance our lives, and this next book in National Geographic's revamped how-to photography line shows how to create great pictures--from composition and camera basics to smartphones, social media, and digital editing.

With more than two billion pictures taken every day, everyone is a photographer now--and we all want to get better at it. This definitive guide shares top secrets and skills from National Geographic's most talented photojournalists, all sure to help you capture the best pictures of what matters most.

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step pages take you through every technique you'll need to create stunning images, from exposure to flash to image enhancement. You'll also discover the broader dimensions of composition, photography history, and how to look at the world like a photographer. Engaging how-to features include "assignments"--such as photographing a single object to explore angles, lighting, and context--and "Why I Love this Photo," with penetrating commentary from National Geographic photo editors on iconic photos and what makes them great. Finally, a fascinating illustrated time line of photography tracks progress from daguerrotypes to smartphones.

Practical and inspiring, this is the perfect how-to, how-it-works, and how-to-get-better guide from National Geographic, the ultimate source for everything photographic.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art, How To

416 pages, Hardcover

Published October 19, 2021

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but not one that you can get the most out of with a library check-out. Think of it more like a textbook, where you will return to it off and on for several months as you progress in your photography journey.

[Zacchaeus Nifong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A photographers dream. Although I don't recommend chewing through this book all at once, it's something that should sit on your shelf for 3 - 6 months as you test out new ideas, new shots, new lighting and other camera hacks. The author, which oddly enough isn't Heather Perry like the meta suggests. It's Mark Thiessen that's responsible for crafting the copy worth reading.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

National Geographic does such a wonderful job on their photography guides. They are very approachable, give lots of examples, and sufficient explanations so one can execute the technique. This was mainly digital photography so didn’t fit my needs right now but I will come back to it in the future.

[Rhonda O'Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wide comprehensive coverage of photography elements without going into too much depth. I loved the photos incorporated to support the photographic element topic of the page, they why I love this photo at the end, and the mini photo assignments to try.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous. Good suggestions.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book that covers everything, just not in the greatest depth. Worth a look.

[Bryson Hall]

Take pictures funny pictures

[Hunter Panoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻