Ooooo! What could be better? My two favorite things: photography and books.
One of the first things I did when I got a camera that had adjustable settings was go to the library and check out photography books. For anyone wanting to explore photography books, the library is a great way to get started. I checked out a bunch of books that looked good and went through them, eventually purchasing one book, Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure." Photography books can be pricey, so getting them from the library first is a great way to get information and save money at the same time.
Recently, I also purchased two other photography-related books: "The Photographer's Eye," by Michael Freeman and "The Digital Photographer's Guide to Photoshop Elements 4," by Barry Beckham. The first book is all about composition and design. I'm hoping it offers inspiration for new ways of seeing and making photographs -- looks good so far. The second book is exactly what the title says. The nice thing about both (in addition to the fact that I bought them with a holiday gift card) is that they have big color pictures and lots of detail. Very helpful for us wanna-be photographers :).
Now, since Stacy left this theme open for interpretation, I'm also going to suggest some non-photography books I've read in the last few months. "A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel and "The Samurai's Garden" by Gail Tsukiyama are not new releases and are both in paperback, so you can pick up inexpensive copies (or check them out from your trusty library). Kimmel's work is a wacky memoir of her childhood; Tsukiyama's is a quiet, moving novel about beauty and humanity. I am currently reading "Three Cups of Tea," a nonfiction work on the best-seller list (also in paperback) documenting the journey of a mountain climber turned humanitarian who has established schools in impoverished areas of Pakistan. So far, it is fascinating.
I've been keeping a reading journal since September; nothing fancy, just writing down the books I've read and rating them. This way, I can actually remember what I read and whether or not I'd recommend them. Unfortunately, many turn out to be simply "OK" or not worthy of passing along. However, since this is probably the only time "books" will be a Theme Thursday theme, I'll have to think of another excuse to post about good books :).
Happy reading!
9 comments:
Adorable photo! I love the reading journal idea, even just a scrap paper somewhere..I definitely need to do that!
Yes, our pictures are very similar...adorable photo of your son! Thanks for sharing your books, too. I love to hear what others are reading. :)
Great pictures and thanks for the photography book reccomendations! I have read A Girl Named Zippy, and I enjoyed it too. :o)
Great shots, and I second Christina - thanks for the recommendations! I will have to check some of those out!
Another place that you can sometimes get a good price on photography books is the community college. Some of the books are used, so they are much cheaper, but more than likely they just say on someone's shelf for a semester and never even got opened...
I love the photos. I JUST checked out the Barry Beckham book from the library on Tuesday, how funny!
and thanks for book recommendations. Not that I have time to read, but I like to fantasize about it.
Three Cups of Tea is one of the most amazing books I've EVER read in my life. As an educator, I strive to have a positive impact on my children's lives. If only I have a hundredth...a thousandth, I could make such a difference in this world. I highly recommend it to everyone who will listen to me. I even wrote a long post about it as soon as I finished it.
Have you read A Thousand Splendid Suns?
Wonderful book pictures...great job.
What a wonderful picture of your son! And thanks for the book recs. My reading list is getting so much longer this week...
Samurai's Garden sounds interesting, I'll have to check that out! And, I love seeing kids enjoying books.
Be impressed, Meeg...though I normally read trash, I actually HAVE read the Samurai's Garden. Amy:)
Post a Comment