Here are a few of the print resources that have helped me along in my journey so far. Hopefully I'll be adding and expanding to this list before the year is up.
Digital Photography For Dummies by Julie Adair and Serge Timacheff
Some of you may scoff at the idea of reading this book, but if you're a newbie, it might be a good place to start. This was probably one of the first photography books I picked up, and I found it to be a very good introduction to what might otherwise have been an overwhelming world. It doesn't go into a lot of detail about any one topic, but it introduces some basic rules, terms, and techniques.
Digital Portrait Photography For Dummies by Doug Sahlin
This book is along much the same lines as Digital Photography For Dummies. It is essentially an introduction to portrait photography, and a good read for anyone who is just becoming acquainted with photography in general, and portrait photography in particular.
The Photographic Eye: Learning To See With A Camera (Revised Edition) by Michael F. O'Brien & Norman Sibley
The Photographic Eye came from an old school library. You might find it antiquated because of it's emphasis on film photography, but it covers all the basics and rules that apply to any type of photography. It also has short exercises that could help someone put these rules into practice.
Understanding Exposure: How To Shoot Great Photographs With Any Camera by Bryan Peterson
As it's title suggests, this book is all about learning to understand and achieve proper in-camera exposure. I found it helpful in terms of explaining what is meant by correct versus creative exposure, and how to meter for different types of situations. This has definately been one of my favourite and most useful resources so far.
Understanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters With Or Without A Macro Lens by Bryan Peterson
I love macro photography, although I often find it quite difficult. In this book, Peterson explains the difference between close-up and macro photography, and gives a lot of good tips for anyone who is interested in this topic. This has been a close runner up to Understanding Exposure as far as what I have found most useful so far.
