Rating: 
Summary: Awesome reference tool for any situation
Review: I bought this book when I first got into photography. Although I have not shot every applicable situation reference in this book, it is a definite most for the aspiring photographer or enthusiast. A must have, even if your just starting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for understanding basic photographic techniques
Review: I've read this book several times and have found extremely useful for taking professional quality photographs. Make no mistake: This is an entry level book. But it certainly rates five stars for explaining clearly and concisely the basics of taking good photographs. Also, it points readers to areas where they will want to do more study to better understand more advanced photographic techniques. This book is must for any photographer's book shelf.
Rating:
Summary: photography at its best...
Review: This book has a lot of tips from a lot of great NG photographers. Outstading photography adorns it from cover to cover. It also has a good reference section in the back for travel, web sites and books. I read it in less than a week but I think I have to go back and digest it a few times more as there was a lot to remember when reading it the first time. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Save your money. Buy one book. Buy this book.
Review: As you can probably tell by now, this book is popular among Amazon surfers. This is due to a number of bloody good reasons:1. Easy to follow
2. Really useful information for novice and amateur photographers that can be put into practice immediately and on a daily basis.
3. All of the photos come from National Geographic staff, so as you can imagine, the quality of pictures are high. Don't let the photo on the back cover of the dorky looking authors put you off. Buy it. Read it. Take it everywhere. Treat it like your photography bible. It rocks!
Rating: 
Summary: A GOOD, BASIC GUIDE FOR ALL BEGINNERS!
Review: While I agree that much of what is printed here is very basic information, the guide is excellent resource material for the novice just venturing into the world of photography. The elementary aspects such as exposure, film speed and composition are discussed here and while the material may seem far to simple for some readers, it is a great book for beginners. The reader will also find some terrific examples of "professional photographs" which are sure to inspire almost every avid photographer. The book is certainly worth the price and would make an ideal gift for those just beginning to explore the magic, wonder and art of photography. The quality of any book bearing the name "National Geographic" speaks for itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Strictly for Dabblers
Review: Do not buy this book if you are trying to take photography seriously. A basic search on google can produce links containing much more information contained in this book. Not only are the tips extremely basic (I am a beginner), the writing style is verbose, repetitious and incoherent. Hardly anything is mentioned about composition! This book is a ten dollar way of saying ten cent things. Then why did I give it 1 star? There are some terrific photos. After all it's a National Geographic publication! The tips and suggestions provided by some photographers are good too, although these solely can't justify buying the book.
Rating:
Summary: Buy This Book if You Want to LEARN
Review: I waited about 6 months to buy a photography book after purchasing my first SLR. Now I know that I waited 6 months too long to purchase this book. This book is great for everyone from the beginner to the intermediate/advanced photographer.
I find myself in different photographic situations all the time. Whenever I cannot quite figure out what the correct exposure should be or what film speed will provide the best medium, I take out this handy little book and simply look it up. Not to mention the fact that the pages are absolutely filled with incredible pictures by these two famous photographers. It reads like a novel, but is jam packed with valuable information and tips. A "must have" for anyone that wants to take captivating photographs.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book for Beginners.
Review: The book is detailed in its description and covers almost all the questions that a beginner would ask. It has got some beautiful illustrations. The coverage of the technical aspect is terrific. The book also talks a lot about photograph composition. They also have chapters covering how different photographers work and some very helpful tips. This is a must-read for any beginner. Very Inspiring !!!
Rating:
Summary: The field guide
Review: It is providing me hours and hours of pleasure and a body knowledge from experts that I would never have got by joining a photography course. In my minds eye , I am 'on' the field. I am experimenting away but based on some pretty good advice that I know works.
Rating:
Summary: Take pictures with style!
Review: I started out with an eager desire to take beautiful pictures. Since I have painted for quite some time, I wanted to switch to this medium for expressing myself. Of course, my knowledge of photography was limited to operating point-and-clicks. I started off with buying a camera that will allow me to fall back on the automated settings and would optionally allow me to gradually ease into using the manual mode for taking the picture exactly the way I want. I purchased the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 camera and even a book that went into the details of how to operate that equipment efficiently. As an artist I could see the image I wanted to capture but I did not have comfortable medium of brush and paint. For example, I knew how to turn the dial and take a picture at dusk. But what if I has a ISO100 film in my camera and the sun was behind me? What if the color of the sky is too bright? This is where this book excels. It translated the techniques for me so I gained a tool set heretofore unknown to me. It talks about types of light, to shadows, to perspectives. Almost any camera can take sharp pictures nowadays. What if you do not WANT a sharp picture? Not only does it explain some of the basic concepts in photography but it showcases the stylistic approaches of some prominent National Geographic photographers. Its a great book to learn and understand photography for the casual photographer.
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