I really enjoy "the Bastards Book of Photography". There are a few reasons:
1) The sequence feels right. Everyone can start with photography, you don't need the fancy equipment, and you can start with what you have.
2) The text starts people on the road to manual settings, i.e. learning the camera. The mechanics are not what photography as art is all about, that's composition and creativity. But, without practice and understanding the mechanics until they are second nature it's very hard to realize your composition and vision efficiently.
3) This is a starting point with some help to novices. If this helps someone take a slightly better vacation or family photograph, great. The text straight off the about page sums it up.
There are concerns:
1) "Wow" is what teaches?
There seem to be two major paths to learning from experts:
If they are dead there are books. Review: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print by Ansel Adams. Highly technical from a master who had a nervous breakdown after putting everything into his art to for a showing. Still not a great starting point for the novice. They are fantastic books for someone who's more advanced and ready to get into the minutia. This is contrary to the message that people should just go look at compositions and dive in.
Expert workshops: If wow is what teaches, than there are many expert photographers who conduct workshops. For the majority of novice to curious photographers my advice has always been to save the money and go out with a photo club or some photo friends. None of the people in these clubs are probably "wow" experts, but it's a bit like learning a sport by matching up with someone of equal skill rather than paying to be taught by a pro before you know what you are getting into.
2) Technical Details: These are common practice. The body of the site directs people to learn their own settings and exposure. I'd read more into the text and intent than the photo details.
3) Photography is art? Not to the majority of people who just want to take photos on vacation or of the family. The most common questions I get are: What camera to buy (well addressed here), what do those settings on my camera dial mean (addressed fairly well here), and how do I take better pictures (good starting points to think about composition).
4) Go look at good photos. Agree. Fair? No. The big investment for most people is time. From point #1, there are a lot of good books at the library... if you are of the willing.
I was/am a hobbiest and semi-professional photographer (landscapes). I'll try my best to answer your question.
I'd start with two 'threads': "composition" and "technical execution". The oversimplification is these are exclusive.
There are a lot of resources about technical execution: exposure, image manipulation, printing. Equipment is a concern as well: filters, Canon/Nikon, good "glass", etc. For the most part digital cameras have automated what was essentially a master craft. If you get really interested in the old school, Ansel Adams's The Camera, The Negative, and The Print are great to flip through. Photoshop and similar tools are incredibly powerful (and dangerous).
Composition is the artistry of the photograph. There are a lot of easy things to get you started with composition. This entry has 4 "rules" and there is a following post about how to break them:
Composition is often overlooked, but it's the most important skill. As you learn more and more you can find your own personal style. Also, you'll find good advice that is specific to the photography you're interested in: Still life? Macros? Portraits? Sports? Landscapes? Studio?
The most beneficial approach I've found are photography sites like usefilm.com and flickr. Browse through and find those inspirational images and photographers that you really enjoy. Then, set aside a little time to evaluate WHY you like what you are seeing? Is it the arrangement of light and dark? Geometry? Color? What are the things that make it great? What conditions lead to the great shot? Is what you are seeing repeatable by you?
If you have the time, you can learn about graphic design - just formal 2D design with basic shapes and layouts... these skills are general and apply to photography, painting, typography... big return for a small investment.
It's hard to answer your open-ended question to my satisfaction, but if you are able to reply with more detail I can try to help some more.
and remember
the best camera is the one you have with you. So, carry that camera around - even if it's a cell phone.
It's been quite a few years for me since I took color theory in college for my art degree. I think that you can automate color compliments with 2, 3, 4, or x colors by using "vectors" to compute the opposite hues... cutting the HSV model in halves for two colors, thirds for three, etc.
To get to the aesthetics, you'll have to use voting or surveys, and the reason is somewhat straightforward. Here are a few resons (not all):
The appeal of colors change over time with fashion and trends. In the US, mint green and canary yellow in the 1930s, white and cherry red in the 1940s, the list goes on for consumer goods and their colors. Think of vintage goods and their colors. Pantone produces color forecasts and tweaks their colors over time to reflect tastes.
Cultural differences. Color symbolism plays a large role - after all part of a designer's skill is selecting the right color for the specific context of an assignment. White for mourning in Asia != white for a wedding. One thought is that the region or location may be significant in the aesthetic judgment. If I remember correctly, the ArthurAnderson logo was orange because it was a color that could be used globally without negative meaning.
One last note, which comes from my training in a modernist driven school, is the form and the function of a design in black and while should be rock solid and work before adding color and the complexity... I think this was taught so that the novice students we were would learn the basics of typography, form, and balance before getting into colors.
As to the aesthetics: You can use the voting model like colorlovers (I hope that older votes are when tracking current color trends), use A/B testing if you are a web designer, or fall back to a company like Pantone to help you find current trends. Someone like google might be able to tie click paths to color schemes ... in other words data mine to establish what is a trend.
Um. If you actually look at the numbers they still earn less than computer engineering and computer science. Their overall percentage of change is higher but earn net less across the board for the 4 year college compatible technical degrees. I think IT here means ITT Tech, etc?
I wish they compared years of education in each space - Masters or Doctorate to each other...
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity. Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series "Rama II".
1) The sequence feels right. Everyone can start with photography, you don't need the fancy equipment, and you can start with what you have.
2) The text starts people on the road to manual settings, i.e. learning the camera. The mechanics are not what photography as art is all about, that's composition and creativity. But, without practice and understanding the mechanics until they are second nature it's very hard to realize your composition and vision efficiently.
3) This is a starting point with some help to novices. If this helps someone take a slightly better vacation or family photograph, great. The text straight off the about page sums it up.
There are concerns:
1) "Wow" is what teaches?
There seem to be two major paths to learning from experts:
If they are dead there are books. Review: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print by Ansel Adams. Highly technical from a master who had a nervous breakdown after putting everything into his art to for a showing. Still not a great starting point for the novice. They are fantastic books for someone who's more advanced and ready to get into the minutia. This is contrary to the message that people should just go look at compositions and dive in.
Expert workshops: If wow is what teaches, than there are many expert photographers who conduct workshops. For the majority of novice to curious photographers my advice has always been to save the money and go out with a photo club or some photo friends. None of the people in these clubs are probably "wow" experts, but it's a bit like learning a sport by matching up with someone of equal skill rather than paying to be taught by a pro before you know what you are getting into.
2) Technical Details: These are common practice. The body of the site directs people to learn their own settings and exposure. I'd read more into the text and intent than the photo details.
3) Photography is art? Not to the majority of people who just want to take photos on vacation or of the family. The most common questions I get are: What camera to buy (well addressed here), what do those settings on my camera dial mean (addressed fairly well here), and how do I take better pictures (good starting points to think about composition).
4) Go look at good photos. Agree. Fair? No. The big investment for most people is time. From point #1, there are a lot of good books at the library... if you are of the willing.
As for disclaimer about skill, &c: People have paid for my photos as well. I have an art degree. Look, I'm not great but I'm handy with a camera. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanemoto/sets/72157621724362081...