Which Photo magazine?

[Beggarall]

I have started to take my photography a bit more seriously and for the first time have moved the camera dial off the "auto" setting. I enjoy looking at the excellent pictures posted on this site and realise there are clearly some experts here. I thought it would probably be a good idea to subscribe to a photo/camera magazine and wonder which one would be a good starting point? Also any other advice about what to do to get better? Any help gratefully received.

[Craikeybaby]

They all seem a bit rubbish TBH, just buy one which features an article/technique you're interested in that month. After 1 months they all start to repeat content anyway.

[The_Jackal]

Yep these days with the internet there is less of a need for magazines at a fiver a pop, when all the info and more is available on the 1000's of excellent websites. Especially with YouTube now,you can learn anything you want.

Digital Camera World seem to have a lot on their website.

[Macadoodle]

Craikeybaby said:

They all seem a bit rubbish TBH, just buy one which features an article/technique you're interested in that month. After 1 months they all start to repeat content anyway.

^ This is good advice. I have quite a few magazines from about ten years ago in my workshop, and they're still trottong out the same stuff even now. The only thing that changes is the equipment. Each year each different monthly magazine will have: a landscape issue; a portrait issue; a black & white issue; a wildlife issue; an action issue etc. etc.

If I had to buy just one, then I'd lean towards the weekly Amateur Photographer. They know what they're on about and don't talk to you like you're an idiot, whilst still being easy enough to understand for the novice.

[Duffman83]

Quite simple, buy the following two books and you are laughing.

My photography has came on massively since understanding what I'm doing. Got both of these at xmas after having my camera for a good two years, should have bought them much sooner.

Not related in any way to authors and get nothing from them.

"Understanding Exposure" to understand how to take tehnically correct photos, what your settings do
"The Photographers Eye" for an idea on composition

I used to buy 3 or 4 mags a month, would skim through them, was a waste of money, only so many times you can be shown how to take pics of a waterfall. Most of them just end up repeating the same stuff every 8 months to a year.

Mags are great for kit comparisons though. I now buy the odd magazine every now and then. Found Nikon mag to be pretty decent. Good beginners tips

[Beggarall]

Thanks for advice so far - so I will save some money and not buy a subscription but will continue to buy the odd mag to read on the plane etc. Have already bought "Understanding exposure". What about good websites/forums?

[ecsrobin]

As everyone else has said the magazines offer nothing really, however i have found MagBooks (sold in WHSmith & Tesco) they offer a range of subjects B&W, Landscape, Portrait and so on and found them invaluable when I was learning to take photos, now I just keep it in Manual and shoot as they taught me a lot of what I know.

[sgrimshaw]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...