June 27

30+ Mind-Blowing Photography Books Free for Download

What do you need to take good pictures? As they say the answer is practice, practice and practice. And a good photography book free for download won't hurt either.

Sure, good lighting conditions and a decent camera (in September 2019 I switched from my regular Nikon DSLR to the smaller, more practical and fun mirrorless DSLR Panasonic G85)  will help, but to really master your skills you need to become very intimate (almost in a freaky way) with your equipment. 

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Expert photographers say you should almost know what will come out before you press the shutter button. But are you really this good? Certainly I'm not. But I do like taking pictures when I travel, and a camera is certainly part of my recommended travel gear.

The majority of us mortals will take very good pictures only every now and then, but will sure have a heck of a lot of fun along the way.

henri cartier

Henri Cartier Besson

" Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst."


Practice makes perfection, yet there are shortcuts that can make that journey to become an optimum photographer , the most common being books and courses.

In this article you'll find  a list of free easy-to-read ebooks that you can download at no cost, bringing you new ideas, different perspectives and tips to take great shots.


25 Techniques All Photographers Should Master

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As author Peter Dam explains, This e-book contains a collection of tools and techniques that any photographer can benefit from learning. Most of them are about specific composition techniques or camera settings.

However, a few of the tools are more related to your development as a photographer.  

With more than 100 tips it's a great place to start.

Going Candid

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by Thomas Leuthard is a guide to street photography, the art of catching people as they go about their everyday lives.

Street photography can be one of the most natural or most difficult types of photography depending on the awareness of your subject.

It is also one of the most democratic, placing ordinary people in the center of the shot.

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Follows on from Going Candid. It will take you from being a beginner to a more advanced level of street photography. It also contains some of the author’s own experiences of taking photographs in the street.

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It completes Leuthard’s trilogy of books about street photography. Unlike the other two books, it focuses on close up shots of people’s faces rather than street scenes.  All three books are available on his website.

Low Cost High Impact Portrait Photography and other Notes​​​

This is a free Kindle ebook that takes you through a number of techniques for shooting portraits with a compact camera at varying light levels.

Aperture Digital Photography Fundamentals

is a guide produced by Apple that covers all aspects of digital photography. It takes you through the techniques to use and pitfalls to avoid so you can get the best possible images with your camera.

Street Photography for the Purist

is an ebook by Chris Weeks, a professional photographer in Los Angeles. Rather than being a step-by-step guide to street photography, it is really intended for fellow enthusiasts.

Complete Guide to Lightroom 

A fantastically illustrated easy to read collection of light room tips and tricks, ideal for beginners. These simple techniques will make a big difference to the photographs you take, and make navigating Adobe Lightroom a breeze.

Passion for Photography 10 Tips

by April Blaine Hite is another straightforward guide that contains lots of useful ideas. Her passion for the subject really shines through as she guides you step by step towards taking the perfect photo.

Photography Posing Tips

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Another photography ebook by April Hite is this shorter manual  that covers all you need to know about this important aspect of the photographer’s art.

Mastering Digital SLR Photography

is a must for anyone with a digital single-lens reflex camera. David D. Beach is an expert in the field and this is an accessible guide to how you can get the best out of your SLR camera.

Tinker Tubes - Personal Lighting Systems

by Dean Collins is a very popular guide to building lightweight modular diffusion lighting systems from everyday materials found around any home. Projects in the book include making an adjustable light box as well as light panels and light houses.

Digital Photography Expert Techniques 

A guide designed for the amateur photographer to get the best out of their digital camera. You’ll really notice the difference when you start following these tips. Give your photos a professional look.

Digital Photography Pocket Guide 

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A pick up and go guide by Derrick Story ideal for working outdoors with your digital camera. Has sections on all aspects of digital photography. A good choice for the beginner.

13 Tips for Better Wildflower Photography

As the name suggests is all about photographing flowers in their natural environment. The book teaches you how to get the most natural images possible.

The Textbook of Digital Photography

A comprehensive guide ideal for students of photography. More in-depth than some of the other guides available.

Light Painting Photography

Using light sources to create stunning images at night. This will show you how to use slow release lenses to create the effect you’re looking for.


Creative Black and White

A fully illustrated guide to black and white photography. This demonstrates how black and white can give a depth to photos not always found in color.


Close Up Photography 

An extensive guide to shooting close up. Whether it’s portraits, animals or wildlife, this will show you how to get the best shot

A Photographer’s Guide to Depth of Field

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Looking at perspective in photography. Using these tips, you will soon be creating interesting images in an urban or natural environment.

Craft and Vision 

11 tips for getting better photos. A good general guide.

A Photographer’s E-Guide to Making Sharp Photographs 

How to sharpen up your photos. Blurred images will be a thing of the past!


Outdoor Photography 

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Landscape, wildlife and travel photography. Get that professional image you’re after

Vision by Scott Bourne

The basics of photographic composition. How to set up shots and pose models. Get that artistic look.

Product Photography

How to take the perfect product photograph. Ideal for the commercial photographer. Your clients will soon be impressed once you start using the tips here.

Shooting Black and White


Everything you need to know about black and white photography. A step-by-step introduction to creating enigmatic and interesting images by Mark Carwardine.

Other Things You Can Do to Improve Your Photography

As you probably know by now the best thing you can do is spend time taking pictures, understanding your camera and its features, and learning what works best for the pictures you want to take.

These free photography ebooks will give you pointers and ideas, but if you don't put them to practice they wont help you much. Other avenues you may want to pursue include:

  • Online photography courses like those you'll find in Skillshare.
  • Free Youtube photography learning channels (I particularly like James Popsys and Mike Browne )
  • Join guided photography tours near your location (GetYourGuide.com has tons of these all over the world like these in New York, for example)

And that's about it! There's not much more you can do to improve your photography, other than using these tools, learning the simple tips first, having decent gear and enjoying what you do.


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  1. Here I see some cool e-books finally to learn some good and close to professional photography. There would not be a teacher to measure the excellence of my photographs. However, I am sure the guidance from these e-books would prove much useful.

  2. Photography is a superb art of catching priceless moments, and I never even imagined it would get so easier to master this art just through these various e-books. Really I am so glad to know about these e-books, thanks for sharing this important information.

  3. Thanks for sharing these 30 Free Photography Ebooks. I would love to download these all and read them.

  4. So many e-books are available to learn correct photography and I always believed in paying hundreds and thousands of dollars to learn professional photography. But these e-books can teach quite good stuff if you try going through the data and practice it on your own. Thnaks for sharing.

  5. Thanks for sharing these free easy-to-read ebooks. I will definitely download some of these to get more learning in photography.

  6. It’s really a great and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

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