Book ~ "Beyond Snapshots: How to Take That Fancy DSLR Camera Off 'Auto' and Photograph Your Life like a Pro" (2012) Rachel Devine and Peta Mazey

From Goodreads ~ Ready to Capture Your Story with Beautiful Photos?

Let professional photographers Rachel Devine and Peta Mazey show you how to use that fancy DSLR to photograph the story of your life, from falling in love and having a baby, to the everyday moments that are no less precious. You’ll learn:

• Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
• How to take portraits of your children, friends, pets—even yourself • How to capture light to make your photos more dramatic
• How to make colors pop, eyes sparkle, and skin tones more realistic
• How to capture the uniqueness and wonder of your family, friends, and world 

After all, why trust your memories to regular snapshots when with just a little knowledge, you can create beautiful photographs? 

Be inspired to see the beauty around you, every day.

I have three cameras ... a Canon point-and-shoot that is usually in my purse, a Nikon D5100 DSLR along with some lenses, and a Nikon CoolPix (that's in between the two) that I use often.  Needless to say, I take a lot of pictures.  Gord and I took some classes last year to learn how to (1) use our cameras in other than auto mode and (2) take photographs, not just pictures.

I'm still an amateur and like reading photography books to see what professionals take pictures of and how they do it.

This book is divided into the following chapters: 

1. Picking up your Camera - ISO, shutter speed, aperture, lens and focus length
2. Get to Know the Light
3. Now Shoot Something - focus, compose, reviewing, etc.
4. You are not Done Yet - software programs
5.  What Love Looks Like - couples, single subjects, aging, children family and pets
6. Milestones and Firsts - weddings, babies, etc.
7. Documenting Family Life
8. Sharing Yourself
9. Life is in the Details - around the house, people, nature, food, possessions, craft projects, etc.
10. Seeing the World (or Just Your Own  Hometown) - landscapes, scenery, shooting at night, etc.
11. Seasons of Change
12. All Together Now - informal gatherings, larger group events and group portraits

There is a description of a variety of things and a high level how-to.  There are tons of pictures and what I liked is that the ISO, F-stop, shutter speed and focal length are listed with every picture. 

I thought this was an excellent book for beginners and beyond.