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Favorite Book About Photography

Steve Hendrix

Steve Hendrix

Well-known member
We've had threads with favorite photography books, which typically center on books that present the photography itself. But I'm currently reading (almost finished) Sally Mann's book, Art Work: On The Creative Life, and it is one of the best books on photography, art, and just one of the most interesting and best written books period I've ever read. I was interested in the book and bought it, and wouldn't have been surprised if I skimmed through it, but found myself absorbing every word. She's a talented writer in putting herself into your head and speaking directly to you, and she has a great style of mixing expansive thoughts peppered with down home, get er done phrasing. I found it a valued treatise on many things.

What is one of your favorite books about photography?


Steve Hendrix
[email protected]
 
I enjoyed Art Work as well. Yesterday I finished reading the new book Everything is Photograph - A Life of Andre Kertesz, by Patricia Albers, which I highly recommend. It's a well-written survey of a fascinating life and character, and helps give one perspective on one's own creative path as well. Kertesz was quite a complex character - generous and giving at times, and quite the opposite at other times. He was lucky to have finally received worldwide recognition during his lifetime, but I am not sure from reading this book if he ever fully appreciated it (it seems he never got over having to leave the artists' paradise of 1920's Paris to live in the U.S.). Fascinating read, and I was surprised to learn that he and his wife had bought a country cottage quite close to where I live in CT.

As for my favorite text photography book, it would be Art Can Help by Robert Adams, which is beautifully written and uplifting - something we really need these days!

Thanks for starting this thread - I am always looking for recommendations.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Peter

mendelsonfineartphotography.com
 
I own a lot of photography books spanning several genres, from a lot of different photographers. But all of them are a silent bunch, preferring to let their photos do the talking :) With the exception of one: I do own a single photography book where the photographer talks about his journey and/or the things he experienced, and that is Joel Meyerowitz and the book is called 'Where I find myself'. It's a big book, with many pages, many photographs, and Joel's words and anecdotes add an extra layer to the already beautiful photos.
 
Steve,
I am sorry. I read the free sample on Amazon and found her rumbling rather boring.
As to "best books on photography, art, and just one of the most interesting and best written books" my recommendation here is The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum. (No association, but must have taken at least a dozen of his workshops over the last thirty years, next one is to start next week.)
I have yet to see any publication which is as detailed and comprehensive as The Art of Photography, in particular regarding its discussion about composition, elements of composition, and how to approach photography as an art form. On the other hand, its comprehensiveness, detailed discussion, and often long philosophical discourses makes it more something for the advanced photographer who already has a solid grasp of the fundamentals. Also largely focused on B&W film photography - Bruce Barnbaum being well known for his artistic and technical impressive B&W silver halide prints.
MN
 
I tend to avoid books about photography as art (make me feel inadequate) but, before we can make art, we have to develop technique. In that context, I have a couple of books that I have used a fair bit. For detailed discussion there is Stroebel's View Camera Technique (Focal). When I just want to remind myself of some simple way to apply movements - sort of Movments for Dummies - I check into Simmons Using the View Camera ((Amphoto).
 
ThdeDude said:
Steve,
I am sorry. I read the free sample on Amazon and found her rumbling rather boring.
As to "best books on photography, art, and just one of the most interesting and best written books" my recommendation here is The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum. (No association, but must have taken at least a dozen of his workshops over the last thirty years, next one is to start next week.)
I have yet to see any publication which is as detailed and comprehensive as The Art of Photography, in particular regarding its discussion about composition, elements of composition, and how to approach photography as an art form. On the other hand, its comprehensiveness, detailed discussion, and often long philosophical discourses makes it more something for the advanced photographer who already has a solid grasp of the fundamentals. Also largely focused on B&W film photography - Bruce Barnbaum being well known for his artistic and technical impressive B&W silver halide prints.
MN
Click to expand...


I think if I had read the sample on Amazon, I might have had the same reaction, but I didn't, and reading the full book for me produced a more well rounded and interesting reading experience. I'm glad I did not read the sample. Ultimately, I appreciated her writing style as much as the subject itself. And I'll admit, I was interested in hearing her story and her experience as a very notable photographer in America, more than learning tactics for producing photography or art.

But then, I expect books about photography produce many different reactions, I have numerous other books, including several by Robert Adams, that I've never gotten through.

Steve Hendrix
[email protected]
 
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Steve Hendrix said:
I think if I had read the sample on Amazon, I might have had the same reaction, but I didn't, and reading the full book for me produced a more well rounded and interesting reading experience. ...

Steve Hendrix
[email protected]
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply to my posting. Just bought a kindle copy. Will read within the next few days.

If I would have read your post more carefully, if I would have read what Amazon says, if I would have just read the title of the book I would have realized that Art Work: On The Creative Life is more about the artist, Sally Mann, and her creative process, than about photography per se.
 
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I read Ms Mann's latest book as well as her earlier memoir Hold Still. Both excellent reads, she majored in creative writing in college--not photography or art, and the writing is entertaining and informative. I also saw her in conversation at the Getty Center earlier this week and she comes across as no-nonsense and modest about her work. The anecdotes were fun and interesting, she is very focused on what she does.

Another book on photography that is a combination of little essays and wonderful photos is Michael Kenna's Photographs and Stories.
 
Thanks! Now in my Amazon cart.

If we're talking about what our own favs are, Ansel Adams's collection, Robert Adams, Why People Photograph, and Barry Thornton's amazing, Edge of Darkness.
 
Over Christmas I finally got a copy of Dan Winters book the “Road to Seeing”. I have scanned the book and read about 20% so far. It is really good.

I can see why his publisher unofficially named the book: Moby Dan. The book was way bigger than I was expecting.
 
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After having spent long time reading technical guides and, then, admiring the works of famous authors on their project books, I've moved since to books that make me reason about the very essence of photography, in a more conceptual way.

Some of the beloved books of this last period of mine:
  1. Stephen Shore: The Nature of Photographs
  2. Stephen Shore: Solving Pictures
  3. Luigi Ghirri: Lezioni di Fotografia
  4. Ugo Mulas: The process of photography – Le Verifiche
One project book that I still love (and own) is "Ravens" by Masahisa Fukase , but I'd rather go to exhibitions than buying project books nowadays.
 
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I'm not sure that I have a favourite book about photography, but I like David Campany's book, On Photographs. It pairs up a photography and one page of thoughtful and insightful commentary about the photograph and the photographer. If you like a curated tour, this book is for you. It's a terrific way to get a rapid survey of the landscape.

Another enjoyable read is Sasha Wolf's book Photo Work: Forty Photographers on Process and Practice. Sasha uses a photographic "Proust's Questionnaire". Forty photographers are asked to respond to the same 12 questions. There are no photographs: just the answers. The value in this book for me is twofold: (1) it helps you get deeply into the mind of forty photographers, and reveals the enormous diversity in approaches; and (2) you can answer the questions yourself to get into your own mind and reveal things you haven't thought about consciously. My approach to the book was to read the profile, and then hop on the Internet to find examples of the person's work.

I also like books written by experienced photographers who are trying to make sense of their own work. Two examples are Jay Maisel's book, It's not About the F-Stop, and William Neill's Light on the Landscape. I don't necessarily need to like the person's work to appreciate the ideas. I enjoy it when artists reveal themselves in writing, with pictures. I asked my daughter to get me Alone Street for Christmas -- not because I particularly like Crewdson's work, but because I like the way he talks about what he's trying to do.
 
Let's not forget Weston's Daybooks. Here is a small sample of some of the books on photography I have and have read. Most of the rest of the photo library is monographs, close to 200 at last estimate. Due to space restrictions, theory and practice get mixed with straight photo books on my shelves.

Books-topaz-enhance.jpeg
 
John Szarkowski Photographs is a collection of his pictures along with some great letters to other photographers, friends and collectors, about making photographs, and why we do it. He was a photographer before he became chief curator at MOMA, and went back to photographing after he retired.
 
Pieter 12 said:
Let's not forget Weston's Daybooks. Here is a small sample of some of the books on photography I have and have read. Most of the rest of the photo library is monographs, close to 200 at last estimate. Due to space restrictions, theory and practice get mixed with straight photo books on my shelves.

View attachment 226845
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Such a nice shelf. I find myself looking at my shelves of photography books and wondering what will become of them.
 
Giving away my age here but I like books by and about A. Aubrey Bodine:
A. Aubrey Bodine, Baltimore Pictorialist 1906-1970
Bodine-A Legend in His Time
Bodine's Chesapeake Country
Bodine's Industry
Bodine's City
My Maryland
Dave in NJ
 
Those who have read a photography book, can you write a paragraph or two about the book and how it affected you?

I like the book "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn and Bill Jay. In the beginning he writes about the importance of a friend or mentor with "devastating frankness," as that is the best way to grow. Hearing from someone, you trust not be jealous or petty, say your images suck, can be the best way to improve one's photography.
 
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Maybe not my favorite book, but to me one of the most important is "The History of Photography" by Newhall. I find that too many younger photographers have no sense of the history. While it may not necessarily improve your skills as a photographer, it undoubtedly deepens your appreciation for photography as an artistic discipline.
 
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