Readers' Suggestions of Good Books for Learning

...Following up from "Learn Photography Mo' Betta: Ten (+) Recommended Books (and a Poster)."

Kenneth Tanaka: "Some good choices there, Mike.

"My own list would meander outside the boundaries of photography and into the realms of modern (i.e. 1900+) art and design history for grounding and sources for visual and conceptual inspiration.

"But as I'm pressed for time at the moment that list will have to wait. Still, since you highlighted Bryan Petersen's Exposure book (how does he find the time to take a picture?) I do want to offer that Petersen's Learning to See Creatively is an excellent exposition on expanding your photographic vision. There are many such books but Petersen's lively and inviting style makes his messages easy to grasp immediately.

"Even better is The Photographer's Mind by the equally popular photo author Michael Freeman. This is also an engaging, but much deeper look at the visual, cultural, and psychological aspects of managing photographic space. Even if you've been using a camera for 50 years I can virtually guarantee that you'll find something very interesting and perhaps even immediately useful in Freeman's book. It's inexpensive. Just get it.

"(Both titles are also available on Kindle.)

"Gotta go!"

Frank Field: "Very good list. I guess in my own case I would replace Szarkowski's Looking at Photographs with Brooks Jensen, Looking at Images [available at Lenswork.com —Ed.]. I own both; I see Szarkowski's book more as a history of photography up to the early 1970s and have never really warmed up to it, at least not as an inspiration to my own photography. Much has transpired since 1970 and I find it much easier to relate to more current events. Brooks' 2014 book speaks more clearly to me."

psu: "Nice list. Galen Rowell's Mountain Light is also insightful and full of great pictures."

Mike replies: Galen's great classic was on earlier lists, so yes, spot on.

Mike Reyburn: "The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression by Bruce Barnbaum is an excellent book covering all aspects of creative photography. Although the book was originally written for the traditional film photographer, the current edition has several chapters for the digital photographer. For the few remaining B&W darkroom printers, I recommend Tim Rudman's book on toning methods, The Photographer's Toning Book (out of print and only available used —Ed.). This is a very comprehensive volume which covers all creative toning techniques."

Manuel: "One book that worked as a real eye-opener to me was Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos. At the time I bought it I was just taking random pictures of banal scenes with a point-and-shoot, but that book taught me how to be more discerning and prompted me to learn and evolve. Crucially, it taught me the basic principles of composition, faming, contrast and harmony. I dare say I owe a lot to Mr. Freeman's words. Now re that poster: I want it! Where (how) can I get one?"

Mike replies: Ted's poster sale page was linked in the original article.

David Kerr: "Worth mentioning is Light Readings: A Photography Critic's Writings, 1968–78, by A. D. Coleman. This book has been in my library since its publication; a collection of essays I have often come back to over the years."

Mike replies: A favorite of mine, too.

Robert Hudyma: "I have read much of what Ansel Adams has published, and indeed the world of imaging has changed since he wrote his books as there has been a fundamental shift from silver-halide based imaging to silicon-sensor based imaging. But the one book that I found the most useful was Ansel's Polaroid Land Photography only because it had everything you need to know in one place. Highly recommended, and sadly out-of-print.  

Mike replies: Really? Wow, that's the one book of the 1980s series that I never read. Maybe I should.

Hugh Smith: "One of my favorite light photography books was (and is) The Shy Photographer by Jock Carroll. I read it first in 1968. It's still funny. Too funny. Mi dos pesos. "

Mike replies: I'd never heard of that one. Here's what Amazon has to say about it:

"Jock [Carroll]'s only novel, Bottoms Up (later re-released as The Shy Photographer), is a satire about the magazine industry, and the heroine, Gloria Heaven, is based on Marilyn [Monroe]. Unable to get the book published in Canada, Jock turned to Maurice Girodias, owner of the Olympia Press in Paris. Girodias was already famous, having published Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, and The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy. Unlike North American publishers who thought Bottoms Up had too much sex in it, Girodias didn't think it had enough. He asked Jock to spice it up, which he did. Under the title The Shy Photographer, the book was translated into a half dozen languages and sold half a million copies."

Daniel: "As stated, a number of good choices. I would add this one. Matters of Light & Depth is one of the best I have ever seen on lighting. It is an exploration of the topic from many angles. Not a 'how to' book with formula lighting."

"Through Another Lens: My Years With Edward Weston by Charis Wilson and Wendy Madar is another that is excellent. A look at one of America's iconic photographers from his girlfriend/wife/model/companion. A good look at Weston during some of his most productive years."

John Custodio: "One of the photo books that would make my top 10 for 2015 is Harvey Wang’s From Darkroom to Daylight. Harvey interviews many well-known photographers about how the transition from film to digital has affected them and their work. Some photographers decided to make the transition, some not. This book was important to me because I remember going through the same transition."

Paul Whiting: "Art and Fear brings to mind a similar title: The Courage to Create, by Rollo May—a book that helped me. And how about The Daybooks of Edward Weston, both California and Mexico? [The link is to a single two-in-one volume —Ed.] Very little on photography per se, but much on the creative mind at work."

Mike replies: I need to do a whole post on the Daybooks. When I was learning photography in the 1980s, the set was considered a must-read for anyone who had ambitions to be a serious artist-photographer, at least in the circles in which I traveled. It was an indivisible part of the shared background of the culture. I realized five or ten years ago that familiarity with the Daybooks has drifted away from our common experience. A shame, I think, as it is as close to a great classic as the intellectual culture of photography has ever produced: enlightening, entertaining, useful, and historically relevant all at the same time.

Mike
(With thanks to all our wonderful commenters)

Original contents copyright 2015 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Comments

[John Krumm]

I enjoy this book by Orland. Nice mixture of memoir and photographs....

http://www.amazon.com/Scenes-Wonder-Curiosity-Photographs-Writings/dp/0879237686/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449850795&sr=1-1&keywords=Scenes+of+wonder+and+curiosity

[Andrew Vartabedian]

I have found Stephen Shore's The Nature of Photographs: A Primer to be both perplexing and invaluable. I have been able to understand it in new ways every time I consult it. I feel like it acts as both a guide to looking at photographs as well as a guide for making them. Its sparse commentary allows the patient reader some time time and space to explore.

[Bill Mitchell]

There needs to be a single coffee-table book with the "greatest" famous photographs all included.
There are lots of these for paintings.

[Matthew]

Thanks for posting all the suggestions. As someone new to photography it's easy to get lost in the sea of books out there. I think my reading list is now well, and fully stocked for the foreseeable future.

[DavidB]

I was a bit overwhelmed with the initial list as I had never read any of them -- and perhaps I should. I've been trying to figure out which one or two or three to start with and now the list has expanded.

Oh, my!

Think I'll go outside and shoot some photos, instead.

[Mark Roberts]

I'll suggest one you recommended when you were on the Pentax-Discuss mail List a few years ago. It has been available under two titles, "Photographs, George Eastman House, Rochester, N.Y." or "Photography from 1839 to today" (ISBN 9783822870730 seems to apply to both titles)
It's a small (6 x 8 inches) but hefty (2-1.2 inches thick and about five pounds weight) tome that covers a massive amount of territory in one volume with about 700 images. The only downside is that the photos are limited in size by the small dimensions of the book but it's still a great reference. Seems to be out of print now but second hand copies don't seem to be hard to come by.

[Erik Petersson]

I find Sontag's book "on photography" inspiring, as it makes me reflect what photography is. why, instead of how.

[Doug Howk]

Any of the Lustrum Press series on photography including "Fashion", "Nude","Landscape", "Portrait", "Contact" as well as the two volumes on "Darkroom". It is insightful to read of how master photographers approach the subjects.
I suspect Sally Mann's "Hold Still" will become a classic in the literature of photography. She may even be a better writer than photographer.

[marcin wuu]

I wonder if there is a book from which a fish can lear to ride a bike. I bet it would be just as useful.

[Jim Zietz]

Always late to the party, but the books I learned most from were the Leica Manual, Ansel Adams' The Print and The Negative, and the Time-Life series on photography. All of them were from the late seventies, so I guess that dates me.

The book I learned most from about digital imaging was a small publication by Stephen Johnson in the early nineties called Making A Digital Book. It was about how he created his book The Great Central Valley using digital techniques before that was a common practice. He shot film and scanned his negatives.

[Sean]

Beauty In Photography by Robert Adams is a small book to hold, but one that leaves a big impression.

Geoff Dyer's The Ongoing Moment is a book that'll help you see that you not being first to shoot man in a hat is no bad thing

Image Makers Image Takers by Anne - Celine Jaeger is for anybody who's interested in hearing what some of the biggest names in photography have to say. The book contains interviews with art directors, curaters, agents, and photographs like Alec Soth & Mary Ellen Mark and more

[Hugh Look]

Picked up some very interesting ones I hadn't heard of from your original post and the comments. Books can be especially useful when you are making the transition between different ways of thinking and working. Three that I've found rewarding when I was trying to do something a bit more thoughtful are Paul Hill's Approaching Photography (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Approaching-Photography-Paul-Hill/dp/1861083238), Stephen Shore's The Nature of Photographs (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nature-Photographs-Primer-Stephen-Shore/dp/0714859044/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449873228&sr=8-1&keywords=shore+nature+photographs) and Magnum Contact Sheets (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnum-Contact-Sheets-Center-Photography/dp/0500543992). The first two made me concentrate on the content of photographs and think about why I was taking them anyway. Both are also terrific anthologies in their own right. The Magnum book is great at helping to understand and apply the fine choices that have to be made between slight variations for something to be really satisfying and interesting rather than just OK. I come back to these more than any others when I've got stuck or run out of ideas.

[ctein]

Dear Folks,

Since this won't take one cent out of any other author's pocket, I don't feel it's inappropriate to mention...

If you still do film photography and darkroom printing, you'd be crazy to not have a copy of POST EXPOSURE...

... 'cause it's FREE!

http://ctein.com/PostExposure2ndIllustrated.pdf

And worth every penny, I daresay. Your money back, 100% guaranteed, if not completely satisfied.

pax / Ctein

[s.wolters]

In the last few years I have tried to teach some friends and relatives the technical basics. Some of them did not have a clue about photography. The main problem is the overkill. So people tend to be busy with brands, megapixels, megazooms, motordrives, photoshop or silly things like the rule of thirds before knowing anything about let’s say aperture in relation to depth of field.

It’s hard to find a book or a website with a simple, straight, no nonsense introduction to photography. (Hopefully one day Ctein will write one; he’s good at separating chaff from wheat).

‘Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs’ & ‘Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs of People’ by Henry Carroll are two recent books that seem okay. I did not buy nor read them, but this is the kind of introduction I was thinking of.

cambrigeincolour.com is a good website, but already a bit too complex for a starter. And the chapter ’How to Photograph Art, and just about anything else’ on dallasartsrevue.com is very sympathetic.

Of course there are many interesting monographs or philosophical books about photography as an art, the role it has in our society et cetera. But as with all education it all begins with the right basics.

[Nigel Voak]

“The Principals of Composition in Photography” by Andreas Feininger was a fundamental book for me on my long photographic journey.

Long out of print, but available second hand, this slim little volume is for me is the book on composition from which I have learnt the most.

Some of his opinions on leading lines and S curves are surprising.

Beg, borrow or steal a copy of this book.

[Ilkka]

Ansel Adams Examples is also very good, and a good companion to his negative and print. The story behind many of his most iconic images.

[Jack]

Robert Hudyma recommended Polaroid Land Photography by Adams. I still have the book and it was one of the few photo books that made the move out of Wisconsin this summer. I then reread the book this fall for the first time since 1980. It speaks of Ansel's delight with being able to accomplish instant reviews of an image and foretells my assumption that Ansel would have truely embraced digital imaging. You can get the book on Amazon for under $3.

I confess I kept this as one of his books because the cover shot is an image I am fortunate enough to own. I purchased it in 1978 assuming it was from a standard negative and was interested to discover it was from a Polaroid negative.

The book also first gave me the marketing idea of sometimes providing a client of my photographs a digital book that has as its cover an image that matches the enlargement they have purchased. I usually do this for any image that is printed at least 50". I pass that on as a recommended tip to my fellow photographers.

[Dale]

I find that my two most recommended instructional book authors are Bryan Peterson and Michael Freeman.
Always Bryan first because of his enthusiasm for developing your creativity and taking ownership of your image. I was a fan of his books and took a 4 day workshop when he was in town. Within the first hour of the workshop he completely changed my approach. Freeman is the books after Bryan has created the spark, slightly more academic in his approach.

[Ian Provan]

I'm a bit late with this, but anyway... I would second Stephan Shore's The Nature of Photography and Robert Adams' Beauty in Photography, and add another by Robert Adams, Why People Photograph.

[Herman Krieger]

Another photo book, suitable for holy days-
.

[Pen Waggener]

Mike,

Hugh's comment about "The Shy Photographer" intrigued me, but when I followed your link to Amazon, it looked like no copies were available. Searching for "Shy Photographer" found a different listing for the book with modestly priced hardcovers and robotically-priced paperbacks available. I seem to remember that you only get a cut on directly-linked sales, so you might want to update the link in Hugh's comment.

[NancyP]

Double Take: a comparative look at photographs, Richard Whelan. 1981, oop.
Pairs of B&W photos taken at the same location by different (mostly) well-known film photographers - interesting to contemplate compositional choices, etc.

"Any" decent history of photography survey text with adequately reproduced photographs.

The three books by Michael Freeman "The photographer's ____" (eye, mind,vision) - basic composition, the sort of thing that one learns in studio art classes.