Photography 24/7 » Books and DVDs

Photographing Close to Home

Thomas — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:24:02 +0000

The Craft & Vision team has released yet another beautifully designed eBook today. Close To Home (Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Backyard) is the latest in the Craft & Vision eBook line-up.

This inspiring ebook by Stuart Sipahigil is about the challenges of finding the extraordinary in what we’ve come to see as mundane. Taking great photographs does not require traveling to an exotic place. By digging a little deeper and seeing things around you more clearly you can reinvigorate your photography and find new images in familiar territory.

Through practical insights and creative exercises you’ll discover that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

This ebook provides photographers of all levels with the tools and encouragement you need to help you get out of the ruts we all fall into. Your city, your neighborhood, and even your backyard are all full of opportunities for great photographs. Close to Home is 37 spreads of photographs, insights, and exercises that will inspire as you develop your own craft.

“Close to Home” is available (along with lots of other great titles) from the Craft & Vision website for just $5.

For a limited time only Craft & Vision has a special offer on PDFs: for the first five days only, if you use the promotional code HOME4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Close to Home for only $4 OR use the code HOME20 to get 20% off when you buy five or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes start at 1:00am PST, October 28, 2010 and expire at 11:59pm PST November 1, 2010.

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Chasing Reflections by Eli Reinholdtsen

Thomas — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:28:08 +0000

The team at Craft & Vision has released a new eBook and this one I’ve really been looking forward to with great anticipation!

I have reviewed some of the previous releases from Craft & Vision over the past couple of months in these posts:

The Craft & Vision eBooks are fantastic because they represent such awesome value at just $5 each for beautifully designed eBooks. And if you buy around the release dates of new books you can usually pick up a 20% discount making them just $4 each (you can hardly buy a large latte for that kind of money!)

The new photography eBook released today is the third in the series ‘The Print & The Process’ and is titled Chasing Reflections by Eli Reinholdtsen.

Eli Reinholdtsen is a creative photographer who, through her unique and skillful approach to reflections, captures moments and juxtapositions that are truly an art form at its finest.

Reinholdtsen digs deep and shares tangible ways to scout, setup, and shoot complex and magical photographs that push the envelope of visual poetry. Her playful descriptions aren’t shy of digging deep into the techniques required to capture movement, timing and contrast.

Quiet frankly this book is almost worth its price just for the cover shot!

It’s an amazing photograph. It’s the type of image you can come back to again and again and it sets the tone for the rest of the book.

As the title indicates this book is all about reflections. I must admit I personally have a soft spot for reflection images. Therefore I’ve also looked forward to this release and I wasn’t disappointed.

The book is divided into the following sections:

Introduction (The Premise)
Photographs – 37 pages with one reflection image per page (The Print)
Subjects, technique and tips (The Process)
Thumbnails of each of image including technical settings and a brief of discussion of how each image was created.

Overall the 37 reflection photographs included in this book are dazzling and above all very inspiring. As with any large body of work though, you’re likely to like some of the images better than others, particularly because Reinholdtsen spoils us with such a varied selection of images.

Personally I think the selection of images could have been edited just a tiny bit tighter with two or three images letting the rest of the group down a little bit. When that’s said though I still find the overwhelming majority of the images incredibly inspiring and very well executed. As you’ll learn if you buy the book, some of these images have taken hours if not days to plan requiring a good amount of patience.

“I can walk around town for days on end with my camera. If I find a good backdrop with great light I can easily wait for an hour or so for the ‘right’ person to pass by and complete the image” Reinholdtsen writes.

In ‘The Process’ section of the book Reinholdtsen discusses her creative process and generously shares tips and techniques on how you can create powerful reflection images including topics like:

Combining images
Good light for reflection images (this one might surprise you)
Mannequins and posters
Layering technique
Depth of field
Angle of shooting
Focus issues

You’ll also learn how the human form is a very powerful element in reflection images. For someone who tends to often leave the human form out of my images, this was an important lesson in itself. I find myself drawn to many of the images in this book where there is a strong presence of the human form.

I find this book to be an excellent – and very inspiring – resource on reflection images specifically. It’s a book I know I’ll return to again and again for inspiration.

You’ll notice that many of the images in Chasing Reflections are images where Reinholdtsen takes you on a small visual journey. The layered information contained in many of the images means that you can spend quite a bit of time with each image and discover new details or connections each time you return to an image. This is what is particularly wonderful about so many of Reinholdtsen’s images in this eBook.

At just $5 there really isn’t too much else to say than buy it. You won’t be disappointed!

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VENICE

Thomas — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:26:48 +0000

I’m not quite sure what David duChemin eats for breakfast, but he sure is a productive guy!

Today David releases yet another one of his great eBooks under the Craft & Vision umbrella which is based on the premise “underpromise, overdeliver”.

duChemin’s latest release is titled VENICE (The Print & The Process) and is a monograph of over 30 photographs that duChemin created along themes of loneliness and solitude over a 5-day period in Venice in May 2010.

So the question beckons, does duChemin overdeliver again this time around?

At first glance it looks a bit ‘thin’ on content. Sure, I understand it’s a monograph, and it includes 30 really beautiful images, but do you really want to part with $5 to view 30 beautiful images in an online book format? Isn’t that what we have websites for? After all $5 buys you one or two good lattes!

However duChemin drives it all home at the end of the book where he discusses the creative process followed by a discussion of the Why and the How behind the images in the book. It’s the kind of excellent and thoughtful writing we have come to expect from David duChemin.

To me this discussion at the end of the book (in combination with the beautiful collection of images of course) is well worth the sacrifice of another couple of lattes, and so the answer to the question is “Yes, he did it again!”

In my opinion anyone can read and enjoy duChemin’s new eBook, but it has particular relevance for photographers interested in learning more about the process behind creating a group of images unified around a common theme. I can highly recommend it.

Scroll down for a three-day special offer.

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New Digital Photography Book Releases

Thomas — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:20:53 +0000

If you’ve followed Photography 24/7 for some time now, you’ll know that one of my big addictions is photography books.

In fact I have a confession to make. I have several photography books in my bookshelf which I’ve only just skimmed through. They’re standing there, tall and new, waiting for me to find the time to sit down and take some proper time to look through them in more depth.

However I like the thought of always having some new inspiration to go to when I need it and when time permits. Such is my addiction to photography books.

Here are a few new and upcoming digital photography books which might interest you:

1. Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers

With the new edition of this proven bestseller, Photoshop users can master the power of Photoshop CS5 with internationally renowned photographer and Photoshop hall-of-famer Martin Evening by their side.

In this acclaimed reference work, Martin covers everything from the core aspects of working in Photoshop to advanced techniques for professional results. subjects covered include organizing a digital workflow, improving creativity, output, automating Photoshop, and using Camera RAW. The style of the book is extremely clear, with real examples, diagrams, illustrations, and step-by-step explanations supporting the text throughout. This is, quite simply, the essential reference for photographers of all levels using Photoshop.

More details on Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers.

2. Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques

Black-and-white photography poses unique challenges; without color to guide the eye, contrast, lighting, and composition take on even more importance. Renowned photographer Harold Davis explains these elements and demonstrates the basic rules of black and white photography as well as when and how to break them. He breaks through the complexity of this photographic medium, explores opportunities for black-and-white imagery, and shows how to capitalize on every one.

More details on Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques.

3. Rick Sammon’s HDR Secrets for Digital Photographers

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is a process in which a photographer shoots multiple shots of the same subject at varying exposure settings and then “stitches” the images together with photo-editing software into a single photo that presents sharper color and focus than a single image. World-renowned digital photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon reveals his most amazing HDR tips, tricks, and techniques for creating the best possible HDR images.

More details on Rick Sammon’s HDR Secrets for Digital Photographers.

4. Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-On-One

Master the fundamentals of Photoshop CS5 and make all of your images come alive. With Deke McClelland’s unique and effective learning system, you get step-by-step tutorials, hours of DVD-video demonstrations, and lots of hands-on projects to help you improve your knowledge and hone your skills.

More details on Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-On-One.

5. Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Lightroom

David duChemin, author of the bestselling Within the Frame, believes there are three images that go into making a photographer’s final image: the one she envisions, the one she shoots, and the one she develops. Vision and Voice is about this third and last component, as the photographer brings the image into the Develop module of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – today’s most popular digital darkroom.

More details on Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

6. The Digital Eye: Photographic Art in the Electronic Age

Taking readers from the earliest experiments in digital photography to the latest innovations, Wolf offers a historical perspective and points to future trends.

More details on The Digital Eye: Photographic Art in the Electronic Age.

Enjoy your reading!

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The Magic of Black and White

Thomas — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:00:17 +0000

Today Andrew S. Gibson publishes part two of his ‘The Magic of Black and White’ two-part eBook series which is available through Craft & Vision.

The Magic of Black & White

Part one of Andew S. Gibson’s ‘The Magic of Black and White’ series is about ‘the vision’ and looks at the process of seeing and capturing in monochrome. It includes subjects like ‘The Art of Black & White’ and ‘Learning To See In Monochrome’ and focuses on the many compositional elements relating to black and white photography.

The Magic of Black and White (Vision) is an excellent introduction to black and white photography, covering a wide range of subjects and is illustrated with many of Andrew’s beautiful black and white photographs over a total of 60 pages.

It’s a great eBook which, I think, can serve as a good source of inspiration for photographers of any skill level.

The Magic of Black and White – Part Two – Craft

Part two of ‘The Magic of Black and White’ series is about ‘the craft’. This second book focuses on the craft of converting your captured image into black and white in the digital darkroom. It looks at the tools needed to turn a colour digital negative into a spectacular-looking black and white image using the software of the digital darkroom, specifically Adobe Photoshop.

‘The Magic of Black and White’ part two is a 51 page downloadable PDF.

The layout has been forced into a landscape format to make viewing on the iPad even better. Using a good PDF reader like GoodReader, this eBook retains the rich layouts found in all of the other eBooks created by Craft & Vision as well as allowing non-iPad users the same great experience they’ve always had.

The Magic of Black and White (Craft) sells for the usual and ridiculously low price of USD$5.00.

Special offer for the early bird:

For the first few days only, if you use the promotional code MAGIC4 when you checkout, you can have the latest eBook for only USD$4.00 OR you can use the code MAGIC20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection.

These codes expire at 11:59pm PST June 1, 2010 – so don’t delay!

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The Top Five Best Books on Composition in Photography

Thomas — Wed, 05 May 2010 08:14:33 +0000

Rarely is a great photograph based on one single key ingredient.

A great picture is often a mixture of several ingredients such as beautiful light, the right moment, a particular expression, subject matter, timing, luck, being in the right place at the right time, mood, a specific combination of colour (or a wide range of tones in between black and white), personal vision AND composition.

Composition is like the foundation for a building. You need a good solid foundation to build your house on.

Good image design and a well-crafted composition, however, will not make for a great photograph in and of itself (just a like a foundation is not much of a house in and of itself) – so you will always need one or several of the other ingredients to make a great photograph.

Learning the skill of how to make an image, how to design your image by teaching yourself composition will lay the foundation for creating great and beautiful images.

Teaching yourself composition to the extent that it becomes second nature will leave you free to concentrate on the other ingredients that need to go into your image to make it great.

I therefore decided to compile a list of the top five books on photography composition on the market today.

The list has been compiled using a very complex and very secret algorithm that takes things like customer reviews, Amazon sales rank, star ratings and personal opinion into account. However I cannot reveal too much about my secret algorithm as otherwise I might have all the other top list makers calling me all the time for some insight.

The top five best books on photography composition are:

Drum roll…

#01: ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ by Michael Freeman

The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman

Praise for The Photographer’s Eye:

“The best book I have read on composition. This should be on every photographer’s desk, well-studied, underlined, and highlighted. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.” – David duChemin

Let me start by saying that even though I write photo books for a living (including The Joy of Digital Photography), I don’t know Michael Freeman and have never communicated with him. That said, this is easily the best composition and design book that you’ll find — and that goes for professionals as well as hobbyists. This is the first book, in fact, that I can recall that covers these topics with such depth and clarity of thought. – Jeff Wignall

#02: ‘Learning To See Creatively’ by Bryan Peterson

Learning To See Creatively by Bryan Peterson

Praise for Learnng To See Creatively:

This book is very easy to understand. There are many colorful photos with examples. As an amateur photographer who is looking to create photos this is THE book to have in your library! – Terri Bell

I bought this book to help me take better pictures. Wow… was I surprised. It has given me a whole new way to look at making pictures! – Shawn M. Herne

#03: ‘The Photograph’ by Harald Mante

The Photograph by Harald Mante

Praise for The Photograph:

This may seem to be a mutual back-scratching club, as I’m following a review by Tom Campbell, who also reviewed my own book, The Photographer’s Eye. Nevertheless, I’m compelled to say that this is the welcome return of one of the classics of composition in photography. And excellently updated and revised, too. Mante methodically and sympathetically presents an exhaustive account of the formal elements, from points and lines, through colour, to purely photographic forms such as time sequences. His painter’s training allows a refreshing and rare cross-discipline analysis. An essential read for anyone with an interest in design in photography (and any photographer SHOULD have just such an interest). – Michael Freeman (author of The Photographer’s Eye)

One of the best books I’ve read related to composition… Explained in a clear language, theory is supported by very good photos… – Manuel Vazquez Muñoz

#04: ‘Take Your Photography to the Next Level’ by George Barr

Take Your Photography To The Next Level by George Barr

Praise for Take Your Photography to the Next Level:

Wonderful book! The images and layout are excellent and the text is very readable. But most important, I feel as if the author is talking directly to me – simple, clear, friendly, and using the many images to illustrate the useful tips he is trying to convey. – Laurie

This is the perfect book for those who have technical competence but could use some help with their “eye. George does an excellent job of communicating his thought processes. It is not about camera control. It’s about capturing ones vision. It is a great read and I highly recommend it. – Mark Green

#05: ‘Creative Composition’ by Harold Davis

Creative Composition by Harold Davis

Praise for Creative Composition:

I have read dozens of books that attempt to deal with the very difficult subject of photograph composition. Many of them rely too heavily on the author telling the reader how to “look” at things differently. What this book does throughout is very different – it actually helped me “see” things with a much clearer eye. – Jeff R. Clow

I’m not a professional photographer, and don’t have that natural “eye” for photos, so I am always looking for books to at least help me technicaly get better photos. I really like this book because it is written in plain english and is very clear for those of us who aren’t seasoned professionals. – Barbara K. St John

I own each of the above five books and have found lots of inspiration in all of them. In fact these five books are all books that you’re likely to come back to again and again as your photography develops or when you’re just looking for a litte bit of inspiration. Needless to say the photography in each of these books is breathtakingly beautiful.

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Vision Is Better. Free the Mind, Free the Camera.

Thomas — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:30:46 +0000

Recently I wrote a mini review of David DuChemin’s Ten which was David’s first, very popular eBook.

I highly recommend ’Ten’. Save a latte and go and get it. I believe it’s still his most popular eBook to date.

However that might be about to change.

David has just released a brand new eBook titled Vision Is Better – and it’s absolutely fantastic!

I have to warn you though. You could have read this whole book already…

Over the past 5 years David duChemin has been writing about the photographic life on the Pixelated Image blog. Vision Is Better is a compilation of the 50 most popular articles from the Pixelated Image blog, covering a range of topics, all of which share one common theme – the photographic life and craft.

Becoming a better photographer is not only a matter of learning which buttons to press and in which direction to point your camera. It’s a matter of knowing why to do those things, where to look for inspiration, how to handle the distractions, and how to avoid getting sucked in by the lesser concerns.

If you like David’s writing (and it’s hard not to) and you want more of it, well then this is an awesome deal. It’s worth the money many times over. You get 116 pages for US$5.00. But it’s not about the quantity really, this book is just as big – if not bigger - on quality.

The book is beautifully designed as you can see from these excerpts. It includes 50 of David’s most inspiring articles in a great-looking offline portable format (PDF). Read it on your desktop, laptop or put it on your new iPad and read it wherever your iPad takes you… (if you have one of those fancy devices).

Vision Is Better is a 116 page downloadable PDF ebook and costs US$5.00.

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Ten Ways to Improve Your Craft. None of Them Involve Buying Gear

Thomas — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:48:30 +0000

Ten Ways To Improve Your Craft Without Buying Gear is a 32 page PDF eBook by photographer David duChemin and it’s all about becoming a better photographer.

While much of the online education about photography is full of fluff TEN has received enthusiastic reception all over the world for being passionate, insightful, and full of real-world wisdom for creating compelling photographs.

David duChemin is an international cultural and humanitarian photographer, and the author of the best-selling Within The Frame and VisionMongers.

David’s popular photography blog, Pixelatedimage.com/blog is a connecting point for photographers all over the world who together celebrate a common mantra: Gear is Good, Vision is Better.

The TEN eBook presents excellent value and is a great source of inspiration for photographers of all levels. David writes in a down-to-earth and very engaging way which makes this book a great and easy read.

It should come as no surprise that the book is organised into 10 inspirational sections all of which are designed to improve your craft without you spending a cent on new gear:

1. Get Pickier
2. Better Contrast Makes Better Stories
3. Change My Perspective By Changing Yours
4. Create Depth
5. Get Balanced
6. Pay Attention to the Moment
7. Look to the Light
8. Use the Best Lens
9. Expose for Aesthetics
10. Put a Great Foreground in Front of a Great Background

In addition to the ten main chapters this fantastic eBook also includes several creative exercises which are sure to get your creative juices flowing (should you need to get them flowing).

Originally meant to be priced at $10, TEN remains priced at just $5 as David never had the heart to raise the price!

Ten is available via the Craft & Vision website along with several other great Ebook titles all of which, in fact, are priced at just $5 per title.

Talk about value for money… $5.00, that’s about the price for a tall latte these days!

Save a latte, get an eBook.

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Sally Mann Revisited

Thomas — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:23:16 +0000

A little while back I reviewed the DVD What Remains which is perhaps one of the best photography documentary films I have ever watched. Heck, it’s worth watching even just for the music! It’s a great film. Anyway you can read the full review in this post.

Before watching What Remains I knew very little about Sally Mann. I had seen a few of her images but had never really taken any notice. That type of photography simply didn’t interest me much when I first came across her work. That has all changed proportionally with my interest in photography!

When I first started getting into photography I was interested almost exclusively in wildlife, nature and landscape photography. Now I’m head over heels in love with virtually all genres of photography. I’m also very interested in the history of photography and the master photographers who helped shape photography as an artform throughout the 20th century.

Anyway, so today the book Immediate Family by Sally Mann arrived from Amazon. This amazing body of work is discussed in great detail in the DVD together with Sally Mann’s new body of work titled What Remains which is also the title of the DVD.

Flicking through Immediate Family and experiencing some of Sally Mann’s famous images again together with many new images that were never shown in the DVD, I’m completely awestruck by this body of work. It’s some of the most engaging, intimate and thought provoking portraits I’ve ever seen. It’s riveting and enigmatic photography.

If I was ever to teach photography in any formal capacity Sally Mann’s Immediate Family would be compulsory for my students.

If you have the slightest interest in portrait photography Immediate Family is a must for your bookshelf. You’ll want to look through these photographs again and again and again!

Yes, there is some nude photographs of Sally Mann’s own young children in this book and this fact is of course controversial and is also being discussed in the film. It should, perhaps, be considered that Immediate Family was shot more than 20 years ago, but even so, for anyone to have been – or continue to be – offended by these photographs of innocent children is simply ludicrous. The absurdity of the controversy is amplified by the fact that Sally Mann never intended for the nude photographs to cause offense. Nudity was part of everyday life amongst the Mann kids, it was natural and innocent, it was part of growing up.

Enough said already. Do yourself a favour, get What Remains and Immediate Family today! You won’t regret it!

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DVD Review: What Remains

Thomas — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:18:07 +0000

As I have written before I’m very interested in the creative process of photography. It’s not that I don’t like the ‘how-to’ aspect of photography, because that’s interesting too, but at a certain point as you become better technically, it’s the artistic process that becomes more interesting. At least so it is for me.

To me, what’s interesting about a good image is not so much how it was conceived technically, but rather how it was conceived creatively.

In the DVD What Remains director Steven Cantor follows Sally Mann at her family farm in Virginia over a period of five years, and the viewer is given unbridled access to the many stages of Mann’s work and gets a rare glimpse of an eloquent and brilliant artist.

What Remains is all about the artistic process, so if you’re like me, you’ll absolutely love this DVD.

I have to be brutally honest, though, and admit that before buying What Remains I knew very little about Sally Mann.

For example I didn’t know that Sally Mann was described as “America’s greatest photographer” by Time Magazine.

I had come across her name once or twice in the past and I remember having seen a couple of her photos in the past (including the one of Jessie with a candy cigarette shown below), but none of it really stuck with me at the time for some reason. Probably because this was back in my ‘how-to’ days.

Not so now. After watching What Remains (a few times now) I have fallen completely in love with Sally Mann’s work, in particular her Immediate Family which is a series of photographs of her children that brought Sally Mann to international attention in 1992 for the first time.

What Remains is easily one of the best photography documentary films I have ever seen. I also really like Born Into Brothels but let’s save that for another time. What Remains is absolutely brilliantly put together by the talented director Steven Cantor, and the musical score is both incredibly beautiful and strangely moody, setting an amazing atmosphere throughout the film.

The New York Times wrote this about What Remains when it came out in 2006:

“One of the most exquisitely intimate portraits not only of an artist’s process, but also of a marriage and a life.”

To me Sally Mann embodies what a true artist is. She recognizes simple every day events and has the ability to transform these events into amazing works art. She lets life inspire her.

Mann gives a perfect example of this in the film when she describes how Immediate Family started:

“I just was responding to things that appealed to me. One day Jessie came home with a gnat bite on her face and it was all swollen up. Actually it had bruised. It really looked like she’d been beaten up. Up until that point I’d thought that the children were snashot material. But she was so striking that it occurred to me that right here, right under my nose was a picture – I mean a real picture. And I just put her up against the wall and documented it. So that’s how I started.”

Straight after seeing Sally Mann telling the story of the photograph of Jessie’s gnat bite, director Steven Cantor clips to the next scene which took me in a slightly unexpected direction. The next scene simply reduced me to tears (yeah, yeah, I know, a grown man crying is not the best look for the macho image, but hey, I’m just telling you the truth here).

Tears just streamed down my face as I watched how Sally Mann directed her other girl, Virginia, into what looks like a small swimming pool so that only her head is above water. She then asks her to pull her hair out into a circle and Virginia, innocently, does her best to pose for her mother.

Sally Mann then creates one of the most wonderful pictures I think I’ve ever seen. It’s just a very, very moving photograph, and seeing how it was created made it all the more moving. The photograph is as pure a mixture of innocence and beauty as you can get I think.

Mann was unaware of the media attention she would attract with Immediate Family, and more so the controversy that her work would stir up. To her, the photographs were little more than tender, maternal photographs of her children.

Yet to some, they were child pornography, and the mark of an irresponsible mother. The controversy that Immediate Family stirred up has been described to be a direct reflection of the times in which the photographs was produced, and says more about the adult viewer than of the child subject.

While Immediate Family propelled Sally Mann into the hall of fame, she clearly indicates in the film that she could have been without all the controversy and that it took her completely by surprise.

The title What Remains relates to Sally Mann’s same-named series on the myriad aspects of death and decay. A series of photographs which may very well be regarded as yet another controversial body of work by some. However once again Sally Mann draws direct inspiration from a dramatic event that unfolds right on her farm, and then goes on to create a whole series of fascinating pictures as a result of this event which director Steven Cantor – and the viewer – follows from conception to completion.

If you’re interested in being given an exclusive and intimate look into the artistic process of one of America’s preeminent photographers, then I can highly recommend that you buy yourself What Remains right now. It is an outstanding photography documentary film.

You won’t regret it, promise!

What Remains runs for 80 minutes.

The DVD also includes several special features including Steven Cantor’s 1994 Oscar-nominated documentary Blood Ties which was shot during the creation of Sally Mann’s Immediate Family series.

Enjoy!

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The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You

Thomas — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:20:24 +0000

The other day I downloaded a whole bunch of pictures from my mobile phone which happens to be a Palm Treo 750 which – obviously – has a built-in camera (given the fact I downloaded pictures from it. Anyway…).

About 98% of the pictures from the mobile phone camera were snapshots of our little 16 months old daughter Laura (such as the one below), but there were also a couple of other images of subjects I had simply happened upon and had decided to photograph (such as the one further below).

Laura Sophia captured by mobile phone camera

Both of these images were shot at 320 x 240 pixels, so the file size was obviously intended for sending the pictures to other mobile phones more than anything else as that’s about as small as picture files get these days!

However, after checking my settings closer, I found out that my particular phone can produce a maximum file size of 1280 x 1024 pixels which certainly gives you a decent enough file for displaying your pictures online.

Cobble stones pattern captured by a mobile phone camera

However, the point is not so much the file sizes here.

Images are about stories and moments, and you won’t capture these if you don’t have a camera with you. In many ways this is also what my August Snaps project was all about.

Around the same time as I was downloading my mobile phone camera pictures I was also surfing around Amazon.com for photo books (yes I’m an addict!) when Amazon’s smart recommendations put Chase Jarvis’ new book in front of me. His new book is titled:

The Best Camera Is The One That's With You by Chase Jarvis

And when I looked inside this book I was inspired, even more so when I viewed his accompanying video intro on Amazon.com.

You can think of Chase Jarvis what you want, but the man is creative, there’s no denying that! And as an added bonus Chase Jarvis is also big time into sharing which I think is a really cool thing.

Check out Chase Jarvis book The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis.

For more inspiration you can also view this video from YouTube where Chase Jarvis talks about his new book and what inspired him to making the book:

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Magnum Landscape

Thomas — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:12:10 +0000

I’m currently reading Magnum Landscape.

It’s not your typical book of landscapes. For starters it’s a relatively small book measuring 8.3 x 5.8 inches (21 x 14.7 centimeters) in the paperback version.

More to the point, though, don’t expect a book filled with beautiful and pristine natural landscapes from around the world. Instead this book approaches the idea of landscapes with endless variations on the theme.

It features landscapes of war, of agriculture, of industry of cities and motorways, of desolation, celebration and tranquility.

Many of us associate the word landscape with beautiful and pristine natural landscapes. The photographs in this book invite us to rediscover the landscape as seen through the viewfinders of Magnum photographers over 50 years.

It’s a really terrific read which I can highly recommend. It includes photographs of the landscape by photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ernst Haas, Martin Parr, Elliott Erwitt, Josef Koudelka, Bruce Davidson and many more Magnum photographers.

Magnum Landscape will urge you to think more profoundly about the landscape and how to photograph it.

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A History of Photography: the Musée d’Orsay Collection 1839-1925

Thomas — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:46:20 +0000

If you’re interested in the early history of photography then A History of Photography: the Musée d’Orsay Collection 1839-1925 is a must-have book for your bookshelf.

The Musée d’Orsay was the first fine arts museum in France to collect and display photographic images from the 19th and 20th centuries. Today the museum has an incredible collection of more than 50,000 European and American photographs.

The book is split into 13 chapters including themes such as portraiture, reportage, architecture, landscape and still life. Essays accompany photographs providing commentary on the development of photography as an art form as well as the technical advances of the time.

Some of the collection’s most treasured works are featured in the book including a portrait of the French poet Baudelaire by Nadar and the recently acquired portrait of Man Ray by Alfred Stieglitz.

A History of Photography is a very beautiful book which every discerning photographer should consider for their bookshelf.

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The Life of a (Cowboy) Photograph

Thomas — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:37:53 +0000

In this post I wrote about Sam Abell’s great photo book The Life of a Photograph.

In this video Sam Abell talks about his book and the picture that his peer photographers most admire. The picture in question can be found on page 11 in the book. It is an amazingly complex – yet superbly constructed – photograph of the annual branding and castration of cows at the Ken Rosman Ranch in Utica, Montana. There is a lot to learn from this single photograph, even for the very seasoned photographer.

The Life of a Photograph is quickly becoming one of my favourite photography books and I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in photography.

Hop on over to Amazon.com and treat yourself to a gift today! When did you last purchase a photography book?

Oh, and I say, good split-second decision to leave the red bucket in the cowboy photograph! You’ll see what I mean when you watch the video. Enjoy!

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The Life of a Photograph

Thomas — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:00:32 +0000

I have just started reading The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell and it’s an amazing photo book. Sam Abell has done more than three decades worth of fieldwork for National Geographic and is an excellent visual storyteller.

In this post I wrote about taking your time to explore different viewpoints. The Life of a Photograph illustrates this point beautifully. The book displays many side-by-side images where Sam Abell points out how subtle differences in point of view, framing, timing and perspective lead to significant photographs.

To give you a little teaser of the great text that accompanies the many excellent photographs let me quote this part of a paragraph from the first chapter “Seeking the Picture”:

Once again something had stopped me. I’d taken it in, composed and waited, then photographed. These small sequential acts amount to a transaction between two lives – the external life of encountered experience and the imaginative inner life of the individual photographer. It is at this intersection of the inner and outer worlds that the life of a photograph begins.

It was these remarkable couple of lines of words that captivated me straight away along with the photography and print quality of the book. I can highly recommend this book as an addition to your photo book shelf.

To view more details about The Life of a Photograph click here.

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André Kertész: The Polaroids

Thomas — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:54:12 +0000

André Kertész “The Polaroids” is, perhaps, the best photo book I have ever purchased, deserving of nothing less than a feature review here at Photography 24/7.

It might be small in format (measuring just 7.2 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches) but it is huge on emotion! I cannot remember any other photo book that have moved me as much as this one. It is simply deeply touching.

Robert Gurbo, curator of the Estate of André Kertész, introduces us to The Polaroids by chronicling André Kertész’ life and his somewhat troubled carreer in a brilliant and interesting fashion. This introduction takes up the first 28 pages of the total 128 pages, the rest is filled with Kertész’ “poignant, beautiful and sometimes haunting photographs.”

It’s a hardcover book with a jacket and the inside of the ‘jacket’ begins as follows:

“Emotionally and physically exchausted after the loss of Elizabeth, his wife and lifelong companion, André Kertész was admittedly a broken man who had lost his direction. His remarkable recovery began when he was inspired by a small glass bust and he embraced the new Polaroid SX-70.”

This sets the stage for the book and for the beautiful and often moving images, all of which were made in Kertész’ apartment, just north of New York City’s Washington Square. Many of the photographs were shot either from his window or in the windowsill.

It’s truly inspiring to think about how Kertész, in his 80s, could muster the strength and inspiration to create such a significant body of work after having been ill himself and after having lost his wife of 58 years to lung cancer. As he started working with the Polaroid SX-70 “he was on fire, delighted once again to be in a heightened state of creative awareness.”

“I began shooting slowly, slowly, slowly. But soon, going crazy. I worked mornings and late afternoons. With the morning light the sky is nice, and in the late afternoon, full of variation. I would come out in the morning and shooting, shooting, shooting; no time to eat. I discover the time has gone, and now breakfast. The same in the afternoon… I forget my medicine, losing pain, losing hunger, and yes losing sadness.”

The image above is a third interpretation of what was originally his 1933 wedding photo. However in the 1960s Kertész severely cropped the original version to only include Elizabeth’s face and his hand on her shoulder. He claimed the sixties crop was a visual metaphor for the Hungarian saying “my better half.” In the Polaroid version above titled “January 1981″ Kertész returned to this image one last time and created a still life in which he placed a crown of thorns over his own hand.

There is a strong sense of personal loss, grief and longing in many of Kertész’ images in The Polariods which is what makes it such a deeply moving book. There is a new movie out these days about the boxer Mike Tyson’s life where many of the movie reviews open with the line “when a troubled champion is brave enough to bare all, an American epic is born.” Well, in The Polaroids André Kertész bares it all which has resulted in an epic photo book.

The Polaroids is also a striking study in still lifes by one of the great masters of 20th century photography. André Kertész was excellent at still life photography and perhaps one of his most famous pictures is a black and white photograph of a fork resting on a white plate in a fairly tight crop.

The book also includes some excellent studies of New York City in winter, including a few photographs where the Twin Towers appear as a subject and therefore become examples of how historical photographs can take on new meanings over time, with completely different emotions attached to them.

André Kertész was a brilliant photographer and The Polaroids is more evidence of his abilities. The book is filled with amazing photographs through which Kertész reveal a lot of himself to us. Who would have known that the simple study of form and shapes could convey such emotion. The photographs are not only beautifully arranged and injected with lots of emotion, they also display a masters delicate appreciation of light and color.

If you have any interest in the history of photography or still life photography – or I’m inclined to say any interest in photography in general – well then The Polaroids is a must buy. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

All images above are published with the kind and generous permission from the Estate of André Kertész and Higher Pictures.

You may also wish to consider other books about André Kertész such as: Photofile: André Kertész and On Reading.

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Bargain Books Store at Amazon.com

Thomas — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:28:26 +0000

I shop regularly at Amazon.com for photography books and receive regular email updates from them.

Today I was intrigued to discover their Bargain Books Store with some incredible savings! I took the opportunity to browse through the photography section in search of interesting photography books. I’m happy to say I came across quite a few interesting titles, so I thought I would just share a list of titles that I found interesting:

History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present

Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape

Life: 100 Events That Shook Our World: A History in Pictures from the Last 100 Years

Work: The World in Photographs

The Moment of Seeing: Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts

Deep South

Elephant

The World’s Top Photographers: Nudes: And the Stories Behind Their Greatest Images

As you can see there are lots of interesting titles and you can also find quite a few special interest topics within the photography section.

Go for a virtual browse through the Bargain Books Photography Section yourself and see what you can find that might interest you.

Have fun bargain hunting!

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Another Little List of Great Photo Books

Thomas — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:51:57 +0000

I wrote about Chronicle Book’s the other day. I have been doing some more browsing through their photography section and have found a few more titles which I think look very interesting, so I thought I would share this second list here:

The New Photography Manual
In the tradition of the Artist’s Manual series comes the definitive illustrated guide to all things photography-related. A veritable bible for beginners as well as an invaluable reference for accomplished photographers, this volume covers the ins and outs of photography equipment and techniques. Comprehensive and easily referenced, The New Photography Manual clearly explains all the essential tools and tricks of the trade—from choosing cameras and lenses, through composition and lighting, to developing and printing. With tips from professional working photographers and hundreds of color and black and white images, this guide offers everything photographers need.

Bloom
Photographer Ron van Dongen, long celebrated for his stunning duotone floral photography, has created his first work in rich color. This gorgeous edition of detailed and dramatic images captures the sculptural essence of flowers—exotic orchids and common daisies alike. Exhibited in galleries in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan, van Dongen’s work is often compared to Mapplethorpe and O’Keeffe for its exceptional beauty.

Seeing Beyond Sight
With its ambitious, seemingly paradoxical premise, Seeing Beyond Sight is a book of photographs taken by teenagers with limited or no sight. Seeing Beyond Sight documents how educator Tony Deifell taught his blind students to take pictures as an innovative, multi-sensory means of self-expression. Their intuitive images are surprising and often beautiful. Complementing the photographs are the students’ own words explaining what the process and images mean to them. Seeing Beyond Sight is a rare book of visual art and an educational resource that speaks with inspirational power, not only to the visually impaired community, but to anyone who has ever considered what it means to see.

Elephant
Best-selling photographer Steve Bloom follows up his wildly successful book Untamed with a tribute to the largest land mammals on earth. Twelve years in the making, this joyous celebration features elephants from the wildest reaches of Botswana to the teeming cities of India. With aerial shots of the herds in motion, dramatic interactions between angry males, and tender moments between mothers and their calves, this collection features an intimate look at these animals who, though seemingly as distinct from humans as a creature could be, share surprisingly similar characteristics: They have family structures like our own, they show loyalty and allegiance to those closest to them, they grieve as well as express joy, and—as these photographs show—they have strongly individual personalities. Outdoor Photography magazine called Steve Bloom’s photos, “the best case yet for the defense of the earth.” See for yourself why these creatures—once found in nearly fifty countries and now on the endangered species list—are, according to Bloom himself, “the true kings of the jungle.”

The Moment of Seeing
Founded by Ansel Adams, directed by Minor White, and staffed by such luminaries as Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model, and Edward Weston, the first fine-art photography department in the United States was created in 1946 at the California School of Fine Arts (now known as the San Francisco Art Institute). Under White’s leadership and against a backdrop of revolutions in photography as an art form, this dynamic faculty developed the modern photography curriculum, bringing a new academic pedigree to the medium and establishing the future of photography education. The Moment of Seeing is much more than a history of the program and those who comprised it. Including White’s never-before-published writings on the teaching of photography, it is also a rich gallery of iconic images by both renowned faculty members and the dedicated students they taught.

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A Little List of Great Photo Books

Thomas — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:25:05 +0000

If you have been following my posts here at Photography 24/7 you may have already noticed that I have a big soft heart for photo books. I buy them all the time when I shouldn’t as I’m literally running out of space on my bookshelves. However, there is nothing like sitting down with a good cup of coffee (or a cup of tea if you’re so inclined) and look through a beatiful photo book and just letting yourself be inspired. Photo books are part of living a photographic life.

Chronicle Books offer some great photo books in their photography section and here is a little list of some great photo books that caught my eye:

Manuel Alvarez Bravo
Photopoetry
Click image above to find out more about this book…

Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration
By Troy Paiva – Foreword by Geoff Manaugh
Click image above to find out more about this book…

Still: Oceanscapes
By Debra Bloomfield – Essay by Terry Tempest Williams
Click image above to find out more about this book…

Terra Incognita: Photographs of America’s Third Coast
By Richard Sexton – Foreword by J. Richard Gruber
Click image above to find out more about this book…

Everyday: A Yearlong Photo Diary
By Byron Wolfe
Click image above to find out more about this book…

Observations in an Occupied Wilderness
Photographs by Terry Falke – Essay by William L. Fox
Click image above to find out more about this book…

On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa
By Nick Brandt – Introduction by Jane Goodall
Click image above to find out more about this book…

I also noticed Chronicle Books offer the beautiful Moleskine Notebooks which has been used for the past two centuries by great artists and thinkers, including Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. The trusty, pocket-sized travel companion held their sketches, notes, stories, and ideas before they became famous images or beloved books.

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White Nature

Thomas — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:18:48 +0000

This afternoon I went with the family to visit a local shopping mall which opened just recently (Stockland in Balgowlah). I was excited when the first shop at the entrance was a lovely bookshop (Berkelouw Books). It looked like an interesting bookshop with an inviting entrance and a cosy atmosphere, so I went straight in and of course headed straight for the photography section. My better half turned left and headed straight for the baby book section! I found the photography section very quickly and was pleased to note it was well stocked with many interesting titles.

Among some of the more interesting titles were these ones:

and then of course White Nature with its front cover pictured above. This book really caught my eye. I didn’t buy it there and then since it’s my birthday in just a couple of weeks, so instead I made sure to point it out to my better half!

White Nature is by Vincent Munier who is a three-times winner of the Eric Hosking Award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition which is arguably the world’s most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

Vincent Munier takes the viewer on a tour of the cold, snow world. From the Far East to the Wild West, via the craggy peaks of the European Alps, beautiful pictures of swans, cranes, eagles, chamois, foxes, and many other animals grace the pages in this book.

If nature photography is your thing then be sure to check out White Nature.

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Top 10 Best-Selling Photo Books

Thomas — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:04:04 +0000

Photo books is a big part of living a photographic life, certainly they are a big part of mine.

They are a great source of inspiration and I think a lot can be learned simply through the study of great photographs.

Photography books come in a variety of genres but typically fall into one of three main categories:

Technical advice and how-to
Creative inspiration
Historical reference

My personal book case is full of photography books which I have aquired over several years. I continue to buy many (far too many if you ask my wife) new photo books every year.

When I was a beginning photographer I purchased mostly technical photo books whereas today I buy mostly books about the creative process of photography as well as photo books of historical reference.

I get many of my photo books from Amazon.com which is a great website because they have such a ’deep’ database of photo book titles. As I was browsing their website today I suddenly got curious about the best-selling photo books on the site, so I did a little bit of research and here is the result – the top 10 best-selling photography books as of July 2009 are as follows:

#01 Understanding Exposure

#01: ‘Understanding Exposure’ by Bryan Peterson is the only book on the list that I personally own. Indeed it was also one of the very first photo books I ever purchased. It is a great ‘all-rounder’ which I can recommend to both beginners as well as more serious amateur photographers. Editorial note: If you already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, this is the book to consult. More than seventy techniques, both popular and less-familiar approaches, are covered in detail, including advanced exposure, bounced flash and candlelight, infrared, multiple images, soft-focus effects, unusual vantage points, zooming, and other carefully chosen ways to enhance photographs. [Click the image above to view more details].

#02 The Digital Photography Book

#02: ‘The Digital Photography Book’ by Scott Kelby looks like a hot how-to-book and the fact that Scott Kelby appears several times on this top 10 list certainly must count for something. While I have to admit that I do not own any books by Scott Kelby, I can see why this book looks very attractive if you are a beginning digital photographer today. A book well worth a closer look if you are new to digital photography. Editorial note: This is not a book of theory – it is not full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button. [Click the image above to view more details].

#03 The Hot Shoe Diaries

#03: ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries’ by Joe McNally looks like a very interesting title that I will seriously consider to add to my book shelf in the near future. If you want to learn about light - artificial lighting in particular - Joe McNally is definitely a ‘go to’ person and in this book he shows us What he uses…and Why and When he uses it. Editorial note: Joe brings you behind the scenes to candidly share his lighting solutions for a ton of great images. Using Nikon Speedlights, Joe lets you in on his uncensored thought process – often funny, sometimes serious, always fascinating – to demonstrate how he makes his pictures with these small flashes. Whether he’s photographing a gymnast on the Great Wall, an alligator in a swamp, or a fire truck careening through Times Square, Joe uses these flashes to create great light that makes his pictures sing. [Click the image above to view more details].

#04 The Photographer's Eye

#04: ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ by Michael Freeman has enjoyed a lot of good customer reviews and for good reason. It looks like an excellent title on the topic of visual design and composition. I was particualr surprised to read this review by Jeff Wignall: “Let me start by saying that even though I write photo books for a living I don’t know Michael Freeman and have never communicated with him. That said, this is easily the best composition and design book that you’ll find – and that goes for professionals as well as hobbyists. This is the first book, in fact, that I can recall that covers these topics with such depth and clarity of thought.” Editorial note: Beautifully presented with genrous and helpful color illustrations, this book is a very affordable addition to the library of the serious photographer. [Click the image above to view more details].

#05 Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Boxed Set

#05: ‘Scott Kelby’s Digitial Photography Boxed Set’ by Scott Kelby gives you a lot of bang for your buck as a boxed set. While I have to admit that I do not own any books by Scott Kelby, I can see why this boxed set looks very attractive if you are a beginning digital photographer today. This boxed set is definitely worth considering if you are new to digital photography. Editorial note: With over 400 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” this boxed set – consisting of The Digital Photography Book, volume 1 and The Digital Photography Book, volume 2 – is the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to shoot dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time. [Click the image above to view more details].

#06 The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers

#06: ‘The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers’ by Scott Kelby is the current hot-selling Photoshop book from an author that knows Photoshop extremely well. Scott is the Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Training Director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour, and one of the leading seminar instructors in the US today. Editorial note: With over 400 of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” this boxed set – consisting of The Digital Photography Book, volume 1 and The Digital Photography Book, volume 2 – is the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to shoot dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time. [Click the image above to view more details].

#07 The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers

#07: ‘The Adobe Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers’ by Scott Kelby gets you set up and familiar with all aspects of Lightroom. Scott Kelby walks you through the basics of Lightroom use, leading you to a brilliantly devised and super efficient digital photography workflow that dramatically improves productivity and allows you to spend less time processing photos and more time shooting them. Editorial note: If you are one of those people who learns best by actually doing the projects yourself; who learns best without all the complicated technical explanations and confusing jargon, and if you really want to start using Lightroom today to unlock the productivity secrets of “The new digital photography workflow,” – there is no faster, more “straight-to-the-point” or more fun way to learn than this groundbreaking new book, and you are absolutely going to love it!. [Click the image above to view more details].

#08 The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

#08: ‘The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2′ by Scott Kelby is the second volume of this popular how-to-book . In Volume 2, Scott Kelby adds entirely new chapters packed with plain English tips on using flash, shooting close up photography, travel photography, shooting people, and even how to build a studio from scratch, where he demystifies the process so anyone can start taking pro-quality portraits today! Plus, he has got full chapters on his most requested topics, including loads of tips for landscape photographers, wedding photographers, and there’s an entire chapter devoted to sharing some of the pros secrets for making your photos look more professional, no matter what you are shooting. Editorial note: Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. [Click the image above to view more details].

#09 The Photoshop Elements 7 Book for Digital Photographers

#09: ‘The Photoshop Elements 7 Book for Digital Photographers‘ by Scott Kelby & Matt Kloskowski is not a book I can make too many personal comments to as I have never used Photoshop Elements. If you are serious about your photography and processing your images, then I would recommend the full version of Photoshop. Editorial note: This book breaks new ground by doing something for digital photographers that’s never been done before – it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it does not challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure things out on your own. Instead, it does something that virtually no other Elements book has ever done – it tells you flat-out which settings to use, when to use them, and why. [Click the image above to view more details].

#10 Within The Frame

#10: ‘Within the Frame’ by David DuChemin deserves to be placed higher on the list, not only because it is a non-Scott Kelby book, but also because it focuses less on techiniques and more on vision. Subtitled The Journey of Photographic Vision it is heavily skewed towards anyone interested in travel photography (or photographing while on holiday), covering topics such as Storytelling, People, Places and Culture. The book is full of unique, captivating and creatively inspiring images. I would recommend anyone interested in the mentioned topics to take a long hard look at this book. Editorial note: Both instructional and inspirational, Within the Frame helps you on your photographic journey to make better images of the places and people you love, whether they are around the world or in your own backyard. [Click the image above to view more details].

Conclusion: When I did my reseach for this top 10 best-selling photo books list I was a little bit disappointed to discover that the list is almost exclusively made up of techical advice and how-to books, let alone that one (clearly talented) author is so clearly dominating the list. Personally I would have liked to see a lot more diversity of titles and authors on the list. In my personal view #01, #03, #04 and #10 look like the most inspiring books on the list, but I would certainly not discourage beginning photographers from considering some of Scott Kelby’s excellent, no-nonsense how-to books.

From time to time I will be reviewing individual photo books from my personal book shelf here and rest assured that for the most part these will largely fall into the two other categories; creatively inspiring photo books and photo books of historical reference.

I hope you enjoyed the list.