Photography 24/7

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• Historical reference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photo books whereas today I buy mostly books about the creative process of photography as well as photo books of historical reference.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.

If you liked this article, you may also like these:

• Magnum Landscape
• A History of Photography: the Musée d’Orsay Collection 1839-1925
• The Life of a Photograph