Books by classic photojournalists

[JT2007]

Hello!

I've had it with sitting in the libraries and thinking about gettig a few classic photography books. It would be great to hear a few comments on books by some of the most renown photojournalists. I know some of these have been discussed here but still would like to hear some comments.

1. Which book by Henri Cartier-Bresson would you recommend. The Photographer OR the Man, the Image and the World.

2. Which book by Andre Kertesz would you recommend if one could only pick one (which is available and under like 50 euros). How is the 2005 Eternal amateur?

3. Cornell Capa. Which one is a definitive book which contains also his images from the USSR? Would you recommend a book called Photographs (at least one edition is by Bulfinch Press).

4. Which japanese "pj-style" book would you recommend which is available and also under 50 euros from the likes of Shomei Tomatsu, Yutaka Takanashi, Daido Moriyama.

5. Another recommendations are also but there thread for those though..


THank you for your advice!

 

[Bob Michaels]

I will kick off by suggesting a DVD instead of a book. It is "War Photographer" about James Natchwey. It was nominated for both an Oscar and for an Emmy. It did win a Peabody. Watching it could be the best 96 minutes you could spend.

see: http://www.war-photographer.com

 

[gm13]

ditto War Photographer

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Close but not quite, I enjoy 'Pictures on a Page' by Harold Evans.

He was the picture editor at the Sunday Times and changed the way photos were used in the paper.

In his book he has plenty of good solid newspaperman's advice about photojournalism and tons of how-to and how-not-to photos.

You will learn about making a good news photo.

My copy is ISBN 0712673881

 

[chachi]

david duncan's "yankee nomad" is a good one.

 

[Florian1234]

Close but not quite, I enjoy 'Pictures on a Page' by Harold Evans.

He was the picture editor at the Sunday Times and changed the way photos were used in the paper.

In his book he has plenty of good solid newspaperman's advice about photojournalism and tons of how-to and how-not-to photos.

You will learn about making a good news photo.

My copy is ISBN 0712673881

This is very sought after - the used prices are about $400 😱

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Yes, I saw the Amazon.com prices too.

Crazy.

But try Amazon.co.uk instead and prepare to be very nicely surprised.

 

[peter_n]

Josef Koudelka's Invasion 68: Prague. Almost all of the pictures were taken with a 25mm lens.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

JT2007:


You could go to a good photography specialist bookshop and browse and ask for advice from a member of staff.

The Photographer's Gallery bookshop in London has been called the best photography bookshop in the world.

And I'd agree with that.

 

[Ahmed Poltroon]

 

[35mmdelux]

David Harvey Allen, Mary Ellen Mark, James Nachtwey.

 

[JT2007]

Thanks a lot for your tips! I should have made myself more clear: I'm not a newcomer when it comes to photo/pj books. I've spent A LOT of times in libraries but never really had the money to buy any except some pocket books. Now I managed to put some money on the side and decide to get a few absolute classics but just wasn't sure which ones to pick up from the masters.

Regarding HCB I was wondering is the Photographer worth the extra bucks versus the man the image the world. I decided it was and just ordered the Photographer. Regarding Kertesz I was thinking which book is the absolutily definitive to get which is available and reasonable price. Cornell Capa is personal favorite of mine - I ve read a white cover book by him which I'm looking after but I don't know which one it is. The Japan masters I'm not too familiar but I certainly would like get one classic from them too. Any tips are appereciated.

But thanks for the tips, really:

The David Douglas Duncan tip about the Yankee Nomad was nice. He's not my favorites but If I one day decide to get one by him I'll sure check out the nomad.

I've read the Koudelka 68 book. Now my question would be which other book by him would you recommend with another topic`?

I've seen the War Photographer some years ago. It goes without saying that Nachtwey is a true professional but war photography is not my main interest. Plus I have to stay that seeing his style: pushing the digitla camera shutter over and over in delicate situations (mourning people etc) seemed really strange. Naturally war photographers just shoot more and able to think about the one single frame less than other pj's but still.

The Harold Evans book is interesting for sure, but not the one I was looking for this time.

Claremontphoto, I don't live in the UK but if I find myself in London one day I'll sure check the place out.

And Ahmed, thanks but working on my own book on that subject, heh..

Thanks and if you got some opinion or tips on Kertesz, C.Capa or the Japanese please let me now!

 

[peterm1]

As another recommendation I would say that the book "Life: What they saw" (least I think that is its name - I can't see it on my bookshelf right now) a book of interviews with Life photographers is great - you get to "talk to" a whole bunch of interesting PJs of the great era. Another book that I found to be wonderful is a book of photos of the actor Yul Brynner complied by his daughter. He was a great lover of photography and photographed many of his contemporaries with rangefinder and early SLR cameras.

 

[JT2007]

Thank you Peter, I'm familiar with the Life book though not 100% we're talking about the same book.

Regarding photojournalism instead of these Life and Magnum collection type of books (even though nothing wronh with Our Time by Magnum ) I would recommend a book called "Things as they are" http://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Are-Mary-Panzer/dp/1597110140 which is a great collection of some of the most interesting and important photo essays and reportages in their original magazine context and which can be had for a really good price.

Yul Brunner, I know it is very nice but maybe should not be compared to the classics?

 

[peter_n]

I've read the Koudelka 68 book. Now my question would be which other book by him would you recommend with another topic?

For a compendium I would recommend Koudelka pub. by Aperture. For general work Exiles, very hard to find, pub. in the UK by Thames & Hudson, you will most likely find it in the library. His panoramic work for which he used a Fuji 617, is shown in Chaos, and it is unbelievable (Phaidon).

His major influence appears to be Josef Sudek Poet of Prague and in particular Sad Landscape (Kant, Prague), a hauntingly beautiful book of panoramics of north west Bohemia that clearly got Koudelka started on his panoramic work. You can still buy Sad Landscape in Prague.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I was recently given a copy of Magnum Magnum (the 'compact' edition which is large and heavy, not the original edition which is the size of Luxembourg) and after several read-throughs I'm still enjoying it greatly.

 

[Svitantti]

Jonas Bendiksen - Satellites, Luc Delahaye - Winterreise, Stanley Greene - Chechnya, an open wound, Paolo Pellegrin - As I was Dying. 3 first happen to be kind of Russia/USSR -orientated, but I dont know if it is just luck that I like them the most.
Snaps from Elliott Erwitt is great too, and Robert Frank's Americans is ok.

I really love the three first books and can recommend them if you are not allergic to some rough topics.

EDIT: OK, I dont know if these are all classics yet, but probably will be! 🙂

 

[Florian1234]

I was recently given a copy of Magnum Magnum (the 'compact' edition which is large and heavy, not the original edition which is the size of Luxembourg) and after several read-throughs I'm still enjoying it greatly.

Magnum Stories is also a great one!

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Yes, Magnum Stories is great also and the words are just as compelling as the photos.

I also have Magnum Landscape (very inexpensive indeed and small enough to take to work to read) and although I love the photos I find the intro to each section a tiny bit pretentious.

 

[maddoc]

Yes, I saw the Amazon.com prices too.

Crazy.

But try Amazon.co.uk instead and prepare to be very nicely surprised.

I just did and was nicely surprised ... 🙂