Book Recommendations

morback

morback

Martin N. Hinze
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Hi,

I have been very disappointed with my photographic performance lately. I found myself in several moments where I felt the opportunity for great photography to be present but failed miserably to grasp the essence of the moment.

So I decided I need to learn more. I can't afford classes (though I'd love to) so I would like to know what you guys consider your photographic bibles?

I'm looking for books about developing or discovering/reinforcing one's photographic "vision", if it makes any sense.

Any and all suggestions welcome.

m.
 
You may get something out of reading "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn / Bill Jay.

I wouldn't call it a bible, and it's very focused on documentary type photography.

But, it is a useful book that guides one on choosing photography projects, being a critical editor of your work, and in general honing your vision of what in this Wide World you want to devote your energy to (photographically).
 
morback said:
I'm looking for books about developing or discovering/reinforcing one's photographic "vision", if it makes any sense.
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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Any and all suggestions welcome.
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Read about living, and then go do it, committing photography as you go. Have a camera with you at all times, to the extend possible. Take photos as the urge strikes you, of what you will. Keep the ones you like and discard the ones you don't, and think about how you could make the ones you like better if you were to take them again. Try that next time. Try new things and with every new experience, ask yourself 'how would I photograph that'?

The more you worry about developing a 'vision', the less chance you'll find one. When you ride a bicycle, do you concentrate on balance, or do you leave that to your subconscious to take care of? Would you have been able to read a book on how to ride a bicycle and then get on one and ride? You develop a 'vision', if there even is such a thing, by doing, and from that point on, it is part of you - you just do it, and you can no more explain it than anyone could explain it to you.
 
I agree with bmattock that as in most things, you learn by doing. If you're in a rut, give yourself an assignment - one camera & one lens - no looking through the viewfinder, shoot from the hip - all indoor shots - no people - nothing but people.

You can't really learn a style from a book. At least that's my opinion. Go to art galleries! A big influence in my early stuff was Edward Hopper's paintings.

Good luck and have faith in yourself.
 
bmattock said it all. Be yourself. Get the basics down so you're not constantly thinking about technical matters, stick to one camera and a couple of lenses at most (NO zooms!), carry it EVERYWHERE, whenever something moves you shoot a few frames, not a bunch! Try to "catch the moment". Three or four frames is usually enough, then move on. Don't go out with the intention of taking pictures. Go out with a camera in case you see something that you WANT to photograph.

Don't worry about what your camera looks like, or if you have the latest greatest aspherical multi-coated wonder lens. If you were to see some of the cameras used by some of the greatest photographers over the years you'd think "I wouldn't pay $10 for that battered piece of junk!" but these guys and gals realized it was a tool, not something to fondle, show off, and brag about.

For developing and printing, Ansel Adams books on the negative and the print are pretty good, but slanted towards large format. If you can find a copy of "35mm Negs and Prints" by Y. Ernest Satow (it might be Ernst) he probably has the best explanation of everything you'd want to know about the darkroom. Unfortunately it's been out of print since the 1960's and doesn't cover developers like Diafine which came along later, but the basic information is there. A "vision" doesn't complete itself until you have the print in your hands or on the wall.
 
I would simply look and purchase a few incredible photography books, and look at how those photgraphers are viewing the scene and then recreate that in your own way. I would choose a variety so you are just not stuck in type of style.

For more formal type photogrpahy I would look at Josef Sudek, Nadar (for Portraiture), Wright Morris, even Ansel adams, Helen Levitt.

For more contemporary work, I would view the works of Alex Webb, Sabatio Salgado, Ernesto Bazan, Pep Bonet, Colin Finlay, also, I draw a lot of inspiration from Josef Koudelka's work Gypsies and Exiles.

I think by having a few excellent photography books in your collection, and really studying them will help you as a photographer.

Just a thought anyway . . .
 
i am not sure where you are from, but i am from singapore and we have a good library with quite a number of photo books.
 
"Perception and Imaging, Third Edition: Photography--A Way of Seeing" by Richard Zakia.

This is one of the better "get the basics" type of book that doesn't insult your intelligence :) plus I enjoy the smorgasbord of quotes in it.

Also as said above, if your city's libraries don't have a good selection, time to visit your neighboring towns :D
 
Have a camera with you at all times, to the extend possible.
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Take photos as the urge strikes you
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Keep the ones you like and discard the ones you don't, and think about how you could make the ones you like better if you were to take them again.
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check

Try new things and with every new experience, ask yourself 'how would I photograph that'?
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Maybe I'm not too clear. I'll always remember what one of my design teachers told me: “You can't break the rules if you don't know and understand them.”

Or in other words, you don't know where you're heading if you don't know where you're coming from.

Maybe I'm just looking for a set of rules to see how it's supposed to be done and then move from there. Define my own interests and approach to things. I need a landmark to choose my bearing.

Thanks for the book references, I'll check them out this week-end.
m.

p.s: I'm in NYC
 
morback said:
Maybe I'm not too clear. I'll always remember what one of my design teachers told me: “You can't break the rules if you don't know and understand them.”
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I think that was covered in one of the other responses - know your equipment, and understand the basics of photography.

In other words, learn the 'rules' about photography - but that has nothing to do with your personal 'vision'.

Forgive me, but I am co-mingling your term 'vision' with another I read about all the time, which is 'style'. Everyone seems to want to know how they create or find their own, unique, identifiable style. Although there are plenty of answers offered by others, the range of answers leads me to believe that no one really knows, any more than I do. I don't even know what the heck 'style' or 'vision' are, exactly.

Take photos. Stop worrying.

I have been very disappointed with my photographic performance lately.
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That's good. Complacency is not your friend when it comes to your creative output.

I found myself in several moments where I felt the opportunity for great photography to be present but failed miserably to grasp the essence of the moment.
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In other words, you saw something that should have resulted in a great photo, but instead, the photo sucked.

Welcome to the club. That is going to happen - always. And sometimes you'll get great shots out of ho-hum moments. Life's funny that way.

Stop trying and start doing. Don't try to take great photos - just take photos.

The best thing I ever did for my photography was to stop worrying about it. Looking back now, some of my best photographs were taken spur-of-the-moment with substandard equipment or a complete grab-shot with no regard for composition, focus, exposure, or anything else. Some of my best shots were taken when I had very little idea what I was doing with a camera. And some of them were taken more recently, when I knew a bit more about how my camera works and how I work. Some of them are good because I tried to make them good, and some of them are good for no reason that I can pin down. Some people like photos of mine that I think suck, and the work I'm most pleased with, no one seems to like at all.

Some of my favorite photos were taken by amateurs who don't know an f-stop from a g-string. Some were taken by people who are so technically careful and precise, it makes my hair hurt to watch them take photos. Some were taken by people who just seem to 'have the eye' and some were taken by people who 'got lucky'.

And so what?

I heard about a book recently about famous people. People who are famous guitarists, painters, writers, and so on. Know what they all have in common? Massive, massive, massive, practice. Tens of thousands of hours. So I humbly suggest that you put the books down and go take photos. Do it for a decade and THEN ask yourself where your 'vision' is.

Now, the sad part of all this, is that my observation has been that people in desperate search of their 'style' or 'vision' never accept advice like this as being valid. They simply continue on in their endless search for a book or some advice or a secret method that will give them that insight that only comes - if it comes at all - by not trying to find it. I'm sorry, I wish you well, but in my experience, unless you give up the search, you won't get what you want.
 
There's a fashion photography exhibit at ICP that looks pretty interesting if you're in NYC. I always find fashion photography is fun to look at it and sometimes inspirational.

Maybe head down to DC to see the Robert Frank show at the National Archives. It's gotten really good press. I've seen most of the photos before in person but am thinking about going because there is supposed to be some "extras" like his proof sheets and it's supposed to be well curated.

Everyone needs some inspiration.

If you like the William Klein book, check out Daido Moriyama's '71 New York as well.

Twyla Tharp's book, The Creative Habit is pretty good as well.
 
Personally I think Ansel Adams books "The Camera" "The Negative" and "The Print" are excellent resources. Look at images online, books and at galleries. Get a sense for what really interests you. And then go out and practice, practice, practice....enjoy yourself. Once you relax and begin to enjoy the procees of photography I think you style/vision will emerge.

Good luck,

Bob
 
morback said:
Maybe I'm just looking for a set of rules to see how it's supposed to be done and then move from there.
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You'll be hard-pressed to find rules for what makes good art. Because, as soon as something becomes a rule, it instantly becomes a cliche.

You could choose a photographer whose work you admire, and make an effort to emulate their style. (There's nothing wrong with that!) Then as your skills progress, you'll gradually develop your own style and vision.

And, as bmattock said, it's important to carefully study your own pictures, to figure out what went wrong with them, and think of ways in which they could be improved.
 
I took a few workshops with Barry Thornton (deceased 2003) in the UK and really like his books, although his output was quite limited. I've been reading and reading them for years and find them inspiring, and just recently, thanks to the kindness of MickH got my own copy of the first book. Barry was a remarkable man and an excellent writer who infused his great technical expertise with personal experience and learned wisdom. His books although technical, almost read like memoirs. They are:

"Elements: The Making of Fine Monochrome Prints" (1993)

"The Edge of Darkness" (2000 UK Edition)(2001 US Edition)

"Elements of Transition" (CD published posthumously by AWH Imaging 2004)

He was known for his saying, "You can't get a fine print from a coarse negative".

I realize that one man's inspiration is another's sleep medicine, but thought I'd share mine.

Respectfully,
 
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There's a lot of good advice in here...I'll just comment on one of your statements concerning "Knowing the Rules"...
Sometimes knowing the rules may prevent you from trying something just because "Someone" said it's against the "Rules"...
Don't put limitations on your shooting...learn what it is you like in photos...
If you see something you like and think it would make a nice photo then shoot it...if it works great if it doesn't then you learned something for next time...
Bad photos are also great learning tools either you'll learn what doesn't work or you can learn how to make it work next time...

As far as looking at photos I prefer looking through magazines...not just photo magazines but any with decent stuff...fashion, sport, auto, business...visit your local library and if they have a used book store in there they will have old magazines too...cheap...go pick some up...

Just get out there and shoot...don't worry about your style or vision JUST shoot...It will work out on it's own in time...
 
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