What book do you guys recommend?

[jusxusfanatic]

What book do you guys recommend?

This is going to be my first book related to photography. I personally like Fan Ho's style. Someone from another thread recommended me The Road to Seeing. Thanks 🙂

 

[MIkhail]

I suggest starting with "A New History of Photography" by Michel Frizot
https://books.google.com/books/abou...hy.html?id=N3onAQAAMAAJ&source=kp_cover&hl=en
It's large, expensive and has a lot of text (and pictures of course) but it's a real deal.
That is if you really interested in photography as an art. Once you go thru that you will have completely different set of questions in mind (hopefully).

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Thanks for your suggestion 🙂 It does look good, but 700+ pages!

 

[jusxusfanatic]

My current choices :

Any Fan Ho book
The Road to Seeing
A New History of Photography

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Bumppppppppppp

 

[lynnb]

Looking at Photographs by Szarkowski
The Nature of Photographs by Stephen Shore

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Looking at Photography looks good!

 

[stephen.w]

Looking at Photographs by Szarkowski
The Nature of Photographs by Stephen Shore

+1

And also:

The Photographer's Eye (also by Szarkowski)
Why People Photograph and Beauty in Photography (both by Robert Adams)
Ways of Seeing by John Berger

 

[Dogman]

I usually recommend monographs by individual photographers. Seeing great photos have always inspired me. But I can't argue with "Looking at Photographs", "The Photogapher's Eye" and the "Nature of Photographs". I liked the first half of "Roads to Seeing" but he sorta lost my attention with the celebrity portraits.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

It's good to have books outside of your genre as well. I think it helps keep the creative juices flowing.

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Nice recommendations~ Thanks everyone!

 

[lynnb]

It's good to have books outside of your genre as well. I think it helps keep the creative juices flowing.

Agree. I was also going to recommend The Story of Art, by Gombrich, which will give a higher level perspective.

 

[andybrown]

1.'Camera Work' ...Alfred Steiglitz .Complete set published by Taschen as a paperback.

2.'The Linked Ring'...Margaret Harker.

3.Dickey Chapelle Under Fire: Photographs by the First American Female War Correspondent Killed in Action is available now from Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

4. 'The Family Of Man'...Edward Steichen.
His photographs during his time in the Navy are superb and are published in book form; in fact I'm buying a copy today from abebooks!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Any Henri Cartier Bresson book.

 

[BLKRCAT]

I picked up my first book recently after seeing the work posted at Stephen Bugler. Some great stuff and I decided to take the plunge.

Viktor Kolár: Canada: 1968-1973.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

Landscape/Architecture:
1) Christopher Thomas (Venice in Solitude, New York Sleeps, Paris City of Light
2) Nick Brandt (Inherit the Dust, A Shadow Falls, Across the Ravaged Land)
3) Sebastiao Salgado (Genesis, Exodus, Africa, Other Americas)

Portrait:
1) Annie Leibovitz (A Photographers Life, American Music)
2) Richard Avedon
3) Danny Clinch (Still Moving)
4) Harvey Stein (not a portrait photographer but Harlem Street Portraits is great)
5) Peter Lindbergh

Street/Documentary:
1) Josef Koudelka (all of his books are awesome, Walls is a bit different though)
2) Harvey Stein
3) Elliot Erwitt (Snaps is a good overall book)
4) Hiroji Kubata (Photographer)
5) Don McCullin
6) Alex Webb (Memory City, The Suffering Of Light)
7) Ed van der Elsken (Love on the Left Bank)
8) Saul Leiter
9) Boogie
10) Bruce Davidson

General Books that are good to have:
1) The Road to Seeing
2) Magnum Contact Sheets

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Thank you very much for your recommendation 🙂

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Gonna buy one from the street section since I do street photography 🙂

 

[jusxusfanatic]

Nice suggestions 🙂

Gonna buy Elliot Erwitt's Snaps since I like his style. Gonna buy more if I like it!

 

[MIkhail]

I know I am in minority on this one, but I would NOT recommend any photography books as collection of photographs (be that AKB or anybody else). I would, however, highly recommend an albums of paintings (Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Edgar Degas, Andrew Wyeth, Delacroix, El Greco, Edvard Munch, Piet Mondrian... etc. etc.) This way you are actually learning the principles of harmony (basis of any art) from the source, rather than chewing what already was chewed for you.
How many more of Henri Cartier-Bressons does this world need? Wouldn't you rather try to make something of your own than to be copycat with a Leica?
Just my suggestions but it took me years to understand this.