Limited Photography Books
As a photographer, you would think the shelves above my desk were crammed with books about all aspects of photography but that visual image is far from accurate. I think there’s already plenty of valuable and instant information online that the need to justify going on a book-purchasing rampage is unnecessary at times.
I literally own just 2 books that pertain to photography and they lay neatly stacked at arms-reach from my keyboard because that’s how often I refer to them. Photography books are not cheap so I take to heart when Chris Orwig says that “advancement in photography doesn’t come from building up an arsenal of gear”. He’s obviously referring to equipment but books are equally considered tools that can become toxic if you place to much emphasis in thinking that you’ll be better off by having more.
The 3 books that I keep at my desk. Yes, I am a neat freak so they’re always stacked this way.
I don’t spend endless hours reading photography books as much as I spend time practicing what I’ve read. As for which books are the best - it’s honestly all dependent on which area of the craft you’re interested in developing yourself in. For me, it’s all about travel photography or at least that’s the theme I’ve somehow developed when looking back at my work.
To shed a bit off light as the “why” on the books I own, here’s a quick overview on them:
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing: I read somewhere that the best form to relate your photographs with people is to write articles that compliment your photos and one of the best ways of learning how to write great travel pieces is to read several and have at least one good reference guide to learn from. The book is really helpful in guiding you how to craft great stories.
Nikon D90 Digital Field Guide: This is a refined extension to that small and often neglected owner’s manual that comes with your camera. The D90 is a complex piece of equipment that takes good photographs but if you want to take great ones, you have to really invest the time to understand the equipment you own. The book is exceptionally well composed in a language that’s easy to understand.
Visual Poetry: I refer to this one as the “inspiration giver” because that’s exactly what you’re infused with after just one chapter. The book is excellent for those photographers seeking to boost their creativity and not so much their technical skills because it doesn’t go in depth talking about camera equipment. I’ve truly enjoyed every single page of it and what enriches the experience even more is that feeling as if the author is right there teaching you, talking to you and giving you the opportunity to meet famous photographers and how can you not feel inspired to go out and shoot afterwards.
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Identifying Your Photography Work
I would imagine the population of photographers is greater with those still trying to find their personal style, in comparison to those who have already establish the type of photography they want to be known for.
Friends and family identify you as always being the person with the camera so there’s an instant assumption that photographing “anything” is what you do. Initially you”ll feel compelled to go with the flow but the question is whether that’s all you should be doing.
I think being adaptable and having the ability to extract the most compelling moments of any mundane situation are both qualities that every photographer should have but there’s going to be an moment in your journey where the label of “being a photographer” is going to have to be replaced with you stating what type of photographer you see yourself as.
To me, photographing is absolutely fun and when it stops being so, that will be the time you’ll see me not doing it anymore and the explanation behind it would probably be that I’ve been photographing “things” that didn’t appeal to me.
I’ve done a few paid favors for friends shooting parties and other special occasions but the excitement for it is nothing comparable to shooting when I’m out on vacation exploring places, people and culture. I don’t feel the obligation to have to photograph what I see. The inclination is sincerely there already.
So what type of photographer am I? I wouldn’t yet say I’m a Travel Photographer but I must admit that I find satisfaction in people recognizing my work as such. I think good photographs strike the balance between inspiration and information perfectly and if just one person draws enough excitement from a photo that will get them to book a ticket to wherever I shot it, then I feel I’ve delivered.
Have I found any monetary value for the type of photography that I love? Aside from the selling of prints, not really, not yet and that’s where I’m currently at. I’m not really focusing on trying to be different, I’m focusing on being me and in shooting what moves me and not what others automatically expect me to do just because I own an expensive camera.
In a recent interview, 20-year old commercial photographer Joey Lawrence said “when you look at a picture, there’s 2 things that should be going on in your head. What does the picture say about the subject and what does it say about the photographer.”
As a viewer, when I look back at my own work I instantly say to myself “man, this guy likes to travel” and it’s not that I sought out to craft this image for myself, it’s just something that developed gracefully and you should eventually expect to notice a theme in your own photographs so as to determine what paths to take in your career.
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