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12/26/2001 Entry: "dead trees"
I received a few e-mails regarding what I said about photography and asking if there was any good books worth reading for a photographer. One book that I recommend above almost all others, is On Being a Photographer a conversation with David Hurn and Bill Jay. Few books even touch the subject of why you should take pictures, and the strong opinions of David Hurn are refreshing in contrast to the 99% of photography books whose authors are afraid to make definitive statements about photography and instead hide behind statements of "Do what feels right to you." Sure, that isn't a terrible statement on its own, but people with strong opinions are considerably more interesting and they at least give you something to work with, whether you choose to agree with them or not.
Other books I would recommend for various reasons- Basic Photographic Materials and Processes. This is the textbook for 1st year RIT (one of the two most prestigious photography schools in the US) students, and I admit that I've only read about half of it. But still, it's made me a smarter photographer, and giving me an understanding of the science (which is something I usually dread) of photography. In this same technical vein, Ansel Adams' set of 3 books - The Negative, The Print, and The Camera are excellent introductory books that, along with Basic Photographic Materials and Processes, will make you smarter than 90% of the photographers out there.
Also, Galen Rowell's, Inner Game of Outdoor Photography is a collection of this amazing outdoor photographer's pictures and essays (66 of them) on every conceivable aspect of taking pictures. His writing gets me excited about travelling and taking pictures, and his in-the-field technical advice can't be beat.
Lastly, a book I just came across, Photographing the Patterns of Nature by Gary Braasch. This book obviously is specific to environmental photography, but gives excellent advice as to opening your eyes to see what's around you. The funny thing is that I'm not crazy about his photography, but I think his writing is excellent and detailled in how he views nature photography.
Beyond those books, simply looking at the books of photographers you admire is the best idea. Personally, I'm always driven to take great photos by looking at photography by James Nachtwey, Sebastiao Salgado, Tobin Yelland, Frans Lanting, Art Wolfe, Mike Nichols, and Daniel Harold Stuart.
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