Mike McFarlane Landscape Photography

Books for photographers

(2) Comments | Friday 15th June 2007

There are many photography books out there. A search for 'photography' on Amazon UK in June 2007 revealed 37, 470 books. So which are the good ones? And should you just look at photographers books? My answer is, you have to find out for yourself. I love books, photography, art, fiction, so this article is just a list of books that I enjoyed and that helped me. Go out, buy books, visit the library, learn. I hope you find and enjoy some of the books in my list.

My list of favorite photography and art books:

• Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, Galen Rowell - Wild locations and thoughtful text. I think this book also has some of the most incredible landscape photographs I have ever seen, in particular the cover photograph of Split Rock and Cloud is nature at her best.
• Plateau Light, David Muench - A photographers journey through natural beauty.
• Ansel Adams: Trees, Ansel Adams - I know he is popular and often cited, but his tree studies are amazing. I often pick this book up.
• Scotland's Coast: A Photographer's Journey, Joe Cornish - One of the new landscape masters, this book is a little more subtle than his previous books, but once I had looked through it a few times I was spellbound.
• The End of the Land, Andrew Nadolski - The definitive photobook for me on how to make the best of soft light and a true blurring of the boundaries between art and photography.
• Wild Land: A Photographic Journey Through the Cairngorms, Mark Hamblin & Peter Cairns - I have a special attachment for the Cairngorm in Scotland so the words and photographs of Mark and Peter had extra meaning, but they have a lot to say and show everyone.
• Landscape: The Story of 50 Favourite Photographs, Charlie Waite - A glimpse into the mind of the dreamscape genius!
• The Middle of Nowhere (Lonely Planet Pictorial) - I am not normally a fan of Lonely Planet guides as I like to explore by myself, but the photography and text in this book is by fellow explorers and definitely worth a look. Features work by some very famous photographers.
• Klimt, Gottfried Fliedl, Taschen - Slightly erotic at times, always thoughtful with a mastery of colour. I would love to see some original work rather than looking in a book.
• Yann Arthus-Bertrand: Being a Photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand - I got this book at a reduced rate, but having read it and watched the DVD it is definitely worth the full price. The DVD alone gives real insight into the mind of this multi-disciplined and interesting photographer.
• The World's Wild Places, Colin Prior - I wasn't always a fan of Colin's work, but this book really brought me around to his way of seeing the world and shows what we stand to lose because of climate change.
• The Negative & The Print, Ansel Adams - I bought these as I thought I should read them and I was interested in the Zone system and how it could be applied to digital colour photography, but I expected most of the books contents to be outdated. How wrong I was!
• John Muir: The Eight Wilderness - Discovery Books, John Muir - John Muir is from a past age and so like Shakespeare, the writing is quite hard work. But, as with the Bard, once I persevered, his messages and journeys were incredible and enjoyable.
• Stretch: The Art of Panoramic Photography, Nick Meers - A great resource on panoramic photography.
• Motion Studies: Time, Space and Eadweard Muybridge, Rebecca Solnit - Notionally this book is meant to be about Muybridge, but Rebecca's work delves deeply into the American Landscape and the minds of those who live there. Could be hard work, but I found her writing delightful.
• Miffy at the Gallery, Dick Bruna - I saw an exhibition of Dick's originals in 2005 and I realised how skillful he was at transferring complex scenes and emotions into very simple spaces and compositions. And you can always read it to the kids at bedtime!
• Patagonia: Notes from the Field, Nora Gallagher - A collection of writings of some of the true visionaries who love the land, love playing in it and who feel the need to protect it. This is probably one of the most inspiring books I have ever read.
• Filming the Impossible by Leo Dickinson - This is the other most inspirational book. This guy and his friends lived a life that is beyond compare for experience and fun. The chapter describing the first solo ascent of the North Face of the Eiger by Eric Jones is, I don't know, beyond words. To think that Eric is the guy who brings you your tea and bacon buttie in Eric Jones' Cafe at Tremadog is humbling.
• Woman, Andreas H. Bitesnich - Form and light, mixed with beautiful women and men.
• The Scottish Colourists: Cadell, Fergusson, Hunter and Peploe, Roger Billcliffe - One of the first art books that I read that I understood, coupled with good quality reproductions of interesting landscape and still life paintings.

I also find the following 'textbooks' to be useful:

• Sales on A Beermat. Mike Southon & Chris West - Working as a professional photographer, this book has had a profound impact on my marketing methods and the success of them.
• Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Design, Edith Anderson Feisner - Colour theory made easy.
• Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS2 (Real World), Bruce Fraser - If you are not using Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge, this book will soon show you the light. It did for me.
• The Cloudspotter's Guide, Gavin Pretor-Pinney - A nice friend gave me this book. Very useful and the story about the fighter pilot taking 40minutes to parachute through a storm is pretty scary too.
• Mountaincraft and Leadership, Eric Langmuir - The definitive textbook on surviving and navigating in the mountains with a technical and useful section on the weather.

Good places to buy books, both new and second-hand:

• Amazon - Perfect customer service, great choice.
• AbeBooks - A great source in the UK and US for second hand books for books that you can't find anywhere else.

I do love good books, so please send me your recommendations too. Have fun and enjoy the looking and reading.

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