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Anyone read a good photo book lately?


altaf

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I am looking for a good book to read, nothing technical etc... just

something that tells a story of photographing a far away place. I

don't really care if the focus of the book isn't on just displaying

photographs, I am more interested in the stories of what went into

taking those photographs. Just curious if anyone has found an

outstanding book of stories of late....

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May be you 've read it already:

 

"Learning To See Creatively" by Bryan Peterson

 

It tells more the story behind a picture rather than the plain techniques. It is similar to Art Wolfe's "The Art of Photographing Nature" without the editors view of coarse.

It may trigger some new projects in you...

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In case you haven't read these already... 1)Jim Brandenburg's Chased by the Light. For those who haven't read this, he took one picture each day for 3 months in the woods around his home. No re-do's, no bracketing, no motor drives firing off 10 fps, just 3 rolls of film and every picture is included. The most important thing that I think went into making the photographs work was obviously Brandenburg's vision. The book is almost devoid of any of the techno stuff we probably worry too much about these days, and more importantly he describes what his photographic objective was with each image. Here are images taken with a 35 mm camera with all the deliberation of a large format photographer. Made me think about slowing down a little and paying a bit more attention to what's in the viewfinder. Just my opinion, others may look at it and feel differently.

 

2) The Nature of America-nice photos, looks good on the coffee table, but shall we say- a bit less cerebral?

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Galen Rowell's "Mountain Light". Also, "Galen Rowell's Vision", but "Mountain Light" is the first book that popped to mind when I read your question. Photos and stories of what it took to take those photos in the world's high and remote places.
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I would agree with the Galen Rowell "Mountain Light" suggestion and add one a little closer to home (for me): John Fielder's "Photographing the Landscape". It's a great coffeetable book with inspirational large format landscapes from Colorado and the West Coast by an excellent and often over-looked regional photographer.

Ron Burkhardt

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I wrote a book in 1997, Methods and Procedures of Outdoor Photography,

which is really aimed at a different audience from the habitues of

this bulletin board. It addressed needs of people wanting to move

beyond very basic shooting, for those returning to photography after a

hiatus of several years, and for those unfamiliar with aspects of

mountain photography, especially in the southern mountains of the U.S.

One feature of this book is the approach to viewing photography as

art, and especially chapter three, which discusses some aspects of the

artist/subject transaction. Hopefully that issue would be pertinent

regardless on one�s medium, whether film, pen, brush, or other. More

information can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~pathways/ or

Amazon.com.

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Thank you for all your suggestions most of the books mentioned I have already read. I am not looking for a how to instruction book, I am looking for a diary of an adventure, something more than I used this lens because etc.... I don't even care if there are images in the book or not, I just wanted to read about a photo experience, much like the series of taking one image a day etc... I really could care less about the technical aspects right now, seems like it's become entirely too technical and no one is thinking/feeling anymore. Just producing similar after similar.

 

If you know what i mean.

 

I have found some books on the web that were just looked too beautiful to pass up and those were at www.tomtill.com website, Just his web portfolio caused me to toss out my entire portfolio yesterday and start again. If you want to see a true master at his craft, this is the don't miss website of the year. The stuff on this site will pretty much humiliate and inspire just about everyone that claims to be a photographer. Absolutely glorious imagery, brilliant composition, and inspirational.

 

The most inspirational/depressing part is when you read the little byline that states something to the effect "there are thousands more", I think I fell off my chair. The website alone would be a lifes work for a photographer, and a very good photographer at that, but just imagining those are just a few of thousands more makes you terrified and incredibly curious at the same time.

 

So you think you are a landscape photographer and you want to know what your up against because you "want to turn pro", well take a look at what you hope to be able to compete with:

 

www.tomtill.com

 

Be ready for a really bad dose of reality and a really inspirational dose of what the art is truly capable of creating.

 

Just so you know I have been very sparing in my praise because once you goto the site you will understand how this work just reaches up and transports you to the exact time of the exposure, and believe me there is no where you would rather be than right there next to him when he pushes that shutter release...

 

If he's a photographer, then what in the world is everyone else?

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