Most important Photo Books

[jeff_rivera5]

I've been reading John Szarkowski's Photography up Until Now, which

I'm really enjoying (I know some don't like John's writing, but I

find him very easy to read). It got me to thinking about what would

be a must read list of photo/art books for anyone who considers

themselves or would like to be a serious artist. I'm more

interested in history, theory, and philosophy rather than books on

technique. What have you read, and how did it affect you?

 

Thanks, as always.

[armin_seeholzer]

Hi Jeff

 

My favorite is Bruce Barnbaum The Art of Photography it is easier to read and teaches much better the all 3 books ( The Camera, The negative , The Print ) of holy A.Adams.

It really has put me out of a non creative phase in my life!

Thanks Bruce!

[ellis_vener_photography]

"The Nature of Photographs" by Stephen Shore

 

"Beauty and Photography' by Robert Adams

 

"Why People Photograph" by Robert Adams

 

"Another Way of Seeing" by John Berger

 

The Richard Whelan biography of Robert Capa

 

"Ansel Adams: A Biography" by Mary Street Alinder (not the Adams autobiography)

 

"Daybooks" by Edward Weston

[frank lahorgue]

In addition to the above well chosen books, I wish to add one on the general subject: "Art & Fear -- Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of ARTMAKING" by David Bayles and Ted Orland, 1993 Capra Press. I think it is an excellent companion to Bruce Barnbaum's excellent writing.

[gary_meader]

I second the vote for "Art & Fear". I've read a whole lot of

photography books, and this is one that has the power to help

you understand yourself as an artist. That's worth a whole bunch

of knowledge about Zone System and secret developers. My2¢

[michael_a._smith1]

I am posting to this thread at the specific request of Jeff Rivera.

 

There are so many useful books, that it is hard to just select a

few. The essential ones, as far as I am concerned are:

 

The "Daybooks of Edward Weston"

 

An essay: "Introduction to the Decisive Moment by Henri

Cartier-Bresson." This was reprinted in "Photographers on

Photography," edited by Nathan Lyons. "Photographers on

Photography" should be high on any photographer's list of

required reading.

 

"Alfred Stieglitz: Introduction to an American Seer," by Dorothy

Norman. (This is NOT the same as the big Aperture book with

the title "Alfred Steiglitz: An American Seer," also by Dorothy

Norman.)

 

After that, the list thins considerably of must-read books. Every

serious photographer who considers themself,or aspires to

become, an artist should be more than thoroughly familiar with

the history of photography. There are many good books and one

should read several to get a number of ponts of view.

 

A surprising good book is Beaumont Newhall's, "Latent Image,"

a book about the discovery of photography.

 

An inspired, an inspiring, piece of writing is the introduction to a

catalogue from the Amon Carter Museum of an exhibition of Brett

Weston's photographs written by Nancy Newhall. It is called,

"Brett Weston: Photographs."

 

Not long ago, becasue I had seen it mentioned so often, I read

"Art and Fear."I was surprised to find that I found it totally

uninteresting and I promptly gave it away. Same with Robert

Adam's two books of essays. Perhaps this was becasue,

coming on them so late in my career as a photographer I found

these books offered nothing new to me. I can see where younger

photographers might find them useful.

 

A new book that should be wonderful and thought provoking is

"Disappearing Witmess" by Gretchen Garner. It has just been

published. I say, " should be wonderful" because I have not read

it yet, although I was fortunate enough to review part of the

manuscript as it was being written. It is about how the whole

approach to photography by photographers who are artists

changed during the twentieth century.

 

Another excellent book is "Bystander: A History of Street

Photography," by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz. I saw

this at a friend's house, picked it up and found it was one of the

best written books I have ever read--so I bought my own copy. I

have not had time, however, to read it all yet.

 

That is a very short list. There are hundreds more. I'd try to steer

people to the history and to biographies as well as to books of

pictures and would try to stay clear of theory and philosophy.

[brian_ellis3]

Excellent suggestions. I'd add "Looking at Photographs" by Szarkowski, especially since you like his writing style as I do too. My top three would be that one plus "Art and Fear" and Edward Weston's "Daybooks."

[c_p_goerz]

Playboy-The Centerfolds.

 

CP Goerz

[john_gerndt1]

Ah common man, how about Robert Frank�s The Americans? How much can you read into those photographs? If you want a book of words about pictures try Susan Sontag. She got words!

 

Seriously, I went to art school and heard so many people yacking about photography and what it means that I could spit-up just thinking about it. Read about history or sociology or world economics (they are relevant to what images mean at the moment and in history/time) but don�t get too fired up over what someone writes about images. Make your own images for your own reasons and at least one person won�t be bored by them.

 

John

[jim_shanesy]

The two books which have affected my photography the most profoundly are:

 

_Zen in the Art of Archery_ by Eugen Herrigel

and

_River of Colour: The India of Raghubir Singh_

[mike_troxell2]

The Daybooks, of course (read both volumes 3 times), also Through Another Lens by Charis Wilson. I always enjoyed reading the Zone VI newsletters. They are worth reading if you can still get them, Calumet sold backissues for awhile. Art & Fear and one that I don't think has been mentioned, The Artist Way by Julia Cameron.

[michael_chini]

I second Michael A. Smith's recommendation for "Bystander: A History of Street Photography," by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz". It is definitely the most influential book I've ever read concerning photography. There are many other books I'd suggest but also think art history and philosophy should be checked out as well as books about film. There's more to being a 'serious artist' than photography.

[bruce_barlow]

Betty Edwards' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" will radically improve your seeing if you DO the exercises in the book. Her first "Drawing on.." book is still her best. Weston's "Daybooks."

[walter_foscari]

Strictly in the fields of history, theory, and philosophy there have been surprisingly few photography books that has been published, at least to my knowledge. Some of the most important works are surely Sontag's "On Photography" and Barthes' "Camera Lucida". I found Sontag interesting but also annoying, you can surely tell that the book was written in the 70s. Barthes can be rewarding if you share his very personal views: me, I did not.

 

The one I enjoyed the most was a book written sometimes in the late 60s: "Art and Photography" by Aaron Scharf. It is mostly historical and provides a countless number of examples of the mutual interaction between photography and the rest of the visual arts. A must read for anyone who's interested in this stuff if you can find it around.

 

Walter

[guk]

The Lustrum Press THEORY books including Darkroom 1 and 2

[tim_atherton2]

I'd have to say Berger - Another Way of Telling (along with various of his essays on photogprahy); Chromophobia by David Batchelor (on the fear of and supression of colour in Western art and thought); David Hockney On Photogprahy; and Szarkowski's writings in his book on Atget (as well the essay in The Work of Atget Vol I)

[emile_de_leon10]

"The Art Spirit" by Robert Henri....incredible!!