Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”—Groucho Marx
Let’s Talk About Books
I think it’s probably obvious that I love to read. I read to be entertained and maybe even to learn something new. My personal library includes approximately 3200 books, that’s according to the movers who carried all the book boxes into our home when moving onto Daisy Hill 12 years ago. There may be a few more books now, though. To tell the truth,I don’t know how many more. All of these books are shelved in my home office, family room but mostly in three overflowing bookcases in the dining room.
Update: For all of those out there who are keeping score, my current number of “books read in 2023” stands at 50. I like to read all kinds of books, including those about photography (more on that below) as well as cars, sci-fi and mysteries. If you are wondering what book I’m currently reading it’s a hardback edition of Have Robot Will Travel by Alexander C. Irvine that I bought used on eBay. I’m really enjoying this book. It’s not classic Asimov but is a clever, well written book that reflects many of the political realities of today’s society— but with robots. On deck and keeping it in a sci-fi groove, is Andy Weir’s Artemis. I still have that stack of 12 Rex Stout Nero Wolfe mysteries that I picked up on eBay and am only halfway through. My “On Hold” list at the library currently has eight books and I’m always happily surprised when I get an email to pick up one of them.
My Favorite Photography Books
Several years ago, along with two talented photographers, I taught a photo workshop in Montana. On a cold, rainy morning when it was too unpleasant to shoot outdoors, the workshop’s moderator set up a panel discussion with the three of us to answer attendee’s questions. One of the questions they asked was “what is your favorite photography book?” I don’t remember what the other photographers recommended but I know they were contemporary books and both shooters were modest enough not to recommend their own. But I do remember the books I suggested and would like to share them with you today. The third book(s) I mention are highly specific to my own photographic interests and I’ll include them as only a point of information at the bottom of this post.
In contrast to the other suggestions that were made, mine were not new books and waste little of your time addressing the kind of stuff (and fluff) that overpopulate some contemporary photo books, especially those from social media influencers. Instead of telling you how to take pictures, I think these (first two) books will help improve the way you make photographs. And because these books are older, they’re available used at good prices. The books may also be available at your local library but when I last checked they were not available in my county’s library system, even though there was a time when Colorado had the highest number of cameras per capita of any state.
Discover Your Self Through Photography by Ralph Hattersley (1921-2000.) This 1971 book was written by a noted photography teacher who,starting in 1957, was a Contributing Editor to Popular Photography magazine. He wrote a column called ‘The Hattersley Class For Beginners’ that I avidly read each month. And while there’s more than bit of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to be found in Hattersley’s writing, which is, I think, a reflection of his time—times I consider the most creative period in my life. The book includes end-of-chapter lessons that you can use to expand your photographic consciousness on so many levels that I think it will genuinely surprise you. If you want to give your photography a gentle shock treatment, spend 15 minutes a day quietly reading several pages from this book. Discover Your Self Through Photography is no ordinary photo book and, no kidding, it could change your life.
Photographic Seeing
by Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) was originally published in 1973 and may just be the definitive book on photographic composition. While I rhapsodize over William Mortensen’s The Command to Look it’s a challenging book to read that I, nevertheless, dearly love, I’ll freely admit that reading Willy and appreciating his photography is an acquired taste. By contrast, Feininger’s advice comes someone who was a was a Life magazine photographer for 19 years during a time that many consider the Golden Age of Photojournalism. His book’s thesis compares how your eyes see the world to the way that a camera does and why it’s this difference that can make for great photographic compositions. His writing can sometimes be tough and unflinching in his criticism (of other photographers) as I’ve mentioned before. Unlike many other photo books, Feininger’s is a dense read but take your time and plow thought it a few pages at a time. I promise the journey will be well worth it.
All of these books are available used at affordable prices from eBay and Amazon and the titles listed here are linked to pages where you can purchase them. I’ve noticed that since the last time I recommended these books that their prices have gone up, sometime more than a little. But they are still well worth tracking down. If you can afford both of these books, go for it.
And then there’s this…
My third book recommendation to that Montana audience was Creative Color Photography by Robin Perry (1917–2005) and is aimed at studio photographers, especially those interested in creating special effects, which I’ve always been fascinated with even before there was something called Photoshop. This and Perry’s other book, Photography for the Professionals, remain my go-to books on the subject of special effects even though some of the optical and darkroom effects may appear dated to anyone who grew up using Photoshop.
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