A Christmas Book List?

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Whenever I go to Edinburgh or Glasgow, I drop in on the bookshops (especially the second hand ones) and look at the photography books. I am forever disappointed, there is a sameness between them, especially with the “how-to” books. I do have things like “Mastering Long Exposure: The Definitive Guide for Photographers”, and “Masters of Landscape Photography”, but the books I go back to are:

  • Perspective on Place
  • A Dream of England
  • Mountain Light, and
  • The Art of Photography

What else would people recommend at Christmas?

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I like “The Photographer’s Eye” by Michael Freeman. There was a new edition released just a few months ago. This is not a typical “how-to” book, but rather takes a deep dive into composition.

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I will add one that, while not really a photography book, is relevant in that its subject is light, specifically the fading light near sunset. (I am reading it right now)

It is very thought-provoking, scholarly, and beautifully written, with wonderful descriptions of the hues and subtleties of twilight skies and landscapes: The Last of The Light: A Book about Twilight by Peter Davidson. Much of his fascination is in the northern latitudes, and a sizeable chunk of the book is a chapter titled English Melancholy. Although, as an Irishman, I might have wanted an Irish (or at least a Scottish) Melancholy chapter, it is still a joy to read. (I still very much want to explore these areas of England) The book has also introduced me to a number of lesser-known artists (check out John Atkinson Grimshaw and Victoria Crowe) and literary figures.

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“Picture This”. It is not about photography, but the essential elements of composition, illustrated with paper cutouts. It’s genius. Don’t just read the book, but make the cutouts and play around with them. Also a fun family activity.

https://www.mollybang.com/Pages/picture.html

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I have a few books by Michael Freeman, and they are all good. I think “The Photographer’s Eye” is my favourite of his

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I loved “Mountain Light” so much! It’s a terrific book!

I also enjoyed:

  • The Suffering of Light by Alex Webb, a stunning photo book of brilliant compositions and colors
  • Camera - A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital by Todd Gustavson, the best history I could find of the evolution of cameras
  • Vision and Voice by David DuChemin, part Photography advice, part post-processing tutorial. Written for Lightroom/Photoshop, but easily adaptable to our tools.
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