Photography books worth your time - the visual language of photography

Such a well worn ship -


BB there is a great story around this research vessel. Depending on who you listen to, it is about piracy, attempted, murder, drama on the ice flows, seizure on the high seas, court cases, fleeing the country and financial embarrassment. Now, after being purchased for $5,000 it is getting a new life again as a research vessel.
 
I will reply in private later. Right now the sun has returned and I am sitting on the deck with a cocktail in one hand and my iPod on my lap.

To re-rail us, while they are grossly out of date I have always enjoyed the Time Life series on photography. Well worth hunting down.
 
My favorite.

Daido Moriyama - Memories of a Dog
Yuichi Hibi - Imprint
Bruce Davidson - Subway
Magnum - Magnum-Magnum (large original version)
Saul Leiter - Early Color
Helen Levitt - Slide Show
Fan Ho - The Living Theater
Eugene Smith - The Jazz Loft Project
 
Any books with the photography of Irving Penn, André Kertész, Robert Frank, Edward Weston, Ricahrd Avedon, Dianne Arbus, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmut Newton, Edward Steichen, Weegee, Margaret Bourke-White, Sebastião Salgado, Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ernst Haas, Man Ray, Walker Evans to name just a few
 
Here's my question... How does one control a photography book buying habit? So many interesting books and so many great pictures, and so many cheap ones used. I'm way beyond running out of shelf space. Stacks and stacks. And indeed I don't just collect them - I read and browse them often. So much more pleasurable than viewing online.
 
I just picked up a couple of nice ones in the local Oxfam bookshop ... the Brassaï is a bit of a classic of course, and was just £1.99 ... still in print I think

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I don't recall Gedney directly , but some of the images seem familiar, and I'm looking forward to delving into this one ... but it seems to be out of print, so snap it up if you find one going cheap ...

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Photography Books

With the plethora of books on the Market these days, its hard to single one out for viewing, let alone buying.... However lecturing in an F.E. College does give some perks, one of them being able to check books as they come out...

Photographing Pattern & Design in Nature (A close-up guide / Arnold Wilson) Is one I would definitely recommend, although in the initial pages Arnold Wilson introduces some fairly basic equipment and styles, his techniques, lighting situations and compositions, have given me some ideas of my own to explore, which will hopefully result in some good results
 
Paul,

Mate I am envious of your finds. I have a bit of a photo book buying addiction of my own - much like Andrew has confessed - but I usually end up having to pay retail for mine :(...or stock up BIG whenever I visit the US for business. You guys don't appreciate how good you have it sometimes I think.

Then again I have chanced on a couple of unlikely finds. Not popular books but inspiration nonetheless. Latest find was "The world I love to see" by Ulrike Welsh. This link is to the second edition....seems I have the first edition. Although I can't find much on it, but her images are fantastic!
 
I just bought "Storytellers - A photographer's guide to developing themes and creating stories with pictures", by Jerod Foster.
Amazon.com: Storytellers: A Photographer's Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures (Voices That Matter) (9780321803566): Jerod Foster: Books

I'm not particularly interested in abstract fine art shots, I'm more into shots that trigger the curiosity and the imagination, that get people immersed. This book contains not only loads of great photos but also a LOT of text and it's gonna be quite a while before I finish it, but to me that's entirely positive - I need more substantial advice than just some general thoughts on effective composition.

The book does cover the basics of composition, use of light and camera settings just like many other books, but then it goes further and spends a lot of time talking about how to find and then convey a message, both in single images and in series of photos, and the role of the processes that happen before, during and after your shoot. In between there're interviews with some accomplished photographers to get their view. I only read the first few pages so far, along with a quick browse through the book, but that's been enough to get me really excited about it!
 
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