Best photography books and photography gifts

Ah the written word, where would we be without it?

Johannes Gutenberg gave us the printing press in the thirteenth century, and even with the breadth of information available online, nothing beats the feel of paper and the look of a quality printed photograph.

I find blogs immensely useful for quick answers, however if I want to examine a topic in depth, I need a book.

There is something about the interaction with a photography book that a webpage cannot replicate. Possibly because the medium of the mobile phone – which I look at headlines and status updates – has wired my brain for small pieces of information. Who knows.

What I do know however, is that books are cool. Particularly massive coffee table style photography books that take up loads of space in your living room, taking them out feels like an event.

Blogs are also full of ads and other distractions, which doesn’t help concentration. Most importantly though, projected light from a screen changes a picture, you need reflected light from a page to appreciate it in all its glory.

Photographers choose specific fonts, paper stocks and binding techniques all to make a book an experience, and in my view, one that should be savoured. This is why photography books make fantastic gifts. Some photography books can be in the thousands of pounds but there are plenty of wonderful books well within budget for a Christmas or birthday present.

This article is intended to help educate and inform. I write all of these articles in my spare time to help my students, the website is funded out of my own money and has no affiliation with any academic institute, it is therefore important to point out that if you buy a book through one of these links, I’ll make some money, but in all honesty, it’s about ten pence per sale, but hey, every little helps when you’re funding your own site.

Some of these books I own, others I want to own. Some I’ve never seen before in print but have heard good things, or my students have bought them and brought them to class. If you’re looking for a photography gift for an enthusiast in your life, a friend or loved one, hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for on this list.

What to buy/where to start when you’re new to photography?

 

The basics and all rounder photography book -The absolute beginners

You only need one book to start off with, and this is it.

Having sold hundreds of thousands of copies, this book is the only place to start. I’ve got a copy (somewhere, an earlier edition mind) and have always allowed students to borrow it to read through as homework.

Easy to understand, accessible language and clear diagrams – look no further if you need a book for beginners.
Exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO all covered in depth, leading on to more advanced technical aspects of photography such as white balance, flash, HDR etc. when you’re ready.

The principles apply regardless of what camera you have. Take the guesswork out of taking photographs and take control of your camera!

 

The intermediate Photographer

You’ve got your head around the basic operation of your camera, and now it’s on to the next phase of your journey, mastering what you can see.

One of the biggest ‘problems’ with understanding photography is being able to capture what your eye sees. So often it feels as if your camera betrays you, the image doesn’t look as cool as you remember the moment being.

That’s where this book comes in.

A wonderful deep dive into the world of looking and seeing. Understanding composition, image flow and how to capture narrative in a single image will improve your photography no end.

 

The advanced photographer

It’s time to dig even deeper.

The camera is mastered, you can operate it blindfolded.

You understand composition and know how to tell a story in a frame.

Next up – the science!

This book will help you on the final leg of your journey to mastery, understanding how the light you’re seeing works fundamentally and how it will render on a photograph. Don’t be put off, it’s not a physics lesson. It is a book however for a serious photographer who wants to understand how light is modified by natural or artificial means and how to work and produce the desired results in any circumstance.

 

Purely Inspirational photography books

These are filed under ‘Inspirational’ purely because they feature no technical information, they are simply collections of the photographer’s work. Beautiful to behold and wonderful books to cherish, but might not be the right book for you if you’re after more technical information or ‘how-to’s’. These books are for swooning and for getting so jealous you want to go out and shoot and get better!

55yrs of wildlife photographer of the year

I own multiple previous releases of this book, the annual release would be a regular Christmas present from my parents. This is a compendium of the best images from all the previous releases, so it’s packed full of amazing photography

The images are typically printed with the equipment used to take the image as well which is certainly useful. I always used to wonder why my wildlife pictures were so rubbish, then I saw that these guys and girls were using mega lenses which my hobbyist bank balance couldn’t stretch to – back to taking pictures of the dog for me!

A beautiful book with inspirational images, a welcome addition to any home.

 

Landscape Photographer of the Year

Possibly the only genre of photography improved by the lockdown of 2020.

Landscapes around the world were untouched for a substantial period of time, a landscape photographers dream. As above, the book is less focussed on the technical aspects of the images and much more the sheer beauty and drama.

After flicking through the pages it will certainly have you panning your next hiking adventure.

 

Richard Avedon – Performance

I own this, and you should too.

Perfectly priced as a gift and now much more widely available than when I originally tried to source it, this book sits on my bedside table (even though it’s big) and I flick through the images regularly.

The magic of Avedons work is its depth, each time you look upon one of his images you notice a new detail and it’s as if you’re seeing it for the first time.

A hefty tome, this belongs front and centre in your lounge, you know, like in those fancy pictures of new york apartments.

Beautiful high resolution prints and an insightful written commentary, I’d recommend having this in your house even if you’re not keen on taking photographs, it’s just really cool

 

Sebastiao Salgado – Gold

I don’t own this, but it’s on my wishlist.

Salgados work is immense, epic black and white images on an unbelievable scale.

If you’ve ever bought a Taschen book before you’ll know the quality and appreciate that this is a steal. Some of their books run into the thousands of pounds and take up serious square footage of your coffee table. This is a beautiful book by an amazing photographer – check out his other work too.

 

Nigel Parry – Sharp

IGNORE THE PRICE, YOU CAN GET IT USED FOR DEAD CHEAP AND IT’S AWESOME

Nigel Parry has been a photographic hero of mine for some time.

There is a quality to his photographs that reminds me of the classic portrait photographers, his application of their techniques in a contemporary fashion in my eyes is how to do it properly.

Each image captures something of the sitter, it is not simply a record of their face, he possesses an ability to capture a depth in a portrait that few are able to.

 

Books on Photoshop

Have a budding digital artist in your family or wanting to know how to retouch like a pro?

Look no farther.

This book is the bible of all things Photoshop and definitely the place to start your reading.

 

Alternative processes

This category is remarkably easy, there is only one book you need for this. The book of alternative photographic processes by Christopher James.

Why is it so good?

I can’t overstate how detailed this book is. Admittedly it is niche, the majority of photographers don’t have a darkroom, but this book is full of so many interesting processes that once you’ve read it, you’ll definitely want one.

This is the bible as far as alternative processes are concerned.

Easy to follow step by steps, the history of the process and easy to understand explanations. Nothing is held back and all of the recipes to create the chemical concoctions are included.

This is for both the novice looking for an introduction and for the expert looking for detailed explanations and advanced chemistry. This book sits on my shelf and I regularly flick through it looking for inspiration.

 

Wedding photography – Jose Villa

The man who showed me that weddings can be different. Jose Villa is the original practitioner of fine art wedding photography and an absolute legend.

When I started my career, I hated traditional wedding photography and wanted to veer away from the norm. Although my work is now much more documentary or photojournalistic in style, my images were originally inspired by the beauty in Jose’s work.

This book helped me understand how he achieved that signature ethereal glow through backlighting his subjects, and although he shoots on film, it can easily be replicated with a digital camera.

I still use the techniques from this book in my couple portraits to this day.

 

Portrait photography – Elizabeth Messina

Another OG of the fine art world, Messina, like Villa, showed the world that images for magazines didn’t have to be high gloss. With her use of subtle tones, shallow depth of field and beautiful film grain, it could probably be argued that Messina started the entire ‘Instagram style’ revolution.

Talking you through her work, her equipment and her approach to photography, this book will guide you in using natural light for your portraits, family photographs and more. A wonderful, affordable book for inspiration and know how.

 

Landscape photography

Why recommend this book over all the others? The authors can actually take a half decent photograph.

This is going to sound stupid, but there are plenty of books in circulation written by authors/writers – not photographers.
When I learn something new, I want to go to a source of authority, otherwise I could be gathering bad habits, or simply getting outdated information.

Mark and Ross have solid portfolios of landscapes in the UK which makes this book particularly attractive to native readers. It’s lovely to have a book full of pictures of Patagonia or The Grand Canyon, but it’s simply not realistic. Practice on places close to home, then when you finally get to go on a trip of a lifetime, you know your photographs will be immense.

 

I hate gimmicky crap

Sorry to disappoint if you were looking for keyrings and mugs, I think that stuff is a waste of money and resources.

Give someone a book – the gift of knowledge and inspiration.

I hope this list proved useful on your search.

Liam.