This is a list of books that I am slowly accumulating…
The overview must-haves:
The Genius of Photography [Illustrated] (Hardcover) by Gerry Badger (Author)
This is a quite good book to gain a quick overview over the (quite short) history of photography. I am somewhere in the middle right now and I have to admit that it is not really a pleasure to read. The documentary on TV accompanying this book was much more vivid and interesting. Although, I can recommend this book for overview purposes (after you saw the documentary…)
Magnum Magnum
(Hardcover) by Brigitte Lardinois (Author)
Photojournalism wasn’t my main interest in the beginning. This book contains quite a few photos I would have preferred not to see, I have to admit. I was reading in this book having my breakfast and I tried to see/think similar to one of those Magnum photographers for the rest of the day. – I even signed up for the Magnum newsletter. Every Friday they feature another Magnum photographer. Most often that’s one of the best parts each Friday… opening the Magnum mail with one or two really extraordinary photos inside…
The grand old masters:
An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson (Hardcover) by Agnes Sire (Author), Jean-Luc Nancy (Author)
The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers (Hardcover) by Henri Cartier-Bresson (Author)
Slightly Out of Focus (Modern Library) (Paperback) by Robert Capa (Author)
Robert Frank: The Americans (Hardcover) by Robert Frank (Author), Jack Kerouac (Author)
Two and one quarter (Hardcover) by William Eggleston
William Eggleston’s Guide (Hardcover) by John Szarkowski
There is a certain set of persons I would have loved to meet and have a chat with. It fills me with utter sadness and regret that I haven’t realized their genius a few years earlier so that I could really meet them. (How ever that would work.) Give me an hour with Henri Cartier-Bresson and half a night in a bunker with Robert Capa…
These days I can’t get enough of Eggleston, so I treated myself to two books… Especially ‘Two and one quarter’ rocks. I have the feeling that I can so easily relate to him. Might be a completely wrong idea, – hm – who knows? Well, nobody will ever know… fact/opinion, subjectivity/objectivity… So I am just enjoying it and drown myself in colour.
Technique:
The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos(Paperback) by Michael Freeman (Author)
Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set: 1 Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Paperback) by Scott Kelby (Author)
Essays, thoughts and other
The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing (Paperback) by Philippe L. Gross (Author), S.I. Shapiro (Author)
On Photography (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback) by Susan Sontag (Author)
