Books are one of the best sources of knowledge that photographers can have. They are always there, they do not waste energy and they decorate our home. You can’t live without them (and one who has been separated from his library for more than four months tells you so). As Christmas is approaching, let’s see which ones we can put on our wish lists.
Recommending a book is something very personal. It is not a question of playing the intellectual and commenting on three or four strange specimens that confuse locals and strangers. A book is a treasure and as such it deserves to be treated, not as a mere decorative object.
Some never fail, others surprise and inspire and you can learn from all of them. In the world of photography there are textbooks, bedside, unforgettable and boring. The adjective depends on your experience with them. And if one of them costs you and everyone praises them, nothing happens. Maybe it’s not your moment with him.
So I will propose a personal and transferable list. So that if you have an invisible friend or simply that your aunt never knows what to buy from you or you want to prevent your in-laws from giving you the prize they were given on the IMSERSO trip, you know what to say to them. And if you don’t give it to yourself.
The most interesting books for photographers
To be a photographer, just looking is not enough. Above all, you have to think and be clear about everything that has been done until we decide to shoot our camera. We cannot forget about the past no matter how boring it may be.
So the first thing would be to bet on the Photobolsillo books dedicated to the great photographers of world and national history. These little pieces are always a sure gift and a constant source of inspiration.
We always recommend them, but for a photographer who is just starting out or for one who has it all, It is the best way to remind us of the works of the greatest.
Then we have the classic essays that get reissued over and over again. They never get old and they always help us understand that what we are doing is not as simple as pressing a button or always betting on extreme contrasts.
About photography (Contemporary)
It is not a question of having them to pretend to be understood. The secret is to arm yourself with patience, keep a notebook by your side and read it two, three or as many times as it takes to find the way you want to go: Susan Sontag, Gisele Freund, Walter Benjamin or John Berger.
About photography (Essay)
If you want something more current, the essay books that should not be missing in your library are ‘Help me to look’ by Tino Soriano and of course ‘The photographic vision’ by Eduardo Momeñe. Rarely will we learn so many things about photography by reading them.
Surely many of you already have them in your libraries, but we have been able to lend them and lose them or find young photographers who do not even know that these jewels exist.
Richard Avedon An Autobiography / anglais: The Photographs of Richard Avedon
Within the monographs it is always a pleasure to get lost in specialized bookstores and look for a unique copy … The problem is time and that these books are usually very expensive. For example, ‘An autobiography’ by Richard Avedon, one of those missing from my collection, is for $ 64 on the American Amazon page (and I doubt it will arrive in time) …
So I would look for the Mapfre Foundation catalogs, which are a real treasure. Or that wonder, which I don’t have either (which I have looked at a thousand times) which is the catalog of the exhibition ‘Alfonso. Be careful with the memory ‘that we can enjoy these days in Madrid.
The books we have talked about Xataka Foto
I would not forget the books we have talked about in Xataka Photo this year: The overwhelming ‘Negro’ by Sergi Cámara and that little wonder that is ‘Como la casa mía’ by Laura C. Vela. They are books for committed readers who believe in the power of photography.
If what we want is to give away technical books, there are few novelties on the market. And it’s a shame. Of course, I would not stop recommending José María Mellado’s book on mobile photography. In it we find all the steps we can take to advance with these cameras. And the reader can decide whether or not he wants to follow his path. For many it can help them to start looking differently.
And to finish we cannot forget the last interview of the year with Tino Soriano for ‘Los colores y tú’. There we have everything we need to understand color. You don’t have to search a thousand pages. You just have to sit quietly, in your favorite chair, in your best light, to begin to understand everything about a subject.
Books are necessary, they must not be forgotten.