THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS (AT LEAST YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE) [UPDATED]

One of the most common ways in which this wonderful art is learned today is through self-taught reading. That is why I bring you a list with some of the best photography books that currently exist.

To understand the basic principles of photography or to acquire information about tricks, special techniques and tips that allow you to improve your photographs, it will not be enough for you to read every article that is going around the internet, you must go to the sources of knowledge. The books are an inexhaustible source of information and inspiration for all those photographers who dare to read them.

However, the huge number of books and the wide variety of authors available for you to acquire all the necessary information and take your photographs to another level, may end up causing you to become disoriented instead of helping you improve as a photographer.

That is why, in today's article, I have prepared this list with 11 of the best photography books that cannot be missing from your library and that will help you empower the artist in you.

Photography Step by Step – Michael Langford
The Photographer's Eye – Michael Freeman
Camera Lucida – Roland Barthes
The fundamentals of photography. High Quality Photography
People Photography – Michael Gnade
The secrets of the photographic exhibition – Bryan Peterson
On Photography – Susan Sontag
The Photographer's Vision: Understanding and Appreciating Good Photography – Michael Freeman
Read this book if you want to take good pictures – Henry Carrol
The art of composition – Fran Nieto
The Personal Photographic Project – Rosa Isabel Vázquez

And if what you are looking for is a gift for someone else, here are more ideas to give to photographers.

THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS

If you do a quick search looking for the best photography books on the internet, you will realize that the number of titles available about this art is abysmal. Year after year, the number and variety of manuals, books and articles that are published is enormous, which can mean that, if you are taking your first steps, you are not sure where to start.

To help you a little orient yourself in this sea of ink, I have prepared a list of books that cannot be missing from your photographic library.

1. PHOTOGRAPHY STEP BY STEP – MICHAEL LANGFORD

Entering the world of photographic bibliography with this book is doing it through the front door. Although it was published in 1978, almost all of its content is still valid today.

Although some of its contents, such as development and enlargements, are only applicable to analog photography, you can take advantage of these chapters to learn a little about the history of photography, while the rest of the chapters will be of great help to learn from the fundamentals of photography. handling of the camera to lighting techniques, types of frames, rules of composition, etc.

Throughout its more than 200 pages and its 800 illustrations, the author will introduce you in a clear and effective way to the aspects that will be the basis for all the knowledge you acquire later. This is one of my favorite books =).

You can take a look at it using google booksand if you want to get yours, you will find it on Amazon for approximately 30 euros.

2. THE EYE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER – MICHAEL FREEMAN

This book is truly a masterpiece that will help you understand what to do with your camera once you have it in your hands.

With this manual you will be able to take control of each of your photographs since, in a very didactic way, it addresses the principles of composition and design through various examples and diagrams that will help you understand each theme very easily. Have you ever wondered why some photographs are more attractive than others? By reading this book you will understand not only why, but also how.

Thanks to this book and the practical guides that expand it, you will be able to develop your skills to the maximum to make your photos become incredible.

You can buy your copy on Amazon for only 24 euros.

3. CAMERA LUCIDA – ROLAND BARTHES

The Camera Lucida is a different photography book than the two manuals that I mentioned before, in fact, it is probably a book like no other. That's why I recommend it.

With this work you will be able to delve into the photography "that is not seen" that is, in its messages, expressions and the way in which they transmit sensations to turn them into a singular photograph that produces desires in the spectators.

This work seeks to find meaning in photography beyond the techniques to produce them. If you want to write your own photographs, this is the book for you.

You can get a copy of this copy for only 19 euros on Amazon, but, if you have doubts about its content, take a look before buying it HERE.

4. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY. HIGH QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY

Most likely, Mellado is an author who, if you don't already have it, you've seen it, heard of it, or browsed one of his books.

Having one of his publications is essential for anyone who wants to learn photography in a self-taught way. With this work with exercises at the end, very didactic and clear, full of practical advice and useful information, you can go much further than you imagine.

In this blog, we have dedicated, to this day, the review of this title and three more . You can take a look at them before deciding on one or the other ?

On Amazon you can find it for approximately 53 euros.

5. PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHY – MICHAEL GNADE

If I had to choose a book to take with me everywhere, it would surely be this =)

Thanks to this work you will be able to get inside the thoughts of a photographer when taking his shots, the reason for the choice of elements, their arrangement in the frame and the technical equipment necessary to do them.

This book is truly a relic since it was published in 1978 but, beyond the change in technology, it is completely current.

The fundamental contribution that you will find in this book is, without a doubt, inspiration, since the photographs that the author chose to illustrate each of the people photography techniques that he used are truly spectacular. In addition, it has another detail, each photograph is accompanied not only by a brilliant explanation but also by diagrams that will help you understand the reason for the choice of composition in each of them.

Getting hold of one of these copies is really difficult, you will most likely find it second hand, sometimes there are copies available on AmazonAt low price.

6. THE SECRETS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION – BRYAN PETERSON

The primordial raw material of each photograph, light, must not only be shaped but also know how to capture it.

This work will allow you, in a simple and clear way, to understand all the secrets of photographic exposure through the compression of its three key factors: shutter speed , diaphragm aperture and ISO sensitivity .

With this book, perform a correct measurement and exposure of your photographs, freeing you once and for all from automatic or semi-automatic modes. After all, you are the one who should make the decisions, not your camera.

You can get your copy of this issue for approximately 23 euros on Amazon.

7. ON PHOTOGRAPHY – SUSAN SONTAG

This essay is far from everything you can find in the vast majority of photography books that you can come across. This work delves into the deepest corners of this wonderful art: its role as a means of ideological communication.

Although it was published in 1975, all the questions and reflections that it raises around photography are still valid and will continue to be valid for a long time since they make art itself, beyond the medium through which it is expressed.

You will find in this work very interesting reflections on the role of photography in today's society as an artistic discipline that will stimulate you to investigate, experiment and reflect not only on the way of carrying out photography, but on art itself.

For only 10 euros you can take a journey into the depths of photographic art. You are ready?

8. THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S VISION: UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATING GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY – MICHAEL FREEMAN

By now you may have realized that I am a true fan of Michael Freeman, and once you read any of his works, I'm sure you will be too.

Analyzing and understanding the messages of a photograph is not as easy as you can imagine, so this work comes to give you a hand with it.

Through this book you will be able to understand the complicated photographic medium and identify those factors that make a photograph successful.

Through the analysis of the works of the great masters of photography , you will learn how to observe, analyze and understand their work, as well as transfer all this knowledge to your own projects.

This book is not only to read and enjoy, but also to reflect on and debate all the opinions that the photographs arouse in each one of us.

You can buy a copy of this book for about 23 euros.

9. READ THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO TAKE GOOD PICTURES – HENRY CARROL

If you are looking for a book that, in a simple way, introduces you to all the technical concepts of photography but without falling into countless tedious technicalities, this is the book for you.

This book is far from being a manual, so reading and understanding it is ideal if you are looking for relaxed photographic reading material, that is, you should not study it but rather enjoy reading it.

If the typical manuals, even some of the ones I have recommended here, intimidate you, starting by reading this book will be of great help.

It will allow you to learn the fundamentals of photography but through more than 50 photographs and practical cases taken from the great masters of classic photography such as Henry Cartier Bresson, to gradually incorporate the knowledge while you read.

Another piece of good news: lacking all the technicalities of this type of work, you don't need to have a digital SLR camera since the concepts in this book are applicable to any type of photographer, whatever the camera they have in hand. her hands.

Where to buy it? You can get your copy on Amazon for only 12 euros.

10. THE ART OF COMPOSITION – FRAN NIETO

As its cover indicates, composition is the language of art, so if you want to make your photographs speak for you, you cannot leave it out of your list of the best photography books I have to have .

From our way of looking at the fundamentals of composition, the resources we have or our own attitude, everything is analyzed in this magnificent work on composition.

If you want to learn composition from one of the best, this book is asking you to make room for it in your bookstore. And, if you want to know it in depth, you can take a look at this article , since this book was one of our literary recommendations.

You can find it for about 26 Euros on Amazon.

11. THE PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECT – ROSA ISABEL VÁZQUEZ

If you are thinking of starting your own photographic project and you don't know where to start , you cannot stop reading this spectacular book that will take you into the complex and fascinating path that doing so entails.

The author will accompany you through the different stages that you will find: from the search for the initial idea and the investigation, the taking of the image or the edition, the presentation format of the photograph and even the edition.

Although there is no single way to navigate the life of a professional photographer, this book will serve as a guide so you don't get lost along the way.

You can get your own road map to professionalism for 28 euros on Amazon.

Let your imagination run wild with these fantastic books

In order to achieve true knowledge in this beautiful art that is photography, you need to combine two elements: information and experience. If you only acquire information and do not put it into practice, you have not really incorporated it and, at the same time, in order to polish the techniques through practice and gain experience, you need to acquire the knowledge that allows you to have control over your work. .