Our local library is bringing the photography collection up-to-date, so there's an opportunity to build a nice collection of instructional works. It would be great if photographers would be willing to share recommendations about titles/authors that have proven valuable to you. General technique, darkroom formulas and practise, format-specific, lighting, digital, Photoshop, composition--any and all aspects of the craft are needed.

-- Steve Singleton (singleton1@bigfoot.com), June 06, 2002

Answers

Fred Picker: Zone VI Workshop

-- Per Volquartz (volquartz@volquartz.com), June 06, 2002.

Edward Weston: Daybooks I and II

-- Per Volquartz (volquartz@volquartz.com), June 06, 2002.

"Interviews with Master Photographers", Paddington Press "Darkroom", Lustrum Press "Contact Theory", Lustrum Press "Landscape Theory", Lustrum Press

-- Per Volquartz (volquartz@volquartz.com), June 06, 2002.

Of course, the Ansel Adams series

-- John Bailey (mdwphoto@aol.com), June 06, 2002.

Steve Anchell's cookbooks- Darkroom, and Film Developing. Ctein's Post Exposure, and The Ansel Adams Guides, Vol. 1 and 2, by John P. Schaeffer. I also like Jack Dykinga's new book- Large Format Nature Photography. These would be valuable additions to a photography section of any library.

-- Eugene (TIAGEM@aol.com), June 06, 2002.

Gordan Hutchings "the book of pyro"

-- joe freeman (joefreemanjr@yahoo.com), June 06, 2002.

Just to clarify a comment made above, "The Film Developing Cookbook", Anchell and Troop, Focal Press 1998. This is a must have, not for the discussion of formulas, but for the chapters on film and developer combinations.

Also recommended is "Examples, The Making of 40 Photographs" Ansel Adams, NYGS, 1983.

-- Michael Feldman (mfeldman@qwest.net), June 06, 2002.

In addition to the good suggestions above, check out the suggestions right on this site at: http://www.ai.sri.com/~luong/photography/lf/books/

-- Donald Brewster (dpbrewster@prodigy.net), June 06, 2002.

Also check the list on photo.net at: http://www.photo.net/books/

-- Donald Brewster (dpbrewster@prodigy.net), June 06, 2002.

Ansel's Series, and Photography by Upton and Upton. The latter is into it's 7th or 8 th printing, and it's good enough to use as a text.

-- Gary Meader (gmeaderwa@earthlink.net), June 06, 2002.

"Photography and the Art of Seeing" by Freeman Patterson is a great book to help beginner photographers train their eye.

-- Dominique Labrosse (d_labrosse@hotmail.com), June 06, 2002.

Steve,

In no particular order and in addition to other posted titles,

"Spirit of Place, The Art of the Traveling Photographer", Bob Krist, Amphoto Books.

"The Art of Photography, An Approach to Personal Expression", Bruce Barnbaum, second edition, Kendall/Hunt

"Professional Photoshop 6, The Classic Guide to Color Correction", Dan Margulis, J. Wiley (high end book, $$ and technical level)

"PhotoShop 6 Wow! Book", Linnea Dayton and Jack Davis, Peachpit Press

"Photoshop 6(7) Down and Dirty Tricks", Scott Kelby, New Riders

Photoshop 6 Artistry, Barry Haynes and Wendy Crumpler, New Riders

"Photoshop 6 Classroom in a Book", Adobe

"Using the View Camera", Revised Edition, Steve Simmons, Amphoto

"Photographic Composition", Tom Grill and Mark Scanlon, Amphoto

"Photographing the patterns of Nature", Revised and Updated, Gary Braasch, Amphoto

"View Camera Technique", 7th Edition, Leslie Stroebel

Subscription to "View Camera" magzine

Subscription to "Photo Techniques" magazine

Subscription to "Camera Arts" magazine.

In addition, I'd select a few "coffee table" books with good photographs of various types (landscape, B&W, fine art) to inspire people to get out and shoot.

Thanks!

Steve

-- Steve Hamley (sahamley@netscape.net), June 06, 2002.

The Craft of Photography by David Vestal. The best all around book for photographers who are starting out.

-- Michael A. Smith (michaelandpaula@michaelandpaula.com), June 06, 2002.

"On Being a Photographer" David Hurn/Magnum, in conversation with Bill Jay. LensWork Publishing, 1997 ISBN #1-888803-06-1 njb

-- Nacio Jan Brown (njb@limn.net), June 06, 2002.

Steve,

Does your library have computers for use by the public? If so, then I suggest that a list of relevant websites be created (starting with the two just mentioned above) and that it be placed where it can easily be consulted by patrons.

Such a list would include not only Tuan's Large Format forum and photo.net but also various academic, institutional (e.g. George Eastman House), or commercial sites--among the latter those maintained by some of the more active contributors to this LF forum.

Let me add on a personal note, and to get back to books, that it was only through the use of electronic internet sources that I have been able to build my own LF b&w library of about 75-80 titles. Many of these I first learned about on this forum. Others I discovered doing keyword searches on commercial bookselling sites. Many historic, seminal, and beautiful but out of print volumes I acquired on the internet, but only a very few have I managed to find in old fashioned brick-and-mortar bookstores (e.g. Half Price Books). So, computers in your library with a directory of websites could serve patrons with photographic interests (and LF photography too!) in this indirect way as well.

Cheers, Nick

-- Nicholas F. Jones (nfjones@stargate.net), June 07, 2002.