I asked our Instructors about their favourite books on learning how to make photos and video, and here are the results! This is the Tuts+ annotated reading list of great books for learning to make photo and video, broken down into handy sections:
- All About Light
- Photographic Craft: Traditions and Practice
- Living the Decisive Moment
- Embracing Film and Video
- Navigating the Perils of Post-Production
- The Business of Image Making
- Understanding the Nature of Images
1. All About Light
Light, Science and Magic
Hunter and Fuqua
The book about light. If you really want to understand light at a fundamental level and how to use it, this is the book for you. Highly recommended.Hot Shoe Diaries
Joe McNally
Big light from small flashes. First read Light, Science and Magic, then put everything to practice with this book. Recommended by Ben Lucas.Understanding Exposure
Brian Peterson
The man. The mullet. The teaching is excellent, the photos exceptional and the author's mullet unequalled. Recommended by Harry Guinness.
2. Photographic Craft: Tradition and Practice
Digital Photography
Bruce Warren
If you can buy only one textbook about photography, this is the one to get. Straightforward, practical, and clear instruction from start to finish. This book covers the fundamentals so well I still sometimes consult my copy from ten years ago. The current edition is up-to-date with digital technology and practicesPhotojournalism
Ken Kobré
Even if you aren't a photojournalist, the technique and approaches in this book will help anyone getting into assignment photography - whether it's editorial or commercial.Doing Documentary Work
Robert Coles
Colourful and alive, this book is a must-read for anyone engaged in recording the world around them.Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It
Scott Kelby
The studio-photographer's cookbook. Lots of great recipes to get you started. Recommended by Ben Lucas.The Moment It Clicks
Joe McNally
An insight into the human side of photography rather than the technical. Recommended by Ben Lucas.Urban Code
Mikoleit and Pürckhauer
All about how to understand the language of cities in 100 quick lessons. If you're someone who is interested in street photography or architecture this is your handbook to urban visual communication.The Ongoing Moment
Geoff Dyer
An in-depth book through the last century of photography about the perception of images, how they capture our world, how they relate to one another and the evolution of photographic themes. Recommended by Simon Bray.Inside Photography: Ten Interviews with Editors
David Brittain and Clinton Cahill
The inner working of the art photography magazine is illuminated this collection of interviews and illustrations.
3. Living the Decisive Moment
Magnum Stories
Chris Boot (editor)
Go inside Magnum through 61 'photo story' master classes with photographers from the legendary photo collective.Truth Needs No Ally
Howard Chapnick
History, inspiration, biographies-a great intro to photojournalism. Recommended by Lauren Justice.LIFE Photographers: What They Saw
John Loengard
Interviews with photographers from LIFE magazine. Recommended by Lauren Justice.National Geographic On Assignment
Priit Vesilind
A look at how stories have evolved at National Geographic magazine. Recommended by Lauren Justice.Photographs Not Taken
Will Steacy
A surprising book of true short stories from photographers about the pictures they saw but didn't take. Pocketable. Great for passing the time when you're waiting for something photographic to happen.
4. Embracing Film and Video
Directing the Documentary
Michael Rabiger
Documentary is the root of all cinema, so if you're thinking of getting into film making start here! Great sections about finding your voice, direction, and building your team.DSLR Cinema
Kurt Lancaster
A great introduction book to cinematography with DSLRs, also covers gear. Recommended by Charles Yeager.Camera Confidential
Christopher Parkinson
A handbook for cameramen and camerawomen. All go to proceeds to the Rory Peck Trust. Recommended by Slavik Boyechko.In the Blink of An Eye
Walter Murch
What is editing all about? In his short but highly influential book, acclaimed Hollywood editor Walter Murch shares his simple, effective, and emotional editing process. Written for film editing, but equally interesting and applicable to photo editing.The Wes Anderson Collection
Matt Zoller Seitz
A book that takes you through the evolution of Wes Anderson and his films-great for seeing where he started and how he grew into where he is today. Handwritten break downs of soundtracks, story boarding, thought processes, inspiration. Many interviews included. A good way to see how all the pieces of a film fit together and how initial styles can be strengthened and used throughout multiple films. Recommended by Lauren Justice.
5. Navigating the Perils of Post-Production
The DAM Book
Peter Krogh
Digital asset management for photographers. Everyone who makes more than 100 pictures a year should read this book. Recommended by Andrew Childress.Photoshop Compositing Secrets
Matt Kloskowski
Compositing isn't really complicated. It's taking a lot of tiny steps, treating them like building blocks, and putting them together to make something great. This book goes over those fundamental building blocks. Recommended by Ben Lucas.Publish Your Photography Book
Himes and Swanson
What the titles says! Everything you need to know to get your book into the world.
6. The Business of Image Making
Art/Work
Bhandari and Melber
Everything about working as an artist except how to make art. Essential reading if you want to build a healthy career and get your work seen.The Business of Studio Photography
Edward R. Lilley
A good place to start for the starving artist who doesn't want to starve anymore. Recommended by Ben Lucas.Rework and Remote
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
A lot of important life lessons for work put together into two short and easily digestible books. Favourite lesson: "The Tone is in your Fingers". Recommended by Harry Guinness and Andrew Childress, respectively.Best Business Practices for Photographers
by John Harrington
Comprehensive tips and advice on the business side of photography. Recommended by Lauren Justice.
7. Understanding the Nature of Images
The Nature of Photographs: A Primer
Stephen Shore
A wonderfully illustrated guide to why and how the photographic medium works. Short and sweet.What It Is
Lynda Barry
The best book about images, imagination, memory, and art that I have ever read. Richly illustrated and touching, this book is a personal, and practical, journey of discovery. Barry asks, but it's you who find the answer: What is that formless thing which gives things form? See also Picture This: The Near-sighted Monkey Book and Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental ProfessorCamera Lucida
Roland Barthes
What It Is covers the same topic in a much more interesting and engaging way, but if you want to hold your weight when talking with art-school grads a quick read about Barthes' "punctum" (or the spirit of an image) will go a long way. Understanding punctum also helps to train your eye to look for the core of an image, and discern between images, quickly and effectively.On Photography
by Susan Sontag
An essential, critical look at the aesthetic and moral problems of photography.After Photography
Fred Ritchin
Now that we are one foot firmly into in the digital age, what is photography becoming? Is digital photography a fundamentally new medium?Believing is Seeing
Errol Morris
Also an illustrated guide to understand how and why photographs work. Anything but short, still a fascinating read for those with an addiction to the mysteries of photography.Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography
