When the long dark nights kick in, or the weather is not playing fair, then the next best thing is to see what others see and to either enjoy or get ideas from their photography. I have listed some of my inspiration in individual photographers, however inspiration and just pure fun can also be found by simply flicking the pages of all sorts of photography books.
I have to admit, I could be a little obsessed in collecting Photography books. Whether they are books on individual photographers or collections from some of the well known agencies or even specific subject matters they all have something to offer and what I thought I would share with you is some of my favourites. They are not intended as suggestions to immediately go out and buy. They are just my favourites. However, if you do feel like owning themselves then I have put some amazon links to help you.
There is not much that can be said about Capa that has not already been said. So I'm not even going to begin. What I will say is that if you want an excellent book where you can view some of the most defining photographs of the last century then this one is for you. I always find myself going back to it.
Don McCullin is responsible in my opinion for some of the most amazing war photographs ever taken. Go look for yourself. Its one of my favourites. There is one photograph of a shell shocked US Marine in Vietnam that really does take your breath away (look below its on the cover). The books construction is excellent. It flows well and shows one of the modern masters to his best.
Being interested in Photojournalism I cannot ignore some of the fantastic work that the Photographers of Reuters produce. I like this book for its simplicity and its demonstration of what excellent photography is about. I simply like flicking through it reminding myself of a much larger world.
You get the idea by now. I only intend to give a brief glimpse into why I like these books. This one is big, and it kind of suits New York in that respect. Its simple and effective and has some great shots of a city from angles you wont have seen before. Well worth a look.
This is one very big book. It was a suggestion from a friend and I am grateful for the tip as its a great book. As far as agencies go, you dont get much better than Magnum. The classics are there, and its a pure pleasure.