David Murray's long history in photojournalism inspires his wedding photography. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has photographed for The New York Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

David is coming to Inspire Photo Retreats in February. The dates of the convention are February 9-11, 2015. I do hope you will take the opportunity to be there and to speak with David directly. He is a true gem of a guy and an inspiration to me and a great many photographers, not so much because of what he does so well, but who he is as a person.

As a part of this series of interviews with Inspire Photo Retreats presenters, I chatted with David at length about his journey and what his expectations have been in the past at Inspire Photo Retreats.

David and I continued to discuss this interview after we recorded it and this is a short exchange with him about our purpose in life as photographers –

ME: at the end of it all .. it is about how we saw the world, how our seeing it has influenced it (even if by a little bit). No grand ambitions but doing all that I can I suppose…

David: That is all we can do: give our take on the world. It then goes to the viewer to decide if and what they like. I write with light. The camera is just the medium that I use to describe life as I view it.

Check out some of David's work. It's not limited to weddings, as he says he just a photographer. Follow him on Instagram here. David also has an Instagram account for his wedding photography.

What is your take on your purpose in life as a photographer? Why do you pursue it? Come and discuss it all at Inspire Photo Retreats. Beyond idle chatter, you'll leave making stronger bonds with people like David, understand your business better and perhaps even become a better communicator. If you are up for all that, register now for Inspire Photo Retreats. There are only a limited number of seats left for this year and the organizers tell me that they will sell out!

Lauren Rutten describes herself as the following:

Explorer. Artist. Photographer. Educator. Writer. Swashbuckling World Traveler.

Her career in photography began in 1986 and she has followed a very interesting path that includes not only the visual medium but also the written one. Lauren’s art and writing reflects her deep appreciation of everyday life and seeks to connect, empower and inspire others through her art. In 2013, Lauren took time away from her photography business and fulfilled a life-long dream of traveling solo around the world. In May of 2014, Lauren became a facilitator of the Amherst Writer's and Artists Workshops.

So, this is who is coming to speak at Inspire Photo Retreats in February, 2015, friends! I had an opportunity to chat with Lauren about her work and of course about her presentation at Inspire Photo Retreats:

There are still a few spots open for Inspire Photo Retreats. Register here today. You'll come in contact with people like Lauren who bring a gamut of skills and experiences to enrich your life.

Laurie Young, a UK-based entrepreneur, physicist, ballroom dancer and photographer has written a book called “Being a Photographer.”

In it, Young explores the idea of approaching photography with intent. What is it that motivates you to raise your camera to your eyes and make an image? Is it an intuitive reflex based on experience or necessity? Or, is your photography fairly random?

Laurie's book attempts to inspire photographers to ask the question “WHY” – when photographing anything or anybody BEFORE you make the image. You can find “Being A Photographer” here, for just $5.

To learn more about Laurie and “Being A Photographer,” I sat down with him to ask him a few questions about his intent for writing the book. Here is our conversation:

The other book we talked about was David Hurn's “On Being A Photographer” which you can order here.

You'll find below a few examples of Laurie Young's ballroom dancing images. Enjoy!

Setting goals and making lists is all the rage right now. Before I forget, here's wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. 2015 can be big year for you. I know I have grand plans. So, let's toast to both of our dreams, shall we?

One of the ways I dream (and I do day dream a lot) is via books. In fact, I am a lot more protective of my books than I am of my gear. I am kinda weird that way. Books, for me, are the ultimate escape and I am very protective of them. I am not much of a tv watcher (though that show House of Cards is something isn't it?) and my bar-hopping days are behind me. So, I sit with my books and I am easily transported to a different life. It's my exit into understanding the world around me.

In the last week or two, I have read books by Jon Acuff (“Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters” is awesome and I am waiting on his next one called “Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck“) and Pico Iyer (“The Art of Stillness”).

I have a special place in my heart for photography books. Being a photographer, I know how difficult it can be to edit, design, produce and publish one. So, when a photographer launches a book, I am typically one of the first to sign up and buy it. But budget is a consideration and I have to be rather picky about which ones make it into my bookshelf.

I am heartened to know that so many photography books were published in 2014. It's the end of the year and there have already been a bevy of photography websites linking to their favorite photography books of the year. Here is a sampling:

Lens Culture
Time Magazine
American Photography Magazine
Art Book
Brain Pickings
Humble Arts Foundation
Aperture
PDN Photo Annual
The Guardian
Flak Photo
PhotoEye
Photolia [A motherlode of links to other lists] Elizabeth Avedon
Microcord
Mother Jones Magazine
Conscientious Photography Magazine

My favorite books – the ones I bought are as follows:

Dan Winters'Road To Seeing
Scott Strazzante's Common Ground
Gregory Heisler's 50 Portraits
Lena Hyde's The Design Aglow Posing Guide For Family Portrait Photography
Ernesto Bazan's Isla
Alex Webb's The Suffering Of Light
Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour
Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb's Street Photography and the Poetic Image: The Photography Workshop Series
Neil van Niekerk's Lighting & Design for Portrait Photography: Direction & Quality of Light
Roberto Valenzuela's Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models

Then there are books that I will buy someday in the near future:

Martin Schoeller's Portraits
National Geographic's The Farmer In All Of Us
Paul Mobley's American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country
Eugene Richard's Red Ball of a Sun Slipping Down
Zun Lee's Father Figure
Marc Wilson's The Last Stand: Northern Europe
Alain Lebloile‘s En attendant le facteur
Chirodeep Chaudhuri's A Village In Bengal
Salgado's Genesis
William A. Ewing's Masterclass: Arnold Newman
Magnum Contact Sheets
Larry Fink's Composition and Improvisation: The Photography Workshop Series
Jason Fulford and Gregory Halpern's The Photographer's Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas
Erik Valind's Portrait Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Art Wolfe's Earth Is My Witness

I know some of these books were published before 2014, but I came to know about them only this year. So, at least in my mind, they still made my list.

Buy one or more of these books using the affiliate links above and you get to right them off as a business expense for 2014. But you do have only until December 31st (that's tomorrow) to snag these books and get that tax break. Gee whiz, I might have just sold myself more books to buy before tomorrow!

Ok, your turn now. Which photography books did you buy? Which ones would you like to add to your library? Sound off below.