For The Love Of The Photograph

Let me cut to the chase. Buy Chloe Lodge's book, “For The Love Of The Photograph” now. In fact, on February 29th, New Zealand time, you can buy the book and the accompanying journal for $29 each.

If you are still looking for that #1 reason, it's built into the title of the book! It's a strong buy from me because you, like me, absolutely LOVE creating photographs.

Other Reasons You Will Want Chloe Lodge's Book

Now that I have the most urgent matter out of the way, let me give you my perspective on the book called “For The Love Of The Photograph“.

Most photography books are pedantic and pedestrian. Lodge's book, within arm's reach on my desk, is conversational and convenient. As you read along, it's as if a dear friend was sitting next to you to explain everything they know about photography.

It's small form factor makes it supremely convenient to carry around town to a coffee shop. It's crisp printing and colorful photographs make the book very engaging. You turn the page and your are brought to a complete halt at Lodge's own gorgeous photography in and around her farm house in New Zealand.

My Takeaways From The Book

What did I take away from it? Be more present with light, to understand moment and gesture, to embrace color and to play to your heart's content with what and who you have right in front of you.

I assure you will be tickled by her observations and her insight. Having been in this business for about 20 years now, few things surprise me now. But Lodge's words reverberated within me, echoing as if I had said them myself at some point or another. It's a somewhat weird but welcome feeling.

Interview With Chloe Lodge

By now you know the drill. I look forward to speaking with photographers from around the world. It was quite easy to track Chloe Lodge down to see if she might be interested in talking about her book, “For The Love Of The Photograph.” So, give this chat between us a listen –

Buy The Book Today … Buy The Journal, Too

This book will inspire you for years to come. If you treat it as a “recipe book” you might just end up making one heckuva meal. There are 10 chapters in all. You are allowed to skip around if you wish. Come back and read something all over again, if you want. It's totally up to you.

What you will find, I suspect, is over time as your understanding and practice of photography grows, the words in the book will resonate within you even more. That's the beauty of this book. It's not a once-and-done type of book at all. It calls you back again and again, as it fills you up with a little different ingredient as you read it from a new perspective.

Yes, leap into photography with a book that will distinguish your work over time. I urge you to buy the book (no commissions being made here folks) and the journal that now accompanies it. Remember the special time limited flash sale on February 29th (it's New Zealand time and they are way ahead of us).

Who is Bob Krist?

Bob Krist is a renowned travel photographer and videographer who has photographed for 40+ years and traveled to 150 countries.

In early December 2019, Krist released his 12th book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.” And, yes, as the headline of this blog post states, it is spectacular.

Printed at Brilliant Graphics, the attention to detail in producing this all black & white book is astounding. If you have ever used black & white film and printed from a negative, the photographs in “Old Souls & Timeless Places” will be nostalgic. So, this book a must-have in my collection and I hope you will consider it as well.

Cover to cover, you are gently stopped to take it all in, and there is a lot to absorb in this semi-retrospective of Bob Krist's work. You can study the way the photographs are composed. The way the photographs – portraits interspersed with landscapes – makes one think that indeed we are not separate from nature, but definitely part of it. At least, that's how I am “reading” the book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.”

The Interview with Bob Krist

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bob Krist about the book right before the Christmas holidays. If I do come off as a bit gushing in sections of the podcast, it's because of two things:

One, Bob Krist is a hero of mine. For years, I followed his work and fantasized photographing and writing about my travels as Bob has done over the years. And, two, the quality of this publication is truly remarkable. There is something special about holding a book with a set of photographs that were all created with intent, love and great care.

The Images Discussed In The Interview

These are the photographs we discussed in the interview. This is such a small sample of the wonderful photographs you have access to when you buy the book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.” Proceeds from the book's sale benefit the Jonathan Krist Foundation, named in memory of Krist’s son, who passed away 12 years ago.

On a tangent, I interviewed Elizabeth Krist, Bob's sister-in-law, some years ago. Since leaving National Geographic magazine, Elizabeth has joined hands with some amazing visual communicators to start The Visual Thinking Collective.

One the best ways to elevate your visual sensibilities as a photographer is by perusing through photography books: monographs, photo essays or photo stories. It's heartening to see so many photographers producing and publishing books of their own. Here is my list of books that you should consider looking through or even better, owning out right, in the new year.

Traditional Photography Books

Before You Grow Up, by Ernesto Bazan was reviewed in the New York Times by James Estrin and he said this about Bazan's book: “Ultimately, “Before You Grow Up” is about the importance of family and the fragility of life — what a man leaves behind for his children, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren he might never meet”. Bazan's gift to his kids is ultimately a gift to us. Step up and receive it!

Feast For The Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography. Ever since I attended Meera Seetharaman's food styling and photography class, I am hooked on food photography. Perhaps you are too!

Stop Here, This is the Place is a wonderful collaboration between a writer and a photographer.

The Distance Between Us, by Christopher Capozziello isn't an easy book to go through but I love the compassion this photographer displays for his brother. MediaStorm, produced a documentary based on the book that is well worth watching as well.

Cig Harvey's latest, “You An Orchestra You A Bomb” will be a part of my collection for sure. Her conceptual photography makes me take pause and think.

Love alternative processes? Then “Borne Back,” by Victoria Will is a must! Her tintype portraits are gorgeous, dark and delicious all that same time.

When David duChemin writes or talks or teaches, I pay attention. His book, “The Soul of the Camera: The Photographer's Place in Picture-Making” must be in every photographer's bookshelf. Period.

I love the way William Albert Allard sees the world and the way he sees America is extra special. Consider “Portraits of America“. I have no idea why this books is selling only for $8.21. Someone missed a zero after the eight.

How do other family photographers approach this genre of family photography? “Family Photography Now” will show you how.

Valerie Jardin is a prolific street photographer. Thankfully her book, “Street Photography: Creative Vision Behind the Lens” is a wonderful primer on that genre of photography. Weren't we all street photographers at one time? Learn more about her and her other books here.

I haven't seen this one yet, but as a fan of Scott Kelby's, I am sure, his latest, “The Flash Book: How to fall hopelessly in love with your flash, and finally start taking the type of images you bought it for in the first place” will help you grapple with your speedlites and studio strobes.

If you have ever watched Lindsay Adler teach posing, you'll want to definitely buy her book, “The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone“. I have the Kindle version of this book and I keep flipping through it all the time. So much to learn and use right away!

I interviewed Chris Knight in advance of his book, “The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow” and it is one of the most popular chat on my YouTube channel.

Roberto Valenzuela's books on posing and lighting in the past few years have been very popular among photographers. If you are starting out, diving into his books will get you going in the right direction. This year he published, “Wedding Storyteller, Volume 1: Elevating the Approach to Photographing Wedding Stories” and in 2018 you can expect “Wedding Storyteller, Volume 2: Wedding Case Studies, Workflow, and Editing“. A no-brainer purchase for wedding photographers!

E-Books

Tamara Lackey's From Start To Finish: The Portrait Shoot Playbook, How To Prepare For, Shoot, And Deliver A Photography Session is a digital book (for now) but let that not stop you from diving into it. Tamara packs this book with information that is both deep and wide for portrait photographers. If you are starting out, this book is a must. Read it cover to cover.

My friend Nigel Merrick helps photographers who are struggling to market their businesses. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his latest book, From Zero To Booked. I highly recommend you give it a read, especially before the new year.

Ok, so these photography books should get you going in 2018. But you don't have to wait to buy those photography books in the new year. Buy them now, before December 31st, to claim them as valid business expenses. Plus, Christmas is right around the corner, so if you see a photography book you already have or would like to gift someone, you've got this guide now.

Comment below on the photography books you ended up buying. Some of the links above are connected to my Amazon affiliate account and I make a small commission when you buy the books through this post. Thanks for supporting Tiffinbox in 2017. I look forward to continuing to serve your photographic interests in 2018 and beyond.

Happy New Year to you all!

Peter Doyle is a wedding photographer based in Atlanta who is hungry to pursue personal photography projects.

I sat down to speak with Peter about his recent personal photography project, Childhood Cancer Portraits: Wisdom from the Journey”.

There are 101 portraits of children in Peter's book. Here is a small sample of the wonderful portraits and messages from each child. Take a closer look and read their thoughts.

Peter's other books include:

Haiti’s Hope which highlights the humanity of the Haitian people who were left behind after the 2010 earthquake; To Have & To Hold: a Life for Generations features the stories and interviews of 12 women who were affected by breast cancer while part of a fashion shoot paired with fast cars, helicopters and a private jet in Atlanta, Georgia; Breast Cancer Portraits: Wisdom From The Journey features 49 portraits of men and women breast cancer survivors paired with their handwritten words of wisdom and hope.

Peter's next project is called Uncommon Courage. It is “about WWII veterans, military spouses, Vietnam veterans and NAVY SEALs sharing their wisdom about life, courage and sacrifice to a generation that needs to hear it. From April 1 – August 1, 2015 he will be traveling to Florida, Louisiana, and Washington DC to photograph these patriots. If you know of any vets or military spouses that you think would be interested in sharing their wisdom please email him at peterdoyle@storyboardlife.com.”

Peter readily credited Miami, Florida based photographer Brian Smith and his book, Art & Soul for inspiring the design and layout. The book was produced via Create Space, an Amazon subsidiary. Finally, the book and the project would not have been possible with out the help of St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Find out more about the book, Childhood Cancer Portraits and order your copy.

Are you pursuing a personal photography project that you have just completed or will be soon wrap up? Contact me and let's talk about it.

Matthew Jordan Smith's repertoire as a commercial and fashion photographer is well known around the world. Yet, he chose to work on a personal project that took him to all 50 states.

The project involved visiting with 100 families across the USA. He photographed children outdoors, holding up signs with their ambitions and ideas to lead their country. It's a project that took him 3 years to complete. After pouring his own resources into the project to start photographing children in America, Smith ran a successful Kickstarter campaign. He now has published a book that is every bit inspiring as his own journey through these united states.

I managed to corner Matthew to a quick Skype interview. Give it a listen. You can buy the book here.

You'll find below a slideshow with about 15 of Matthew's images from the book, Future American President.

Are you pursuing a personal project like Matthew Jordan Smith? Do you want to be featured here on Tiffinbox? Contact me right away!