Fred Picker talked about the value of buying prints and that’s a wonderful idea, but it can be pretty expensive. I really wish I could own prints of the all the greats I admire. Unfortunately I’m not independently wealthy so I do the next best thing. I buy books, and own lot of them. While I do own some prints by photographers I admire, I am very proud of the library of monographs I have built over the years.

So let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Every serious photographer should have a library of wonderful books. We all have different tastes and there are enough quality books out there to satisfy all of them. I gaze at their contents to enjoy myself, to be inspired and most of all to learn. Ok, so what’s to learn?  Well for starters how about light, composition, where to stand when making a photograph and technique. And then about the tools used to get the job done and why they were chosen. This can be incredibly helpful to those just starting out, to those who are confused or have lost their way, and to those that want to sharpen their seeing and craft. Oh, and by the way, as recently reported, after seeing several wonderful videos about Don McCullin that featured his use of the Mamiya Universal medium format rangefinder camera and subsequent purchases of his wonderful landscape books, I decided to buy one for myself, along with a few lenses to go with it.  I absolutely love the camera and when I need it, it is helping me to make the kinds of pictures I want to make!

So, if you don’t have a library, start one! And if you have one, see if there are any holes in it that need to be filled. But most important of all, enjoy these gems, learn from them, and be inspired to create your own special art! A far better investment than that uber wide angle or big honker telephoto you really don’t need, but want, so you can finally fill that empty compartment in your camera bag.

You’ll be a better photographer for it!

Stay well,

Michael