books every landscape photographer should own
As a new photographer I spent countless hours lounging on the couch at my local Barnes and Noble (remember when they had couches in the stores?), studying the images in coffee table books produced by some of my favorite nature photographers. Looking back, I believe doing so accelerated the learning curve and helped me to understand how to compose images that drew a viewer in, and held their attention. Twenty four years later, I still find myself marveling over many of those same books. The difference now, is that I do so from the comfort of my own couch. Over the years I’ve built a nice library and these days I spend less time studying the images in those books, and more time simply enjoying them. Sometimes, when I feel my creativity waning or my motivation withering away, spending some quality time with one of these books is all it takes to help me get out the door. In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite titles, and what it is I enjoy about them.
100 Greatest Photographs to Ever Appear in Arizona Highways Magazine
The title almost sounds like clickbait, but the images in this book are truly extraordinary. Whether they really are the 100 greatest photographs to ever appear in Arizona Highways is debatable, and subjective, but they are certainly some of the very best. If you aren’t familiar with Arizona Highways, it is a magazine produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation that’s been in continuous publication since 1925. Renowned for the exceptionally high quality of its writing and photography, it has regularly featured the work of some of the most famous authors and artists in modern history. Warning: the photographs in this book may well inspire you to visit and photograph Arizona’s many wonders, which range from deserts to canyons to snowcapped mountains.
I bought this book in 2005 at Galen’s gallery in Bishop, California. Galen Rowell was one of the original adventure photographers, his photographic skill matched only by his athletic prowess. As an alpine athlete, Galen’s images depicted a world most will never see. His adventures took him deep into the backcountry, where he made images (on film!) that remain breathtaking and unique today. Flipping through the pages of this book you can’t help but appreciate the incredible effort and skill required to create these images of one of America’s most spectacular mountain ranges.
Yeah, another Galen Rowell book. This one takes us beyond - way beyond - his home range in the Sierra and shows almost 200 photographs from Galen’s adventures the world over. Originally published in 2006, the print quality is exceptional, especially when you consider that the images were shot on 35mm slide film. This is one of my all-time favorites, and I frequently revisit it.
Photographs from the Edge: A Master Photographer’s Insights on Capturing an Extraordinary World
Art Wolfe was one of my earliest inspirations. I don’t recall how I discovered his work, but I remember being absolutely blown away by his images and the diversity of his catalog. The man has traveled all over the world, producing landscape/nature, travel, culture and wildlife images that leave viewers breathless. This book isn’t just full of pretty pictures. We also get insight into the process of making the photos, with Art’s thoughts about making the images. Reading these descriptions helped me to think a little more creatively, and certainly more analytically, about the images I create.
Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs, by Ansel Adams
No list like this would be complete without an Ansel Adams book. This is the only one I own, but I’ve had it for almost 20 years and find it just as inspirational - and educational - as I did when I first bought it. This is another book in which the artist shares personal insight into the creation of , in this case, some of the most famous landscape photographs ever made. Reading Ansel’s recollections of making the photographs, along with the technical details, provides a rare glimpse into the thought process of one of the most prolific nature photographers.
Oregon, My Oregon: Land of Natural Wonders by Photo Cascadia
I love the Pacific Northwest. It’s everything my home in Moab isn’t; green, lush, loaded with waterfalls, with a most magnificent coastline and massive, glaciated mountains. You can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across this book in the gift shop at Mount Hood. I’ve only had it for a few months but it has a home on my nightstand and when I don’t feel like reading before bed, I grab this book and thumb through the pages. Photo Cascadia is a small team of the top PNW nature photographers, and this book displays their images from across the state in a beautifully designed, high quality format.
The Last Stop: Vanishing Rest Stops of the American Roadside, by Ryann Ford
Okay, so this one isn’t really a nature photography book, but for those of us who spend considerable time road tripping and find themselves feeling a bit nostalgic when passing ghost towns and Route 66 relics, this book hits home. Ryann traveled all over the U.S. documenting forgotten highway rest stops, some of which were quite literally days from closure. It’s a fascinating peek into America’s past.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are hundreds of books that should be in every photographer’s library. These are just a few of my favorites. What are some of yours? Leave a comment, as I’m always looking for another book to add to the collection!
