Photography Books Everyone Should Read

Photography Books Everyone Should Read

I’m a huge proponent of learning - and I’m a bookworm. Always have been. When we first opened the photograph studio I was still traveling out of town for my day job, and one of the best things I could do for our business was suck down photography books - which suited me just fine. Daniel has his favorite photography authors and so do I, but I was also reading about customer service, photography marketing practices and how to sell.

Our favorites include (in no particular order) books by Joe McNally, Seth Godin, Scott Kelby and Jack Mitchell.

Joe McNally

Joe McNally is so prevalent and such a great writer he gets his own section. Joe writes wonderful, wonderful books about location lighting, environmental portraiture, and how to "get the shot" in a down-to-earth, straightforward manner that cuts through the clutter. Joe’s worked for some of the biggest names, Sports Illustrated, Time, National Geographic. We’ve seen him speak a couple of times. When you get a chance to see Joe in person, be sure to take it - it’s worth your cash and your time.
Read:

The Moment it Clicks - Photography Secrets from One of the World's Top Shooters
Hot Shoe Diaries, The: Big Light from Small Flashes 
Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash

Books on Photography Lighting

Light Science and Magic by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua
Light Science and Magic is an excellent book on how to dramatically and quickly improve your photography with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles of light, with examples and instructions for bringing your photography forward quickly.

Picture Perfect Lighting by Roberto Valenzuela
In his photography book Picture Perfect Lighting: An Innovative Lighting System for Photographing People Roberto explains his truly original system for understanding and controlling light in photography. Roberto introduces the five key behaviors of light, which are essential to understand in order to improve your knowledge of photography. You can also see Roberto speak on creativeLive.com.

The Flash Book: How to fall hopelessly in love with your flash by Scott Kelby
Scott Kelby is an incredibly well-known photography author, speaker and educator in the photography world. His photography book 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 change the way you appreciate light.

Photography Books on Posing

Posing a cake-covered little one isn’t really the plan for your day, it’s not like you’re going to get them to sit still. However, Mom & Dad almost always want to get a couple of shots with that cake covered baby. Never say no - you are there to make money and more unique poses equals more cash in the sales room. You need to have your family posing basics down. Here are some photography books on posing that we’ve certainly appreciated.

The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone by Lindsey Adler
Posing is truly a crucial skill that photographers need to have in order to create great photographs. If you’re looking to improve your ability to pose your subjects this photography book The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone is a wonderful way to expand your skill set.

POSE!: 1,000 Poses for Photographers and Models by Mehmet Eygi
With special sections specifically for families with newborns, young children and maternity pictures, this is a great book to add to your photography library. POSE!: 1,000 Poses for Photographers and Models also gives you information on how to get your clients to engage with props for more natural pictures.

Business Books for Photographers

We know we harp on business education for photographers. We can’t stress enough how important it is to understand business practices, selling and customer service. You can be an amazing photographic artist - but if you can’t pay the bills you’ll go right back to your 9-5.

The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams
A lot of photographers don’t start their business with much of a budget. Most of us are creating our own ads, websites etc for the first year or two. The Non-Designer’s Design Book is a godsend. Straightforward, simple principles will have your business looking professional in half the time.

Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results by Jack Mitchell
Sarah Petty initially turned me on to this one. I think I’ve bought about 6 copies - I keep giving them to businesses we’re helping. Jack’s customers are some of the most loyal in his industry - they keep coming back because they receive such AMAZING customer service. This is a wonderful book to help you out of a shoot-and-burn mentality into a customer service driven boutique photography studio.

Why We Buy - The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill
A witty bestselling book on our ever-evolving consumer culture—full of observations and important lessons from the cutting edge of retail that will help you understand your clients’ needs and wants. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping helps you explain to your clients what your artwork brings to them.

Selling Retail by John Lawton
Selling becomes easy as you practice your techniques. This easy-to-grasp book is packed with the specific ammunition you need to transition into an in-person sales photography studio. Like “Hug Your Customers”, Selling Retail explains what your customer needs to feel secure in their purchasing decisions and safe that you have their best interests at heart.

Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Purple Cow brings forward the premise that you are either remarkable as in “to be remarked upon” or invisible, and that to survive as a successful business you need to be different enough to stand out from the competition. As a business it is incredibly important to be seen and Purple Cow strives to help you change your mindset and open you up to different ways of advertising. We have a appreciated a ton of Seth’s books - here are some more of his unique books about business.

I try to read at least one business book a month and I have read and reread several of those listed here, but there are new authors all the time - be sure to leave us a list of who else you think we should be learning from.

Thanks!
- Clare

More In Depth Book Reviews:
You Are a Badass at Making Money
Never Split the Difference