There is such a wealth of information about photography available today. I admit, I spend countless hours online, listening to photo podcasts, watching YouTube videos of photographers shooting, scrolling through Instagram, or reading articles and blogs by photographers. But all of these things cannot replace the experience of holding a book in my hands, looking at photos on the printed page, and reading the thoughts of critical thinkers and artists.
I was inspired by an article I stumbled upon this week written by Teju Cole… who if you don’t him, you should check out his work. Not only is he a great writer on the medium, but he is also a great photographer in his own right. He recently wrote a very insightful article about the value of photography books. It is well worth the read. I had him in mind as I headed to the Ernie Pyle Library here in Albuquerque this week. I picked up a couple of photo criticism books that I’m looking forward to reading. These were in addition to a recent copy of Daido Moriyama’s “How I Take Photographs” that I picked up over the holidays.
I think it’s important to not only take photographs, not only look at photographs, but also to read about photographs. It is helpful to put some thought into analyzing the work of other artists. Trying to interpret the effort or reasoning behind their work. I also find that knowing how to “read” a photograph is a valuable skill, not only for image makers, but for our audience as well.
I am most excited to dive into the John Berger book “Understanding A Photograph.” Berger was an important artistic and social critic who’s book “Ways of Seeing” transformed my understanding of visual communication. He was required reading when I studied in art school. I am ready for my mind to be further expanded when I read this book.
I must say that though we can get plenty of free information from the internet, and as a faithful consumer there is the obvious attraction to buying books, but I truly believe a trip to the library is one of our greatest social / civic privileges. The opportunity to have access to so much valuable information, for no cost, is truly a gift not to be taken for granted.