The Thinking Persons Photography Book

Every now and then I read a book which I find particularly illuminating or useful, I can’t always pigeon hole them into book of the month or book of the year, because there are so many good books out there, so I normally grade a book with a time scale that is commensurate with the level of esteem in which I hold it. This time I’m voting for what has to be the best photography book I’ve read all year (so far). The vote for my “Book for Spring 2006″ goes to David Ward, with his recent (2004) title “Landscape Within: Insights and Inspiration for Photographers“.

There is no discussion of f/stops or shutter speeds except in the broadest most general terms, almost no discussion of technique. But what this almost philosophical photography book will give you is perhaps the sort of information on artistic interpretation within the context of photography that most other books fail to cover. Some people may find David’s writing a little terse or overly complex, but words have very specific meanings and David strives to use an extensive vocabulary to convey his exact thoughts and feelings about any particular subject. This is not something you can hop, skip and jump through, but if you can give this book the patience it commands then in my opinion, it holds great rewards and enlightenment for the reader. I’d love to hear from any one else that has read it to know their thoughts. David Ward is a contributing writer for Outdoor Photography and is a tutor for Light and Land Photography, which runs photography courses/holidays taught by some of the very biggest names in the world of landscape photography.