Peter Carroll’s photography blog

Photography books are a dime a dozen. Well, actually no – they go for about $40 each but you know what I mean. There’s no shortage of authors selling “how to” roadmaps. Every now and then, however, an author comes along and writes a photography book which throws a bucket of cold water on the industry. David duChemin is just such an author and Within the Frame published by Peachpit is just such a book.

Depending where you are on your photo journey David’s message may be like a teaspoon of Buckley’s couch syrup. It will be hard to swallow but it will be good for you in the long run. David’s a straight shooter and that’s what I love most about Within the Frame. You want the truth? Are you ready for it? This photography thing is hard. Plain and simple. There are no shortcuts. It’s hard work. You can buy the latest camera but look all you want in the box it came in because I guarantee you that you won’t find a free pass to being a great photographer. As David says, “Gear is good. Vision is better”. Photography is all about vision and great photography is where craft and vision meet. Becoming a craftsman takes time. Check out an old blog post of mine about the 10,000 hour rule. Sorry to break this to you but there are no shortcuts. Shortcuts anyway are all about destination. Craft is all about the journey.

Joe McNally, who wrote the forward to the book, sums up Within the Frame nicely when he says, “David gives you the tools and information that enable you to make the camera - a machine – an extension of the human heart and mind. Then he gives you a road map…and invites you on the journey. It’s a trip well worth taking”.

Early on in my photo journey I came across a book that changed the way I look at the world around me. That book was Freeman Patterson’s Photography and the Art of Seeing. I can think of no higher praise for David duChemin’s book that to say it deserves its place on the bookshelf right beside the book that inspired me to be a photographer and to express my vision of the world around me within the frame.

It’s two weeks before Christmas and I thought my readers might appraciate a little help making their list for Santa or getting a few gift ideas for the photographer in their life.

Books

Here are a few of the books I thought were noteworthy over the last year. I’ve linked to the publishers rather than push a particular bookseller.

1. Within The Frame by David duChemin

2. VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography by David duChemin …. again (busy and productive year for this very talented and super nice fellow Canadian)

3. The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally

4. The Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe McNally …. again (These guys can really churn out the books!)

5. The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman

6. Always happy to plug any book by super talented local Alberta photographer Darwin Wiggett. If you are traveling to the Canadian Rockies I highly recommend his How To Photograph the Canadian Rockies. It’s almost sold out and no more will be printed. Get it before it’s gone!

7. Anything by Freeman Patterson!

Gear

1. If you or someone you know is looking to get into studio lighting definitely check out Lightrein’s line of products. Their egg crates are the key to the world of soft light control… enter and enjoy the possibilities.

2. For light control of the smaller variety check out Honl’s line of products.

3. Every landscape photographer who has made the nice list this year should find a Singh Ray filter in their stocking. If someone you know is just starting out in landscape photography a 2 stop soft graduated neutral density filter will totally transform the images they make. Bang for buck it’s a great gift.

4. Pocket Wizard triggers. Great pieces of kit and now they’ve jumped to a new level with ControlTL

5. the gear list is never ending so I’ll stop at 4

Outside the Box Ideas

1. Take a loved one’s favourite shot and get it printed on canvas.

2. The price of hard drive space is always falling but the feeling associated with losing images to hard drive failure remains the same. Show someone you care about their work and buy them a hard drive.

3. I finally bought Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro this year and it totally transformed the way I process images. Well worth every penny.

Camera Bags

The only thing I’ll say about camera bags is don’t buy one. Let me save you the heartache. If you buy one for the photographer in your life this year it will only break your heart to see it on the wish list again next year. You’ll say,”Didn’t I buy you one for Christmas last year?” and they’ll answer,”Yeah, but I didn’t like that one because…. and they just put out a new one that has …..” Ya see they still haven’t made the perfect camera bag. It’s the Holy Grail of photography. Let the photographer ride the camera bag roller coaster. Don’t facilitate the addiction!

This week’s post in the quotations that inspire series is by Joe McNally. I came across this one last year while reading Joe’s fantastic book  The Moment It Clicks.

“Sometimes it’s all working for you and you still miss. Other times it all sucks and you get a terrific frame. You just never know. The one surefire way to get nothing is to not bother looking”
-Joe MacNally

I’ll try and make the quotations that inspire series a regular Monday thing. I think it will be a good way to start the week.