My favorite photography books

As a photographer and overall photography fan, I regularly buy books. I don’t really like reading that much, so 90% of them are photo-books. I don’t have a huge collection (like my dad has), but I do have enough books to make select a couple of favorites.

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The coffee table photography books

Soviet bus stops – Christopher Herwig

A really weird book, I know. It’s just photos of different bus stops built in the former Soviet Union. What’s so interesting about this book, is all the different ways they decorated these bus stops. For a long period of time, these buildings were the only artforms allowed. So that’s why they are so creative. A funny little book to scroll through if I ever feel limited in resources.

Discover the Soviet Union bus stops too.

Soviet bus stops Vol II – Christopher Herwig

As if one book about the weird and unique constructions was not enough. Christoper made a second volume with photos. Again a complete collection of unique photos and bus stops. If you wanted Vol I in your photo book collection, you really have to add Vol II too!

Discover more Soviet Union bus stops.

Heartland – Thomas Hoepker

A book about the discovery of America. Not by Colombus, obviously. Through the eyes of Hoepker, we travel through the United States of 1963. The goal of the trip was to show the States to the German people. How the people lived over there. What their cities looked like. Where the people went to enjoy themselves. All that jazz.

It’s fun to see how a photographer my age went about photographing his trips 50 years earlier. Oh, and analog!

Buy his book and travel through the United States with Thomas.

Chasing light – Stefan Forster

Landscapes, some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. With landscape photography, it’s not only about finding the right landscape and location. It’s also about waiting for the perfect light to hit all the elements just right.

This book is an ode to that moment. Beautiful landscapes from all over the world, with some of the best circumstances to photograph them. A joy to watch. It’s a pretty large book too, so it will definitely stand out as a coffee table photography book. 😉

Enjoy the beauty of the world by buying Stefan’s book.

Charleroi – Stefan Vanfleteren

I wrote it earlier, but I’m saying it again: I am too much of a chicken to do street photography. That being said, I do enjoy watching it. This book is about Belgian photographer Stefan Vanfleteren’s stay in the city of Charleroi. He photographs the suburbs, the people living in on the streets around the city, and the industrial environment.

I wasn’t able to find this book online anymore, but I bet you can find it in bookstores too.

The Sounds of Mountains – Guerel Sahin

A beautiful book with photos of various mountain landscapes. This one was added to my photography book collection by my girlfriend as a Christmas gift. Next to the photos, you can read about the story from Guerel Sahin. His story mainly focusses on the point of him started out his career as a photographer and being drawn to the mountains.

Hear the Sounds of Mountains by buying Guerel’s book.

Elliot Erwitt’s New York – Elliot Erwitt

This is one of those classic books you need in your collection. A real must-have photography book. Elliot Erwitt is one of those classic (street) photographers you just have to know about. In this book, he showcases the life in New York City, all in black-and-white photos.

Roam the streets of New York by buying Erwitt’s book.

Wildlife in Pictures by Craig Hayman

A smaller photo book in size, but there are a lot of photos to enjoy in it! Although Wildlife is a pretty broad subject, the book mainly focusses on larger African wildlife. Like lions, hyena,  cute pangolin and a lot of others.

Discover wild Africa by buying Erwitt’s book.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

This is an authorless book. It’s a collection of amazing wildlife photos made the past year. This edition is about 2018. I bought it at the exhibition in the Museum for Natural History in London. It’s probably one of the most beautiful photography books in my collection.

Watch the Wildlife 2018 winners by buying this book.

The inspirational photography books

The Photobook by Phaidon

This is one of those books I have for ages. I think I bought it in New York City in a museum back in 2008. It’s basically a book about photography. It explains a lot of photographers and their work. All types and niches of photography are discussed so you can get a better common knowledge about photography.

Get learning photography by buying this book.

This must be Belgium – Tim Heirman

I use this book as inspiration if I want to go out and take some photos. Belgium is not a big country, yet it has a lot of places to go to. This book sums them up nicely and adds pictures to give you an idea. Perfect for location scouting without leaving my home.

Get inspired by buying this book.

Do you have books you love to look at over and over again?

Disclaimer: In this article are some affiliate links. This means that, if you buy or book something, I get a small percentage of the fee. This comes with no extra cost to you, but helps me run this website.

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