What are your favorite photo (coffee table) books?

Too many to list.

Africa and Sahel by Salgado, much of it done with Leica and tri-x. Some gut wrenching material along with poignant images of those living on the edge in the natural environment.



Most of mine are of large format photographers:

Antartica by Eliot Porter

LF work of Pat OHara in the National Park series (several books)

100 Views of the Adirondacks - Nathan Farb

Desert by Jack Dykinga (ultimate print quality imo)

New York - Carr Clifton

… and many others

Within A Rainbow Sea - Newbert, perhaps the most stunningly artistic photography of underwater oceanic subjects, mostly macro work on Kodachrome films. Great printing quality on glossy thick paper.

Last, a collection of images published but not yet in book form, “Arrivals and Departures” - Jacob Aue Sobol (“a modern day Breugal”)using Leica M9 Monochrom and APO 50mm.

Ellis Vener said:

Eric Meola’s “Fierce Beauty”

Helmut Newton’s “Sumo”

Click to expand...

Sumo…that’s a conversation starter for sure.

saltydogstudios said:

I own quite a few coffee table books - mostly fashion photography.

My favorites are Vogue: The Editor's Eye because you can see how each photo editor shaped the photographs, regardless of which photographer was chosen (Vogue only had a few - typically white male photographers, and white female photo editors).

I also really like my Peter Lindbergh (photographer) and Tonne Goodman (photo editor) books.

I have a number of other books - mostly thrifted - that I quite like, but the photographers names (if they have them, some are collections of photos from various photographers along a specific theme or annual reviews).

I'm tempted by Midcentury Memories - a collection of basically anonymous photographs taken over the years that have ended up in thrift stores, collected and edited (as in chosen) by the authors.

I also quite like the Magnum Contact Sheets book. Magnum being the collective of photojournalists who've supplied many of the iconic images in magazines such as Life and Time, it shows a bit "behind the scenes" since you can see the published images plus the contact sheets. The Art of Photography (Ted Forbes) did a review of it, though I owned it before I saw his video.

What are your favorite photography coffee table books?

Click to expand...

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment (want, but too expensive)

2. Helmet Newton - Sumo (Also “us and them”)

3. Robert Frank - The Americans

4. Fred Herzog - Modern Color

5. Català-Roca - The Lucid Gaze (La Lucidez de la mirada)

6. Antonio Muñoz Molina - Madrid (collection of photographers)

7. Vivian Maier - Street photographer

8 - Elliot Erwitt - Colors

Looking into buying of:

- Annie Leibovitz

- Saul Leitner

- Ernst Haas

Not particularly a fan of:

- Salgado

- Adams

- Mapplethorpe

(Perhaps three of the greatest hehe..)

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.



I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Sebastian Cohen said:

saltydogstudios said:

I own quite a few coffee table books - mostly fashion photography.

My favorites are Vogue: The Editor's Eye because you can see how each photo editor shaped the photographs, regardless of which photographer was chosen (Vogue only had a few - typically white male photographers, and white female photo editors).

I also really like my Peter Lindbergh (photographer) and Tonne Goodman (photo editor) books.

I have a number of other books - mostly thrifted - that I quite like, but the photographers names (if they have them, some are collections of photos from various photographers along a specific theme or annual reviews).

I'm tempted by Midcentury Memories - a collection of basically anonymous photographs taken over the years that have ended up in thrift stores, collected and edited (as in chosen) by the authors.

I also quite like the Magnum Contact Sheets book. Magnum being the collective of photojournalists who've supplied many of the iconic images in magazines such as Life and Time, it shows a bit "behind the scenes" since you can see the published images plus the contact sheets. The Art of Photography (Ted Forbes) did a review of it, though I owned it before I saw his video.

What are your favorite photography coffee table books?

Click to expand...

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment (want, but too expensive)

Click to expand...

Same - I do want to get it eventually.

Sebastian Cohen said:

2. Helmet Newton - Sumo (Also “us and them”)

3. Robert Frank - The Americans

4. Fred Herzog - Modern Color

5. Català-Roca - The Lucid Gaze (La Lucidez de la mirada)

6. Antonio Muñoz Molina - Madrid (collection of photographers)

7. Vivian Maier - Street photographer

Click to expand...

I don't know that I'd want one of her books, but I'd go see an exhibit for sure.

When I see work of some of the greats of the past century - part of me wonders if part of what makes them great is that they were first. Nobody can be Jimi Hendrix or Chuck Berry or Sly and the Family Stone again because - well they did it first.

The Beatles (and Les Paul in particular) were early adopters of multitrack recording which lent an ability to experiment. Those who are at the forefront now are doing stuff like digital sampling or other kinds of manipulation that weren't possible a half century ago.

Vivian Maier is great for sure - but part of me wonders if part of the fascination isn't so much in her style as much as what she (prolifically) photographed - her subjects. Sure she had quite a bit of skill, but whenever I see the work of street photographers of the past century - including Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.

When I see their work - I wonder half of it was just being there, being present in the moment and documenting what was.

Sebastian Cohen said:

8 - Elliot Erwitt - Colors

Looking into buying of:

- Annie Leibovitz

- Saul Leitner

- Ernst Haas

Not particularly a fan of:

- Salgado

- Adams

- Mapplethorpe

(Perhaps three of the greatest hehe..)

Click to expand...

I just watched the Mapplethorpe drama, starring Matt Smith. I didn't know much about him until that point. Again it's a matter of - he was there, he showed up and did the work and photographed subjects at the fringes of society.

JustUs7 said:

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.

I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Click to expand...

That's amazing. Maybe the best answer so far.

Mr Flip said:

Smaug01 said:

He was a photographer for National Geo in the 70s - 90s. Now, he travels around doing workshops:

http://samabell.com/

His books are my favorites.

Honorable mentions to his colleagues from back in the day: David Allen Harvey, William Albert Allard and Steve McCurry.

https://www.davidalanharvey.com/

https://www.stevemccurry.com/

https://www.williamalbertallard.com/

Click to expand...

Abell, Harvey and Allard, Leica and Kodachrome in the hands of 3 visual artists. Wonderful images created by these 3 masters in the day.

McCurry, a singular stand out among so many great practitioners, with a continuous flow of so many superlative images over the years. When I visit his website, I seem to find new material I had never seen before that is equal to his best known work. A true great in my book.

It’s astonishing what these 4 accomplished at iso 25/64.

Click to expand...

McCurry is great. I briefly followed his instagram and I wonder how much he retouches his photos - they seem to have a certain "look" to them that's more than I can attribute to just camera and lens.

It's vaguely reminiscent of one of the Fuji film sims - not just the colors but some of the "3d pop" that Fuji's demosaicing + noise reduction seems to impart on the images.

I read that the Afghan Girl photo was taken with the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 lens (I suspect 1st version tho I see little difference even after the changed the optical formula). That photo (and my own photos I've taken with that lens) are part of the reason I still keep it (and made sure I got the original optical formula).

saltydogstudios said:

Again it's a matter of - he was there, he showed up and did the work and photographed subjects at the fringes of society.

Click to expand...

I am not a huge fan of Mapplethorpe but I think you are giving him short shrift. You should read one of the biographies that has been written.

And yes a lot of photography, particularly street, theatrical, architectural, And war photography, is about being there, seeing what’s going on and responding to it in a way that can help other people see and feel that moment.

To a larger point, if your standard of what makes a great photograph is pure inventiveness -which is a fine standard, Irving Penn vs Diane Arbus or Edward Weston vs Ansel Adams - than the work that doesn’t conform to that standard will seem to miss the point. Fortunately photography is large enough to accommodate the anrtristy coming from all these points of view.

Which Adams? Ansel or Robert?

Ellis Vener said:

Ellis Vener said:

Again it's a matter of - he was there, he showed up and did the work and photographed subjects at the fringes of society.

Click to expand...

I am not a huge fan of Mapplethorpe but I think you are giving him short shrift. You should read one of the biographies that has been written.

And yes a lot of photography, particularly street, theatrical, architectural, And war photography, is about being there, seeing what’s going on and responding to it in a way that can help other people see and feel that moment.

Click to expand...

Which - to be clear, is a skill in-and-of itself - being there and responding in a way that can help others see and feel the moment. Not everyone can do it and I have a lot of respect for those who do. Whether it's war or theater or midcentury America - I have a lot of respect for those who do it.

As I said - he showed up and did the work. Both of those things are tremendously important.

Ellis Vener said:

To a larger point, if your standard of what makes a great photograph is pure inventiveness -which is a fine standard, Irving Penn vs Diane Arbus or Edward Weston vs Ansel Adams - than the work that doesn’t conform to that standard will seem to miss the point. Fortunately photography is large enough to accommodate the anrtristy coming from all these points of view.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's my standard. But when I put my money down on a thing that lives physically in my space - I want something that personally resonates with me. Like I said - I would see an exhibit, but I don't envision myself flipping through their books. Not because their work isn't good or worthy of respect, but because it's not something I'd flip through.

The same way I have tons of respect for The Beatles (referenced earlier) but I would prefer to listen to Led Zeppelin.

I'm sometimes jealous of photographers who live outside of the mainstream and document their lives. My milquetoast life tends to keep me away from those fringes.

I suppose I could put it this way.... It's a nice place to visit but I don't necessarily want to live there. I would see the exhibit, but don't see myself wanting to revisit it on a frequent enough basis that I'd buy the book.

saltydogstudios said:

But when I put my money down on a thing that lives physically in my space - I want something that personally resonates with me.

Click to expand...

I agree absolutely and 100% with you.

Impossible to list more than a sample:

“Dubliners” (Tony O’Shea)

“Mali Twist” (Malik Sidibe)

“Gypsies” (Josef Koudelka)

“Images of the Spirit” (Graciela Iturbide)

“Helen Levitt” (Photofile, but any of the Levitt titles)

“In the American West” (Richard Avedon)

“The Roma Journeys” (Joakim Eskildsen)

“Magnum Ireland” (Magnum)

“In China” (Eve Arnold)

“Disfarmer: The Heber Springs Portraits” (Mike Disfarmer, 2 vols.)

“A Place in the Sun: Photographs of Los Angeles” (John Humble)

“A Period of Juvenile Prosperity” (Mike Brodie, train-hopper subculture)

"The Stone Masters: California Rock Climbers in the Seventies” (Dean Fidelman photos)

“The Democratic Forest”; “William Eggleston’s Guide”; "2 1/4"; et. Seq. (William Eggleston)

JustUs7 said:

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.

I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Click to expand...

I’d like to say that’s too sweet with cream on top, BUT you’re actually right. But then again, different use cases.

I’m not really interested in anyone else’s holiday snaps and nobody are in mine. They are gawdawful dreary and repetitive for anyone else than the involved. They are all the same. For personal use it’s absolutely amazing!!!

And I’d argue “coffe table books” are different to “vacation/family books”.

Sebastian Cohen said:

JustUs7 said:

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.

I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Click to expand...

I’d like to say that’s too sweet with cream on top, BUT you’re actually right. But then again, different use cases.

I’m not really interested in anyone else’s holiday snaps and nobody are in mine. They are gawdawful dreary and repetitive for anyone else than the involved. They are all the same. For personal use it’s absolutely amazing!!!

And I’d argue “coffe table books” are different to “vacation/family books”.

Click to expand...

Don't forget the exceptional vacation photographer. My wife's girlfriend loved to travel once or twice a year to some exotic part of the world. She was the finest amateur photographers I knew of people and scenery until she was killed in Africa. Her vacation books were photographically exceptional and usually better than official coffee table books.

--
Charles Darwin: "ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
tony

Sebastian Cohen said:

JustUs7 said:

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.

I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Click to expand...

I’d like to say that’s too sweet with cream on top, BUT you’re actually right. But then again, different use cases.

I’m not really interested in anyone else’s holiday snaps and nobody are in mine. They are gawdawful dreary and repetitive for anyone else than the involved. They are all the same. For personal use it’s absolutely amazing!!!

And I’d argue “coffe table books” are different to “vacation/family books”.

Click to expand...

Well, the question was to us as individuals and those are my favorites. The others don’t have the same memories of being there. Nor the narrative of our journeys.

Cargopilot Captain's Edition by Christiaan van Heijst

https://jpcvanheijst.com/webshop/books?prod_id=1009649

This is an interesting question, considering that my favorite photobooks are completely unsuited for my coffee table. I have books that I love from William Eggleston, Steven Shore, Fred Herzog, Harry Gruyaert, Ernst Haas, Alex Webb, Lee Friedlander, Robert Adams, Daido Moriyama, etc. that tend to leave my family and friends scratching their heads. Just like they do for my photography!

Ellis Vener said:

Which Adams? Ansel or Robert?

Click to expand...

Ansel.

I’ve hiked so many paths, climbed so many mountains, skied down yet even more mountains, gotten stuck on mountains in blizzards, slept in tents and woken up in tents in mountains or looking at mountains, once on an active volcano, biked through so many national parks, biked down slopes, hit a deer (or it hit me), hit a few trees, showered in waterfalls. Perhaps I’ve just become too blasé about the theme…or extremely lucky to have experienced it all. But those are my least favourite subjects in photography. In his time, very few had seen what he showed them.



He’s one of the greats, but his images doesn’t “do” anything for me…

(Not being American, there is also no “national pride” for me looking at those images)

tony field said:

Sebastian Cohen said:

JustUs7 said:

The vacation photo books that my wife creates.

I’m partial to the photographers and the subject matter. And they’re quality hard cover with lay flat photo pages.

Click to expand...

I’d like to say that’s too sweet with cream on top, BUT you’re actually right. But then again, different use cases.

I’m not really interested in anyone else’s holiday snaps and nobody are in mine. They are gawdawful dreary and repetitive for anyone else than the involved. They are all the same. For personal use it’s absolutely amazing!!!

And I’d argue “coffe table books” are different to “vacation/family books”.

Click to expand...

Don't forget the exceptional vacation photographer. My wife's girlfriend loved to travel once or twice a year to some exotic part of the world. She was the finest amateur photographers I knew of people and scenery until she was killed in Africa. Her vacation books were photographically exceptional and usually better than official coffee table books.

Click to expand...

There are no doubt exceptions to every rule….but in this case, I’d say it seems the pictures/quality of pictures are more important than the holiday itself in her case? Of course you COULD make it interesting to look at pictures taken on a holiday. But the “theme” holiday photos? I’ve rarely seen, if ever, anyone’s holiday pictures that aren’t boring, dull and dreary. OR hyper stylised to the point they look fake.



With holiday photos, it’s the memories that are important. Of the holiday itself or the person taking the images. If you have no connection to either….perhaps not super exciting for anyone else?

Smaug01 said:

He was a photographer for National Geo in the 70s - 90s. Now, he travels around doing workshops:

http://samabell.com/

Click to expand...

Ah, Stay This Moment. Quite good.