books

Free E-Book: The Street Photography Project Manual

Dear streettogs, I am really excited to share that I have (another) free e-book for you guys (because I love you) titled: “The Street Photography Project Manual”

The concept behind the e-book was this: I wanted to put together all the information I knew regarding coming up with ideas with street photography projects, how to shoot it, how to edit and sequence it, and how to publish it. Here is a quick overview of the chapters in this e-book:

Chapter 1: Why pursue a street photography project?
Chapter 2: What makes a great photography project?
Chapter 3: How to come up with a street photography project idea?
Chapter 4: How to stay motivated when pursuing your photography project
Chapter 5: How to edit/sequence your photography project
Chapter 6: How to publish your photography project
Chapter 7: Conclusion

Free download:

This book is “open source” meaning you are free to distribute, edit, change, remix, or share this with your friends (freely and openly). Enjoy:

If you want to read the full e-book on this blog, “read more”:

Here are some other free e-books I published:

Street Photography Holiday Book Wishlist 2014

Hohoho, Merry (upcoming) holidays streettogs. If you weren’t sure what to ask for the holidays this year, I have compiled this list of street photography books to ask Santa (or your friends, family, significant other) for. Read more to see my full list of recommended books below!

11 Tips on Making a Photography Book with Bruno Ceschel

Beautiful collection of self-published books

There is no better time in history to be a self-published photographer. There are so many great options out there— like Blurb (print on demand), and even getting books printed in China (it seems most publishers are printing overseas, which is much more affordable, with great quality).

In the past, there have always been lots of “gatekeepers” — people who prevented you from achieving your dreams. These gatekeepers are the editors, publishers, and media moguls who control the stream of information. They had all the power whether your work would be shown or not as an artist.

Now with social media (and modern technology), the tables have flipped. As photographers, we no longer have excuses for not publishing a strong body of work, due to financial constraints or outside forces. What matters the most now is the quality of our work (and effective marketing to get the word out).

Book Review: “Photographers’ Sketchbooks” by Stephen McLaren and Bryan Formhals

I recently picked up a copy of “Photographers’ Sketchbooks“, an excellent book written by Stephen McLaren (co-author of “Street Photography Now”) and Bryan Formhals (founder of LPV magazine and the popular Tumblr: Photographs on the Brain).

Alongside “The Photobook: A History Volume III” by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger it is the best resource for photobook making, the philosophies of editing and sequencing, the importance of collaboration, explaining the working methods of certain photographers, their philosophies, and advice and thoughts on publishing via the printed medium (and on social media).

It is a beautifully put-together book, with tons of great “behind-the-scenes” materials, via photocopies of the photographers’ actual “sketchbooks”, contact sheets, and personal notes. I highly recommend everyone to pick up the actual book — and use it as a great reference when putting together your own book or body of work.

I personally learned a lot from the book, and I wanted to share some of the personal lessons I’ve learned from ingesting this beautiful tome of information:

Street Photography Book Review: “Minutes to Midnight” by Trent Parke

I’m not 100% sure how I stumbled upon the book: “Minutes to Midnight” by Trent Parke. But when I did— I was blown away by Trent Parke’s incredible story-telling, visuals, and vision. It inspired me to write my first article on him: 12 Lessons Trent Parke Has Taught Me About Street Photography.

Steidl has recently re-published “Minutes to Midnight” — and it has been a massive hit. It is hard to find copies that aren’t sold out, you can currently get some more pre-orders on Amazon.

For the Steidl re-print, there has been a slight change to some of the images, formatting, and printing (all in a positive way). I currently have my copy of “Minutes to Midnight” in my street photography library— and it is one of the most precious black and white books I own.

I wanted to write this article sharing my thoughts on the book, why I think it is a great body of work, and I hope you find this article useful.

Must-Buy Books: “The Decisive Moment” by Henri Cartier-Bresson and “Exiles” by Josef Koudelka

I am really excited to share that Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “The Decisive Moment” in addition to “Exiles” by Josef Koudelka is going to be reprinted. These are two of the greatest street photography books published in history, and once sold for hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars.

Don’t miss out, pre-order a copy today!

“The Decisive Moment“: Henri Cartier-Bresson
“Exiles“: Josef Koudelka

Learn more about the masters:

Remember if you’re feeling uninspired in your photography, “buy books, not gear“– and check out this list of inspirational street photography books.

What other photography books are on your list? Share your recommendations in the comments below.

Street Photography Book Review: “The Last Resort” by Martin Parr

All photographs in this article are copyrighted by Martin Parr / Magnum Photos. Warning: Some of the shots in the book are NSFW as they show child nudity.

One of my favorite color photography books is “The Last Resort” by Martin Parr. For 2014, I want to start doing more book reviews– sharing some of my favorite books, sharing why I love them, and trying my best to analyze and share my observations about them.

“SEVENTY”: A Book of Images of Mystery, Surprise, and Humor in Jack Simon’s Everyday Life

My good friend and talented street photographer Jack Simon (from Burn My Eye) has recently turned 70 years old (he looks about 2 decades younger than he is). In honor of his birthday, he recently published a new book titled: SEVENTY — which is a compilation of 70 great candid photos. He was also generous enough to offer the book free via ebook. More info about the book below from Jack:

SEVENTY is a compilation of 70 unplanned and unposed images. I enjoy the hunt for that moment of mystery, surprise, and humor in my everyday life. I seek images that hint to a larger story, like a publicity still from some forgotten movie. These fragments of fictional stories are drawn from the real world in an odd coupling of my unconscious, my intentions, and chance. As I turn 70, I celebrate these accidental glimpses into other worlds and untold stories that inhabit my surroundings.

If you want to learn more about Jack Simon and his work, you can see this in-depth interview I did with him here.

Jack Simon Shooting the Streets of SF

Below is a fun video I made with Jack shooting in the Mission District of SF:

SEVENTY by Jack Simon

Follow Jack

Wish Jack a happy birthday by leaving a comment below! :)

“Office”: The Chaos and Alienation of Office Life by by Lars Tunbjörk (Book Review)

I recently came upon the work of Lars Tunbjörk from my buddy Mattias Leppäniemi, a Swedish documentary photographer. What I love about his style is that he is able to effectively combine the energy and grit of street photography, yet make a statement about society through the rigor of the documentary approach.

In his project “Office” he captured perfectly the monotony, chaos, and sense of alienation that offices give the modern-day office worker. Having worked in an office myself, it is fascinating to see this strange social world as an outsider.

Things I Learned About Self-Publishing, by Self-Publishing by Kramer O’Neill

Eric’s Note: I am pleased to have street photographer Kramer O’Neill share in this guest blog post his experiences about self-publishing two of his books. It is an incredibly difficult process–check out what he learned through the process in the post below!

Kramer: In 2011, I designed, printed, and distributed two photo books: Pictures of People and Things 1, an A5-sized paperback, and Till Human Voices Wake Us, a large-format hardcover. The two books are quite different: Pictures of People and Things is an associatively-edited, diverse collection of photos that work as two-page diptychs, while Till Human Voicesis a narrowly-focused, abstract, semi-narrative aquatic series in the street photography tradition, about swimming and the dark pull of the ocean. In both cases, though, I had no idea what I was getting into. In the interest of spreading some knowledge to other would-be self-publishers, here are a few things I learned.