A Few Books I Love

My motto is to live life simply and enjoy life's simplest pleasures. One such pleasure is cherishing my many books I have collected over the years. I cannot imagine reading a book on a Kindle, it is just not my thing. Nothing is more enjoyable to me than holding a book in my hand with a cup of coffee or my favorite glass of Pino Noir at the end day sitting on the porch, that to me is heavenly bliss. Forgive me, those of you who have fallen in love with the new Kindle Fire. It sounds like it would be a convenient piece of new gadget, but for me it just absolutely takes the fun out of reading my favorite book.

Among the hundreds of precious books I own are many photography books - the "How-To" books and books on works of photographer Greats, past and present, from which I draw my inspiration often.

Andres Kertesz: The Polaroids - I absolutely love this book, it is a small 7x6 hardcover filled with beautiful Polaroid images taken by Kertesz, a Hungarian born photographer. After the death of his wife, Kertesz consoled himself by taking up a new camera, the Polaroid SX70, he mastered the camera and produced an amazing body of work, most of which were produced from ordinary objects dear to him, shot in his New York apartment. If you are like me, sorely missing the Polaroids, or the retro images of Diana Camera and the Lomographic Holga, this book is a Must Own. Andre Kertesz: The Polaroid


The second book I enjoy reading is also a small hardcover - A book on Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange. Of the many photography legends, I admire her works most. You might have seen her work "Migrant Mother", "White Angel Bread Line" of the Depression. She epitomizes what it means to be a people's photography, connecting with her subjects often in unspoken words, and bringing dignity to the poor and destitute. In today's tech gadget crazed world, her work resets the frame for me every time and reminds me of what it means to be a good photographer.

Finally, for anyone interested in taking their darkroom printing further, here is a MUST HAVE book by Tim Rudman guru of Lith printing