If you’ve got a photographer on your holiday gift list, here are seven books (in no particular order) I highly recommend that will help make you a holiday hero:
A Life Behind the Lens: Thirty Years of Award Winning Photography from Sports’ Most Iconic Moments
By Richard Pelham
Based in the UK, Richard “Dickie” Pelham is one of the leading sports photographers in the world today, and a top shooter for London’s The Sun. His collection of sports images is just stunning (I have a copy — it’s brilliant!), and if the photographer on your list is into sports, they will cherish this coffee table-style hardcover book.
Amazon link (Hardcover)
Wedding Storyteller, Volume Two: Wedding Case Studies and Workflow
By Roberto Valenzuela
This is a follow-up to Roberto’s groundbreaking book on wedding photography, and it straight-up has a 5-star rating on Amazon for a reason: it’s packed with advice, proven techniques, and incredibly inspiring photography throughout. If the photographer on your list shoots weddings, they will love this book!
Amazon link (Softcover print and Kindle eBook)
Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash
By Joe McNally
Joe is the legend of flash. The king. No contest. This book is rated 5-stars, and that is an incredibly hard feat these days. But, not only does it have 5-stars, it also has 133 reviews, and it’s still rated 5-stars, which is just insane. It’s one of the best books ever on the topic of flash—hands-down. Get this for the flash lover on your list. They will love you for it.
Amazon link (Kindle eBook and some print copies still available)
The Complete Aurora Guide: For Travellers and Photographers
By Dave Williams
This is a brand new book from the one and only “Travel Tuesday with Dave” Williams, and he has become known for his incredible Aurora photography. In this book, he shares his images and techniques, and if the photographer on your list wants to take these same types of images, pick up a copy right now.
Amazon link (Softcover print and Kindle eBook)
The Photographer’s Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone
By Lindsay Adler
I’m a huge fan of Lindsay’s photography and her books, and this wonderful 5-star-rated book (with 189 reviews no less) is a super-great pick! This stuff is gold, and anyone you give it to will make better portraits because of it.
Amazon link (Softcover print and Kindle eBook)
Paris
By Serge Ramelli
This is Serge’s follow-up to his black-and-white Paris coffee table book that made him one of the best to ever capture the city of light. It’s a hardcover, coffee table-style book like the original, but this new version, with new images, is in color and it is just stunning. They. Will. Love. It.
Amazon link (Hardcover)
The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos: 83 Composition Tools from the Masters
By Marc Silber
If you watch my weekly photography show The Grid you’ve heard me talk about this book on photography composition, and you may have even seen Marc himself as my guest on the show. Everybody will get something out of this one.
Amazon link (Softcover print and Kindle eBook)
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I hope you found these picks helpful. There’s no risk in choosing any one of these books—they are pretty much guaranteed hits for any photographer on your holiday gift list, so…happy shopping!
Have a great weekend, everybody, and I’ll see a few hundred of you on Monday in Fort Lauderdale at my seminar. Can’t wait! :)
-Scott