In Visionmongers, David talks about the balance of starting a business, servicing clients, and pursuing a passion. I have to admit, I was initially disappointed with Visionmongers. It approached running a profitable photography business from a more basic level than I’d hoped. For someone who came from business school and has a few healthy years of business and entrepreneurship knowledge, I found the book more rudimentary than I expected.

Is this the only book I would recommend for a photographer considering going pro? No, I would supplement this with other literature on the topic. But I would recommend amateur photographers to read Visionmongers before even making their first step towards starting a business. There are no secrets paths, every photographer David mentions - including himself - took a different path to success but the fundamental building blocks are all the same: have passion, ask for help, work hard, be financially smart, work hard for the right clients.

For this month's photography book review, I'm moving away from technical photography literature to shed light on a case of posthumous photographic discover. 

Maier's story moved me, and as my interest in her life grew, I purchased Vivian Maier, Street Photographer. Vivian Maier’s story and path to becoming a recognized street photographer is a beautifully tragic one. Borrowing from Churchill’s quote, Vivian was “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” An American nanny who, unbeknownst to anyone, picked up the camera and captured the streets of New York and Chicago. Nobody saw her work until decades after her death, when, by sheer coincidence, her images were bought by a local historian John Maloof at an auction house. Maloof has since developed, collected, and championed Maier’s work.

The book, Vivian Maier, Street Photographer is a collection of this unseen body of work. It’s tragic that her talent was never recognized during her time. Her images are a strong reflection of American city life through the 1950s. I’m particularly moved by her images of children, captured in the most natural, raw, vulnerable yet youthful manner.

There’s no better time to write about David’s book than having just finished it. One of the first thoughts is how dense this book is, Photographically Speaking is packed with information and knowledge. I have yet to meet many photographers who are as effusive with their words as David, but I suspect that’s because he writes just as he photographs - with intent. 

Part One of the book covers technical theories like composition and contrast. After having just read The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman - a highly technical book covering the foundations of photography - I thought I would skim through this part briefly. To my surprise, I was intrigued by the numerous analogies Dave uses to describe photography theories and found myself  taking longer than expected to digest David’s writing. 

My favourite section of the book is Part Two of Photographically Speaking where Dave dissects 20 of his own images using the theories he had previously covered. I’m glad that he included some of my favorite images of his in this part, and that Dave left no stone unturned in analyzing the images. He covers the point of view, lens used, shutter speed, intention, color, and even the shortcomings of the images. The book is great for those with a strong grasp of techniques and looking to take their images from beginner to intermediate level. Here are a few of my favorites snaps from the book:

I have long suspected that my preference for physical books to e-readers stem from my early education in film photography, where I learned to love the texture and weight of film prints in my hands. I enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction alike, but I tend to donate those books after I read them. The only exception is photography books.


Michael Freeman’s book, The Photographer’s Eye, is the staple of my photo book collection. It is a classic teaching manual on the fundamentals of making a great photograph. Michael Freeman offers theory on design, color, contrast, and intent without being overly technical in his language. When I first got this book, I was already 3 years into my photography career, but I held onto it because of the level of detail in which Freeman discusses the key elements of photography.

My resolution for 2013 is to read one photo book a month. I revisited The Photographer's Eye for my January book since it is a great refresher on photography fundamentals. For February, I’ll be reading David Duchemin’s Photographically Speaking, follow along!

What else should I be reading? Leave a recommendation below.