Reviews

All Aboard the Audiobook Bus /  by Todd Henson

I’ve slowly found myself listening to more and more audiobooks. I’d been leery of them originally. And when I finally did try them I wasn’t sure about some of the fiction books, where a single narrator tried to create unique voices for each character, so I started out with non-fiction books where a narrator would simply read the book. That worked really well for me. But the more I listened the more I got used to, and started really enjoying, listening to fiction books in audio form. Not all work for me, there are some voices I just don’t want to listen to, at least not for the length of an entire book. But being able to sample the book before buying I’m finding myself happily purchasing books that I end up very much enjoying, and this lets me read when I might not otherwise be able to.

In the beginning I was listening to books from Audible as I didn’t know any other source of audiobooks. And I’d only buy them when on sale. The full price when not a member was too high, and at the time I wasn’t interested in becoming a monthly-paying member. At some point I stopped seeing books for sale to non-monthly subscribers, so I stopped buying audiobooks.

LibriVox.org

A selection of the audiobooks I’ve listened to from Librivox.org

A selection of the audiobooks I’ve listened to from Librivox.org

Then I discovered LibriVox, a great source for audiobooks of older works. The books are those old enough they’re in the public domain in the USA. They are narrated by volunteers, sometimes by a single narrator and sometimes by a group. Some books have different narrators for different chapters, while others use different narrators for different characters. Being volunteers, the quality of narration does vary, but because they are all free there’s nothing to lose trying a book. If you don’t like it then move on to the next one. I’ve found some narrators I really enjoy and have read (listened to) some great classic works. You don’t need to sign up for anything to use them, just visit their site, search for a book, then download and load it into your audio software of choice. I most often download books in the M4B audiobook format and load them into my Books app on my computer and phone.

Libro.fm

A selection of the audiobooks I’ve purchased through Libro.fm

A selection of the audiobooks I’ve purchased through Libro.fm

More recently I’ve found a source for newer audiobooks, including current best sellers: Libro.fm, a company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. They have some of the same audiobooks you’ll find on Audible. But the biggest thing they have going for them, in my mind, is how they’ve teamed up with many independent and local bookstores. I searched their list of affiliated bookstores, found one near me, and chose that as the bookstore I’d support. A percentage of each audiobook I purchase goes to my chosen independent bookstore. And if that weren’t enough, the books offered through Libro.fm are DRM-free. I’ve never cared for DRM encumbered digital products. We didn’t always have a choice; there were times when most everything out there had DRM. But then companies started dropping DRM from music. And later some book publishers dropped it from their ebooks. Now you can purchase DRM-free audiobooks, letting you listen on the apps and devices you want.

I started using Libro.fm by browsing through the titles they currently had on sale. Each month they appear to pick a large selection of books and offer them as some great discounts. You don’t need to sign up for their monthly membership to purchase these, though if you do they even discount the already discounted price. But I wasn’t initially sure I wanted a monthly subscription so I just created a free account and bought books piecemeal.

After purchasing and listening to several books I decided I liked the service enough to sign up for their monthly membership plan. At the time I signed up they offered the first audiobook free, after which I pay $14.99 per month for 1 book credit, which lets me purchase almost any audiobook, rolls over from month to month, and doesn’t expire. Considering many long audiobooks are over $30 or $40, this is a great price and very close to that of Audible. I have found there are a very small number of books they can’t offer as part of their monthly membership because of publisher restrictions, but these they usually offer at discounted prices to make up for that. And in addition to the book a month I can also purchase any other book at a discount, currently 30% off.

Libro.fm has an app you can load on your phone, or you can use most any other audio application to listen on your computer or device, if you prefer. Personally, I download the audio files (usually mp3 and sometimes m4b) and load them into the Books app on my computer and phone. But most folks will probably use the Libro.fm phone apps.

If you decide to sign up I’d appreciate it if you use my referral link for Libro.fm. That lets me get a free book if you sign up as a paying member of their service. But even if you decide not to, I recommend checking out both LibriVox and Libro.fm if you’re interested in audiobooks. Both offer DRM-free books, LibriVox books are free, and Libro.fm helps support local independent bookstores.

Happy reading (or listening)!

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Used Photography Book Roundup - January 2020 /  by Todd Henson

I found a great collection of photography books at a used bookstore in January, 2020.

Every so often I love stopping by local used bookstores to see if any interesting photography books have turned up. You just never know what you may find. This month I came away with a great haul of books, some I’d never heard of. Take a look and let me know if you’ve read any of these.

I’ve provided links to Amazon in case you’re not able to find these books locally. These are affiliate links and I’ll be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, though this won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks much!

ShadowLight: A Photographer’s Life by Freeman Patterson

I’ve always heard great things about Freeman Patterson, and I own a couple of his instructional books, though I’ve yet to read them. So when I stumbled across this book about his life and photography I grabbed it. The book is full of beautiful photographs interspersed with written sections where Patterson talks about his life and creative process. I look forward to reading it.

Galen Rowell: A Retrospective

Galen Rowell is one of those names many people interested in outdoor and adventure photography will be familiar with. He was for a time THE iconic adventure photographer and created some absolutely incredible and beautiful photography. I was so happy to find this large format book collecting some fantastic examples of his work. But it’s not just photography, it also contains a number of essays about Rowell I can’t wait to read.

The Family of Man by Edward Steichen

You may recognize The Family of Man from a previous used book roundup. In that post I’d mentioned the paper quality of that edition was very poor and that I’d love to find a better copy. Well, now I have! This edition, printed in 1996 is much better than the older edition, printed on more substantial paper with pages that have not yellowed with age. The book chronicles the large photographic exhibition put together by Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, often called the greatest photographic exhibition of all time. It essentially tells the story of mankind, photographically. I hope to one day put together a post specifically about this book.

Tone Poems: Nine Photographic Opuses, Book 1 — Opus 1, 2 & 3 by Bruce Barnbaum & Judith Cohen

This book fascinates me. Bruce Barnbaum is an amazingly talented photographer (who wrote an incredible instructional book I’m still reading, The Art of Photography). Judith Cohen is a pianist. It appears they have put together a book that presents Barnbaum’s photographs arranged into collections that are matched to pieces of classical music. I honestly have no idea how this is supposed to work, but I find the concept intriguing. Granted, I would have purchased it for Barnbaum’s photography alone, as it contains a stunning collection of his black and white work. But I will be curious to see how well it pairs with the music, and whether I happen to have any of the pieces it pairs with. It appears a CD came with the book when new, but was missing from my used book purchase.

Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs by Ansel Adams

This is a classic, and a book I’ve wanted to own for some time. In it Ansel Adams selected 40 of his photographs to talk about, sharing some of his thoughts about each image. I love these sorts of books, especially when written by the photographer. We can learn so much hearing what they saw, thought and felt when creating the image, and what processes they used both in the field and back at the dark room. This one will take longer to read than some of the others, but I very much look forward to it.

The Greek World by Eliot Porter

This was a fortunate find, as it wasn’t in the art and photography section, but instead with the books on Greek history. Eliot Porter is one of the big names in photography, in fact he had the first one-man exhibition of color photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I look forward to viewing some of Porter’s photographs, and learning a bit about Greece from the text written by Peter Levi.

 

So how’s that for a great collection of books? Used bookstores can be a fantastic resource, especially for out of print books. They’re also a chance to find large, sometimes expensive, books without hurting the wallet quite as much. Have you read any of these books, or have you found any interesting used (or new) books lately?

Favorite Books A - Z: Photography /  by Todd Henson

Some of my favorite photography books, from A to Z.

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This is at no extra cost to you.

I recently posted lists of my favorite fiction and non-fiction books for each (or almost each) letter of the alphabet. This time around I’m trying to pick a favorite photography book for each letter. This was far more difficult than the other lists because I haven’t read nearly as many photography books. But I did the best I could, and the results are below.

A - Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs

How could I not choose Ansel Adams for A? I, like so many others, have been greatly inspired by his work, and 400 Photographs is a fantastic collection of his images.

 
 

B - Birds of Paradise: Revealing the World’s Most Extraordinary Birds by Tim Laman and Edwin Scholes

This is one of my more recent purchases, so I haven’t actually read the entire book yet. Perhaps that means I’m cheating choosing it for B, but I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read so far, and I love the many photographs of these incredible birds, ones I may never see in person in the wild.

 
 

C - A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel: My Journey in Photographs by Annie Griffiths Belt

I love this style of book. It contains photographs by Annie Griffiths Belt, but it also contains her story, how she travelled the world with her family, the sights they saw, and the lessons they learned. Great read, even for non-photographers.

 
 

D - Dorothea Lange: Aperture Masters of Photography

Dorothea Lange had to be D. As with Ansel Adams, I find her work very inspiring, even if it’s not a style I tend to shoot, myself. She can tell a story with a photograph better than most, and that’s something we can all learn from.

 
 

E - Edward Steichen: Lives in Photography by Todd Brandow and William Ewing

I really love this book. It’s an excellent representation of Steichen’s work and has some great essays on the man and his life. But I did struggle to choose just one book for E, so I’m going to cheat and also mention Earth is My Witness by Art Wolfe.

 
 

F - Fine Art Nature Photography by Tony Sweet

I like the way Tony Sweet approaches photography, from an artistic perspective I find very appealing. This is a small book that focuses mostly on the photographs. But it’s one I enjoy looking through every so often.

 
 

G - Genesis by Sebastião Salgado

Genesis is such a powerful book full of absolutely stunning black and white photography. I really admire Salgado’s work, and this is just an incredible example of that work. Highly recommended.

 
 

H - Himalaya: Land of the Snow Lion by Andrea Baldeck

Andrea Baldeck takes us to another part of the world and lets us explore the culture, art, nature, and geography of that region through her photography. She tells the story of the people and the place.

 
 

I - Irving Penn: Platinum Prints

Another one of my favorites, the only thing better than this book would be seeing the prints in person. These are excellent reproductions of Penn’s work, showing the incredible tonal ranges he captured in his compositions. Beautiful work.

 
 

J - John Shaw’s Nature Photography Field Guide

This was one of the first nature photography books I purchased, so perhaps I have a soft spot for it. It helps give an overview of many of the different topics relevant to the field, even if some sections do show their age.

 
 

K - Andre Kertesz: Of Paris and New York

I’m cheating a little with this book, as I’m nowhere near finished reading it. But how could I not include Kertesz for K? This book contains a nice sampling of his work and several essays about his life.

 
 

L - The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell

When I first bought this book I felt a little disappointed, the photographs just didn’t stand out to me. But the more I read and looked through it the more drawn to it I felt, the more the photographs resonated with me, the more I started to really feel like I understood something about them, about the story they were telling. Now I really like The Life of a Photograph.

 
 

M - Michael Kenna: Images of the Seventh Day

This is the first book I’ve purchased of Michael Kenna’s work, and I couldn’t be happier. I find his photography so inspiring, I just love the ethereal feel to some of it. Another highly recommended book.

 
 

N - The New Art of Photographing Nature by Art Wolfe and Martha Hill

I love the way this book is written, with one or more photographs, followed by some text by Art Wolfe from the perspective of the photographer, and then Martha Hill from the perspective of an editor. This adds so much depth to the discussions.

 
 

O - Obscure Destinations by Dan Westfall

I was fortunate to meet Dan Westfall at an art show, which is where I purchased this book. It contains a very nice sampling of his black and white photography.

 
 

P - The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman

Michael Freeman wrote a series of books teaching many photography topics. My favorite of the series is the first book, The Photographer’s Eye.

 
 

Q - . . .

Move on, there’s no Q here today.

R - Reflections of Seoul in Four Seasons by Jodi Cobb

This is a nice picture book of Jodi Cobb’s photographs of Seoul, Korea. I love photography of cultures that differ from my own. It’s a great way to learn more about the world and its people.

 
 

S - Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs

I regard this as one of the most incredible books of photography I own. It’s large, so it has impact from that alone. But the photography is just amazing. Steve McCurry has such a great skill at photographing people and conveying story in his photographs. Beautiful book.

 
 

T - Travels to the Edge: A Photo Odyssey by Art Wolfe

I loved Art Wolfe’s television series, Travels to the Edge. This book is a companion to the series, containing many of the photographs talked about during the show, along with some extra background about the travels.

 
 

U - Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

In my view, this is the classic book on exposure. Bryan Peterson has a way of explaining the topic that just makes sense, or at least it seemed to when I read it. I like his style of writing, and I also enjoy his photography.

 
 

V - The Vision by David Noton

I find David Noton’s writing and photography very inspiring. The Vision is all about starting out with an idea that when mixed with all the required technical know-how and artistry can lead you to that final impactful photograph.

 
 

W - Waiting for the Light by David Noton

Am I cheating again by including two David Noton books in a row? Well, I don’t care. Waiting for the Light is one of my favorite photography books for the beautiful combination of inspiring writing and beautiful photographs. It’s almost lyrical. Anytime I read this book I feel the pull to go out and create, to see the world, breath the early morning mountain air, walk down a path, and explore whatever the world has to offer. And if I haven’t cheated enough already, I’m going to do it again by also mentioning Within the Frame by David duChemin, another favorite book of mine.

 
 

X - . . .

X marks the spot, but that spot ain’t here.

Y - . . .

Y couldn’t I find a book to fill this slot?

Z - . . .

Zzzzzz is what you must be doing after this many missing letters.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this list as much as I enjoyed trying to create it. I couldn’t quite finish it, but I was surprised just how many letters I could fill. Have you read any of these books? Do you have favorite photography books that could fill any of my missing letters? Or have you created a list of your own?