Added value of photography books

There is a lot of free resources for photographers on the Web to look at great images and find some inspiration. There are sites like Flickr or 500px, where you can browse by subject, or check out the “most popular” or “editor choice”. There are blogs, free magazines… You are almost surrounded by great and creative photographic art, every single web site you open.

Sometimes, it is not enough. Sometimes, there is no better alternative than a good photo book. Why?

There are quite a few reasons, really. First, in most cases this is how you get exposed to the real established Masters. Many of whom are not alive anymore or just not interested in showcasing on the Web, used to more “traditional” gallery and photo book expositions. And I already wrote why I think those Masters are relevant and worth getting familiar with.

Another reason is that browsing sites like Flickr or 500 px, or blogs, you are exposed to single images, out of context. While photography books present you with organized, finished projects. These are series of connected photographs, well thought through which ones to include and what position each one has. They tell a whole story. Something I find very hard to do with my photography.