The Passionate Photographer: Dream It, Be It (Revised & Remastered) by Steve Simon, 4/5

At first, this book made me feel like a kid in a candy shop. In the service of practical inspiration, Simon has collected not only his own thoughts on how to develop creatively as a photographer, but also a variety of excellent quotes and photographs from other artists. After a while, though, the presentation felt a bit cliched and overly simplistic. The “Proven Ten-Step Plan for Success” is generally motivating in terms of personal artistic development and personal projects, but does not seem that helpful with regard to making an actual career out of photography.

That said, the book did open my mind to a more artistic and intentional approach to photography, along with providing some practical advice that I found very helpful (listed below for future reference).

• Black and white can be a legitimate editing choice and not merely compensation for photos that are lacking in some way.
• Wide angle perspectives are worth experimenting with and can even be used for portraits if you’re not afraid to get close to the subject.
• Back button focus is not a magic bullet–it simply allows easier switching between stationary and continuous focusing modes.
• Compositions don’t have to be simple and obvious. Incorporating some visual mystery encourages people to look closely and create a story or context for themselves. Little details like repeated/mirrored shapes, colors, etc., are valuable.
• Part of the magic of golden hour is that the warm light helps to blend together contrasting colors.
• It’s ok if white, cloudless skies, and specular highlights with no detail are blown out.
• It’s valuable to get critical input from others, especially via workshops.
• Be more intentional about making time for photography.
• You don’t need to be a big, fancy photographer in order to pursue your own projects and make photobooks.

Why I read it: a recommendation from “The Updated, Essential Strobist Bookshelf.”