Photography Books

It is pure magic when you put a piece of paper in some chemicals and under a red light you watch an image begin to appear. Pinhole photography is even more magical because you've exposed the paper in a box with a hole in it! I returned to photography a few years ago by making pinhole photographs. I got Shull's book and set up a darkroom in my bathroom. I got so obsessed that I started collecting lenses and putting together cameras "Frankenstein Style." Then I got obsessed with plastic lens cameras and polaroids and then I got into medium format cameras and then large format cameras. The books on this list are just a few from my collection, but they are the ones that I actually use. If you are interested in photography, you can start here with these books.

The Beginner's Guide to Pinhole Photography by Jim Shull

This is the book that got me back into DIY photography. This book has all the basics and it is written so that an 11 year old could use it. With lots of great designs for simple cameras this book gives you lots of options for simple lensless cameras. I made cameras out of salt boxes by modifying the designs in this book. There are a lot of great illustrations in this book to make learning very easy. The guidelines for exposure were a great starting point and the instructions for making a pinhole from brass shim stock are top notch. Get this book and enjoy lensless photography!

Pinhole Photography by Eric Renner

This book is an art book. It focuses on art photographers who use pinhole cameras in very creative ways. This is the next step once you get obsessed with pinhole photography. The first few chapters give a detailed history of photography with a focus on pinhole stuff. This book goes into depth to give you a lot more technical know how. Sometimes it gets a little technical, but it stays interesting because of all the great photos that explore the art of pinhole photography.

The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes by Christopher James

The guy who made this book is a chemist with an artist's soul. James teaches you how to make all sorts of prints. I used this book to make cyanotypes and that was easy. If you are into the whole chemist thing, this is the book for you. Like Renner, he includes lots of current work from alternative process photographers. James steps it up and the quality of this book is top notch and I found myself really enjoying the book. James makes the history of photographic chemistry a fascinating read.

Adventures With Pinhole and Home-Made Cameras: From Tin Cans to Precision Engineering by John Evans

This is a fun book that showcases a lot of photography by people who make their own cameras. I like this book because it shows the cameras next to the photos it makes. There is everything here from cardboard tubes to really complicated cameras. I really like the panoramic photo of snow falling that is in this book. If you want to get into making your own cameras, this book will give you some good ideas.