Autodrome and Races, Faces, Places
I was fortunate enough to receive a couple of books for my birthday recently, both of which are excellent reads for any motorsport enthusiast who also loves his photography.
The first is Autodrome: The Lost Race Circuits of Europe
The photography in this book is superb, with images from the circuits in their hayday presented along side modern images of the circuits as they are now (or at least whats left of them,) beautifully shot by Gavin Ireland. Most of the photos have been taken in the early morning or late evening, which really brings out the detail of the old tracks and their buildings, the piece about the Reims circuit being truely exceptional and my personal highlight of a great book.
The second book I received is Races, Faces, Places: The Motor Racing Photography of Michael Cooper
If you have any interest in motorsport history and/or photography, I can recommend both of these books as great additions to your collection.
Image Makers Image Takers
I’m currently reading this book, Image Makers, Image Takers: The Essential Guide to Photography by Those in the Know
While I have found that a few of the photographers have work that doesn’t particularly appeal to my tastes, the book does offer some insight into the processes they go through when composing and setting up their work. What does interest me most is the differing view of digital as a photographic medium.
The second section of the book is given over to the curators, agencies, editors and publishers, who give further information on what they look for in photographic work. Its this part of the book that got the most enjoyment out of, with discussions from people such as Diane Dufour (Bereau Chief, Magnum, Continental Europe) and Kathy Ryan (Picture Editor, New York Times Magazine.)
