About a month ago I picked up a book from my “to read” pile and I have to say, David DuChemin delivers one of the best photography books I have ever read. So many authors seem to believe showing you a bunch of their own pretty pictures will teach you how to be a better photographer. While I believe examining the work of others is one of the steps to improving one’s own photography, when I go to pick up a photography book, that isn’t what I’m looking for. The problem with picture books is they often tell you little about what the photographer was thinking or why they chose to capture that specific moment they did. When I pick up a book, I expect to read, not just look at pictures. In fact, one of the things I most commonly find myself thinking when reading those types of books is, “what’s outside the borders of the frame.”

This is where DuChemin’s book delivers in spades. Perhaps while reading those other books, I just wasn’t ready to accept the message, but before Within the Frame, The Journey of Photographic Vision I never felt so truly close to developing my own sense of vision and style. DuChemin’s approach, bullet point lists mixed with existential talk moves the photographer through his world, while gently nudging the reader into their own.

I have not had a chance to read any of his eBooks yet, however, I have ordered them and plan to soon. If you wish to become a better photographer, even if you aren’t really a “reading” kind of person, I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed.