I’m a voracious reader…besides traveling and photography, it’s one of my most favorite hobbies. A few years ago when I started getting serious about travel and nature photography, I started reading everything I could get my hands on that would help me improve my photography skills. In this post I’ll tell you about what I consider the best travel photography books I’ve ever read. These travel photography books have inspired and educated me, and I’d love to share them with you. In no particular order, I present to you my five favorite travel photography books.
Photographing National Parks – Chris Nicholson
When I planned my first solo camping trip to the Badlands and Yellowstone National Parks, I knew that photography was going to be an important part of it. I love the National Parks in the US, and wanted to learn how to take the best possible photos on the trip. I found a lot of inspiration and good practical advice in this book…and I think you will also.
The author covers techniques and tips for taking great travel photos. He gives very detailed advice on the best travel photography equipment to have with you, along with providing technical advice on what settings to use for the wide variety of conditions you’ll find in National Parks.
Nicholson’s photos are also stunningly beautiful. His work inspired me and gave me the skills to take some of my favorite photos of all time in The Badlands, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
One final note on this book: even if you’re not planning on visiting National Parks in the US, this book is still full of great advice that can be applied anywhere you’re doing landscape or nature photography. I still use the tips and techniques I learned, regardless of where I’m shooting.
Find more of Chris Nicholson’s books on Amazon.com
Within The Frame – David DuChemin
If you’re getting into travel photography, you should read everything you can get your hands on from David DuChemin. He is far and away my favorite author on the artistic and creative side of photography. He has poured his entire heart and soul into becoming one of the world’s top mentors on the creative, story-telling side of travel photography. This book is at the top of my list of favorite travel photography books.
The Amazon.com page for this book describes it this way:
“…[A] masterful and balanced emphasis on both the head and the heart—craft and technique on the one hand, passion and vision on the other—mirror the process of creating compelling, meaningful photographs that convey one’s vision.
The book begins with a section on vision as part of the photographic journey – understanding it, and chasing it. This chapter was foundational in my thinking about telling stories through photography. It’s gotten me into the habit of thinking about why I’m taking a photo, and the story I want to convey with it. Indeed, it’s even convinced me that at times it’s better to leave the camera at my side and to not take a photo in some circumstances.
Find more of David DuChemin’s books on Amazon.com
Lonely Planet Guide To Travel Photography – Richard L’Anson
If you’re just getting started in travel photography, this is the first book I’d recommend. L’Anson starts with the basics of digital photography: explaining what an image sensor is, providing information on resolution and image size, and giving an overview of the features found on a typical mid-range digital camera. He also spends quite a bit of time explaining other gear you’ll need – lenses, accessories, a camera bag, and the like.
After providing a basic but thorough education on the technical side of travel photography, he moves on to the artistic side. A variety of different travel photography subjects are discussed – people, landscapes, entertainment, and wildlife just to name a few of the chapters. Each of these topics is broken down further into multiple topics – as an example, the chapter on landscapes includes discussions on mountains, rain forests, flowers, etc. The advice contained in these sections is easily digested and can be quickly applied in the field. I refer back to it often as a refresher, or when I need inspiration while tackling a new subject.
Find more of Richard L’Anson’s books on Amazon.com.
Rick Sammon’s Travel and Nature Photography – Rick Sammon
Rick Sammon could easily – with good reason – be called the hardest-working man in the business of photography. He’s the author of 31 books on photography on topics ranging from travel photography to artistic inspiration to the technical side of digital camera to post-processing of your photos. He also writes for a number of photography and nature-related magazines and publications, and is a prolific public speaker. He’s also the host of the Picturing Success podcast. WHEW…just reading that resume makes me tired!
In his book Travel and Nature Photography, Sammon draws on his extensive background in leading travel photography expeditions and teaching travel photography techniques to audiences the world over. He walks the reader through a variety of different scenarios – dark and bright lighting, cityscapes and landscapes, people, buildings, and nature…just to name a few. His advice is easily digestible and he backs them up with lots of examples, beautiful photos of his own, and practical “to do” guides. His books are easy reads, and I’ve found many “aha!” moments while browsing through his works, time and again.
This is an excellent work that, like many of the others in my list of favorite travel photography books, I refer back to quite often.
Find more of Rick Sammon’s books on Amazon.com.
The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography – Glenn Randall
Right out of the gate, this book gives budding landscape photographers a bit of a reality check. In the first chapter, entitled “Landscape Photography Looks So Easy,” he explains why it’s not always easy to capture with the camera what your eye sees. But as we see in subsequent chapters, this isn’t the only difficulty that landscape photographers face.
It’s also not as easy as showing up at a random location, pointing your camera towards a landscape, and clicking the shutter. Randall spends considerable time in this volume educating photographers on how to scout out the best locations, how to find the right time to photograph a great landscape, and how to do effective research before ever taking a trip.
As with many of my other favorite travel photography books, Randall delves into both the art and the science of landscape photography. His advice is timeless: even though the capabilities of digital cameras are evolving rapidly, Randall focuses in on timeless tips and advice that are suitable to anyone shooting with any kind of digital camera – and even those who still shoot with film.
Find more of Glenn Randall’s books on Amazon.com
So, What Are Your Favorite Travel Photography Books?
Well, there you have it. My list of my top five favorite travel photography books of all time (or at least for right now). I’m always looking for new books to read and things to learn. Do you have some favorite travel photography books that I haven’t covered in this list? Please let everyone know in the comments section!
I encourage you to browse through any or all of the works listed above…even if you draw out just one piece of education or inspiration, the time you spend reading will be well worth it!
I do love to read while I travel, it makes train or airplane rides go by faster. I usually try to pick a book about local folklore in the area I travel. Within The Frame by David DuChemin looks like a great book to learn about photography. Thank you for the great suggestion.
What a great list of travel photography books! There is nothing better than mastering the skill of photography and being able to capture your travels amazingly!
It’s always good to get some additional inspiration by flicking through travel books. Just seems to add to the never-ending list of places I want to go through. It sounds like I would like David DuChemin’s book from what you’ve said about it.
We used to buy a lot of travel photography books when we were at the university in Paris. Now we read novels and essays more than travel photography books. But sometimes it’s good to leaf through one just to get inspired for our next trips, so we’ll consider browsing though some of the ones you mention here. Thanks for your reviews!
I have never read a book specifically on trave photography, great list but the one that calls out to me the most is for sure Within The Frame. I love the creative aspect he seems to resonate.
This post is beneficial to us new bloggers who like to learn more about photography on our own. Thank you for sharing, and hopefully, soon I can read one of these books.
Oohh that’s a great list. I’ll share it with my husband who’s always looking to learn more about photography. What other books do you like to read?
I love history, politics/culture…and occasionally, a spy thriller! 🙂
You have no idea how much I appreciated finding your blog. I have recently got a nice camera and have been struggling. YouTube videos are nice but like you, I am a reader! Thanks so much for sharing.
Wow Mindy – glad you found me too! If you have specific questions on your camera send me a note from the contact me page…I’ll see what I can do to help. I’m looking to help people like you become better travel photographers!
I would love to read one of these books on photography. Great suggestions.
I have just recently purchased my first mirrorless camera and I’m working on fumbling through how to use it. Thank you for putting this list together. The Lonely Planet books sounds like a great place to start!
Great article and I have bookmarked it for future reference. I love books and photography and now keen to get all of these. I do struggle with getting the great shots. The more information I can get the better. Thanks for sharing your favourites.
Such great recommendations, I need to check these out! Thanks for sharing.
This is going to sound pretty terrible, especially because I love photography so much, but i didn’t look at a book on photography for yeeears. I tend to get tips from YouTube these days. Still, it sounds like these have some fantastic advice, especially Within The Frame.
I want to up my game when it comes to taking photos. These are some great suggestions, I’ll check out some of them 😉
I also am a hugely passionate reader, so definitely appreciate this list! I love that it is not just a love of photography for you, but a desire to improve your own skills. I frequent the library, and will be on the lookout for these, or they would make a great gift for myself, or other writers I know!
Landscape photography is so difficult to master! It does zero justice to the incredible scene when I look back at my photos. I definitely want to improve upon my skills in photography when I travel. I’ll be checking out that last book on the science of landscape photography.
Yeah it takes a while to get the hang of it Lisa. Just keep practicing!
Other than traveling, reading is one of my favorite hobbies as well. As I am working more on my travel blog I have been getting into photography. I would love to learn some more tips. I’m just getting into thinking more about photography so the Lonely Planet Guide To Travel Photography sounds like a good one for me to start with. I like that the book begins with the basics, I definitely need to still learn those!
This is a great post! I’m an avid photographer – I travel just for the food and photos! – and I bet some of these could help me up my game a bit. I’ll be checking them out, for sure 🙂
This seems a good list of books to checkout for aspiring and experienced travel photographers…Perhaps I’ll check them out as well to learn a thing or two. Randall’s and Sammon’s books sound interesting to me. They sound comprehensive but beginner -friendly…
I haven’t read any of these, but am very keen on your suggestion of Within The Frame. Love the title and the description sounds like the type of photographer I would like to master someday. I also love the cover of his book.
I have to say we are not so much into travel photography books but a book like Within The Frame would be one I would read. Storytelling through photos is something we are committed to but it is indeed rather challenging, and any tips are welcome!
I have never really looked at photography books to be honest. My husband does most of our photography so he certainly enjoys these kinds of books. Although I will say that lately I have been getting more into it. I think glancing through some of these that you recommended would be great for some inspiration! Thanks for sharing your love for photography with some recommendations 🙂
The first travel photography book I bought was the Lonely Planet one and it was great at helping me to think more about composition and taking my time to find an interesting shot. I have not heard of within the Frame but I am keen to take a look. Thanks for pointing it out.
Thank you for the great tips! I am huge lover of the National Parks here in the U.S. so I am definitely interested in getting the first book on the list. Also all the books about the nature are so much fun when looking at them with kids, we actually have a lot of them. After reading you can try to spot some animals from the book when you travel. I love it!
Such great suggestions. I definitely should pick some of these books up. Within the Frame would probably be the first book I pick up as it sounds like a great place to start! I also love collecting great books in general so all of these would make a great addition to my collection!
Great lineup of books. Truth be told, all of my photography books are out of print and by old masters — Galen Rowell to name but one. I studied photo journalism in college, a very long time ago, but though the tools have changed, the basic techniques of proper framing, composition, understanding light, color balance, etc have not. So now, much of my readiing is the dog gone camera manuals trying to match old school knowledge to new school technology 😉
I’ve always had an interest in photography but it grew exponentially when we started travelling. I had no idea Lonely Planet has a photography book. I haven’t read any of these books but I’m definitely going to check them out. I think I’ll start with Sammon’s book. I like to-do guides. Seems to be an easier place to start.
Methinks you are trying to follow the modern trends a bit too closely. The lessons of today were learned from the travel photographers who built the platform. My favorite is Travel Photography from Lou Jones. https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Photography-Charts-Lou-Jones/dp/0240808150/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=travel photography, lou jones&qid=1567237107&s=gateway&sr=8-1