Stories behind the Images – Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography by Corey Rich
"Stories Behind the Images is a culmination of a passion that was first instilled in me when I was thirteen years old, climbed my first real rock climbs, and picked up my first camera. What it has become is a testament to the power of adventure and creativity–and the fact that owning a camera is a pretty damn great excuse to go out there, explore the world, and start collecting stories of your own."
There are not many books about outdoor and adventure sports photography or photographers but every now and then I find one and in the coming weeks, I would like to present some of these...
Corey Rich's "Stories Behind the Images" was published in late 2019 and so far there is only the original English paperback edition.
The book contains 56 chapters which are not in chronological order (plus a preface and an epilogue). Every chapter starts with an image and then tells the story of this picture and the learnings Rich has taken out of it. You can either read the book straight through or just start with a photo you like. Different to many photo books this one is not a glossy coffee table book but a paperback because Rich would like the book to travel around the world with his owner or even let him tear pages out to take them somewhere to a remote base camp.
The stories in the book are undoubtedly the stories of one of the most influential adventure sports photographers (and later filmmakers) of our time but they can also be understood by non-photographers because they're not about specific photography related details. I imagine everybody who likes the outdoors and good storytelling would love this book.
I especially liked the down to earth tone, the many jokes and – what I would say is typically American – the attitude to just say yes to something and then later figure out how to do it.
"Perhaps the real takeaway from this story is that I learned to treat every scenario like an assignment. Get the establishing shot and the medium shot, and don't forget about the detail shot."
Corey Rich (2019): Stories Behind the Images – Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography. Mountaineers Books.
ISBN (paperback): 978-68051-264-9