Favourite book – Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography by Dan Bailey
"Your backpack isn't as light as it could be; it rarely is. Your ultramodern outdoor gear doesn't weigh much, but all that metal and glass definitely pulls on the shoulder straps. You're OK with it though, because you simply cannot imagine heading off on an adventure without your camera."
Since I learned to read many years ago, I'm a total book worm (I probably have been one even before I knew to read but only could look at the pictures). And although nowadays there are countless (good) video tutorials about every genre and topic related to photography I still love to dive into a book, flip through it, page up and down or to read a chapter more than once.
Dan Bailey has been working as a professional photographer for more than 20 years and his images have been published by Outside Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Nikon, FujiFilm, The North Face, Patagonia, Marmot or The New York Times.
His book "Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography" was released in 2015 and there is only the English original. You can choose between a paperback or an ebook.
The book is structured in 7 main chapters which have many subchapters. The structure is very well and you will learn everything from the question "why?" to equipment, technical aspects, creative considerations or tips on how to go pro. The texts are written in an easily readable manner and after my opinion, Bailey covers the important topics in a very detailed way. The last chapter consists of six interviews with professional photographers (e. g. Corey Rich or Dan and Janine Patitucci). Every chapter is illustrated with many pictures. At the end of the book, you can find a helpful index.
I would recommend this book to everybody who is also a book worm and would like to get a very detailed overview of considerations concerning outdoor and adventure sports (still) photography.
The only topics missing – probably because they weren't that important 5 years ago – are e. g. video production or drone photography. From today's perspective, the images look sometimes a little bit outdated and often are very dark which could be a problem of the print.
"So, you want to be a pro outdoor adventure photographer and make a living playing outside and doing something you love? Who doesn't?
Don't worry, I won't try and talk you out of this crazy dream. I might even get you in trouble by encouraging you too much. I've been known to do that. I turned pro in 1996 as a green-eared kid in my twenties with only a few pieces of gear, a couple of credit cards, and no real prospects; and yet here I am now, with almost twenty years worth of tear sheets behind me, a long list of clients, and no end in sight. The way I see it, if I can find success in this business, then so can you."
Bailey, Dan (2015): Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography. Focal Press – Taylor & Francis Group. New York and London.
ISBN: 978 0 415 73424 0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978 1 315 83264 7 (ebook)