So, I’m not a very good blogger. At times, I don’t feel like a very good photographer either. I’m actually OK with that. I’m fortunate enough to have a regular job that affords my family a steady income, great health benefits, and a predictable schedule. For years I thought about trying to strike out on my own and “do photography” full time. I’m thankful that I never made that leap and that God’s given me the wisdom to be satisfied with where I am and with what I have. Now, to be clear, that’s not always the case. I’m as guilty as the next gear head of lusting after the newest cameras, lenses, and gadgets. But all that stuff won’t make me a better photographer. As corny as it may sound, I think that by trying to be a better human being, showing more compassion, listening more and talking less, by laughing and crying more, and by dealing with problems head-on instead of stuffing them down inside and hoping they go away, I’ll become a better photographer. Oh, and a better person, husband, father, friend, and neighbor.

Aside from being somewhat of a gear head, I love photography books. I enjoy looking at other people’s work, reading about what inspires them, and seeing how their work has progressed over time. In today’s era of blogs (yes, like this one), I still enjoy analog versions of newspapers (but don’t get me started about the $6 price of the Sunday New York Times) and books, especially photography books. Here are a few I’ve picked up in the last few weeks:

Reza, War and Peace
Focal Point, 2008
Hardcover | 296 pages | $13.50 (+$4 shipping) | AbeBooks.com

George Webber, People of the Blood
Fifth House, 2006
Hardcover | 107 pages | $3.98 (+.04 cents carbon neutral shipping) | BetterWorldBooks.com

Marianne Fulton, Mary Ellen Mark – 25 Years
International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Eastman Kodak Company, Professional Photography Division – Little, Brown, 1991
Softcover | 192 pages | $9.95 | Reader’s Corner, Raleigh, NC

America Now exhibition catalog
Montserrat College of Art Gallery, 2010
Features work from photographers Daniel Cheek, Ben Huff, Shane Lavalette, Laura McPhee, Alec Soth, and Zoe Strauss with an essay by curators Leonie Bradbury and Shana Dumont.
Softcover | 16 pages | $15 (signed by Shane Lavalette) | via Shane Lavalette’s blog

This week’s album: High Violet, The National

Things I’m thinking about: I’m fascinated by the relationship between music lyrics and photographs. I’m thinking about a project that involves listening to one song while making photographs, then analyzing the similarities between the lyrics and the images. No, not something as literal as a lyric that mentions light posts and intentionally photographing light posts, but something a little more subconscious. Colors, shapes, light. Wow, that’s nerdy.

This was my grandfather’s “dinner bucket” from the coal mines. He worked for Eastern Coal Company in Pike County, Kentucky for 41 years. He passed away in 1990 from a number of illnesses, one of which was black lung. My father gave it to me on June 26, 2010. I can’t really put into words what it means for me to have it. I was 15 when my grandfather passed away. I didn’t really understand then how the work he did mattered so much to my family, to this country. He’s been gone a long time, but now I have a physical reminder of him and the work he did.

Phillip Toledano, Days With My Father
PQ Blackwell, 2010
Hardcover | 92 pages | $13.57 (+$3.99 shipping) | Amazon.com
A breathtakingly beautiful visual journal. I highly recommend this book. Here’s a video interview with Mr. Toledano on CNN.com.

GET OFF MY LAWN – Issue 1 (SOLD OUT)
Geoffrey Ellis, Noah Beil, Grant Ernhart, Alan W George, Liz Kuball, Sarah Lacy, Ian Lemmonds, Jennifer Loeber, Dalton Rooney, Andrew Martin Scott, and Justin Visnesky
Photo-zine | 48 pages | $10 (+$1.73 shipping) | sadkids.blogspot.com

Get Off My Lawn is a 48-page photo-zine, edited and published by Geoffrey Ellis. The zine features the work of eleven photographers who are 34 years and older. Get Off My Lawn is a tongue-in-cheek response to the calls for entry, contests and publications that require “emerging photographers” to be somewhere between the ages of 18 and 34. The zine showcases photographers who are working just as hard as those in the 18-34 range to produce great work. We can no longer be in your club, but soon enough, you’ll be in ours…

You may recall my post here about Daniel Shea’s print sale and the great opportunity to support his work. I ordered an 8×10 print of “Afternoon Laundry” from his 2007 series entitled Removing Mountains. You can follow the project on his blog, Digressions, and if you can, pick up a print to support his project while the sale is on.

So, I hoped to have this post up in time for Memorial Day, but that obviously didn’t happen. I wanted to share some of the war-related photo books I’ve collected as well as links to some of the photographers I think have done a remarkable job covering not only the front lines, but the home front as well. Before I get to the books, here are a couple of links to some incredible war reportage:

David Guttenfelder – Captured Collection and his iPhone photos from Afghanistan
The Big Picture – Afghanistan, May, 2010

Nina Berman, Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq
Trolley, 2004
Hardcover | 96 pages | $5.26 (found at a local book store 2/12/08)

I lucked out by finding this book on my lunch hour a couple of years ago. It’s moving, graphic, and very real. Copies aren’t hard to come by and I highly recommend picking one up. You can see her multimedia piece on Purple Hearts here.

Ashley Gilbertson, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
The University of Chicago Press, 2007
Hardcover | 264 pages | $25.55 (Amazon)

Ashley Gilbertson is an incredible photographer and human being. The images of WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT speak for themselves, but Gilbertson’s writing is notable as well. Since joining the VII Network, Gilbertson has produced several other moving pieces of work, including Shell Shock. Be advised, there’s some strong language.

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson, Rita Leistner, Unembedded
Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005
Softcover | 192 pages | $13.19 (Better World Books)

This book was another great find. The foreword is by Philip Jones Griffiths and the accompanying text and photos are a harsh visual reminder of the cost of war, both military and civilian.

Last, but certainly not lease (for me), I finally made the switch to a full frame camera body with the Canon EOS 5D. I traded my Canon EOS 1D Mark II, which was a great camera, but for my needs, the 5D works perfectly. I know, I know. The 5D has been out since 2005 and it’s now 2010. So I’m a little slow. I made the switch to Canon in the latter part of 2008 before going to India. I knew at the time I’d someday like to shoot full frame EOS cameras, but couldn’t afford to. Fortunately, I found a local shooter on craigslist who was interested in an even trade and we made the deal. Would I like to own the 5D Mark II? You bet. In fact, if you’d like to contribute to the Take Your Camera for a Walk 5D Mark II Fund, just let me know and I’ll be quite thankful. Sample images will be up soon.