14 of This Year’s Best Photography Books

Our annual book roundup does not disappoint this year, with plenty of options for the fashion photography and fine-art lover, as well as text on the history of women photographers and a study in animal dwellings.

Ideal for anyone interested in the world of high fashion, The Art of Fashion Photography highlights the work of several emerging photographers who have been published in international fashion and design magazines. The editor says in addition to bringing their talent directly to the reader, the purpose of this project is to also appreciate “how they navigate the delicate balance between art and commerce.”

Photo © Ronald Dick                                                  Photo © Valérie Belin

Any photographer who has a commercial client and an artistic vision can appreciate that challenge, and will therefore truly appreciate the resulting work of those featured in this volume.

Prestel, Hardcover, 240 pages, $55

Another Man magazine is a popular men’s publication that focuses on style, design, thought and good living; each edition is so large that it can itself be considered a collectible. The magazine’s editors place a strong emphasis on stories drawing on the magazine’s vast picture archive to present to the reader over 300 photos, as well as a portfolio of interviews with icons such as writer William Gibson, supermodel Kate Moss and William S. Burroughs. Don’t miss the surreal photo of Tom Ford in a bathrobe vacuuming a carpet on the set of a photo shoot.

Rizzoli, Hardcover, 304 pages, $75

Born in Germany and seasoned in New York, Vincent Peters is an international fashion photographer who embodies the art of classic portraiture. A unique use of lighting and his ability to focus on the simple and subtle rather than the grand and obvious have resulted in much-requested personal images that are the favorites of his famous subjects.

Photos © Vincent Peters/Courtesy of teNeues

Their roster is quite impressive and includes Emma Watson, Christian Bale, David Beckham, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Basinger, Charlize Theron (cover), Clive Owens, Michael Fassbender and Bono. This new publication contains 54 color and 198 duotone photographs, and proceeds benefit the Family Justice Center of the Protection Against Violence department at Berlin’s Charité hospital.

teNeues, Hardcover, 208 pages, $125

Any photographer who is inspired by or specializes in architecture or interiors should stop what they are doing and look out the window. Or rather, stop what they are doing and go outside to the park, because that’s where true inspiration lies: in the work of our animal co-citizens on Planet Earth. In animals’ instinctual quest to survive, eat and reproduce, they have taken the quality of self-produced nests, cocoons and individual habitats to a level that can only be achieved through a long process of evolution. Shot both in studio and in-situ, photographer Ingo Arndt has succeeded in bringing to the viewer 120 architectural animal homes.

Harry N. Abrams, Hardcover, 160 pages, $29.95

Patrick Demarchelier is a prolific, award-winning modern photographer who since the mid-1970s has worked for almost every major fashion publication, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s BAZAAR, Allure and Glamour. This new monograph collects over 400 of his most referential images from that period of time. Originally published to be available for his exhibition at the Petit Palais in Paris, entitled “Patrick Demarchelier: Images et Mode à Paris,” this book is thick with both imagery as well as artistic inspiration. The works range from commercial print editorial to private portraits, and although extremely proficient in the use of color, Demarchelier truly excels in the arena of black-and-white monochromatic photographs.

Steidl, Hardcover, 360 pages, $75

I’m happy to say that we also have a new photo publication on which this writer worked. In STREET STYLE San Francisco, young photographer C. Bliss captures the unique, energetic and exciting fashions found on the streets, avenues, and boulevards of the City by the Bay. From flower child to fashionista, from techie to sporty, the trends of San Francisco citizens are spotted and added to this streamlined yet focused photographic compilation.

TCB Cafe Publishing, Softcover, 120 page, $14.95

Opening the handmade boxed set of Juergen Teller’s I Just Arrived in Paris is like opening a really nice birthday present. It turns out that there is a lot inside to savor.

Photos © Juergen Teller

Created as Teller photographed Nicolas Ghesquière’s first fashion collection as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, the box contains more than an actual hardcover book: there are also Fall/Winter 2014/15 Louis Vuitton campaign prints, backstage posters, photographs, frameable images, and intros by Teller and Ghesquière in both English and in French.

Steidl, Hardcover, 48 pages, $125

Well known for her famous semi-saturated and rich depth-of-field nudes, this publication by Mona Kuhn takes the same set of photographic skills to the desert, which she captures with a similar perspective. Beautiful images of empty buildings, empty housing developments, arid landscapes and native flora and fauna are interspersed with her trademark clothing-free models, all within the same color palette, focus and context.

Steidl, Hardcover, 112 pages, $58

Comedian Joan Rivers knew a good dessert, and some of her favorites came from legendary New York restaurant Serendipity 3. In this revised edition of the establishment’s cookbook, 75 desserts and recipes are presented to the reader for recreation at home—many are also beautifully photographed by Liz Steger.

Rizzoli, Hardcover, 128 pages, $25

W Stories curates eleven of avant-garde W magazine’s most intriguing editorial stories from over 20 years of publication, including the accompanying photographs, outtakes and mood boards. The selected stories all share the common trait that they were the centerpiece of the issue in which they appeared, and for good reason. The topics, models and photographers read like a provocative Who’s Who list, including Steven Meisel, Tilda Swinton, Carmen Carrera, Steven Klein, Paolo Roversi, Mert and Marcus, Shalom Harlow, Amber Valletta, Kate Moss and Alex Prager.

Harry N. Abrams, Hardcover, 256 pages, $75

Boris Friedewald has taken up the challenge of identifying 55 of the most influential women photographers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Such an international list is always going to be incomplete, but he does a laudable job of bringing together a comprehensive collection of many whom we know made their mark on the art and industry, as well as others who did but are not as well known.

Photo © Hellen Van Meene

This is an important book for the library of the photographic historian, as well as anyone who wishes to have a better appreciation of important women in the field.

Prestel, Hardcover, 240 pages, $39.95

The publisher and creators of this photographic collection of rowing jackets from clubs and universities knew something that most people would not: these jackets are incredible. Each one embodies not just the sport and the athlete, but also the histories and cultures behind the organizations. Most surprising is that rather than being gaudy—or just as likely, boring—the jackets and emblems together are almost sartorial works of art. Most readers will come away with not only an appreciation of the intriguing images, but with also a strong desire to join a rowing group just for the chance to don its blazer.

Vendome Press, Hardcover, 256 pages, $50

This study of the wealthy and the very less-than in San Francisco was created between 1977 and 1985, and was featured as part of the “Three Americans” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Using a combination of photographs and text, this photo essay truly brings to the viewer not just the sense of the times, but also of the hopes, dreams and (very likely) future disappointments of the subjects.

Photo © Jim Goldberg/Steidl

One striking image among many is that of a young man with a cat and a hat living in a transient hotel who states that his goal one day “is to build an empire.” This volume is a redesign and reissue of an out-of-print 1985 edition.

Steidl, Hardcover, 222 pages, $100

A proper photo of the wedding dress is often considered to be one of the most important bridal elements, at least as far as the bride is concerned. In order to truly appreciate the modern mystique and construction of bridal dresses, it is often useful to know the designers and detailed designs from whence they sprang, as well as the princesses, starlets and socialites who wore them. For those reasons alone, photographers who specialize in weddings should have this book as not only a professional reference, but also as a resource for clients. It will certainly help when you hear the names of designers such as Carolina Herrera, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Jeanne Lanvin and Sarah Burton.

Prestel, Hardcover, 192 pages, $29.95