PHOTO BOOKS THAT CHANGED ME - The books that shaped my photography
The books that taught me more than photography. Some photographers teach you through workshops. Some through conversations. Others through their photographs. And sometimes, a book stays with you for years. Not because you remember every image in it. But because something in it changed the way you see. For me, three photographers come to mind immediately. Peter Lindbergh, Josselin, Christian Schuller. Very different photographers. Very different books. But each of them left something behind.
01 – Peter Lindbergh
I have several books by Peter Lindbergh. What always stayed with me was his black-and-white portrait photography. The faces. The stories. The way his photographs seem to say something without needing to explain everything. But there is another thing I learned from Lindbergh that became increasingly important to me: „It doesn’t always matter if the photograph is sharp.“ If the photograph works, it works. It can be technically imperfect. It can be slightly soft. It can have something that, according to the rules, shouldn’t be there. And still make you stop. For a long time, photographers can become obsessed with technical perfection. Sharpness. Perfect light. Perfect retouching. Perfect everything. But sometimes you look at a photograph and simply think: Wow. And that is enough.
02 – Futur Nostalgia
Then there is *Futur Nostalgie* by Josselin. What fascinated me wasn’t only the photography. It was the book itself. The way it was built. The graphics. The texts. The layout. The design. Everything belonged together. It made me realise that a photo book doesn’t have to be just a container for photographs. The book itself can become part of the work. Photography can meet typography. Images can meet words. Design can create atmosphere. A sequence can tell a story that one photograph alone never could. And I remember looking at it and thinking: „I want a book like that.“ Not just a book filled with my photographs. A book that feels like something of its own. Something you want to hold. Something you want to look through again. Something that exists beyond Instagram, beyond a website, beyond a single image.
03 – Christian Schuller
And then there is Christian Schuller. I bought his book during one of his exhibitions, which he personally guided me through. That already made the book different for me. It wasn’t just something I ordered online. It was connected to a person. To an experience. And to Schuller himself. I remember thinking that he was simply a cool guy. Quirky. Energetic. A little smaller than I expected. And wearing a green Rolex. There was something about his personality that made an impression on me. Because I recognised something in it. A little bit of myself. And maybe that was one of the most inspiring things. Seeing someone who hadn’t tried to become somebody else to be successful. He was simply himself. And he had become very successful doing exactly that. That stayed with me. Because photography is not only about photographs. It is also about the person behind them.
04 – Three books. Three lessons.
Looking back, I think these three influences taught me very different things. Lindbergh taught me that technical perfection isn’t the same as a great photograph. Josselin showed me that photography can become a complete visual world. And Christian Schuller reminded me that your personality doesn’t have to disappear for you to become successful. Maybe that is what good photobooks do. They don’t teach you how to use a camera. They make you want to pick one up.
05 – I want to make a book of my own
Maybe that’s also why I want to create my own book one day. Not simply a collection of my best photographs. I want it to be something people can open and immediately feel something. Photographs. Texts. Thoughts. Design. Stories. Something that doesn’t only speak to photographers. Something that speaks to people. And maybe, somewhere between the photographs and the words, there is an idea I want to leave behind: „Don’t wait forever to follow your dreams.“ Maybe there is something you’ve wanted to do for years. A book. A journey. A new business. A different life. A photograph. Whatever it is. Maybe you don’t need to wait until everything is perfect. Maybe you just need to start.
06 – A book can stay
Instagram disappears into the next post. A website changes. Algorithms change. Trends change. But a book can sit on a shelf for twenty years. You can pick it up again. You can remember who you were when you first opened it. And maybe that’s what I want my own book to become. Not just something people look at. Something they feel. Something that inspires them. Something that makes them think. And maybe, after they close it, they start doing something they have been dreaming about for a long time. That would mean more to me than simply creating a beautiful book.
07 – Photo books that changed me
I think that’s why I love photo books. They don’t just show you what someone photographed. Sometimes they show you **what is possible.** And maybe the best books don’t make you want to photograph like the person who created them. Maybe they make you want to find out what your own voice sounds like. That’s what these books have given me. Not answers. Possibilities. And perhaps that’s the greatest thing a photograph – or a book – can give another person. The feeling that maybe their own dream is possible, too. And then make something that stays.
