Creating Visual Narratives Through Photography: A Fresh Approach to Making a Living as a Photographer

by Mike Davis

This book provides photographers with the foundation to craft more compelling photos from concept all the way through to creation and distribution, on the path to making a living. Based on real-life practice and experience, former National Geographic and White House visual editor, Mike Davis, takes readers on a journey starting with addressing the motivation behind an image and how this determines the rest of the creative process. He goes on to articulate best technical practices to create the narrative through photo composition and what to do with your work after the photos are completed. Each section offers exercises for applied learning and a series of appendices cover assignments structures, a compilation of critical words and concepts, a comprehensive resource guide of organizations, competitions, grants, collectives and agencies, book publishers and printers, and more. This is an ideal resource for students and practitioners alike to gain a more informed understanding of photographic expression and learn how to effectively execute these visions.

Genres: Photography

228 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2022

About the author

Mike Davis was a social commentator, urban theorist, historian, and political activist. He was best known for his investigations of power and social class in his native Southern California. He was the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the Lannan Literary Award. He lived in San Diego.

Reviews

[Dan Crowther · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overly wordy and dense; as a result it's a trudge. Reads like a textbook. Additionally the image quality is only fair to poor and the paper quality is that of a pulp paperback. For a book on photography I expected more.

That said, I wholeheartedly recommend listening to the podcast interview B&H did with Mike Davis earlier this year (2023). It was top notch and he had some excellent insight into photography. Too bad the book is written in such a long winded, verbose fashion.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information and advice for aspiring visual storytellers. A bit dense and difficult to grasp at first, but each chapter is worth a second reading.