Beautiful Photography Books

A few of my favorite beautiful, inspirational photography books.

These are the photographers that inspire me. These beautiful “coffee table” books have images for you to enjoy and to inspire your own photography. Some DVDs are also included. There is something for everyone with a mix of portrait photography, Americana, world cultures, landscapes, nature, and wildlife photography. The National Geographic collections come first, followed by these photographers in alphabetical order: Ansel Adams, William Albert Allard, Jim Brandenburg, Tim Fitzharris, Robert Frank, Ernst Haas, Frans Lanting, Q.T. Luong, Thomas Mangelsen, David Muench & Marc Muench, Freeman Patterson, Galen Rowell, Joel Sartore, Tom Till, Linde Waidhofer, Edward Weston, and Art Wolfe. Some of these books are out of print but you can buy them at great prices from Amazon’s third party sellers via these links.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

National Geographic’s beautiful collections of photographs usually come in two sizes, the larger size measuring approximately 10×10 inches and the smaller size approximately 7×7 inches.

In Focus: National Geographic Greatest PortraitsThis is a smaller format 6×7 inch book.

National Geographic Stunning PhotographsThis is a larger format 10×10 inch book.

National Geographic Dawn to Dark Photographs: The Magic of Light. – This is a smaller format 7×7 inch book.

National Geographic Greatest Landscapes: Stunning Photographs That Inspire and AstonishThis is a larger format 10×10 inch book.

National Geographic Simply Beautiful PhotographsThis is a smaller format 7×7 inch book.

National Geographic Night Vision: Magical Photographs of Life After DarkThis is a larger format 10×10 inch book.

National Geographic Rarely Seen: Photographs of the Extraordinary – This is a larger format 9×11 inch book.

ANSEL ADAMS

Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film (PBS) by Ric Burns

The Portfolios of Ansel Adams

Examples: The Making of Forty Photographs

Yosemite and the High Sierra

The Grand Canyon and the Southwest

Yosemite and the Range of Light

Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs

Ansel Adams at 100

In praise of nature: Ansel Adams and photographers of the American West – Dayton Art Institute

WILLIAM ALBERT ALLARD

William Albert Allard: Five Decades by William Albert Allard

JIM BRANDENBURG

Chased by the Light: A 90-Day Journey (book) by Jim Brandenburg

Chased by the Light (DVD) by Jim Brandenburg. This DVD is the inspiring story behind Jim Brandenburg’s 90 day journey. He takes you to many of the locations of the photos in the book and tells you the story behind the images.

Looking for the Summer by Jim Brandenburg

Brother Wolf: A Forgotten Promise by Jim Brandenburg

TIM FITZHARRIS

Rocky Mountains: Wilderness Reflections by Tim Fitzharris

ROBERT FRANK

The Americans by Robert Frank

ERNST HAAS

The Creation by Ernst Haas

FRANS LANTING

Lanting: Eye to Eye by Frans Lanting

Into Africa by Frans Lanting

Frans Lanting: Okavango by Frans Lanting

Frans Lanting: LIFE by Frans Lanting

Jungles by Frans Lanting

Q.T. LUONG

Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America’s National Parks by Q.T. Luong

THOMAS MANGELSEN

Images of Nature: The Photographs of Thomas D. Mangelsen by Thomas D. Mangelsen

DAVID MUENCH and MARC MUENCH

Primal Forces by David Muench and Marc Muench

American Portfolios: Three Wilderness Portfolios by David Muench and Marc Muench

Plateau Light by David Muench

David Muench’s National Parks by David Muench

Nature’s America by David Muench

David Muench’s Arizona: Cherish the Land, Walk in Beauty by David Muench

California: Portrait of a State by David Muench and Marc Muench

Colorado by David Muench

New Mexico: Portrait of a State by David Muench

Utah by David Muench

FREEMAN PATTERSON

Portraits of Earth by Freeman Patterson

Freeman Patterson: Embracing Creation by Freeman Patterson

The Garden by Freeman Patterson

GALEN ROWELL

Galen Rowell: A Retrospective

Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape by Galen Rowell

The Yosemite – John Muir’s classic book with images by Galen Rowell

Mountains of the Middle Kingdom: Exploring the High Peaks of China and Tibet by Galen Rowell

JOEL SARTORE

National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man’s Quest to Document the World’s Animals by Joel Sartore

Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species book by Joel Sartore

Rare: Creatures of the Photo Ark by Joel Sartore. A PBS DVD.

Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky by Joel Sartore

TOM TILL

In the Land of Moab by Tom Till

LINDE WAIDHOFER

Stone & Silence by Linde Waidhofer

Red Rock Blue Sky: Mysterious Landscapes of the Southwest by Linde Waidhofer

EDWARD WESTON

Edward Weston: Masters of Photography Series (Aperture Masters of Photography series)

Edward Weston: A Photographer’s Love of Life – Dayton Art Institute

Edward Weston’s Book of Nudes

ART WOLFE

Earth Is My Witness by Art Wolfe

Edge of the Earth, Corner of the Sky by Art Wolfe

Travels to the Edge: A Photo Odyssey by Art Wolfe

Art Wolfe’s Travels To The Edge (DVDs) – The TV series on DVDs

Migrations: Wildlife in Motion by Art Wolfe

Tribes by Art Wolfe

Alaska by Art Wolfe

Colorado by Art Wolfe (photos) and Craig Childs (text)

Shekhina by Leonard Nimoy

Page created December 23, 2017. Updated February 27, 2020.