Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What I'm Reading & The Meaning Of Success

A couple of months ago, for Christmas, I got some pretty awesome new stuff! One of those things just happened to be my Canon 7D DSLR, a few AMAZING lenses (the 35mm 2.0 & 100mm 2.8Macro to be exact), and some pretty sweet photography books as well (which is what this post is about).

Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I am not a reader. I mean, I have tried to read all kinds of different books but could never seem to stay interested (maybe it’s the ADD? I don’t know...) I know this may sound kind of silly, but I really only like books that have pictures in them lol. Honestly! I get bored just looking at words. I need some art too!! I think Andy Warhol said it best; “I never read I just look at pictures.” That quote is totally me! So why am I excited for the books I got for Christmas? Two reasons:

1.    Since they’re photography books that means they have TONS of pictures in them! It’s a match made in heaven! Also, I just really enjoy anything & everything about photography.

And

2.    I heard a great quote by Dave Ramsay from Zach & JodyGray; “Where you will be in five years is dependent on two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” I take this quote to heart! I hope to meet some amazing people this year but more importantly I hope to read more books this year than I have ever read before.

In the book “The MillionaireNext Door” the author claims that the average millionaire reads one non-fiction book a month. So since I plan on becoming a millionaire one day, I better get started! :) Here are the non-fiction books that I am currently reading:

By: Jasmine Star


Jasmine Star is a California based wedding photographer and kind of a celebrity in the photography industry. This girl is probably my biggest inspiration and I just love her! This book/magazine tells the story of how she got started in photography and how she got to where she is today. I swear when I read this book I feel as if I am living her life all over again. I completely relate and it’s nice to hear someone as big as her was once going through the same struggles.

Fine Art Wedding Photography
By: Jose Villa & Jeff Kent


Jose Villa is also a California based wedding photographer and has been named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world by American PHOTO. He is one of the few photographers still using film and I just think that’s awesome! This book is about Jose Villa, who basically invented the term “Fine Art Wedding Photography,” and how he captures his trademark technique.

By: Scott Kelby



Scott Kelby is president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and Editor-in-Chief of both Photoshop User and Layersmagazines. He also has an educational website called, Kelbytraining.com, where there are tons of videos to learn anything and everything about photography and editing in Photoshop & Lightroom. I am a member of this website and really enjoy all of the useful information! This book takes you step-by-step through the basics and fundamentals of digital photography in a very easy to understand dialogue.

And last, but certainly not least…


The Canon EOS 7D Instruction Manual


Yes, you read that right. I am reading my instruction manual. I put this one in here because I think so many people just think they don’t need to read the manual and they’re wrong. I have learned so many things by just reading my manual that I probably would have never learned anywhere else, or at least it would have taken me years to find out. It may not be my favorite thing to read (there aren’t very many pictures lol) but I think it’s super important so I force myself to do so. And if you’re a photographer who hasn’t read their manual yet, I highly suggest you get to it! :)


So there you have it! My 4 small steps to becoming a millionaire. Hopefully I can stick to the one book a month thing and update you guys on what I’m reading next month. To end this post, I have a video of some amazing photographers sharing their perspective on success. Enjoy! :) (Photographers Include: Jasmine Star, Jessica Claire, Kevin Kubota, Jesh DeRox, Mary Marantz, and Sarah Rhoads)





[suhk-ses] WPPI 2011 from stillmotion on Vimeo.


Happy Wednesday!
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