The Best Photography Books to Buy for Christmas 2025
Christmas approaches and the season of gift giving draws closer. Maybe your looking for a present for a photographer in your life. Maybe you are a photographer and want to get something for yourself. Maybe you’re here by accident.
Rather than trying to be exhaustive, this is a very personal list. These are photography books that genuinely shaped how I think, how I shoot, and how I understand images. Some taught me technically. Others inspired me artistically. All of them have stayed with me.
I have split them loosely into two groups. First, the books that actively taught me how photography works. Then, the books that showed me what photography can be (AKA the more artistic books).
1. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
This was one of the first books that improved my photography in a big way.
What makes Understanding Exposure so powerful is that it removes the idea that there is one correct photograph and one incorrect photograph. Instead, it reframes photography as a series of creative choices. Mood, atmosphere, style, and intent all matter far more than ticking a technical box.
The book gently but confidently teaches you how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO interact, but more importantly, why you might choose one combination over another. It gave me the confidence to shoot fully manual and to do so intentionally, rather than reactively.
It is also extremely well written. Technical photography books can easily become dry or overwhelming, but this never does. It flows, it is engaging, and you learn without feeling like you are being lectured. I still think it is one of the best foundations a photographer can build.
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2. The Photographer’s Guide to Posing by Lindsay Adler
Portrait photography is all about people. Well ‘duh’ your probably saying. All too often though the ‘technical’ aspects seem to be at the forefront of photography books and guides. In this book though its flipped. The focus very much being on the other aspects that are incredibly important.
What I love about Lindsay Adler’s approach is that it goes far beyond surface-level posing tips. It teaches you how angles, body positioning, focal length, and cropping all interact with the human form. It helps you understand why certain images work, not just how to replicate them.
This has been invaluable when working with both professional models and non-models. It has helped me guide people more confidently, understand how different bodies respond to different angles, and make better decisions in-camera.
Crucially, this book expands your photographic ability beyond the traditional technical triangle. It addresses the human side of photography, which is often far more difficult to master than camera settings.
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3. Luminescence by Brandon Woelfel
This is one of my favourite photographic books of all time.
Luminescence represents a period of Brandon Woelfel’s work that I find completely captivating. Neon signs, fairy lights, smoke, ballet dancers, colour, and atmosphere all come together to create images that feel cinematic and dreamlike.
What resonates with me most is his use of light as a storytelling tool. The images are not just visually striking, they feel intentional. The editing style, colour palette, and light sources all work together to create a distinct mood.
It is a book I return to regularly, not to analyse settings, but to remind myself of how powerful interesting light sources and colour can be. It has absolutely influenced the direction I want my own work to move in.
4. Imogen Two Years and 27 Days by Mark Wilkinson
This book, and Mark Wilkinson’s work more broadly, is incredibly grounding for me.
I have attended a workshop hosted by Mark, and one of the most important lessons his work reinforces is that gear does not make the photograph. Much of his work has been shot on very modest equipment, yet the results are consistently beautiful.
Looking at his images teaches you to think holistically. Colour harmony, background choice, props, light, pose, and framing all matter.
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This ties closely to his other book collaboration with Imogen Dyer on ‘One Face Fifty Ways’, which explores how many different images can be created with intention and mastery rather than new equipment.
Whenever I feel myself slipping back into the idea that I need another lens or another camera, this book pulls me back to what actually matters: practice, observation, and skill.
Click here to find this on Amazon (via affiliate link)
5. Modern Color by Fred Herzog
Modern Color is extraordinary, both photographically and historically.
Fred Herzog was working in colour at a time when colour photography was not taken seriously. Black and white was considered the serious medium, yet here we have beautifully composed, well-exposed colour images created entirely on film.
There is a restraint and balance to his colour work that feels especially refreshing today. Nothing is overcooked. Nothing is excessively saturated. The images are calm, considered, and confident.
Beyond the photography itself, the book is a fascinating time capsule. Streets, cars, clothing, diners, signage, and everyday life from the 1950s and 1960s are preserved in a way that feels both documentary and artistic.
Despite being from another era, the lessons in composition, colour, and patience are just as relevant now.
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Bonus Recommendation: Through Water and Ruin by Joe Curtis
Yes yes I know this is my book. I had to plug it somewhere though right?? :P
Most photography books listed above could be described as monographs. There may be a short introduction, but after that the images largely stand alone. They can often be viewed in almost any order without changing the experience.
This is precisely why I created the LumiNovel format.
A LumiNovel blends visual storytelling with written narrative. The photographs and the text are inseparable. Together, they form a story with a clear arc.
Through Water and Ruin was my first attempt at this format. It follows the true story of me walking through a flooded Chesterfield, trying to get home, and then dealing with the aftermath of having my home destroyed by floodwater.
You move through the book step by step with me. You see what I saw. You experience the journey as it unfolds. The images are not illustrations, they are moments within the story.
At its heart, it is a very human experience. Wanting to get home. Losing that sense of safety. Facing upheaval. Then slowly rebuilding. Along the way are moments of connection, humour, and resilience that shaped the story into what it became.
If you enjoy photography books but want something that feels more immersive and narrative-driven, this is my contribution to the shelf.
You can get your copy here: