In yet another roundup of must-have photo books, we look at the contribution of women photographers, who left an indelible mark on the medium. However, despite what they brought to the table, their insights and experiences have not been appreciated or understood enough. We hope you take the time to look at their work, not just for technical knowledge but also to appreciate the vivid spectrum of untold narratives.
Table of Contents
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin
This is an iconic visual diary by Nan Goldin, who documented her friends, family, and loves in the 1970s and 1980s. What makes the book so special is that she reveals the challenges many face with intimacy and their understanding of it. The candid but also raw pictures stood in the face of censorship, stereotypes, and gender issues and also highlighted the AIDS crisis. Published in 1986, the photo book still continues to be a tentpole publication that left not only an important mark on photography but also touched the lives of many who came across it.
You can buy it from here.
Survey by Paz Errázuriz
A Chilean photographer, Paz is best known for spending copious amounts of time with a community before photographing them. In the 1970s and 1980s, she documented brothels, shelters, psychiatric wards, and boxing clubs, each place where women were not allowed during Augusto Pinochet Ugarte’s dictatorial regime. Through this photo book, anyone can learn how Paz bravely and ethically captured stories of women’s erasure and showcased the importance of trust and understanding with her subjects.
You can buy it from here.
Nicaragua by Susan Meiselas
In the 1970s, right after her graduation, Susan took on a challenging task: independently traveling to Nicaragua to photograph the clash between the Somoza regime and the Sandinista revolution. The images from this assignment changed her career and even led her to become a Magnum Photos member. This photo book is significant as it is considered a pathbreaking publication in the world of photojournalism. Alongside her images, Susan also interviewed individuals who were participating in the revolution, which painted a comprehensive and emotional portrait of a struggling nation.
You can purchase it from here.
On Contested Terrain by An-My Lê
In her career, An-My has photographed landscapes to examine former battlefields and their relation to American history and identity. This inspiration is tied to her own background, where the photographer grew up in Vietnam in the 1970s. This photo book is the first look into An-My’s work, which includes her early photographs and her popular series, including her recent images from the US-Mexico border.
You can purchase it from here.
Ming Smith: An Aperture Monograph
Ming Smith was a model before she joined the Kamoinge Workshop, which was a collective of Black photographers in NYC in 1963. Several years later, she became the first Black woman photographer whose poetic and experimental images were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. During her career, Smith photographed the Black community, such as women and children in Harlem, to pay her tributes to August Wilson, an American playwright, in the most creative manner. Her photography is filled with lyricism, with a distinctive blur of figures and the streets, which earned her the title of the most significant photographer today.
You can purchase the book here.
Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph
Diane Arbus is one of the most influential photographers of her time, a legend whose works are still not too widely known when she passed away in 1971. Arbus photographed people with disabilities, sex workers, transgenders, twins, sideshow performers, nudists, and dwarfs, which made her work too controversial. Not only was she visiting them but also inviting them into her home. Following her demise, Aperture published a book that examines eighty portraits taken by Diana during her career. This is one of the photo books that helped to establish the photographer posthumously on a global platform and faithfully represents her legacy.
You can buy it from here.
October Files #25 by Carrie Mae Weems
Carrie Mae Weems is the most influential and important photographer of our time. The book is a collection of essays and interviews that explore her photographs. Through the book, one will learn how practice and originality have contributed to photography, especially in challenging the status of Black women’s bodies and their representation in America.
You can purchase it from here.
What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women
This is perhaps one of the most significant photo books of our time. It looks at diverse bodies of work, and the research helps amplify women photographers’ narratives, which have been created throughout the ages. Unlike a usual coffee table book, it includes bounded books, portfolios, zines, and more to give you a comprehensive look at the most important women photographers of our time. Some of the names include Anna Atkins, who made the first photo book ever, Germaine Krull, as well as Fina Gómez Revenga, Varvara Stepanova, and many more. The book helps one to acknowledge not just the omission of women photographers in the West but also of women of color and different ethnicities.
You can purchase it from here.
Francesca Woodman: Portrait of a Reputation
As one of the most renowned portrait photographers of her time, the book looks at how the photographer began to express herself. She began photographing as a teenager, exploring gender issues, representation, and sexuality up until her death at 22. The book looks at his prints, notes, letters, and more and builds a unique and holistic view of the artist that she was.
You can purchase it from here.
Vivian Maier
It wasn’t until 2007 that Vivian Maier, a nanny, was named the greatest photographer to ever live when someone found her photographs. Today, she is considered to be as great as Diane Arbus, Helen Levitt, and Joel Meyerowitz. This is one of the photo books that is a retrospective. It also sheds new light on her work and examines her entire journey through organized sections, which include her street photographs, portraits, color work, and more.
We had the opportunity to review it, and we said: “I think Vivian Maier is a book photographers should purchase as a means of studying their own work and seeing how they see themselves in what they make. It should also make them question lots of their own work, knowing what was said about her. From there, photographers could build their own legacy.”
You can purchase it from here.
Photography: A Feminist History
This is one of the photo books that does not only look at women photographers but also non-binary artists throughout history who left a mark on the medium. Through its 10 sections, it also has essays from 75 artists. The works include studio portraits from the 19th century and photojournalistic works of Dorothea Lange and Lee Miller. The book also includes feminist critiques by women of the 21st century, examining gender roles in contemporary selfies and social media personae. It is one of those photo books that gives you a comprehensive view of women photographers across time and geographical boundaries.
You can purchase it from here.