What I’m Reading – Summer 2013

Here are a few books I’m currently reading or have read so far this year that I have enjoyed and recommend highly. While I read most of my books on an iPad or Kindle, there are times when a physical book is preferable in my opinion. But in general those are rare and the convenience of having my “personal library” accesible at all times means I’ll probably read more often, and to me that’s all that matters.

Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy – (second reading) great book on conquering fear, building self-esteem, and adopting positive mindsets that help you achieve greater success. I’ve read lots of books like this, and while many seem to rehash the same ideas and concepts from earlier books, this one has proven invaluable to me over the years. Hugely inspiration, timeless advice for personal, career, parenting, and life in general.

“There’s probably no faster way for you to build self-esteem and self-efficacy in others than by immediately ceasing all destructive criticism.”

The Digital Negative: RAW Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera RAW, and Photoshop by Jeff Schewe – I try to read everything published by Jeff about Photoshop and RAW editing, usually in magazines and online. But when a book comes out it rarely disappoints, and this book is probably the best I’ve read on the subject.

“Beware that in Lightroom and Camera Raw, increasing the contrast does increase the saturation of the image, while reducing contrast reduces saturation.”

Getting Results the Agile Way by JD Meier – having problems with productivity or the GTD system by David Allen not your cup of tea? This “alternative” system for making sure all of your tasks are getting done has been working for me so far…

“You don’t have time for things, you make time for things. Your time allocation should match your priorities. If you schedule it, it happens. If you leave it to chance, you’ll have random success.”

Bird by Bird by Ann Lamont – a classic book on writing and the creative process regardless of the medium. Ann is funny, witty, and so very honest, I love her approach to being true to who you are.

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don’t give up.”

Brain Rules by John Medina – fascinating look at how our brains actually work and how it’s affected by sleep, exercise, meditation, curiosity and many other insights I had never really understood or realized.

“The brain remembers the emotional components of an experience better than any other aspect.” (which is why interpretation in photography is so important!)

Hope you enjoy some or all of these recommendations, and please feel free to recommend your own! I’m always looking for great books to learn from. And if you like these types of posts, please let me know as well – I have lots more books to share!