7 Books That Will Enhance Your Creativity As a Cinematographer

Creative inspiration is absolutely essential for an artist. Up to the age of 35, all of my inspiration had to be visually based. I did not absorb well by reading. I grew up in a very rural area in Aurora, New York, a town with maybe 500 residents. The school was very small and I think that there were about 92 students in my graduating class. Many great things came from this rural area. I met my wife of 25 years there and Lydia Kuenkler (her maiden name) lived four miles from my home. We started dating in 9th grade and the rest is history. Growing up on the farm gave me my common sense knowledge and the ability to think on my feet. In school, I had a learning disability and was a very slow reader. I was taken out of the class and moved into a small classroom where a teacher would help me with my reading problem three times a week. I remember hating books, never wanting to read and wondered why anyone liked doing it. Lydia was just the opposite! All through grade school and high school, I leaned on my friends for assistance. In college, when a book report was required, I just asked a classmate what the book was about. He or she gave me a synopsis and I would write my book report based on that. The classmate who helped me got a C and I got an A+. This was how I survived, but I still never understood why people liked reading.

“When I Saw The Light”

When I was 35 years old, I was heading to Spain to be the gaffer on a Hennessy Cognac spot. I grabbed a book from the gift shop to entertain myself on the long journey overseas. It was called The Perfect Storm. Even though this book was at least two years past being on the Best Seller’s list, many of my colleagues had been talking about it on the set. I boarded the plane and turned to page one. I skipped all that introductory information. I looked at it like I always did, the fewer the pages, the better. After six pages, it was like a shaft of light from the Heavens blasted me in the face. For the first time ever, the book came alive with visualization. Before that moment, all I had ever seen were words on a page, never visualizing anything. When you start to analyze it, that would not be something that would motivate anyone to read. With this book, for the first time ever, I saw the Green water, the Black water and the White water that Sebastian Junger described. I became a voracious reader!

“Making It Personal”

Many of you have told us that one of the reasons that you like our blog so much is that it is personal and intimate. I write from the heart and pull from over 20 years of experience of being a cinematographer. This post is very important and personal because this is a glimpse inside what has shaped me as an artist.

I have spent some time talking about understanding WHY you should make a creative choice, not just HOW you do it. These seven books take you on my creative inspirational journey. Before, all I could use in my arsenal was what I could see. It was how I examined light in different environments, from still photography books and art museums. Now the written word was added to my tool box and this is when my creativity expanded exponentially.

The books that I am about to describe will blast you in the face with freezing salt water, capsize you on the Bering Sea, take you to Rome and inside the Vatican, give you a glimpse into a magical world of Barcelona during the early 1900s, send you into a tragic tailspin with no recovery, take you on a journey to find your Personal Legend and discover an artist’s life ambition that was never appreciated until after his death. These are the words on a page that continue to inspire me, to help me visualize and generate unique ideas and ways to light. If you go down this road, hard cover is the only way. Keep these books and use them as resource material.

My First Book The Perfect Storm
This book changed my life. By reading the pages of this incredibly descriptive book, I was able to expand my visual portfolio. The description of life at sea was incredible. I could taste the salt water, feel the roll of the waves and I gasped for air. This is what reading is all about. I had missed so much growing up. I have to make up for it now. However, it could not be just any book. It has to be books that are visual, exciting and describe light.

Lost at Sea
After reading The Perfect Storm, I was fascinated with sea tragedies. I wanted more. I stumbled onto this book in the airport gift shop as well. It worked once. Why not again? It depicts King Crab fishing on the Bering Sea, like “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery channel. Very descriptive and immersive, a page burner.

Angels and Demons
One of the few places on the planet that I have not been is Rome. Through Dan Brown’s description, I was transported to this incredible place and taken back in time. The first ten pages had me riveted to my seat and I did not put the book down until it was completed. This is great storytelling. That is what we are, RIGHT? We are Storytellers, so reading these books hones your skills on how to tell stories in engaging ways.

The Shadow of the Wind
Of all of the books on my visual storytelling journey, this is the best. The way Carlos Ruiz Zafon describes light, tone and the mood of Barcelona will transport you immediately into this magical time and space. Never before were my eyes opened as much as after reading his book. I wanted more, but at the time, he did not have any others. This book was written in Spanish and this incredible woman, Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves, translated it into English for all of us to enjoy. One word – WOW!!!!

The Angel’s Game
Eight years later, Carlos wrote the prequel to Shadow of the Wind. It was the book I had been waiting for. It was spectacular in its mood, tone and palette that was so rich and engaging. The descriptive tones that Carlos uses to describe light and shadow are spectacular. It is dark,. It will take you to that place that very few live and breathe. Make sure you come back. Take in the visual landscape and get out. HA HA.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
I stumbled onto this book recently. I have been infatuated with this still photographer ever since working in New Mexico and traveling to Santa Fe on the weekends. I would salivate over all of Edward Curtis’s North American Indian gold prints, so much so that I purchased a couple of them. One is titled “The Storm.” The other “The Vanishing Race.” His life, his work, his vision, his forward thinking, his work ethic were all extraordinary. He was one of the first motion picture pioneers who no one really knew about. He made his own camera. Edward Curtis was extraordinary. This book includes so much amazing history about our country at the turn of the century. It also teaches you about an artist who could not balance his creation, his family and his creditors. This is a great life lesson.

The Alchemist
This book has been around since 1988. I had heard about it for years, but nothing drew me to the flame. I was recently heading to Zihuatanejo for my 25th wedding anniversary and grabbed it. This book is an inspiration to the soul. It is about following your dreams and never giving up. It’s about listening to your heart because it will always guide you. What an incredible journey. You can read it in less than four hours.

What books inspire you?
What books have shaped you as an artist?