Find Your Focus
Mike Chudley
Published by Francis Lincoln
Available on Amazon from £11.95
Here we go again with another short book review, by a landscape and commercial photographer, of a book about street photography!
The links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you click one of these links and make a qualifying purchase, I may receive a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you and is a great way to support the blog!
Ok, so if you’re looking for this book, then you are probably aware of who Mike Chudley is from YouTube; street photographer, YouTuber and all-round good egg. I’ve met Mike a couple of times on photowalks when I lived in London; he’s a thoroughly nice bloke who wants to help others with their photography and who does it for the sheer love of doing it. You can see from his videos just how much he loves and cares about the medium and this book really showcases that love for what he does, and does so well.
This is a great little book, it’s not too heavy or ‘wordy’ and this, for me, is one of the most approachable books for people who are just starting out in street photography, or for more experienced street photographers wanting to learn a little more and to get a little better. I am a big believer in “if I learn one thing, then it was worth it”. If that’s the measure we’re using, then this book is a resounding success.
The images in the book are first rate, well chosen and help to illustrate the points that are being made. The selections and the images are so good, in fact, that they would be successful as a standalone photo book without all of the supporting text that goes with them.
Mike has been really open about the fact that he used a ghost-writer to help him compose the copy for the book, but it’s paid off in spades: it’s well written but still feels like it’s him talking to you, not someone speaking on his behalf. It’s really easy to imagine the book in the tone of one of his videos.
This book is broken down into 20 easily digestible chapters, which you can read from front to back or dip in and out of if there is something that you particularly want to read about. I particularly like the final chapter, ‘Archive Life’. I think this is something that we do as photographers, whether or not we realise we’re doing it. The images we create are likely to be looked upon from time to time in the future and they form an important part of the historical record. I think we could all do well to remember this when we’re out and about. (One of my favourite images in the book is in the chapter. It’s the one with all of the road signs and the people’s jackets which match the colouring.)
Chapter 6 is another favourite: who doesn’t love people watching? But maybe, as photographers, we could watch with more intention and this will help us to create more opportunities, and maybe some more interesting images.
If you’re just starting out with street photography, this is going to be a great place to start learning in a bit more depth. I’m definitely going to be recommending it to any of my students who are looking at street photography and street photographers. It’s just a really good book and you should get a copy!
Find Your Focus is available on Amazon from £11.95
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this one and want more photography tips, thoughts, guides and the occasional ramble like this, you can sign up to my newsletter. I send out new posts, useful resources and other bits that I think photographers might actually find helpful — no spam, no nonsense.
If you'd like to help keep the blog going, you can also buy me a coffee. It helps cover the cost of running the site, testing gear, getting out to make new work and generally gives me an excuse to keep disappearing down photography-related rabbit holes. Completely optional, but always hugely appreciated.
Check out some of my other blog posts by clicking the links below.
