A Few Of My Favorite Baseball Photography Books

If you know me then you know that I love photo books. They serve many purposes. They are my new textbooks. I give myself homework to study why the greats are the greats. They also inspire me to try new things and to think out of the box. The great painters often start off by copying the greats that came before them. By trying to emulate these great sports photographers it helps me learn what makes a good photograph. I am writing this ahead of time but on the day that this post goes live my baseball season should begin. I will have looked over these books getting ready for the season ahead. I thought that it would be fun to share a couple of my favorite books with you.

• Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin by Jean Fruth – This is a great book to start this countdown off with. Jean takes you from the smallest of fields to the World Series in this book. There is a love of the game that you can see in the images. Jean also has a follow up book called Grassroots Baseball: Route 66 that is good as well. Both of them are well worth your time and money.
• Cuba Loves Baseball by Ira Block – This book sits on the shelf next to Grassroots Baseball so it makes sense to put it on the list after it. I feel like the two books are cousins in a way. Jean travels the world showing baseball off. Ira concentrates his work here on the island of Cuba. You see baseball at every level though, and it is all done beautifully.
• Amarillo Sod Poodles (2019-2022) by John Moore – John is a photographer that I have followed for a while now. He takes the art of photographing a minor league team to another level. His work inspires me to try new things. When you cover one team for any entire season you can start to feel like you are doing the same thing over and over. John shows in his book how to make each day seem fresh. This book is not available on Amazon or in your local bookstore. I saw that he had a copy made for himself, and I asked if I could purchase one for me. I am glad the I did. It was worth the price.
• The Story Of Baseball In 100 Photographs by Sports Illustrated – This book gives you 100 great baseball photographs and the stories behind them. I love photo books, but if I can get a backstory on the photo that is even better. I always want to know the process behind art. This is a great book to get that.
• Instant Baseball by Brad Mangin – This book is for everyone who says that you cannot make good photos with your current equipment. Brad published a book following the 2012 San Francisco Giants that he made using just his iPhone 4. From day one I looked to this book as inspiration that your eye is far more important than any piece of equipment that you have. If you have a good eye the equipment can help though. If you enjoy this book then Brad has also published a book following the career of Giants catcher Buster Posey called 28 that is good as well. You can see more of what a good photographer can do with his entire toolkit.
• Ballet In The Dirt by Neil Leifer – Neil is one of the old school photographers that has always inspired me no matter the sport. His baseball book is filled with great images from his storied career working for Sports Illustrated when that still meant something. Neil is great at giving you that sense  of place that is needed in photography.
• Classic Baseball by Walter Iooss Jr. – Like Neil Leifer above Walter Iooss is one of the photographers that could be on the Mount Rushmore of sports photographers. His work is iconic. He may be known more for his work on the football field or with Michael Jordan, but he is a great baseball photographer as well. It is a mix of portraits, candids, and game action. It is another great primer for the season.
• Baseball’s Golden Age: The Photographs Of Charles Conlon by Charles Conlon – This is a great story that hits close to home for me. Charles was a photography hobbyist. A baseball publication approached him to ask if he would make some photos for their publication in his spare time. Some of the most iconic baseball photos from the early decades of the 1900’s were made by Charles. He was just a guy who loved the sport, and he brought fans in closer than they have ever been before. My faces of baseball project was inspired by his work.
• Portraits From The Park by Thomas W. Harney – This book makes it on here for many reasons. The most important of those is that it shows off the Old Comiskey Park in an amazing way. He takes a park that I love and shows just how great it was. There is a little bit of everything here. I found this book while browsing in the local section while visiting Chicago, and it remains one of my favorite baseball books to this day.
• A Baseball Life by Ron Modra – I don’t know that any baseball photographer has shaped me the way that Ron Modra has. Early on I didn’t realize who it was that influenced me so much. I saw him talk on a podcast and realized that his work was the work on the baseball cards of my youth that made me fall in love with baseball photography. This book is a great look at his work from the 70’s through the new century.

This is just a small sample of good baseball photography books out there. They are all great for inspiration. You don’t have to settle for baseball books to be a better baseball photographer though. One book that I love to use for many sports that has nothing to do with sports is All Access by Alan Hess. His concert photography is great, and it shows you great use of light that you can take into many different aspects of photography. Get out there and make some baseball photos this year and have some fun! Baseball season is a great time of year, and it gives you many chances to make photos. You can take some of those chances to try something new. This is by no means a comprehensive list. It is a list of books that came to mind when I thought of how to get ready for this season. Do you have a baseball book that should be on this list? I would love to hear about it so that I can add it to my collection.