In our Staff Book Pick blog series, we take turns sharing our favorite titles from our vast book selection. In this article, Julia Borden’s book pick is Everybody I Shot Is Dead, Deborah Chesher. This high-quality 208-page coffee-table book features over four hundred iconic never-before-published photographs of musicians, accompanied by biographies and Deborah Chesher’s personal behind-the-scenes reflections of a time when music was the magic that drove a generation.
What makes this book stand out to you?
Excellent photography and a morbid but interesting concept. This book is both a worthwhile trip in the time machine through a remarkable period in music history, as well as a technical lesson in events and live music photography. The best photos often aren’t the ones with perfect composition, sharp focus, and smooth colors; rather, we’re drawn to the images that capture the emotion of the music. We, as photographers, often forget that perfect technique is less important than an image that feels alive – kind of an ironic lesson to take from a book where all the subjects are dead.
What is your favourite page?
124-125
This book is perfect for:
Music lovers, music photographers, people whose favourite Beatle is George Harrison, people who miss the 1970s, people who missed out on being alive in the 1970s, anyone curious about the incredible women behind the scenes of music history, and any photographer who wants to shoot with a bit more feeling.
