The craft of book photography, made practical
Style the shelf.
Shot recipes, prop lists, captions and mockups for authors who know their book deserves a better photograph, and would like to learn how to take it.
Plate I
North window, late afternoon
- Light: one window, camera left
- Bounce: white card, camera right
- Props: cable knit, dried gypsophila, a tin mug
- Settings: f/2.8 · 1/125 · ISO 400
Shot recipe · Window light
The dispensary
Four drawers, each one useful.
Everything here is built to be used at the table, with the book in front of you.
- Shot recipesComplete setups: where the light goes, which props, what angle, which settings. Filter by mood, genre or the gear you own.Open the recipes
- Prop & gear guidesSmall, considered kits by budget and mood, from a thirty-dollar windowsill setup to a proper light and stand.See the kits
- Caption bankOpening lines, quoted-sentence formats and reader questions, sorted by genre and occasion. Copy one, make it yours.Find a caption
- Mockup galleryOur own mockup templates, shown with a real cover dropped in, so you can see the result before you download.View the mockups
From the guides · Vol. I
The Window-Light Handbook
SampleOne window, one book, and a way of seeing both properly.
Most book photos fail before the shutter is pressed: the light is coming from the wrong side, or from everywhere at once. This handbook starts with the window you already have and teaches you to read it like a photographer does.
- eBook
- Paperback
A good book photograph is mostly light, a little patience, and one prop fewer than you think.
- October 20, 2026 · 1 min readWhere the window should beThe single change that does more for a book photo than any prop: putting the light beside the book, not behind the camera.Sample
- October 13, 2026 · 1 min readThe five-object kitWhy a small, deliberate prop kit makes better photographs than a cupboard full of options.Sample
- October 6, 2026 · 1 min readMatte covers, foil covers and glareFoil and gloss throw the window straight back at the lens. Here is how to angle your way out of it.Sample