The photograph can be an astonishing means of connecting and communicating with others. But with over one trillion photos taken each year, why are there so few successes? Why do so many fail? With advances in camera technology, it is not because the images lack focus or proper exposure; the camera does that so well these days. Photographer David duChemin believes the majority of our images fall short because they lack soul. And without soul, the images have no ability to resonate with others. They simply cannot connect with the viewer, or even―if we’re being truthful―with ourselves.

In The Soul of the Camera: The Photographer’s Place in Picture-Making, David explores what it means to make better photographs. Illustrated with a beautiful collection of black-and-white photographs, the book’s essays speak to topics such as craft, mastery, vision, audience, discipline, story, and authenticity. The Soul of the Camera is a personal and deeply pragmatic book that quietly yet forcefully challenges the idea that our cameras, lenses, and settings are anything more than dumb and mute tools. It is the photographer, not the camera, that can and must learn to make better photographs―photographs that convey our vision; that connect with others; that, at their core, contain our humanity.

照片可以成为与他人联系和沟通的一种惊人的手段。但是，每年拍摄的照片超过一万亿张，为什么成功的照片如此之少？为什么有这么多的失败？随着相机技术的进步，这并不是因为图像缺乏焦点或适当的曝光；现在的相机在这方面做得很好。摄影师David duChemin认为，我们的大多数图像之所以不成功，是因为它们缺乏灵魂。而没有灵魂，图像就没有能力与他人产生共鸣。他们根本无法与观众联系，甚至--如果我们是诚实的--与我们自己联系。

在《相机的灵魂：摄影师在图片制作中的地位》中，大卫探讨了制作更好的照片意味着什么。书中的文章以精美的黑白照片集作为插图，讲述了工艺、掌握、视野、观众、纪律、故事和真实性等主题。相机的灵魂》是一本个人化和深刻务实的书，它悄悄地却有力地挑战了我们的相机、镜头和设置只不过是哑巴和哑巴工具的想法。是摄影师，而不是相机，能够而且必须学会拍出更好的照片--能够传达我们的愿景的照片；能够与他人联系的照片；在其核心，包含我们的人性。