Documentary-Collection

One of my favorite photo essays on the old middle east. Wonderful collection of photographs and fascinating history.

"Sevruguin and the Persian Image" presents the Smithsonian's collection of one of Qajar Iran's preeminent photographers. In addition to the photographs, the volume contains valuable histories of early photography in Iran, the career of Antoin Sevruguin, and how the collection itself came about. The double entendre of the title refers to how Sevruguin's art was informed by and catered to the Orientalist tastes of a Europe in which he was educated. Yet as an Armenian Christian who was born, lived, died and was buried in Tehran, he presented a different image of Iran than the typical Orientalist photographers of the day. "Sevruguin and the Persian Image" is both a solid examination of a photographer's art as well as a thoughtful analysis of the Western image of Iran in the late nineteenth century.

this is a great collection of some excellent photos of iran at the turn of the last century - it chronicles everyday life, including peasants, and the aristocracy and monarchy - there is a great picture of tehran's bustling main street, with horse-drawn, rail carriages, and the throngs of crowds, some of whom are temporairly mesmerized by the photographer perched on some rooftop. A must-have for iran-history-nastalgic buffs. Only wish there was more...

about... there isn't much to read in this book, it is just pictures of sock monkeys and a few page silly stories... but i love the pictures. a great great quirky coffee table book! i am gonna buy more so i can give em to friends.

Sock Monkeys is a charming way to spend an hour or two. The book shows you why the authors fell in love with them. I defy anyone not to experince a covetuous pang while reading this book. The essays are as various as the pictures, elegant, sad, clapped out and the old fashioned heartbreaker. I'm sorry I didn't buy two copies. Now I'll have to spring for another shipping charge so I can have a copy on hand to give to a friend in need of a shot of delight.

The book is better than better. It's monkeylicious! Have you ever heard the tale of the monkeys? If you haven't you must buy this book. It will be the best reading experince you've ever had.
Thank you for listening.

These sixty portraits of American strangers are rich with an intelligent, questioning beauty. I was dazzled by the exhibit in San Francisco, but now I'm especially glad to have the accompanying book. I rarely find it worthwhile to purchase museum exhibit catalogues, but what I love about "Stranger Passing" is that I can ponder a given image as long as I like, "reading and re-reading" it as I would a really good short story. Indeed, many of these portraits seem as laden with interpretive possibilities as a story by Chekhov or Alice Munro or T. C. Boyle. From a grizzled woman selling papers in the middle of a Colorado boulevard, to a solitary New York banker having dinner, his aloneness matched by a single tulip in front of his little bistro table: I found myself deeply moved by the lavish yet subtle artistry Sternfeld has bestowed on these people and places--each one unique yet somehow familiar--that he encountered in this strange and wonderful country of ours.

This is the best photographic testament to the USA since Robert Frank came to shore and showed us how strange and beautiful our country was nearly fifty years ago. The subject of these photographs are both ordinary and extraordinary people, who we may cross paths with during any given day. The brilliance of Sternfeld's art is the way these images draw you into the world of each subject. Even the most superficially mundane subject such as two suburban kids standing in a cul-de-sac is cause for reflection. Most of these portraits economically use the scenery to define the world of each individual. In the end, the images are a celebration of anonymous Americans (one can't say "typical" because this collection shows you that there is no such thing as a typical American) in common settings. In my mind, the best images here evoke the mystery and power of a Vermeer painting. The way they heighten our experience of everyday images is what I think they call art.
A side note: If you have the chance, you must see the exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The hyperreal poster-size prints are a wonder to behold. And the cumulative effect of these images leaves one exaltant. (Oh yeah, there's also a pretty good Ansel Adams exhibit curated by John Szarkowski on the floor above.)

Joel Sternfeld travels the roads of America, and takes pictures with his large-format camera. Although all his pictures include people in various situations (attending a party, selling coffee, hanging out in their own homes, vacationing, promenading, relaxing, observing, working), what he is really interested in, is the depiction of landscapes and soft outplay of the mid-afternoon light. There is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. His composition style is superb; his depiction of quality of light reflections of the industrial surfaces is without precedence. In my opinion, Sternfeld really stands on its own. Not since Robert Frank's "The Americans" have I seen such a collection. His compositions are best reminiscent of Philip-Lorca diCorcia's; but somehow people are not the center of attention (and sometimes not even of focus), what is important is the quality of landscapes and how they shape human lives.

A poignant illustration of the landless plight in Brazil! As evidenced by another reviewer, this book has the ability to thaw the heart of even the most ultra conservative (e.g. "Most of the people in these photographs have extremely difficult lives, due to a twist of fate rather than a personal choice.") They are landless because most middle-class Brazilians view the landless as making horrible life choices as opposed to being pushed by the wind of fate...and ironically they think descendents of Africans in the United States have much to teach "their" Amerindians and African populations about success. The irony! Yes, read it, see it, and see yourself.

I took a look at this book in a book store, here in Berkeley Ca. The people you meet as you flip thru the photos make you want to re-examine your own life. Most of the people in these photographs have extremely difficult lives, due to a twist of fate rather than a personal choice. Salgado has not photographed them for pity or to gain sympathy from you, as much as he has shown you a side of yourself... and I am not talking about a "mirror" either. (I am talking about the side that you CAN'T see without Salgado's camera)

These people struggle and may suffer personal tragedies, but there is dignity in their souls. When you see these people, they may not be in control of their fate, whatever terrible fate it may be, but they are in control of their hearts. The blood that runs through the veins of the people Salgado introduced me to, in the photos from the other side of the globe, flows deeper, and redder, and richer than does the blood in my world...

Their lives are fleeting and so is yours my friend, but I believe they have wings; we do not. While you and I are burdened with the weight of unfunny jokes and political scandals, they are free, burdened only with broken hearts and bones that heal fast and clean...

I could not afford the price of the book myself, I could barely afford to stand there as long as I did reading the book; I mean how long can one view a side of oneself so rarely llumiminated?

Once I thought, all I needed to know was God, or to know a beautiful woman, or maybe just smile to bystanders... but I realize I KNOW NOTHING... and that leaves a lot for me to want to know, still. Good luck to you if you should get this book.

Once again, Sebastiao Salgado is back, and with two heavy weights by his side: Jose Saramago (preface) and Chico Buarque (poems).
Like all his previous works, the camera that made 'Terra' points to the heart of all human being worthy of that classification; with Chico's poems pointing at each ones soul and Saramago's pen pointing at our conscience (and that of God), if this book does not make us see the world in a whole different way, then we better worry before looking at the mirror...
Fernando Gouveia (fgouveia@marao.utad.pt), Vila Real, Portugal

Jaroslav Poncar is the first European crossing Tibet completely from the East to the West. Inside this book with such extra large size, he captures the landscape of Tibet in B/W and colour in panoramic format. Something special is that the equipment used by the photographer is a Russian FT-2 panorama camera. Although this model is a little bit old (dating back to 1958-1965), you will be surprised by the sharpness and quality of the images.

Without the panoramic format, the natural landscape of Tibet cannot become more real and vivid, and create such visual impact. I am deeply impressed by the texture of the mountains, the clouds, the land, the water, etc.

It is also like a punch to the photo-equipment-maniac. Photography are made from photographer's heart and eyes, not by the most advanced camera.

Having finished my trip to Tibet in Sep2001, I find this book special. It will be a very special memorial item if you have been to, and want to go to Tibet. Enjoy !

With Tibet, teNeues has approached an apotheosis in landscape photography publishing. I know that may sound a tad overheated but really, you have to see this book to believe it. First off there is the unique format of the book which is nineteen inches lengthwise and nine inches wide. This design was selected to accommodate Poncar's panoramic images which each seem to encompass hundreds of miles of horizontal space. (Thus in numerous photographs several discrete weather systems are clearly visible!) Then there is the uncompromising quality of the paper, ink and binding. Everything about the feel of the book and the printing of text and Poncar's indescribably majestic photographs is outstanding. Thirdly, there are the photographs themselves. Another reviewer mentioned that Poncar seems to resonate on an intuitive level with the Tibetan Plateau. I would agree with that observation but perhaps go even further: Poncar seems to have become a part of this immense landscape, to have effortlessly merged with it. So that what we see represented on every page feels as if it existed timelessly, completely independent of point of view. But of course this vastness which seems to present itself so 'unselfconsciously' in the pages of Tibet does require interpretation. And we do indeed know that a genius has been at work by virtue of Poncar's unobtrusive yet highly effective organisation of these massive visual fields into compositions of great subtly and grace. And by virtue of his imaginative, highly skilled work with colour, contrast, and most especially, nuance. For despite the immense scale of the subject matter, it is the incredible detail in the 'texture' of the imagery as well as the nuance of its tone that ultimately is so impressive. Finally, there is the heart-felt, minimalist text by the photographer as he somewhat whimsically comments on his reproductions and a splendid introductory essay by John Keay who orients us to the geographical areas examined photographically in the pages to come. A wee bit of the written word offered as ballast perhaps in a volume that is so visually arresting, it hardly needs accompaniment.

I purchased this book from.... because I was interested in seeing just what an old Russian FT-2 panoramic camera could do. That is the type of camera Poncar used to take the primarily landscape photographs shot in a variety of areas of Tibet shown in this book. Frankly, I was amazed at the quality. They are superb though one can tell these were not made with large format equipment. The reproduction is excellent. The really wonderful thing about this book is that the photographs have "heart and soul"--that somewhat intangible quality that indicates the photographer was not just concerned about a technically good photo but was concerned with the subjective quality and feeling of the photos. Poncar must have really resonated with his subjects (landscapes) at an intuitive level, and that comes across. Very very rarely do I look at a book of photographs and say, "Wow." Yes, I actually said, "Wow" out loud. That surprised me. I said it more than once as I turned the pages and viewed the various photographs. I purchased "Tibet" sight unseen which was a risk considering the high cost of the book; however, it turned out to be a true serendipity. To say I am pleased with Poncar's "Tibet" would be an understatement. I personally find this to be a wondeful book worth every cent paid.

susan can make formica disquieting. Many photographers have been on the road, few have taken a picture and left it hanging, lighter than air and about to break and drop to the floor under the weight of a trip, like Ms Lipper has. And there is a book of these wonderful, thoughtful photographs.

Do not buy this book looking for familiar signs of travel or a destination. The "trip" you, the viewer, embark upon is not the sort which gets you "there". Rather it is an experience akin to the wakening one might have following a long, vacant stare and realizing that, despite your own logic or familiarity with the world, the most common object has the potential for revealing puzzling, but significant, meaning.

Through the use of her camera's frame and lens Lipper evokes/creates/invents realities that force unanswered questions and pose mystery. Frederick Barthelme's fiction hauntingly echoes the quality of dislocation permeated in the photographs. Together the text and photographs create an ambitious concept of contemporary existence.

"Trip" is a beautiful, smart, funny and disturbing book.

Susan Lipper has taken a bold leap in presenting a body of work which touches on the real, imagined, mundane and the bizarre. A lonely trip of images which are echoed by the strange and brilliant narrative by Frederick Barthelme. Trip is a provocative voyage, part fictional, part reality through a maze of back roads, bayous, motels and various unidentified locales. The resultant work is one which alternately confuses and enlightens. Is this work theater, documentary, fantasy, dream, nightmare or some sad reality? Probably a little of each. Trip is a huge departure from Lipper's previous book "Grapevine" and I applaud her courageous step towards the new and unknown. I recommend this unique book.

At the risk of repeating what has already been said: this is a deeply intellectual and beautiful work by a significant artist. Ms. Barth presents a disciplined and challenging oeuvre. The prints are in color and the aesthetic rush is immediate. One should view Barth's work in a gallery, if only for the totality of the experience. The sheer size of her work; the impact of her triptychs and so forth, cannot be contained within the pages of a book. This book, however, successfully displays the painterly sensitivity that Barth brings to her camera work.

The deeply evocative photography of Uta Barth finds its match in this most excellent publication. Barth's imagery, purposefully blurred though it may be, is beautifully presented in this book, which is perfect in its scale and balance between word and image (kudos to the designer.) Three texts round out the mix: Russell Ferguson's take is, as always, critically incisive and highly engaging and Timothy Martin's reading is downright poetic (he writes about her work in terms of perception and phenomenology -- very convincing.) I also appreciated the interview with this very mysterious artist -- it really helped me gain insight into her practice. As for the price: art books with good production values, good work and good essays are hard to find. This one is well worth it.

An absolutely astonishing book, "In Bewteen Places" is the record of the exhibition of Barth's work on display in Seattle's Henry Art Gallery, as well as a very thorough record of her development over the last ten years. Her elegant, unsettling, serene, engaging images are shown here in full plates as well as details, many of which are interspersed throughout the book's excellent critical commentary. The criticism is well-reasoned and intelligent, but the images themselves are ravishing. I own two of her photographs, and the reproductions here are superb. At a time when art books in general, and photography books in particular, are expensive exercises in self-indulgence that are often ludicrous puff-piece advertisements for the galleries that sell the work, this book is a shining exception. It's truly worth the cost, and I highly recommend it.

Interesting, isn't it, that it took a Belgian photographer to create a book filled with exquisite black and white images of the American West specifically symbolized by the small town rodeo cowboy. I was immediately reminded of John Huston's brilliant movie, THE MISFITS in which, Montgomery Clift who could easily have been playing one of these very cowboys, calls his home to sadly tell his family that he has failed, once again, to win a prize or top money. A desperately sad scene, played brilliantly by Clift, written by none other than Arthur Miller.

Arena Editions has produced a handsome volume for Wouter Deruytter's magnificent pictures in which the horses, riders, clouds, mesas and mountains look as if they come directly from a John Ford western starring John Wayne. Here we see young men preparing themselves for tests as grueling as chivalric games from the Middle Ages.

I do not usually like alot of text accompanying books of photographs: I prefer to let the images speak for themselves. That said, John Wood's wonderful essay "Youthful Elegance and the Masks of Destiny" helps a city slicker like myself understand exactly what Deruytter's photographs are saying.

Some of my favorites include a little boy sitting astride a metal barrel pretending that the barrel is his first rodeo horse, the same boy practicing wrapping tape around his wrist as his older mentor/idol/friend does the same, a pen filled with black, brown, white horses looking as if they would give the world to be free and, finally, an unnamed cowboy stretching his legs, getting ready for the games, doing a deep bend, so very close in looks to a ballet dancer's plier. This is a beautiful, moving book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Wouter Deruytter is a Belgian photographer best known for his images of people in masks and costumes ranging from drag queens to circus performers. In Wouter Deruytter: Cowboy Code, we are treated to his photographic images of the American West drawn from three summers spent photographing Montana cowboys and the small town rodeos of Big Sky country. Augmented by John Wood's informative text, Wouter Deruytter: Cowboy Code is a photographic compendium with strong appeal for students of photography, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the cowboy culture of the modern American West.

This volume of rodeo photographs presents young men engaged in a lifestyle that is desperately under-appreciated -- and often mocked -- by many academics and much of the American literati as unsophisticated drones of Western resource exploitation.

Far from being automatons, these men have no pretense regarding their communion with nature; it is their LIFE. Whether relaxing, preparing for an event, or nursing wounds, these gentlemen evince a stoic elegance that is all but absent in the trappings of modern urban life.

Like his mentor Bruce Weber, Mr. Deruytter has a great eye for demonstrating that even that which is ultra-masculine retains far more than a glint of delicacy.

A solid pick for those interested in rural western life, and for those who appreciate cowboys yet to have their faces etched by the natural elements.

This book rekindled my interest in B&W photography...and since I live near a major zoo, also zoo photography. Not every photo is of the same quality, but in this book are the most singularly beautiful B&W images I have ever seen! The layout and quality are tops. I LOVE THIS BOOK. Now having said that, I must admit I love zoos...and thank heavens for them for keeping alive some of nature's most wonderful creatures which have been suffering terribly in recent years in the wild. The damage done to wildlife conservation by the Sierra Clubs and the PETAs of the world cannot be understated. So, I do not agree with her message but I love her spectacular images.

As youngsters most of us felt excited when we went to zoos to see "wild" animals. This book shows us how things may look like from the other side of the cage/barrier. The Images are stunning not only for their artistic beauty but also the message they convey: unforgettable yet heart-breaking. The composition and lighting of the black and white prints are just great.

Never have I seen a collection of photography like this book. The book not only shows the beauty of all sorts of animals but also depicts the harshness of the reality they face each day living in a zoo. The contrast between nature's awesome creatures and man's desire to put them on display is a haunting story. This photographer tells it well.

"After the Off" is yet another brilliant documentary photograph book of Bruce Gilden's work. His artistic motifs of flash and disembodied figures leads to a riveting, mesmerizing look at the seemingly mundane world of Irish horse racing. Anyone thinking of a placid view of Irish racing will be stunned, and perhaps, shocked by his photographs. Dermot Healy's short story is a fine coupling, but it is completely overshadowed by Bruce Gilden's photography.

What a refreshing book! The photographs are so wonderful and I love the type design! Yolanda Cuomo's studio is on a roll!