Documentary-Collection

This book is full of potential, poorly developed. The softcover version has 47 color and 73 black and white photographs drawn from over 2100 issues of LIFE Magazine. The images are explained in terms of the methods the photographers used to capture the photograph in fairly simple terms. Many wonderful images are reproduced in sizes far too small, and many others are cruelly chopped by the book's center crease. As a result, much potential joy was cut out by the book's designer. Of particular technical interest will be the many shots staged to capture motion in unusual ways.

"The photographs need no explanation . . . . I . . . write about the photographers . . . their methods of working." This book contains 18 new images from the original edition of this work.

Knowing that a big part of LIFE's appeal was its large page size, why would anyone ever create a softcover version with a page size much smaller than the original? Has cost-consciousness totally overwhelmed aesthetic concerns among photography publishers?

Despite the small pages, often even smaller images, and painfully placed center creases, some powerful photography survives as being worthy of your time. The caption notes could have been a little more detailed for my taste, and there was certainly space remaining for more material to have been included.

Here are my favorites (as reproduced in this book):

Earthrise, William Anders, 1969

Desert Bikes, Bill Eppridge, 1971

AIDS, Therese Frare, 1993

Canterbury Cathedral, Dennis Waugh, 1981

Bruno Sammartino, Theo Westenberger, 1985

Picasso, Gjou Mili, 1950

Swimming Baby, Lena Bertucci, 1985

Multiple Exposures, Tobey Sanford, 1982

Grief, Dmitri Baltermants, 1985

Jump, Phillipe Halsman, 1959

Unbrellas, Bruno Barbey, 1982

C.P.O. Graham Jackson, Ed Clark, 1945

Presidential Birthday, Michael Evans, 1982

Eclipse, Henry Groskinsky, 1979

Hand, Mike Wells, 1980

Buchenwald, Margaret Bourke-White, 1960

Andrea Doria, Loomis Dean, 1956

Streaker, Ian Bradshaw, 1975

18-Week-Old Human Embryo, Lennart Nilsson, 1965

Steve Martin, Joe McNally, 1992

Spielberg and Mother, Michel Bourquard, 1995

I would also like to single out the photograph looking down Dolly Parton's cleavage as one of the tackiest images I have ever seen in a photography book.

The best images are those that evoke fundamental human feeling like AIDS, Grief, Buchenwald, and C.P.O. Graham Jackson. Many of the photographs involving movement are technical tours de force such as Picasso, Dali, and Eclipse. I also liked the ones with humor, like Streaker. The sense of nature's awesome presence was profound and wonderful in Earthrise and Embryo.

After you finish examining the images that you can enjoy in this collection, I suggest that if you like photojournalism you start a scrapbook of images that move you. In that way, you won't have to rely on what a book designer does in the future to preserve wonderful photographs.

Appreciate the world around you by observing it more closely. In this way, you can deepen and extend your humanity . . . and your mind.

Taking photographs in Morocco was done historically, but the limitations were greater than in many other places. Religious beliefs have always restricted the willingness of Moroccans to appear in photographs, as well as how much of themselves they will reveal. Although the light (as painters have impressed us) is remarkable there, that light does little to help black and white images. Until fairly recently, the technology of color photography was not good enough to attract serious work by photographers.

The introductory essay provides many interesting perspectives on Moroccan photographers. "Morocco is a snare for photographers." "It seduces them with its light . . . ." "It attracts them with its mystery and lavishes its legendary hospitality on them . . . ." "The subject is difficult, and therefore fascinating." "Instinctively, it [Morocco] keeps its secrets and its inner life."

Despite this, most of the photographs focus on the people of Morocco. There are lots of luscious landscapes there, but few appear in this volume. Also, Morocco seems rich in architectural detail in its mosques and palaces. These are reasonably well represented. The markets are amazing in their vitality, and the volume has one remarkable panorama that captures this. You feel like you're on the set of some big budget Hollywood movie.

In the beginning, these photographs had to be of people who were willing to be photographed. So the models are usually blacks, Jews, and people who practice the lowest professions. Even with this, most people are covered up so that few glimpses of the person emerge. That only increases the sense of mystery.

The essays give a good sense of each of the major photographers presented in this volume, and add to your understanding of the work.

Why, then, did I grade the book as a 3 star book? Well, while the photography is often good, little of it is outstanding. The relative lack of color photographs and landscapes is a missed opportunity.

For example, Harry Gruyaert's color "Essaouira" from 1976 is brilliant and makes you ache for more. This image has a man in an alley way with his red fez standing out in making him an individual. The rich colors of the ground and the walls are similar to the color of his skin, and provide a sense of continuity between nature and man. The composition is wonderful, and the execution is close to perfect.

Similarly, Michael Kenue's "Clouds in the Desert" from 1996, (while in black and white} makes you yearn for more images of sky and desert. Surely, there must have been more photographers who were drawn to that subject matter in this nation with large deserts.

I suspect that the book's concept evolved around the difficulties of doing human studies, and tried to stay with that area as much as possible. Perhaps the book should have been titled to reflect that focus on the hidden face and body behind the voluminous clothing.

Here are my other favorites in this extensive collection:

Henri Duveyrier, Fez, 1885

Anonymous, Moroccan Woman, c. 1880

Anonymous, Woman Dressed in a Haik, c. 1880

Attributed to A.J. Valentine, Young Man and Tambourine, c. 1890

Anonymous (monogrammed J.P.), Countrywoman, c. 1880

Gabriel Veyre, Fantasia, 1901

Marcelin Flandrin, In the Souks of Marrakech, c. 1910-1930

Marcelin Flandrin, Casbah of Talaat N'Yacoub in the Goundaja, c. 1910-1930

Rene Bertrand, Marrakesh, after 1933

Andrew Steiner, Snake Charmer, 1933

Andre Steiner, Untitled, 1933

Jean Beaucenot, Moulay-Idriss, c. 1934-1939

Bernard Rouget, Fantasia Horemen, c. 1950

Bernard Plossu, Untitled (second one), 1975

Alain Coccaroli, High Atlas, Mossneat Tin Mel, 1994

Bernard Deschamps, High Atlas, Former Casbah of Ali Benhouddou, 1999

After seeing this collection, I encourage you to return to that eternal question: Which is more intriguing, that which is fully accessible or that which is virtually inaccessible? Most people would argue the latter. See what your reaction is to the mystery of who the Moroccans are.

Enjoy the lure, but focus on the beauty and the truth that are available to you!

The book is very prettily done. Lots of slick photographs of things that caught the photographers eye. But - not a lot to really give you the scope and majesty of New Mexico. I have found that other books - particularly a book of how-to's for photographers visiting the Southwest [Photographing the Southwest: Volume 2--A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of Arizona & New Mexico, by Laurent Martres] to be actually a much better travel guide.

However, it looks nice on the coffee table... how's that?

Whether you're a long-time resident or a wistful armchair traveler, this new coffee table style book about Oregon will take you on a stunning photographic journey through the state. Many believe the history of Oregon begins with the pioneers or they think of the arrival of Lewis and Clark at the mouth of the Columbia River.

In reality, the state's dominating characteristic - dynamic shores and rugged mountains - where formed by volcanoes and glaciers thousands of years ago. With over 70 full color photographs from the ocean shores to the rugged landscape of eastern Oregon, the book "Oregon" will capture your attention. The book takes readers on a journey to discover the amazing diversity of the state.

Also available in the same series are books on Arizona, Washington and New Mexico.

According to the publisher, the pages are graced with images that "epitomize the state" - crashing surf at Cannon Beach, waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge and the ice-blue water of Crater Lake. You'll also explore remote parkland, from Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, where pristine natural beauty has been preserved.

Reader can also retrace the historic Oregon Trail, wind surf on the Columbia Gorge, enjoy wine-tasting tours, explore sand dunes, float in a hot-air balloon, or cruise along the magnificent 400-mile-long coastal highway.

This is a collection of photos from the Photographic Arts Academy in Vienna. While containing some good work, it is NOT a collection of photos by Wolfgang Tillmans. It is primarily a small sampler of what was going on in Vienna at some point in the late 90's.

The 'Walden' is very interesting book

This is one of those generalised photo books that pop up every so often, another title could be 'America: A Book To Remember Her By'. Priced very reasonable and with 900 well printed color photos it captures the feel of the country but in a very tourist postcard way.

Divided into three sections, Landscape and Lifestyle both have six chapters, Architecture has three. I thought the Landscape had the best material, Lifestyle with its photos of people doing things are really not much better than snapshots that anyone could have taken and many of them are badly cropped. Architecture with its chapters on Public buildings, Traditional homes and Contemporary homes seems rather out of place especially the fifty-six pages devoted to contemporary interiors, technically good photos but they look like they should be in an interior design magazine. Many of the photos have captions but they are just bland comments with few facts. Strangely there is no information about the person who did all the work, photographer Jordi Miralles,. another indication that these hundreds of images are really no more than pleasant tourist reminders of an amazing country.

I expect 'USA' will sell well at airports, just the thing for departing visitors to pick up. If you want a reminder of your visit a more thoughtful and less overwhelming (least in photo numbers) book is 'America America' by photographers Sonja and Angelo Lomeo. These two know their stuff, good compositions, color and subject matter and beautifully printed too.

"Windtalkers" was not the only cultural project to document a phenomenon about which more Americans should learn. Here is a book of actual pictures of Navajo veterans that served during World War II. The photos prove that there were more than just a few of them. Additionally, many of the men (and I don't recall seeing any Navajo women vets in this book) wear their veterans hats. This illustrates how many Native Americans are quite patriotic despite what the government did to their ancestors, and potentially still does with many tribes. There is a history of non-Natives photographing Natives which only serves to exoticize and de-humanize them. I doubt that's being done here; still, critical thinkers may want to be wary when evaluating this work. My one critique of this book is that there is very little text included. Besides photos, there is nothing much here. Still, I can't criticize a photographer for not being an academic. But be warned that this is just a coffee table book. I'd like to see more complex works being written about these brave individuals. Still, this was pretty excellent.

This formidable volume has become a classic of sorts for those interested in Asian/Buddhist Studies. It was written in the mid-1940s by Nakamura, who is a Japanese scholar of Indian Buddhism, and was revised in 1962-3 through a series of conferences with the assistance of Western scholars. The volume is a comparative
work attempting to outline differences between `ways of thinking` (an ambiguous term throughout the book) in India, China, Tibet and Japan. His means for accomplishing this dubious task mainly rely on linguistic analysis, and the development of Buddhism in each country, as well as an `assessment` of their cultural products. Nakamura`s goal is to debunk the notion of a homogenous `Oriental` or Eastern cultural set of values in opposition to `Occidental` or Western ones. Nakamura feels that this is a misleading dichotomy which needs to be dissolved or problematized, however, his work contains many idiosyncracies and outdated assumptions derived in part from the author`s own historical/intellectual context. It is definitely a more enriching read if one bears in mind that the book was written in Japan during and after the war, and was affected later by the largely Orientalist discourse still prevalent in Western scholarship. Furthermore, with half of the book devoted to Japan, one wonders what Nakamura`s justification or motivation for this might be, as he does not make it explicit in the text. With these considerations taken into account, the book stands on its own as a historical document in its own right. Definitely not for the faint of heart, this volume is recommendable mostly for those interested in the history of Asian studies, being indicative of some of the currents and trends that shaped the development of this area of study in the 20th century.

I meant to give a rating below 1 Star but since this is the lowest, I hope that potential readers won't throw away their hard earned cash in buying this book. If you still want to buy it, go to your local bookstore as you will have a greater chance of finding a DUSTY copy of this book: ... ... G.P. Barbieri is without contest a good snapshooter if one judges it from the TECHNICAL quality of his work. But where he fails is in his intellectual honesty: How could ... a book [like this be about ]Madagascar if it only contains mediocre nude or semi-nude works done at few huts at the shore of Madagascar? I think and agree with many readers ... that not only exploited and disrespected his subjects by including them in the wrong publication, but he has also made a disservice for all photographers out there who at least have the decency of intellectual honesty and respect to the art. But then, ... what is art and what isn't?

Having travelled in Madagascar, I was very interested to see Barbieri's book, MADAGASCAR, advertised by a bargain books dealer. I've always been fascinated by that faraway red island of Afro-Indonesian culture, lemurs, and chameleons. Since I'd read a number of good books about the place, none of which had extraordinary pictures, I thought this book would be an excellent addition to my small collection. I thought wrong.

While I have to admit that Mr. Barbieri is an excellent photographer, with long experience in the world of fashion, I took strong objection to his way of portraying Madagascar. Some magnificent photographs of the world of nature, some portraits, and a few pictures of unusual objects are interspersed with what can only be described as homo-erotic photographs. I have nothing against that either, a Mapplethorpe is a necessary part of modern culture. What I DO object to is such photographs being in any way called "a picture of Madagascar" with absolutely no personal agenda mentioned. This is totally dishonest. Thus, this is a very dishonest book. Producing self-indulgent romantic fantasies is fine if the audience is aware of what is being done, but to pass off such stuff as being "about" a poor country inhabited by hospitable, cheerful people with intricate customs and traditions, people who are extremely modest in dress and behavior for the most part---this is an exercise in exploitation. At the very least we should have been told how these pictures were made. In colonial times, many writers and artists produced romantic works about far off colonies. These were then used to show how "happy and contented" the people were under colonial rule. In the introduction, reference is made to Paradise ! Give me a break ! What is the agenda here ? If someone says, "Come on, man, it's just a great collection of pictures." then they have failed to grasp the cultural dialogues of the last 40 years, they cannot see how people with technology and media access can so easily exploit those without. I absolutely don't recommend this book.

I think I must offer this review to help to balance the negative reviews that are here. This is a work of stunningly beautiful photography. Clearly, Barbieri has gone beyond his usual fashion domain with these photographs. The works have an anthropological sense, but they show the photographers great appreciation for the people of the island of Madagascar. The people come across with immense dignity, even though their poverty is sometimes apparent. What nudity is included seems very natural. This book is a fine work of art.