Documentary-collections Books

I want to be buried on Hart Island and cannot. So, I have to settle for the next best thing. The photography is outstanding and transports me right into each picture. The book is a fine historical tribute to all of the islands that surround Manhattan and have made it the city it is.

If I was a better writer I would find better words than haunting, beautiful and sublime for this incredible book. If I could, I would PAY people to read it. (On the condition that they give me the money back if they agree that it's as good as I say it is!) It gives a lovely, painful and unforgetable look at how forgetable we can be. The shots of the bleachers from Ebbets Field! Broke my heart.

I can't stop looking at these images.

I can't stop trying to read the records of the people buried there that surround the photographs in the front.

Talking a tour through this book is every bit as exciting as exploring new realms. Ms. Bourley had carefully considered her career options and among them were astronaut. Then her focus (literally!) took an unexpected turn. She discovered the depths in the ordinary that surround us. Her travels far, far into inner worlds are amazing and truly uplifting. To see the symmetry and beauty of such teensy tiny wholly seperate beings and things is to speak to the wondrous possibilities of the simple (and even inspirational) joys in seeing not totally unfamiliar patterning on such a miniscule scale. I come away thinking "everything is significant.". The calm in that is worth the price of admission. Along the same lines is a movie entitled "Microcosms". I suggest you look for it. You'll like that, too.

As a physicist (by profession), and amateur photographer (in my free time) I must say that I have *never* encountered a finer example of a synergy of art and science (not to mention philosophy) displayed than what awaits the lucky reader who purchases this extraordinary book. Some of the images, on a purely aesthetic level, rank (in my humble opinion) with some of the great abstract photographs that have **ever** been taken! Indeed, I am tempted to equate what Dr. Bourely has accomplished here to what Ansel Adams accomplished for the American West with his magnificent large format photography. What Adams represents for the macroscopic world, Dr. Bourely represents for the microscopic one. She is *that* good...as a guide, as a scientist, as photographer, and as a visionary.

Quite simply this is one of the most beautiful books I've ever had the pleasure of owning and I shall treasure it for a long, long time to come. If you love photography, or science, or abstraction, or philosophy, or ever simply marvel at the ineffable mystery we call the universe, you owe it to yourself to get this book. It is destined to be a classic.

Paula Chamlee is both a gifted painter and a talented photographer who is as able with brush and canvas as she is with a camera lens. "High Plains Farm" is a compilation of her black-and-white photos taken on her family farm on the High Plains of the Texas panhandle country where she grew up and where her parents (now in their late eighties) still farm their 1100 acres by themselves. These archetypal images present a visual record of the hardscrabble life of High Plains farming and the values it embedded in the men and women who in building their farms achieved yesteryear way of life and value system that is becoming as much a part of Texas history and legend as other elements of the western frontier. Of special interest is the section of 'Notes on the Photographs' in which Paula Chamlee provides succinct and personalized captions paired with small copies of the images that are full paged sized and comprise "High Plains Farm". The museum quality photography by Paula Chamlee is on display in the pages of "High Plains Farm", which is especially recommended for personal, professional, and academic library American Photography reference collections. Also very highly recommended from Lodima Press is Paula Chamlee's previous volume of photography, "Natural Connections".

Chamlee's photographs of her parents' Texas farm stand as one of the great photographic projects of all time, right up there with Weston's Point Lobos and Adams' Yosemite.

Here we see the working farm, its tools, and its arid presence. Inside the farmhouse we see, two significant souls -- the photographer's parents, who in their 80s, still work the farm.

This book celebrates two people and the land they have long known. And with the family farm becoming a thing of the past, these two ordinary farmers are now extraordinary indeed.

Each of Chamlee's photographs is superbly made, and the quality of the printing of the book is outstanding.

Some of these photographs are hilarious. For example, there's the titular photo of two hares apparently high-fiving each other in the snow. A black-and-white photo informs us that the exit to "Boring" can be found one mile down the road. A confused eagle stares down at a wooden woodpecker, and another predatory bird is about to make off with a poor, defenseless stuffed bunny toy. Many of the more entertaining photos just have to be seen to be believed; these are the kind of moments I imagine many photographers live to capture.

Other photos are quite magical in nature. Some trick of perspective (or just a bit of luck in catching someone at exactly the right moment) shows a person apparently in arms-spread flight. A car in a wildlife preserve is surrounded by relaxed lions. A man in Nevada appears to stand on the moon while one in California apparently jumps over it.

Sometimes you need to look carefully to catch the daredevils at work, because they aren't always found in expected places. The first time I looked at one photograph I missed the bicyclist riding vertically along the wall. Of course, there's the woman doing a flip out of a white water raft in the middle of the rapids. You might almost imagine it was deliberate, if not for the other bits of detritus flying out with her (hope someone managed to retrieve that wallet!).

This is a delightful book. Every other page you'll find yourself turning to a friend or family member and urging them to look at a new and illuminating image. From the wacky to the wondrous, there's something in here for everyone. Not only do these photos show us the moments we might never be lucky enough to see ourselves, but they also remind us to look at the world around us in new ways. After all, many of the mysteries in these photos are a product of the photographer's perspective, and that's incredibly inspirational.

This is a great photography book for the whole family. I originally bought this for myself, since I always enjoyed these photos at the back of the magazine, but it turns out that my two girls, ages 2 and 5 both love it as well. Fun reading, discussion of what's really going on in the pictures, and great wildlife pictures.

George Rose, a pioneer of the Hollywood Night Shift, has captured the scene of the '70s and '80s in indelible photographs of beauty and truth. Before the time of stylists and heavy-handed PR, Rose was able to garner intimate access into stars' worlds. BUY THIS BOOK if you are a baby boomer or if your children are baby boomers. You will look at every photo with fondness, fascination and amazement.

Loved this book. The pictures are great with such history. The pop-culture photos sent me back in time. Friends and family all become engrossed in it when they visit. Super conversation piece:)

I loved this book! Having just finished my own American pilgrimage, and non-fiction book: HOLY PERSONAL, looking for small private places of worship, Indiana University Press, Fall 2000, I found HOME ALTARS OF MEXICO one of the best books on the subject currently available. It touched me deeply. The color photographs are wonderful, somewhat formal considering the informality of the subject matter, and the contrast is intriguing-- no SOHO artist could improve on these spiritual assemblages. The text is a series of very well-written and inspired essays. Salvo looks at the altars of one small town in Mexico, so the book is highly focused. A truly aesthetic collection that brings light to a subject that is too often triviaalized and trendy.

I love this book and need to look at it periodically to remind myself of timeless values. The villagers who opened their homes and hearts to the Salvo family and the readers of this book bring their love of God, Christ, the Virgin Mother and all the saints to life through the photos, statues, and items both religious and secular that they collect in their sacred spaces. One picture features two Coca-Cola bottles as candle-holders. One altar-shelf has a chair below it featuring the handiwork of the lady of the house: the neatly folded sheets and laundry bring the fruits of her labors to God in a very concrete fashion. Thank you, Dana Salvo, for sharing these photos, and thank you, authors, for your thoughts on them. Above all, thanks to all the people in the pictures for sharing their lives and spirit with this book's readers.

This book left me breathless....absolutely beautiful. The faces of the homeless were indescribable and brought tears to my eyes. It's hard to imagine what these people have gone through...but this book portrays it. An excellent buy!!

The images in this collection are stunning. The text equally so. (Schatz has provided the photo images and the subjects dictate their own text). The result is a very compassionate look at a real human dilema - this work will both challenge your stereotypes of homelessness and confirm them. For writers, preachers, speakers and those engaged in the fight for human justice, you will be afforded a broad and insightful glimpse into the world of homeless persons - one that will either enflame your heart or cause you to bolt.

Robert Willaims captures the essence of our hometown diners in a beautiful and touching way. The photographs are beautiful and a perfect example of excellent photography. I would highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those who remember the nostaglia of going to your hometown diner. Don't miss this one!

Williams' book plunges you head-first into an era when people truly did make money "the old-fashioned way" ( they earned it with their sweat and tears). We sit as interlopers as we watch the toil of daily lives unfurl across the beautifully photographed pages. We sit at the counter while the waitress who has been at this particular diner way past her prime, exchanges small talk with the patrons. We can almost feel the cold rain against our faces as we view the water-drenched images of The Cheyenne (NYC) and The Highland Park(NY). We sense the simultaneous joy and frustration on the faces of diner owners who can't be sure what the future holds for their life's work. William's has taken us into a doorway that we rarely have a chance to enter; he has given us a license to the past. Through this book we have the opportunity to rekindle the memories of our childhood, teenage years and young adulthood...all at the same time. We remember what it felt like to sit at the counter with our Dads. We remember the hard formica tables against our ribs as we shared a ketchup-drenched kiss across the table. We remember introducing our "little ones" to the wall boxes of music that sit on the tables and watch in wonderment as they try to figure out "where the music comes from".

Huggie Foote (a childhood friend of mine) has a way of seeing that is always compelling. His works look equally inspired by Eggleston, Van Gogh, and the Green Fairy of Absinthe and his oversaturation of color have in turn shaped other expressive media, notably the film Amelie (Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet had the idea of oversaturating the color film stock of Amelie's ordinary life after viewing an exhibition of Foote's work in London).

Foote's subject matter are a happy mixture of the accidental, undistinguished, and contextually bizarre architecture and shapes found about our childhood home of Memphis. His search has brought him close to the multi-faceted soul of the town: originally a real estate development, then a port, then an agricultural hub, now a crossroads for logistics. Everything that has washed upon its shores or fled to its lights and then been abandoned is chronicled here: for decay is as prominently featured as the active and renewed.

A wonderful book of beautiful photographs which inspires you to see the world in a way that refreshes your soul and makes the ordinary transcendent. Only a gifted artist who has found his medium can ever achieve such beauty. Few artists in history ever truly find their match. Foote has found his, we eagerly await more of his work.

Extraordinary vision as an artist....right along the lines of Eggleston, Winnogrand, and Friedlander. This book is about fine art color photography, not your typical National Geographic obvious photo's. It is about seeing....there is much that is left to be said and done in photography, Huger Foote like his mentor William Eggleston is well on his way to saying things from a different perspective. Huger Foote apparently like many great artists "feeds" off of other great artists to produce a way of seeing that is simply brilliant. He too, like Eggleston, "is at war with the obvious".

Yet another wonderfully photographed book by an original member of the Magnum family. Rodger's images circle the globe and tell wonderful stories from everywhere. Rather well printed, excellent b&w compositions that any photographer or artist must respect.

I bet you know some of his photographs. Startet as an stills photographer in the BBC George Rodger became famous with his pictures made for the LIFE magazine, was a co-founder of the Magnum Pictures agency and was later active in Africa and Asia. The book concentrates on his work while and after World War II, starting with his pictures of british people under the german Blitz, the air raids against british towns and civilists. Then the liberation of Europe, France, Italy ... the horrible pictures of the first Concentration Camp freed by american troops (Bergen Belsen), journeys through africa with the first pictures of the Nuba Tribe (there is a whole book available about this), often claimed to be much better then the later works of Leni Riefenstahl, Asia - the time range goes from the forties to pictures from Africa from 1979. George Rodger died in 1995. If you're interested in reportage photography then this is a must have.