Matej Sitar – Morning Sun – PhotoBook Journal

Admittedly, this photobook review for Matej Sitar’s Morning Sun has been very slowly developing and for all of the right reasons. There are photobooks I have received which are over the top and very obvious as to subject, concept and content. Some of these are really good, some not, as to be so obvious as to leave me wondering why it was even published, a waste of perfectly good paper. The later do not warrant a review; my time is too precious, thus the reason that I am usually very positive about the photobooks that I write about, the others are usually donated to a library or good cause. (It is very difficult for me to put any book in the rubbish bin, no matter how awful it appears)

Morning Sun is a book that immediately connects with me, but it has been hard for me to put into words as to why. The book’s title is a fun play on words, as the subject of this book is his wife who is pregnant, as well as bit autobiographical, awaiting the arrival of their son. So each morning the sun arises to a new day, new events, and a new life.

As a father with two children, I get what it was like facing the unknown challenges and yet excited with anticipation for the first child. For guys, no matter how much we think that we are prepared, the first child is fun, exciting yet a mystery and an enigma and can be overwhelming. We are just not prepared for all about what is to occur, but I think we really do the best we can to prepare.

This is what I believe Sitar is exploring with this book; to be a guy who is soon to be a dad, attempting to understand the changes occurring on this nine month pathway to fatherhood.

I found this photobook subtle as to the subject, sequencing and layout. It is one that I experience in a non-verbal way, thus has been difficult to find the right words to provide meaning. This is a personal and intimate body of work; a poetic sonnet rather that a narrative.

It contains an interesting mix of portraits and landscapes. The landscapes are mid-distance and also intimate exploring phases of life. The metaphoric photographs are introspective; changes, new life, attempting to anticipate what might soon be, while being open to the changes occurring now, external/internal,

Morning Sun was selected as one of my more interesting photobooks for 2014.

This is a hardcover book with linen covers and tipped in photograph on the front cover with embossed title. The printing is four color offset on 150 gm paper with a sewn binding.

Matej Sitar photobook previously reviewed on the photobook: America, My Way & America, My Way (Collectors Edition)

Cheers!