The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Douglas Stockdale • It can be extremely unsettling to read stories about a Holocene Extinction and then to realize that this period applies to the current time. Extinction is a word that is loaded with danger, concern, drama and dire consequences that does not bode well for any animal or mankind. And Here We... Continue Reading →
photo l.a. (Photo credit: Debe Arlook) By Douglas Stockdale & Debe Arlook • More than 10,000 people attended photo l.a., which was held January 30–February 2, 2020, at the Barker Hangar (Santa Monica Airport) in Santa Monica, California. The opening reception that about 3,000 attended was on Thursday evening, January 30th. The annual photographic exhibition... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • The daily surrealism of war is a subject that has inspired some fine literary and artistic works. Ben Brody’s photobook deserves a place among them. Attention Servicemember is a wry look at the war machine, the way images are used to shape and undermine perception, and the lasting personal impact war has... Continue Reading →
Welcome to our Tenth Issue! • We have just entered a new decade that we are starting with a broad selection of photobooks this month, as well as an interview with photo-documentary photographer and film-maker Louie Palu, who is no stranger to creative book publications. We have selected a thoughtful combination of published and self-published photobooks that we... Continue Reading →
Review by Melanie Chapman • Sometimes words fail, and in the case of reviewing Michael Crouser’s photobook Mountain Ranch, this is a good thing. A handsome collection of over 100 black and white photographs documenting the daily lives of cattle ranchers in Northwestern Colorado, Mountain Ranch is a contemporary book with a classical feel, of an... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • Is it a blessing or a curse? The double edged sword of the vast Oil Sands of Alberta Canada is a major economic boon to the region in conjunction with an ecological disaster that appears to be related to chronic health issues for those who live and work in the... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • What initially struck me in reading Kevin Bubriski’s latest photobook, Mustang in Black and White, was the pictorial framing and sequential interweaving of the landscape and portraits photographs of Nepal. In a turn-about, this colorful region is illustrated using higher contrast black and white photographs that border on abstraction. As... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • “Were it not for.” What a perfect phrase for our Trumpian times. With these four words you can claim responsibility and assess blame. Deflect accountability, cast aspersions, or simply cover your ass. To “control the narrative” is the goal. In Michael Ashkin’s hands, the four words turn deadpan images into ominous... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • The loss of a parent is always emotionally difficult regardless of one’s age, perhaps especially if this event occurs early in one’s life. The ways an individual can come to terms with the tragic impact varies. For Sarah Hadley an emotional convergence occurred well after her father’s passing at a... Continue Reading →
Interview by Douglas Stockdale • Louie Palu: born Toronto, Canada and resides between Toronto & Washington DC Introduction: I have been following Louie Palu’s photographic career for what seems ages as his break-out book project Cage Call, the riveting photographs he made in the Canadian mines, resulted in his Photolucida Critical Mass book publication which was... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal 