The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Wayne Swanson • What defines a city? Civic boosters point to all manner of urban amenities, but highways and freeways are seldom among them. Functional at best, highways are more likely known as noisy, divisive, and unsightly rips in the urban fabric. Yet in the post-World War II era, their impact on American cities... Continue Reading →
Welcome to our Ninth Issue! • We hope you had a wonderful holiday season, which for some of you, may still not be over just yet. We think that the holidays are a great time to find new photobooks or spend time with recent book purchases. As we do each year, we share our annual... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Now playing at a bookstore near you is a behind-the-scenes look at the spectacle of moviemaking, filmed in epic widescreen black and white. Jeff Bridges: Pictures, Volume Two, by an accomplished photographer who also happens to be an actor of some acclaim, is a welcome sequel to Bridges’ 2003 book about... Continue Reading →
Guest review by Brian Rose • Coming out of the 103rd Street subway station the other day, I was struck by how much this neighborhood, once commonly referred to as Spanish Harlem, has changed since I came to New York in the late ‘70s. It’s not that the Latin nature of the place has been... Continue Reading →
Review by Madhu John • The Ballad of Omatandangole: Aapo Huhta’s song begins with an astonishing image: a cascading mountain in the foreground, a hazy sky and not one, but two suns. Like a chorus, this image is repeated intermittently in this book. Granted, this could be the artist’s attempt to obtain a Man Rayesque... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Here’s an idea that would seem destined for the “What were you thinking?” trash bin: Take the trusty 8 x 10-inch view camera that has earned you international acclaim for the richness and depth of your imagery, and set it so everything is out of focus — way out of focus.... Continue Reading →
by Brian Rose • For several years I have been teaching a course at the International Center of Photography (ICP) that combines making pictures and bookmaking. The class is called Photographing New York: The Lower East Side. Each student chooses a subject or theme focused on that famous immigrant neighborhood now undergoing rapid change, and... Continue Reading →
Guest Editorial & photography (copyright 2019) by Christine Riedell • After a whirlwind attendance at Paris Photo 2019, and the auxiliary photo book exhibitions, Polycopies and Offprint, all in Paris from November 6, 2019 through November 8, 2019, I came away with a much-energized knowledge of the state of photo books for 2019. I spent... Continue Reading →
Review by Steve Harp • Nico Bick’s Parliaments of the European Union (nai010 publishers, 2019) is an imposing volume. The book — 12" x 15", 272 pages, weighing in at almost 9 pounds — exudes the gravitas of its subject matter. Consisting of 30 four-page foldouts (double gate-folds), it depicts the legislative chambers of the 28... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Want to be a street shooter, traveling the world in search of decisive moments? Here’s one path to success: Join a rock band, get famous, tour the world, get bored staring at hotel-room walls between gigs, decide “Yeah — get a camera.” It worked for Andy Summers, who played with a... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal 