The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
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 →
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 →
Interview by Douglas Stockdale • Kris Graves: Born and resides in Queens, New York Introduction: I had an opportunity to very briefly meet Kris Graves during the last L.A. Art Book Fair, along with Aline Smithson who was completing a book signing (Los Angeles) from the Kris Graves Project Lost II series. Regretfully Graves was way too... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • “You can’t go home again” is the famous quote by Thomas Wolfe, but what if you do not have any memory or recall of what home might be? Which is the case for Mark Erickson, who was born in Vietnam, then adopted at an early age by an American family... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Densely packed multi-story apartment buildings are a fact of life in today’s crowded cities. Brazilian photographer Letícia Lampert cleverly explores the paradoxes of vertical living by taking a horizontal view in Conhecidos de Vista (Known by Sight). Lampert adopted the leporello (accordion-fold) book design to construct her own urban neighborhood from... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Issue #7 (October 2019) • The month of November is the beginning of the Fall photobook season in preparation for the end of year gift buying holidays, and many new titles have become available. So we are busy with a new batch of book reviews and related book events, two of which on the left coast we feature in... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Imagine having the chance to lose yourself in the archives of a master photographer, to wander among the images with no set expectations or goals. What would strike your fancy? Author and designer Yvonne Meyer-Lohr was given that chance. She roamed through nearly a half-century’s worth of Michael Kenna’s photography... Continue Reading →
by Douglas Stockdale • Many of the West coast staff of PhotoBook Journal convened at the 2019 Medium Festival last Saturday for the various presentations and book signings. Joining me were Associate Editor Gerhard Clausing, Wayne Swanson (our Contributing Editor in San Diego who attended the entire four-day event), Debe Arlook and Jonas Yip. Central to my... Continue Reading →
