Review by Gerhard Clausing • Stage photography, especially when it involves theatrical productions, is both a craft and an artistic endeavor requiring great skills. Not only do you have to be in command of your photography, but you also have to be a talented communicator, dealing with the director of the play, with the actors,... Continue Reading →
Sky Wilson – Neighbours
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Portland, Oregon, is one of my favorite cities and has remained so, even as it is in transition, as many other cities are as well. My recollections are that it has the largest bookstore in the world, and that it is full of interesting people, many of whom have a... Continue Reading →
Ian Howorth – A Country Kind of Silence
Review by Gerhard Clausing • In his very perceptive essay for this photobook, Harry Gallon provides a very important insight: “Place exists as the altar of our everyday existence.” He goes on to discuss the multiple layers of history that weigh heavily on all the locations that were photographed by Ian Howorth for this astonishing... Continue Reading →
Kostis Argyriadis – DD/MM/YYYY
Review by Gerhard Clausing • To interpret the trivialities of everyday life is not an easy task, but it is an interesting challenge. In contemplating such subjects, personal recollections that are stored in each person’s memory will be applied to what is seen, and some cultural understanding may also come in handy. Thus the work... Continue Reading →
Smita Sharma – We Cry In Silence
Review by Gerhard Clausing • The trafficking of humans for nefarious purposes has gone on for centuries and is still practiced today. Poverty and/or the promise of some economic gain are usually the motivating factor on the part of the perpetrators. Often relatives or close 'friends' commit these betrayals that assault human dignity. Whether it... Continue Reading →
Gabriella Angotti-Jones – I Just Wanna Surf
Review by Douglas Stockdale • This is not the usual photobook investigating the Southern California surf culture. As evident on the book’s interesting slipcover, a folded double-sided surf poster, that Gabriella Angotti-Jones subjects for I Just Wanna Surf are not the usual bunch of ‘tan’ blonde beach dudes. In fact they are not even dudes, but a small... Continue Reading →
Nick Brandt – The Day May Break. Chapter Two
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Environmental destruction and climate change certainly constitute a universal problem. Resources are limited, and both humans and other creatures have their needs to fulfill. Nick Brandt is an artist with a big heart and an even bigger conscience, and in his work, he calls attention to these disturbing global trends.... Continue Reading →
Thurstan Redding – Kids of Cosplay
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Cosplay is a fun activity. You take your innermost thoughts out to be seen in public, as you embody, through your costume and makeup, a fictional character you admire, showing yourself as your personal hero or heroine to everyone out there. These personalized and externalized emotions can be seen at... Continue Reading →
Stephen L. Starkman – The Proximity of Mortality
Review by Douglas Stockdale · We will all face the inevitable mortal event with most of us having an uncertain timeline, while it is life changing to be informed that this event will occur within a short period of time. After that type of alarming news, there is a need to deal with a narrow window... Continue Reading →
Charles Fréger – Aam Aastha: Indian Devotions
Review by Gerhard Clausing • I know from my experience with students acting out various drama roles on the stage, in a foreign language even, that the most effective performances take place when the role is totally internalized and performed not just from the mind but also from the heart. It is at that moment... Continue Reading →