The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Copyright of the Estate of August Sander, 2003 courtesy Schirmer Mosel Verlag In 1929 August Sander (1876 – 1964), a German portrait photographer published his first book Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time) by Kurt Wolff Verlag with an essay by the German writer Alfred Doblin. This famous book was re-issued by Schirmer Mosel... Continue Reading →
Copyright 2005, Candida Höfer courtesy Schrimer/Mosel Verlag I like libraries. I like the smell of books; old leather covers or the fresh ink recently laid on new sheets. I like to wonder along the library isles among the towering columns of books, getting lost physically and in thought. And I am a photobook collector with a... Continue Reading →
Copyright 2009 Zoe Strauss, courtesy AMMO Books There are photographic projects that become evident of when the photographer is just a visitor dropping in to take a photo-op, collect some photo-trophies and then soon back home for the evening to spend time with their spouse and kids. With Zoe Strauss's recent project America by Zoe Strauss published by AMMO Books I quickly perceive that... Continue Reading →
Photographs copyright of Donald Weber courtesy of Photolucida Donald Weber's Bastard Eden, Our Chernobyl is his Photolucida 2006 Critical Mass book and a scary look at what could be our potential post-Nuclear civilization. It is also about a marginalized society and the reclamation of the land. Weber's photographic documentary project investigates the no-man's region surrounding Chernobyl (Ukraine) where 20 years ago in... Continue Reading →
Double Dactyl photographs copyright of Nickolas (Nick) Waplington, courtesy of Trolly Books This is a self titled book with an interesting twist and probably elaborating will add some insights into Waplington's creative body of work. In poetry theory a dactyl refers to a unit of rhythms that has three syllables with the emphasis on the first, thus... Continue Reading →
The Last Iceberg photographs copyright Camille Seaman One of the long recognized traits of documentary photographs is that they are accepted as truthful recordings of what was before the lens and that the resulting images take on a transparency of reality. Thus the code of ethic's of not altering photographs, e.g. PhotoShoping these images by the news... Continue Reading →
Photographer Ann Mitchell copyright 2007 I have known many of Ann Mitchell's photographs from her 2007 Balcony Press book Austin Val Verde, Impressions of a Montecito Masterpiece, as we have shared the January-February 2008 issue of LensWork magazine together. From the start Mitchell's photographs struck me with their introspective and quiet viewpoint about a specific place. The photographic investigation of this Southern... Continue Reading →
Photographs copyright of Nina Berman 2008 by Trolley books I am trying to figure out why Berman's book Homeland bothers me so. As a political and religious satire I think that it follows too close to a grueling two year presidential election here in the United States. A political book that attempts to ridicule her opposition is just not working... Continue Reading →
Photographs copyright of Anne Deniau (aka Ann Ray) Anne Deniau's book Nicholas Le Riche, which is being published this month by Editions Gourcuff Gradenigo, France, has an interesting solution to an old dilemma. When creating a photo-biographic body of work how do you separate the artist from their performance? The book provides an elegant answer by showcasing... Continue Reading →
Copyright of Martin Schoeller, courtesy of Pond Press and Ace Galleries There is no doubt that the photographs in Martin Schoeller's book Female Bodybuilders published by Pond Press in2008 have a graphic impact. The large format color photographs are printed in a large size book, (10 3/4" x 13)" and there are few missing details of the women in the photographs. This... Continue Reading →
