The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
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 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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
PhotoBook Journal 