Books – frederikboving

Review: Looking at photographs by Laurent Jullier

Looking at photographs

Laurent Jullier works as professor at the University of Lorraine and is amongst other member of the Advanced Research Team on the History and Epistemology of Film and Moving Image Study at Concordia University, Montreal. So you would expect an academic approach to photography and this is indeed what you get with this pocket size book, covering 175 pages and with 103 illustrations.

Laurent clearly knows a thing or two about how to interpret a photography and the history of photography. So this book will not teach you about depth of field or the like – it is more about the photo as such: it’s history, context and interpretation. And, as he says in the introduction, a photography is first and foremost a way of looking and witnessing – a new pair of glasses to to see the world via. Laurent positions the book as an invitation to examine your own relationship with images and as yourself why this picture has an effect on me? And what do I see when I look at it.

After reading the book I will say: mission completed. It is an excellent introduction to the history of photography and how to interpret an image. As well as a balanced view on the different aspects of photography – for example documentation versus abstract; evidence versus fake.

Example if image analysis presented in the book.

I often find that interpretation of art – including photography – can be taken a notch too far; the image cannot “carry” the weight of the far fetched analysis and interpretation. However, in this book I found a good solid balance and the analysis and interpretation seems to be done with both feet solid planted on the ground. So although clearly academic in approach, there is a sensible balance found in the analysis work presented here.

In a world were many photographers are more interested in talking about camera technology than photography, and where our social media feeds constantly pump a never ending stream of pointless images our way, it it wonderfully refreshing to read a book just about images and their interpretation. And for that reason I can fully recommend you spend a few hours reading this book. It left me a lot wiser (some will say the starting point made it easy) and I often find I go back to re-read parts of it again. In my humble opinion, a sign of good quality.

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Review: Photographs 1943-2013 by Keld Helmer-Petersen

One of the most important Danish photographers…

Keld helmer-petersen: Photographs 1943-2013 — Keld Helmer-Petersen: Photographs 1943-2013

Keld Helmer-Petersen (KHP) was once described as “the best photographer you have never heard of” by the British magazine Creative Review in 2007. I really think that short sentence says it all. In my humble opinion, KHP should be right up there with Ernst Haas and Saul Leiter, but I guess fame does not always work that way. Keld himself was a humble guy and found it a bit funny when he suddenly got some fame at the age of 87!

The book in review here presents the full range of Keld Helmer-Petersen’s work across 7 decades. Each chapter has a short introduction with Keld’s own words introducing what you are about to see. In addition to this, there are two longer introduction sections at the beginning of the book.

Towards the end of the book there is also a transcript form a short interview with KHP that I found to be an interesting read.

If you are interested in KHP’s work and want a book that gives a comprehensive view into his work across 7 decades, then look no further: this is the book for you. However, if you like me are more fascinated by his earlier work, say the classic “122 Colour Photographs”, may be a better alternative to look into.

Review: Read this if you want to take great photographs by Henry Carroll

Clickbait?

The title of this book sparks an allergic reaction in me, just like if the book was titled something like “how to get filthy rich in a matter of minutes”. It’s clickbait – it is impossible for anyone to live up to the expectations created by the title.

Read this if you want to take great photographs by Henry Carroll – front page.

But I do stand corrected. This is a great book about the basics of photography. And if you pay attention to what is being written by Henry Carroll and truly apply that to your photography, I am sure you will be a better photographer. Maybe your images will not be “great” as the title promises, but for sure they will be better. Much better!

Theory and practice

Henrys concept for the book is simple and yet powerful: each subject is presented using only 2 pages: one page elaborating on the subject and another page showing an image that illustrates how the subject presented has been applied by another photographer. So it is full of illustrations of how the principles and advice presented in the book has been used or applied by other photographers.

This book is part of a series – Henry has written books more focused on say portrait photography or pictures of places. But this one is the basic one – the 101 so to speak. Yet it managers to cover both the very basics photography like exposure and the more artistic dimension to photography. And he does it in a way where the subjects are wove into each other in a very elegant way so you really don’t notice how much ground this little 140 pages book covers.

You will find books that are dedicated to say exposure, which this book deals with in a matter of a few pages. So of course you will not get all the details and all the angles. But you will get a very good grid or overview of what you need to know about photography, and then you can branch out from this book to other sources with more details.

Boom!

One of the sentences in this book actually hit me like a hammer – a big fat sledgehammer if you’d like. It said: “Average photographers imitate beauty. Great photographers create their own”. Maybe the reaction from my side is more a reflection of where I am in my photography life, but those two sentences surely put something straight that I had been struggling to understand for some time: why some of my images seemed to work while others were just meh.

I cannot guarantee that you will have a similar eureka! moment when reading this book, but I am certain that if you are new to photography and want to get a really fast run down and overview of the basics coupled with a few high flyers on creativity and art, this is one of the best books I have come across to meet that objective. Highly recommended!

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Review: Still lifes, California by Rudy VanderLans

Size matters?

Admitted, when you see this book for the first time, you will not think much of it: it is very small relative to other photo books, measuring only 18 cm across and 13 cm down. But I think you will find that the images will grown on you once you take a closer look.

Still lifes, California by Rudy VanderLans

The book is approx 250 pages presenting around 125 images from the California region. It is purely landscape or outdoor images and you will find no people portrayed, other than images of people on a few billboards. The title “still lifes” is rather precise!

Dismal

Rudy introduces the book by noting that the Californian environment is at times beautiful, incongruous and dismal. I must admit that I had to look up “incongruous” to undestand that it is “not in harmony” or something along those lines. Rudy’s ambition has been to capture pictures that are beautiful, incongruous and dismal at the same time, but he notes that he is happy when succeeding with 2 our of 3 in the same image. Using Rudy’s own success criteria, I think he has been successful with most of the images in this little interesting book.

Film look

When I looked at the images my first thought was that they were shot with a film camera. However, as far as I have been able to google, Rudy shoots mainly digital. But the images are clearly color graded in a way that makes you think of a film camera. Not to start a long discussion about shooting film versus digital, but I do find it interesting that you can get something that looks so film-ish out of a digital camera!

Graphical

If you look up Rudy VanderLans, you will find that he is a graphical designer by education and it also seems to be in the graphics design area he has had the most successes and is the most famous. I think you will notice this when you study his images, and I mention this in a positive spirit.

I find find most of the images absolutely stellar and worth a closer study every time I open the book. I guess that is one vital quality of an image or a series of images: that they make you take a closer look and want to see more. In in this regard, I find Rudy’s work in this little book to be of very high quality.

Review: The essence of photography by Bruce Barnbaum

Bruce Barnbaum has photographed for more than 40 years and has been so lucky as to have studied in workshops held by Ansel Adams! He apparently worked as a programmer and mathematical analyst and abruptly left the field 40+ years ago and never looked back! His best seller The art of Photography: An Approach to Self Expression was published for the first time in 1994 and I think you can see this book The essence of photography as a follow-up to his classic book, as he makes several references to The art of Photography. So maybe you want to start there? I did not, I dived right into The essence of Photography!

The book is beautifully illustrated with lots of predominantly black and white images of landscapes, architecture, abstracts and nature. Always tack sharp – no intentional camera movements or out-of-focus images; all very disciplined and true to the subject.

Bruce covers a number of subjects throughout the book:

Finding your own approach to and passion for photography
Professional vs amateur photographers
Realism vs abstract images
Classes and workshops
Composition rules and why to ignore them!

Throughout the book the arguments for a certain point of view are presented in a very balanced way – you can clearly tell that Bruce has had a lot of studens passing through his workshops and he has listened to many different arguments pro/con a certain subject. And in my humble opinion, it is a pleasure to read the balanced views presented by Bruce. You have no doubt where he stands and what his view is, but it is presented in a way where also the imaginary opponents get their say. We could surely use some more of this, both in social media and politics if you ask me!

Towards the end of the book, Bruce tells his own story about his love for nature and preserving planet earth as much as we can, and how he has tried to contribute to this end via his photography. And how photography is his passion in which he tries to contribute to preserving what he loves: nature. And that is a nice wrap to a really inspiring book where he uses himself as an example to how to find the passion for photography. He really walks the talk.

On a more personal note, there were 3 points that I really liked about this book: (1) there is no formula to success, (2) rules of composition should be ignored and (3) why some professional photographers are worse photographers than amateurs! If you are tempted to dive into these 3, then you will find this book of particular interest. If not, I would still recommend this book for anyone seeking ideas and stimulation rather than step-by-step instructions for photography.

Review: The soul of the camera by David DuChemin

David DuChemin the soul of the camera — Front page of The soul of the Camera

David DuChemin’s book: The Soul of the Camera has the subtitle: the photographers place in the picture making. And for me the subtitle is a much more precise description of what you can expect from this 270 page book about the soul of the photographer.

Perfection is overrated, and not to be confused with mastery.
David DuChemin

David’s book is not about aperture or camera settings or composition or the more traditional subjects for a book about photography. Rather, it circles around the photographers process and workflow, looking more at the process of taking good pictures, why some pictures work better than others and a bit of the psychology of photography (the need for openness, patience, curiosity and courage – just to mention a few).

Putting the photographer in the center rather than the camera or the end result was for me refreshing, and I really enjoyed reading this book. You can tell that David has done a lot of photography teaching and reflections, he has used this as a foundation for writing this great book.

Towards the end of the book, David argues that you actually don’t need another book about photography, not even this one! His point is that he has learned more about photography from practicing photography in real life than from any book. He does buy books about photography, but only books that shows the work of other photographers. The study of other photographers has according to David taught him more about photography than any textbook. He also argues that we don’t need better cameras, but we need better photographers.

You don’t need another book (about photography)
David DuChemin

So despite Davids remark that the world does not need an additional book about photography, I will say that if it needs just one more, this would be the one in my humble opinion. Looking at the photographer and the photography process is for me the right place to look, once you get past the initial study of camera settings and composition and the like. David knows that there is a lot of psychology involved in taking great pictures, and he circles around this subject very well in this interesting read. Comes highly recommended.

Review: Photographs by Ole Christiansen

Ole Christiansen, Photographs — Front page of the book. Iggy Pop obviously.

Danish photographer Ole Christiansen, born 1955, has created portraits of more and less famous people for 40 years. In this book a number of black and white portrait photographs are presented, along with a few images of street / architecture. However, the bulk of the book is portraits.

Ole Christiansen presents a mixture of Danish and international celebrities. Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, David Byrne and Yoko Ono are examples and shows that he apparently has a name internationally. But also people that are “world famous in Denmark” are portraits, such as Lars von Trier and former Danish prime minister Poul Schlüter.

Ole Christiansen often uses hard light, which is normally not what you would use for (flattering) photography. But Ole’s project seems take the approach that the character of the person is key rather than beauty or a wrinkle free look.

You can find a few double exposures amongst the images in this book, and Ole does not shy away from using props such as mirrors, a record or a piece of paper. Or the subjects hand (see the front page with Iggy Pop).

However, for me, the most stunning images are the “simple” ones using a single hard light source to draw out and amplify the personality of the subject photographed. Even though his ability to put vivid focus on the eyes of the subject is stellar, you’ll also find images where the subject has eyes closed or is viewed in profile, i.e. not looking into the lens.

If you like portraits and B&W images, this books comes highly recommended. There are also a number of street / architecture images, but for me the important work here is the portraits. There is no text other than a small introduction to Ole Christiansen on the cover page – this is a book with only images. Just the way I like it.

Review: In America by Robert Frank

Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank on the cover page of his book “In America” is quoted for saying: “Across the USA, I have photographed with these ideas in mind: to Portray Americans as they live at present. Their everyday and their Sunday, their realism and dream. The look of their cities, towns and highways”.

Many big words – both praising and criticising Franks work – have been written about this book, but I stick to Frank’s simple description of his work done during his travel across America. Then I let others decide if this truly is a landmark in photographic history or a touchstone of American identity.

Robert Frank's way across America. — Robert Frank’s way across America.

What strikes me as a photographer looking through the black and white images of this book is Frank’s extraordinary visual talent. And for me this is a source of inspiration that I can visit again and again. Seeing Franks work really makes me want to be a better photographer – not in the same way as the playfulness of Saul Leiter or the clean compositions of Henri-Cartier Bresson, no, it is a visual talent where the compositions are very natural and – for the lack of a better word – non-composed.

Some of his images I can study again and again and still find new nuances and details; new inspiration and the work of a natural talent. It is difficult for me to asses if you will feel the same way, but if you are looking for inspiration from one of the best photographers of all time, this book may be just what you need.

Review: Looking East, portraits by Steve McCurry.

No introduction needed? In photography I guess Steve McCurry is as famous as Rolling Stones is amongst rock fans. An institution. Member of Magnum Photos of course. Long standing contributor to National Geographics. Ropert Capa gold medal. The list goes on.

His image of the Afghan girl spiralled him into fame a long time ago, and the circumstances in which the image was taken has recently just added to the myth and the fame.

But back to planet earth and this book. It is quite large measuring approx 28 by 38 centimeter and contrary to what I had expected, it is not a hardback. Despite this, there is still a premium feel to the book, as each image is given a full page with the opposite page simply listing the location of the shoot.

You’ll find 120 images all shot in South and Southeast Asia. All portraits: Men, women and children. There is very little text in the book – normally you’ll find some curator introducing a photo book with 3-4 pages of intellectual perspectives to the photographers work and how the specific collection in the book came about. Not here. Apart from some few notes on the cover the the book, you will only find 120 wonderful images. The Independent is quoted for writing that “his images often dance on a knife-edge between sensuality and tragedy, sentiment and anguish”.

The picture that made Steve McCurry famous.

My label on McCurry’s work is “intense”. It is a part of the world where the colours are intense as well as the people. McCurry’s photography work is of course technically impeccable, but add to that the ability to capture people in exactly that split second where they reveal something more than just a headshot. And then of course travelling a part of the world that has fascinated him ever since he crossed the Pakistan border for the first time, many, many years ago.

If you like portraits, if you like a good coffee table book and if you like South and Southeast Asia, then this book is an absolute must. It is priced around 25 pounds here in 2023 and if you ask me, it is worth every penny.

Review: Ravens by Masahisa Fukase

Ravens by Fukase is consistently proclaimed as one of the most important photo books in the history of the medium. That is pretty big words, but I must say that after reading the book, I tend to agree.

Fukase’s life was certainly not an easy one and his studies of the ravens is all about solitude and feeling alone. So do not expect this book to be an easy read – it is as brutal and dark as it gets, and yet there is also a stunning beautiful side to these images. It is probably this stark contrast that makes this book so extraordinary. And of course the life of Fukase, which is the backdrop for the images presented in Ravens.

Not everyone agrees that this is one of the most important photography books ever. Maybe it is because the book is more appreciated if you know a little about the life of Fukase? That Japanese mythology sees Ravens as omens of impending doom? That Fukase for many years photographed nothing but his wife? That his last 20 years was spent in a coma after an almost fatal accident? The saying that the photographs say more about the photographer than the subject is perhaps more true when it comes to Fukase than anyone else. Fukase said that he had become a raven himself.

All this is as dark as it gets. But there is also great beauty to be found in this book if you look for it, and hence this book comes with my highest recommendations.

Category: Books

Review: Looking at photographs by Laurent Jullier

Looking at photographs

Video link

Related reading

Review: Photographs 1943-2013 by Keld Helmer-Petersen

One of the most important Danish photographers…

Related reading

Review: Read this if you want to take great photographs by Henry Carroll

Clickbait?

Theory and practice

Boom!

Video link

Further reading

Review: Still lifes, California by Rudy VanderLans

Size matters?

Dismal

Film look

Graphical

Further reading

Review: The essence of photography by Bruce Barnbaum

Related reading

Review: The soul of the camera by David DuChemin

Related reading

Review: Photographs by Ole Christiansen

Related reading

Review: In America by Robert Frank

Further reading

Review: Looking East, portraits by Steve McCurry.

Related reading

Review: Ravens by Masahisa Fukase

Related reading