The photography book list
Photography and art books are a favorite of mine. Anytime a certain someone catches me cruising the cyber aisles at Amazon, at least during this time of year, her thoughts immediately are consumed by the possibility of my purchasing yet another photo book.
Yes, I do love them so. This list will include my favorites and those that make great gifts. All of them are great to give or get.
Diane Arbus Revelations
This is the ultimate Diane Arbus retrospective put together by the Arbus estate and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The tragically short life of Arbus burned bright as she photographed the odd and the everyday, finding the quirks in those not considered quirky, the unsightly or freakish in elites, the humanity in those not often revered. It is a beautiful book with stunning duotone reproductions and a wealth of well-written information, much of it from Arbus' notes and diaries, much never before seen.
Irving Penn: A Career in Photography by Colin Westerbeck (editor)
This tight book compiles the selected works of Irving Penn and his archives donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. His stylish genius shines through in every aspect of his work, whether fashion, portraiture, still life or nude. Expert in all, he imbued the simplest of tools, the wrench, with sexy coolness.
Dream Street: W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project by Sam Stephenson (editor), Alan Trachtenberg (author)
The grand opus of the jazz-loving W. Eugene Smith is finally -- and posthumously -- presented in its entirety. The perfectionist in Smith considered it a failure, even though he tried to exert his control over its every aspect, and the project consumed him throughout the remainder of his alcohol-and-drug-tormented life. The self-destructive Smith turned a three-week assignment to photograph Pittsburgh into a personal quest that birthed one of the most glorious examinations of a city ever seen.
Portraits of America by William Albert Allard
The America of William Albert Allard is not Pollyannaish sunshine nor depressing bleakness. The spare images, chromatic representations of society's various strata, are much more complex upon further investigation and defy simple categorization. The National Geographic veteran's photo essays are presented in chronological order, the expressive images lightly leap into view. The cover photograph is one of my personal favorites.
Sebastiao Salgado: Workers by Sebastio Salgado
One of the premier photographers of this era, Sebastion Salgado's rich and lyrical style comes to light in these stirring images of labor throughout the world. The black-and-white photographs are beautiful in their own right and bring beauty from those who do the dirtiest, sweaty and thankless work most take for granted. If I dare say, and it is minor, the take is in need of somewhat tighter editing. (Though I may be missing something that causes this thought.)
The Fat Baby by Eugene Richards
Eugene Richards is a great photographer, though I have not always thought so. At first I thought his style was more like the discombobulated mess of Alex Webb (whom I also have changed my mind about) except in black and white and not underexposed and oversaturated. That changed after I attended the Pictures of the Year (now POYi) judging in 1990 and witnessed the raw power of his elastic, startling images that can always be identified as his. Richards gives voice, through a variety of means, to issues often overlooked or controversial. This rhapsodic book, which includes his prolific notes and writings, encompasses so much that enlightenment in social documentation is almost certain if read. Any of his books, of which I own six, is a great acquisition.
Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel by David Travis
One of the premiere Modernist photographers, Edward Weston's luscious, crisp prints from the finale of his photographic life, 1938-48, are presented in this stunning book. He stopped photographing and died in 1958. The entire tone of his work has changed from that which made him famous. His style of contact printing 8x10 negatives remains, but the prints are much darker and solemn in their expressive nature than anything he had done previously. His aesthetic has attached the continuing trauma of failing health, a war in which his sons are involved, public areas closed by the war that were once open to him, and a failing marriage. Truly amazing.
Steve McCurry: In the Shadow of Mountains by Steve McCurry and Kerry William Purcell
This one I have not purchased or been given (yet), but it is a truly glorious book in which to look. Steve McCurry is a prolific publisher, having published nine books since 1985. He is most famous for his 1984 "Afghan Girl" photograph that appeared on the cover of National Geographic. His clean, defined style is very well suited to magazine and books; his portraits are easily recognizable.
The last two books on this list are two of my favorites and difficult to find. They are very influential in my career and precious to me in more ways than I can describe.
Stay This Moment: The Photographs of Sam Abell by Robert E. Gilka and Sam Abell
In 1998, during a very dark, distorted part of my life, Sam Abell spoke to the Illinois Press Photographers Association. Despite my troubles, I had the clarity to let his images and words seep deeply into my consciousness. He opened my eyes. He has found the way to successfully traverse the rough terrain that encompasses journalism and art when they are mixed. This quote, from brainyquote.com, says more about this great, awe-inspiring book than I can. "As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity. I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs." If you can get your hands on this, or the almost equally astonishing "The Photographic Life," I highly recommend buying it on the spot.
The Americans by Robert Frank
When a new edition of this influential and truly genius book was published in 1993, I was somehow smart enough to order and buy one. The first edition, from 1958, is probably priceless to any photographer familiar with the gritty, raw style of this New York School photographer. This book, whatever edition, has more than likely influenced more photojournalists than any other. If, somehow, you get one, be ready for a stormy, bumpy ride on the American landscape of the 1950s.
A few others to look into:
Christopher Morris: My America
Harry Callahan: The Photographer at Work
And almost anything by Richard Avedon or Henri Cartier-Bresson. Most of the National Geographic Society books, the high-quality ones, are also winners most of the time.
Happy reading.
