Four Photography Books

Reviewed by Geoff Wittig

The Documentary Impulse By Stuart Franklin (Phaidon, 2016, $20.40)

Stuart Franklin is a highly experienced documentary photographer best known for his iconic "Tank Man" photo of a Chinese civilian standing defiantly before a column of tanks at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

He also happens to be an extraordinarily erudite and articulate student of art and photography. This deceptively small volume comprises eight chapter-length essays addressing questions ranging from the link between documentary photography and the origins of representational art in cave paintings, to the role of ambiguity and visual poetry in photographic storytelling, to manipulation and staging as they relate to the future of documentary photography. A handful of intellectual threads tie the various essays together; perhaps the most central is the concept of photography’s capacity to "undeceive," to tell new truths to the wider world, or conversely to reinforce existing comfortable deceptions. Chapter 2, Lost Eden: Traces of the Colonial Legacy, for example, illuminates how beautiful landscape photography by Ansel Adams et al. conveyed the notion of the Americas as an empty paradise, conveniently eliding the genocidal removal of the previous inhabitants. Franklin’s analysis of documentary photography of aboriginal populations is particularly pungent, demonstrating how even the most sympathetic Western photographers from Edward Sheriff Curtis to Sebastião Salgado tend to reinforce a false "trapped in amber" vision of such cultures, while the work of indigenous photographers receives far less exposure. Franklin also makes a very persuasive argument for the marriage of informative captions and text with images, noting that leaving photographs to speak for themselves without context can greatly limit their potential for story-telling.

One doesn’t have to agree with all of Franklin’s conclusions, but he surely makes the reader think. His comfort with ambiguity and nuance is one of the book’s great strengths.

Physically the book is beautifully done; the cover playfully emulates a classic Leica, and the typography is brilliant. The paper is high quality matte stock. Despite modest size and dense typesetting, the clean digital neohumanist font (complete with f-ligatures and lining numerals, hallelujah) is extremely readable. The text is nicely illustrated by scattered photographs, many of them recognizable classics. Kudos to Phaidon for obtaining all the necessary rights.

Amazon
Amazon UK (£16.56)
The Book Depository

Rouge By Michael Kenna (Prestel, 2016, $45.94)

Michael Kenna’s elegant black-and-white photographs have presented a vision of subtle beauty for decades. This volume is a revised and expanded edition of a book first published more than 20 years ago. Included are many images not part of the original book, and others re-interpreted from the existing negatives. Consider it an antidote to the current fad for huge high-resolution color photographs of abandoned and decaying industrial sites. Kenna spent the better part of two years photographing Ford’s colossal River Rouge factory complex. The resulting images range from his signature brooding nocturnal photographs to dramatic, graphic compositions invoking Charles Sheeler. Not for everyone, but if you like this kind of work, you’ll love this book.

Amazon
Amazon UK (£29.25)
The Book Depository

Essential Elements By Edward Burtynsky (Thames & Hudson, 2016, $51.33)

Edward Burtynsky has been photographing the transformation of the Earth by human activity since the 1980s, typically working on long-form projects culminating in exhibitions of his giant prints and accompanying coffee-table books. Initially using large-format film cameras, he has more recently employed medium-format digital cameras, generally from an elevated viewpoint or from aircraft. Most of his books are still in print, and they are consistently beautiful, despite the often toxic and disquieting subject matter. This volume summarizes his oeuvre, with sections addressing each of his major projects, accompanied by a range of brief essays and reviews. Certainly the most illuminating are the comments from Burtynsky himself, spelling out what he was trying to achieve with his photographs. Admirers of his work may want to seek out project-based books like Oil and Water. But if you want the best single volume treatment of his photography, this is the one to get. The photo reproductions are as good as it gets these days.

Amazon
Amazon UK (£29.25)
The Book Depository

[Note that there is also a Deluxe Collector's Edition of this book that includes an original print. The cheapest way to get it as of this writing is through The Book Depository, where it costs $377.10, shipped free, versus £325 at Amazon UK and $500 at Amazon.com. —Ed.]

Dirt Meridian By Andrew Moore (Damiani, 2015, $36.04)

I will readily confess to being a sucker for the austere beauty of the great plains of North America. I’ve made multiple trips to the region, and always find its vast horizons compelling. Andrew Moore’s unsentimental yet sympathetic documentation of the endless prairie skies, cultivated fields, and weathered farming families just sings for me. Many of the photographs were taken at dusk with a high-resolution medium format rig mounted to the wing strut of a low-flying Cessna and directed from a tablet in the cockpit. The photo reproduction quality is excellent, and the accompanying text includes a brief foreword from Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong, the quintessential contemporary novel of (Anglo) prairie life. Not for everyone, but if you like the subject, you’ll love this book.

Amazon
Amazon UK (£35)
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Geoff

TOP Contributing Editor Geoff Wittig is a rural family physician with interests ranging from health care quality improvement, medical informatics, and integration of health care delivery to photography and landscape painting. Photo books are a particular area of interest; he admits he has far too many for his own good.

©2016 by Geoffrey Wittig, all rights reserved

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Joseph Vavak: "Andrew Moore's 'Dirt Meridian' is on display at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha right now. It's a really nice exhibition with immaculate large prints and dozens of photographs. His use of an airplane, especially at very low altitudes, really gives the series a different look than what we generally see photographers (myself included) do. He really captures the isolation of the plains in an effective, beautiful way. The following video is playing alongside the photographs. It shows how he works (ladders, airplanes, etc.)."

Tom: "I look forward to the TOP book recommendations at this time of year and pick out a book I would probably never have otherwise considered. My collection is much the richer for it. This year I've gone for The Documentary Impulse."

Kenneth Tanaka (partial comment): "For the record, while the repro quality of Essential Elements is as good as Geoff notes, I highly urge readers to make an effort to see Burtynsky's prints whenever possible. Unlike so many art photographers who make exhibition prints gratuitously large, most of Burtynsky's images really require scale to make the complete message. Having seen many in both public and private collections all I can say is it's worth the effort."

Comments

[Peter Marquis-Kyle]

Geoff, where you write about the typography in The Documentary Impulse I am guessing that you probably mean 'non-lining' (old style) numerals, not 'lining'. Using the right numerals, along with the ligatures and the selection of the typeface, makes the reading more rewarding. (For me anyway; but I'm the kind of nutter who likes Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style for bedtime reading).

[wts]

Thank you for including Dr. Wittig's book reviews in TOP from time to time. Just ordered the Michael Kenna book. As Wittig says "Not for everyone", but for me, coming from a place of former industries now vacant plots of land, this photography is so evocative of what used to be. And so powerful.

[Geoff Wittig]

Peter-
You're quite correct about the numerals. Old-style is probably the best term. It's always disappointing to see extended text set in a handsome serif typeface defaced by the inappropriate use of crude lining numerals meant only for titles. I have an entire section of my library devoted to typography, and I'd be embarrassed to admit how many copies of Bringhurst's book I currently own. (The latest edition carries the witty title 'v. 4.2'). It's compulsory for anyone interested in typography, as it places typography and type design solidly within the context of the wider world of art, from music to painting to literature.

[Dave_lumb]

I've been considering buying The Documentary Impulse for a while. The above revue has convinced me to purchase it (via your Amazon UK link). Thanks.

[c.d.embrey]

Pro photographer Ming Thein lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His aerial shots are from Australia, Hong Kong and Scotland https://blog.mingthein.com/?s=aerial+photography A lot like Andrew Moore's work, but from a different part of the world. Both photographers do outstanding work.

I like the different prospective you get from higher than normal camera placement. In the past, I've done it with small video cameras. Now I think it is time to build/buy a tall tripod like the one shown at about 4:40 in the above video. Putting a DSLR/motion-gimbal, atop a Matthews Mombo Combo - "Daddy Long Legs" stand http://products.msegrip.com/collections/overhead-stands/products/mombo-combo-daddy-long-legs would be easy and inexpensive. If you live in a city that does a lot of motion work, you should be able to rent a gimbal and a 15-24 foot overhead stand, to do a test.

[Mike Chisholm]

A nice selection, well-presented. But: can I make an appeal against the use of the term "coffee-table book" in conjunction with large, serious photo-books? I realise the term has lost some of its derogatory charge in recent years, but I think it should be reserved for the bibliographic equivalent of a vapid, glossy magazine bought by the fashion-conscious, and meant to be left ostentatiously on display on, um, a coffee-table.

Not a single one of Burtynsky's books is, in this reading, a "coffee-table book"! Unless, I suppose, one meant "a book that, if four legs were attached to it, might serve as a coffee-table"...

Mike

[Phil Bond]

I was going to make the same comment as Peter – I suspect you might have meant non-lining numerals. :-)

[Dave Van de Mark]

Nice to be informed about some books I was unaware of. Also cool is the use of such high tech photography at times; less cool are the book prices!

[Rodger Kingston]

Thanks for the book suggestions; since reading them I've put in a Christmas hint for "The Documentary Impulse." I like the design as much as I expect to like the content.

Let me also recommend one of the best (and one of the most influential) photo books of the 20th century: Walker Evans' "American Photographs." It's still available in the beautifully printed, almost-facsimile 75th anniversary edition for only $40 in hardcover. (By the way, going by past history I don't expect it to stay in print for too much longer.)

[Darlene]

Thank you for the reviews. Just spent a few dollars. :)

[Geoff McCann]

Cheers Geoff/Mike. Just ordered Edward Burtynsky & Stuart Franklin books via your Amazon UK link. I'll take them with me to Northumberland for Christmas!
Geoff

[Anton]

Excellent information. It is a motion work.

[KeithB]

Was this a tie-in to Rogue 1? 8^)

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Thanks very much for the excellent book notes, Geoff. I own the Burtynsky book and agree that it's an excellent survey of his various bodies of work. I am also eager to see Michael Kenna's "Rouge". It seems like a subject made for him. I am also eager to see Andrew Moore's "Dirt Meridian". It reminds me of so much work done by my friend Terry Evans who spent years hanging out of small planes and helicopters with a Hasselblad. I love that type of work. (And thank you for the video link, Joseph!)

For the record, while the repro quality of "Essential Elements" is as good as Geoff notes, I highly urge readers to make an effort to see Burtynsky's prints whenever possible. Unlike so many art photographers who make exhibition prints gratuitously large, most of Burtynsky's images really require scale to make the complete message. Having seen many in both public and private collections all I can say is it's worth the effort.

[Mark Jennings]

I like KT's second point: go see Burtynsky's work. Years ago I saw OIL. Image size, focal length, camera position and print viewing distance - well. When B and the curator got them all right they really got them right. The last piece was a view of an oil tanker salvage yard, which was a tidal flat populated by the enormous bulks of ships in various stages of disassembly. You didn't stand in front of that print. You stood in it. The work was a complete success for me. It created a whole, convincing world that for a time I lived in.

I've got a big fondness for books with good repros. And they all make me want to see the works themselves.

[Rob Campbell]

I have become very wary of buying books sight unseen.

I have a massive Annie Leibovitz one called (in Spanish) Life of a Photographer 1990-2005, which I order on faith, having watched her sister's video called Life Through a Lens, or something very similar to that, where some of the editing for the book was also being filmed. Rather than what I'd hoped I was buying, I ended up owning an expensive tome heavily loaded towards A.L.'s family and love-life, which interests me not in the least; her images were the lure, not she herself. I have another couple of expensive books bought under the same conditions of faith; I now have almost no faith in such buying techniques!

Rob