While teaching I see many people in the doldrums of making nice 'singles', believing that buying a better camera or learning more technique is what they need to get to the 'next level' - when in fact they just need a theme or project to work on. Following is an ongoing list of books, DVDs and links to some photographers whose body of work contain a theme or themes which make the whole greater than it's parts. Of course this list could be 50 times longer, however, because it's initial function is a study aid for my students, I made sure that the sources are all available for free through the amazing Toronto Public Library system. Enjoy and feel free to recommend a source.
 |
| by Eugene Atget |
Atget
by John
Szarkowski ©2000 The Museum of Modern Art – New York
ISBN
0-87070-094-4
A good introduction to the classic work of French
photographer Eugene Atget, whose understated masterpieces of Paris remain a
fountainhead of inspiration for photographers. The text is by John Szarkowski,
Director of Photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art from 1962 – 1991.
Find out why Atget has been called “a photographer’s photographer.”
A truly beautiful book, available at The Toronto Public
Library.
Uncommon Places
by
Stephen Shore ©2004 Aperture Foundation
ISBN
978-1-931778-34-2
Working with large format color film in the Seventies,
Stephan Shore broke new ground with the series of images shown in this book.
See why he was the first photographer to be given a solo exhibition at the
MOMA.
His ultra clear road trip images, which were revolutionary
at the time, seem fairly normal now; they set the standard of what was to
follow. Available at TPL.
The Beautiful Smile
(Hasselblad Award 2007)
By Nan
Goldin ©2007 for the images
ISBN
978-3-86521-539-0
Nan Goldin boldly goes where few photographers dare – into
the deeply personal aspects of her life and those of her friends and other loved
ones. Sometimes raw and searing, other times lyrical and poetic, her work is
always courageous. She is a pioneer in the genre of self disclosure in
photography - Available at TPL.
Ansel Adams: 400
Photographs
Copyright©2007
by The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust
From a renowned master of the black and white, large
format landscape tradition. The opening images in the book ( done when Adams
was eleven) give us a few clues as to how Adams worked to create some of his
most sublime pictures. Good selection of photographs.
Compilation
courtesy of Michael O’Brien Photography
So the Story Goes
©2006
The Art institute of Chicago
ISBN
978-0-3001411-9
This book is the catalogue from an exhibit by five
photographers: Tina Barney, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, and
Larry Sultan. Each one takes as their subject their own life as they experience
it. A chance to see several key proponents of this genre. Finely printed work
showing a comprehensive portfolio from all five photographers.
The American
Snapshot 1888 -1978
©2007
National Gallery of Art, Washington
ISBN
13:978-0-691-13368-3
Elevating the snapshot to the place it deserves; an
incredibly rich collection of photographs accompanied by penetrating essays.
Timeless in both content and design.
Manuel Alvarez Bravo –
photopoetry
©2008
Thames and Hudson
ISBN978-0-8118-6532-6
One of the largest selections of this Mexican master’s
work ever compiled. Excellent reproduction of the photographs with well written
and researched essays. Includes the tribute ‘Body and Soul’ written by Carlos Fuentes. Bravo has had a huge influence on the
way we see.
The Dawn of Color Photography;
Albert Kahn’s Archives of
the Planet
By David
Okuefuna
ISBN –
978- 0-691-13907-4
First
published in 2008 by BBC Books, in association with Musee Alfred Kahn, France,
to accompany the BBC television series “Edwardians in Colour: The Wonderful
World of Alfred Kahn”, first broadcast in 2007.
An awesome collection of photographs at one of the great
turning points in photography. Very compelling story!
David Goldblatt: Photographs
©2006 Contrasto, Roma
ISBN:
978-88-6965-015-4
Goldblatt spent 50 years documenting life in South
Africa. His deceptively calm black and
white images show life in South Africa during and after apartheid. A master at
work.
Diane Arbus - DVD
The
Masters of photography series
Distributed
by Kultur – www.kultur.com
A brief (thirty minute) look at the life and work of one of the most influential photographers of the sixties. She seems to be something rare in photography i.e.completely original.
Contains rare interviews.
The Many Faces of Arnaud
Maggs - DVD
A film
by Annette Mangaard on DVD
Moving
Images Distribution
See how one of Canada’s greatest living photographers creates
then mounts a huge exhibit at the Powerplant in Toronto. The artist talks in
great detail about how his vision has unfolded over the years and we get a
chance to see exactly how he works.
Available at the TPL
Edward Burtynsky; Manufactured Landscapes – DVD
A film
by Jennifer Baichwal
Listen to and watch a great Canadian photographer at work.
Filmed on location in China where Ed documents the ongoing environmental
catastophy as it unfolds. He speaks about how he found his subject; humankind’s
impact on the land. Someone likened this film to watching a bad accident happen
in slow motion. Powerful film.
Territories: Larry Towell – Photographer DVD
By Mary Ellen Davis ©2007
This film delves into the the life, work, and working
methods of one of Canada’s greatest living photographers. Breaking into the
scene in the 80’s with his searing photo essays of life during the civil war in
Nicaragua, Towell went on to become the only Canadian working through Magnum
Agency. Larry Towell is a gem - in the rough.
W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult - DVD
Directed by Gene Lasko - 1989
A well done docu-drama about a legendary of documentary
photographer who worked through the forties to the early seventies. We have all
been influenced by his work because he catapulted the photo - essay form into the forefront. His work in Minamatu, Japan immortalized him. A tremendous silver printer, Smith was famous for his speed fueled marathon printing sessions. A seminal figure in the history of American photography.
Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo – DVD
Excellent
interviews with someone I never expected to see in front of a camera as
much as he is in this doc. For all his transparency in the interviews, it feels
like we are only being shown the tip of the iceberg, or the volcano. A
charismatic photographer – he is also a ground breaking, pioneering street
photographer whose influence is easy to understate. On the way to breaking
every rule that exists in photography in the 60s he created a few himself….’go for broke
at all times’ being rule number one.
LINKS
Compilation
courtesy of Michael O’Brien Photography
No comments:
Post a Comment