Guth
Appreciative User
I haven't contributed much to this forum recently so in an attempt to correct that, I've posted a few new images to the Gallery and also wanted to mention a new photo book that I just picked up earlier this month.
Here in Portland where we are blessed with many great independent bookstores, I count Ampersand Gallery & Fine Books as one of my favorites. As the name implies, this shop is part gallery and part bookstore. Myles Haselhorst owns this store and always stocks his shelves with a number of amazing finds. While I am familiar with a few of the big names, I am not all that well versed in the many well-respected photographers that most here became familiar with long ago. That said, one of my favorite experiences is stopping by Ampersand to browse and discover whatever books happen to provoke the most emotion in me upon a casual glance through the pages. I almost always find at least one book that I don't want to put down.
With that in mind, I thought that I would highlight a book that was just released this year by Reel Art Press. The book is titled "Godlis Streets" and it features the black & white street photography of David Godlis. To be honest, I was not familiar with any of David's work prior to picking up this book. But Godless is apparently well known by many for his photos of the nightlife that revolved around New York City's punk music scene in the 1970's (such as Pattie Smith, Blondie and The Ramones). Chances are, I actually saw some of this work when I was in my youth, but surely never paid attention to who it would have been attributed. In which case my youth would be squarely to blame rather than the photography. (I was far too fixated on the music itself at that point in my life and while punk music captured some of my interest it only represented a small percentage of what I was into.)
In a way, I'm perhaps grateful that I discovered Godlis Streets without any knowledge of David Godlis or his other work. At Ampersand, the copies of this book were stacked upon a table so that the cover could be easily seen. Of course it was the cover of the book that immediately drew my eye to this offering. It contained a photo of a slightly hardened looking woman, perhaps in her early 60's, with a head of brilliant white coiffed hair. She is calmly exhaling smoke from her cigarette while the cigarette dangles from her lips in an equally calm fashion. The woman is otherwise occupied with the objects she is carrying in her hands — her purse and what appears to be her cigarette case. The smoke from her cigarette matches the color of her hair perfectly and the two become seamlessly intertwined with one another. Meanwhile, a large advertisement for Marlboro cigarettes is displayed on the wall of the building behind her. The advertisement contains a photo of a man with what almost appears to be a grimace on his face. It seems as if he is staring right over the woman's shoulder, looking directly at me (as the observer) proclaiming "I know my taste".
The only time that I've ever spent in New York City was back in 1999, yet whenever I think about this most famous of American cities, I most often picture images like the one described above. It more or less depicts the city that I expected to see before I finally visited in-person. Godlis Streets is filled with images of the version of NYC like the one I've described above (and not just NYC, but of Boston in the 1970's as well). Perhaps that is why this book connected so strongly with me. From the large scale cigarette and beer advertisements, to the X-rated theaters and the busy phone booths, these are the backdrops of the cities that David Godlis captured with his cameras. Such backgrounds are more often than not brilliantly juxtaposed with the likes of nuns, cops, Hasidic jews, thugs (be they real or not), conservative banker types, groups of women who are likely visiting from out of town and children left to occupy themselves among the shins and kneecaps of the adults wandering above them on the sidewalks of the city. (The sorts of characters that I never saw growing up in small-town rural America.)
If this sounds remotely interesting to you, then I would encourage you to find a copy of this book so that you might inspect it further. The only criticism that I have of this book, and this might be a deal-breaker for some, is that the actual print-quality itself is not quite up to the standards of the books that I've purchased that were published by the likes of Steidl or Phaidon for example. Not that the images aren't crisp. They capture plenty of detail. But the finish of the printed page reminds me of the output I might get from my inkjet printer as I work to get things properly dialed in. Dark black areas take on more of a glossy appearance than the rest of the photo. You don't notice this when looking at the images straight-on, but it is noticeable otherwise.
Obviously this wasn't enough to keep me from buying the book (at a price of $39.95). But I felt it worth mentioning to be fair to anyone who might make the effort to track down a copy based solely on my comments here.
By the way, Godlis self-published his nighttime photography of the 70's punk scene in a book titled "History is Made at Night". You can find many of the images from this book online. I'd actually love to find a copy of this book, but doing so would appear to be beyond my humble "Googling" capabilities.
Here in Portland where we are blessed with many great independent bookstores, I count Ampersand Gallery & Fine Books as one of my favorites. As the name implies, this shop is part gallery and part bookstore. Myles Haselhorst owns this store and always stocks his shelves with a number of amazing finds. While I am familiar with a few of the big names, I am not all that well versed in the many well-respected photographers that most here became familiar with long ago. That said, one of my favorite experiences is stopping by Ampersand to browse and discover whatever books happen to provoke the most emotion in me upon a casual glance through the pages. I almost always find at least one book that I don't want to put down.
With that in mind, I thought that I would highlight a book that was just released this year by Reel Art Press. The book is titled "Godlis Streets" and it features the black & white street photography of David Godlis. To be honest, I was not familiar with any of David's work prior to picking up this book. But Godless is apparently well known by many for his photos of the nightlife that revolved around New York City's punk music scene in the 1970's (such as Pattie Smith, Blondie and The Ramones). Chances are, I actually saw some of this work when I was in my youth, but surely never paid attention to who it would have been attributed. In which case my youth would be squarely to blame rather than the photography. (I was far too fixated on the music itself at that point in my life and while punk music captured some of my interest it only represented a small percentage of what I was into.)
In a way, I'm perhaps grateful that I discovered Godlis Streets without any knowledge of David Godlis or his other work. At Ampersand, the copies of this book were stacked upon a table so that the cover could be easily seen. Of course it was the cover of the book that immediately drew my eye to this offering. It contained a photo of a slightly hardened looking woman, perhaps in her early 60's, with a head of brilliant white coiffed hair. She is calmly exhaling smoke from her cigarette while the cigarette dangles from her lips in an equally calm fashion. The woman is otherwise occupied with the objects she is carrying in her hands — her purse and what appears to be her cigarette case. The smoke from her cigarette matches the color of her hair perfectly and the two become seamlessly intertwined with one another. Meanwhile, a large advertisement for Marlboro cigarettes is displayed on the wall of the building behind her. The advertisement contains a photo of a man with what almost appears to be a grimace on his face. It seems as if he is staring right over the woman's shoulder, looking directly at me (as the observer) proclaiming "I know my taste".
The only time that I've ever spent in New York City was back in 1999, yet whenever I think about this most famous of American cities, I most often picture images like the one described above. It more or less depicts the city that I expected to see before I finally visited in-person. Godlis Streets is filled with images of the version of NYC like the one I've described above (and not just NYC, but of Boston in the 1970's as well). Perhaps that is why this book connected so strongly with me. From the large scale cigarette and beer advertisements, to the X-rated theaters and the busy phone booths, these are the backdrops of the cities that David Godlis captured with his cameras. Such backgrounds are more often than not brilliantly juxtaposed with the likes of nuns, cops, Hasidic jews, thugs (be they real or not), conservative banker types, groups of women who are likely visiting from out of town and children left to occupy themselves among the shins and kneecaps of the adults wandering above them on the sidewalks of the city. (The sorts of characters that I never saw growing up in small-town rural America.)
If this sounds remotely interesting to you, then I would encourage you to find a copy of this book so that you might inspect it further. The only criticism that I have of this book, and this might be a deal-breaker for some, is that the actual print-quality itself is not quite up to the standards of the books that I've purchased that were published by the likes of Steidl or Phaidon for example. Not that the images aren't crisp. They capture plenty of detail. But the finish of the printed page reminds me of the output I might get from my inkjet printer as I work to get things properly dialed in. Dark black areas take on more of a glossy appearance than the rest of the photo. You don't notice this when looking at the images straight-on, but it is noticeable otherwise.
Obviously this wasn't enough to keep me from buying the book (at a price of $39.95). But I felt it worth mentioning to be fair to anyone who might make the effort to track down a copy based solely on my comments here.
By the way, Godlis self-published his nighttime photography of the 70's punk scene in a book titled "History is Made at Night". You can find many of the images from this book online. I'd actually love to find a copy of this book, but doing so would appear to be beyond my humble "Googling" capabilities.
Freakscene
Obscure member
His work very cool. I found myself photographing next to him once.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture...is-20-years-of-street-photography-in-pictures
http://www.godlis.com/bookstore/history-is-made-at-night-hardcover-limited-signed-first-edition
Marty
https://www.theguardian.com/culture...is-20-years-of-street-photography-in-pictures
http://www.godlis.com/bookstore/history-is-made-at-night-hardcover-limited-signed-first-edition
Marty
lynnb
Veteran
Thanks for the heads up on his work.
fireblade
Vincenzo.
Great interview with Godlis.
https://www.port-magazine.com/art-photography/history-is-made-at-night/
https://www.port-magazine.com/art-photography/history-is-made-at-night/
moggi1964
Established
Wow! I like his work.
Thank you for bringing him to my attention.
Thank you for bringing him to my attention.
markjwyatt
Well-known
Really great shots. He is the king of street juxtaposition! His shots (at least displayed on Amazon) display a great sense of humor.
Guth
Appreciative User
Thanks to those of you who shared links to his work and interviews!