ChrisLivsey
Veteran
Exactly, you can always trust a good cliché to score highly and sometimes it's hard to resist
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
Two biographies of Lee Miller.
rulnacco
Well-known
I'd definitely be interested in seeing that Lee Miller film (even though advance reviews are not thrilling). I've always said her life would make a great biopic, and had no idea that a film had been in development hell for several years.
Another photographer who I'm sure would make a fascinating biographical film in the right hands is Gordon Parks. Not only was Parks a truly great photographer, he was very much a renaissance man, highly capable in a number of fields--and doing it at a time when fiercely intelligent, confident, and uncompromising Black men like him were thwarted in so many ways by American society.
I think LaKeith Stanfield would be an excellent candidate to play him. There's not a strong resemblance, but Stanfield has the acting ability, and exudes the acuity and power of personality necessary to bring Parks to life on the screen. I'm not sure who would be the best director for it, but perhaps Steve McQueen, who is also a bit of an outsider (as Parks was in society at large in his time), and like Parks has fantastic visual sense and a cool but deeply thoughtful and powerful intellect--while also being a polymath--would make something truly stunning.
Another photographer who I'm sure would make a fascinating biographical film in the right hands is Gordon Parks. Not only was Parks a truly great photographer, he was very much a renaissance man, highly capable in a number of fields--and doing it at a time when fiercely intelligent, confident, and uncompromising Black men like him were thwarted in so many ways by American society.
I think LaKeith Stanfield would be an excellent candidate to play him. There's not a strong resemblance, but Stanfield has the acting ability, and exudes the acuity and power of personality necessary to bring Parks to life on the screen. I'm not sure who would be the best director for it, but perhaps Steve McQueen, who is also a bit of an outsider (as Parks was in society at large in his time), and like Parks has fantastic visual sense and a cool but deeply thoughtful and powerful intellect--while also being a polymath--would make something truly stunning.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
Dogman
Veteran
Malcolm M
Well-known
Photography Year Book 1968. From the Oxfam on-line bookshop.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I picked up the Mark Laita photo book. He shoots Soft White Underbelly on YT. He is a pro photographer and the books shows his work and is of his SWB subjects. Soft White Underbelly Book
mrtoml
Mancunian
Just received this signed copy. These are landscapes taken pre-dawn when the light has a unique quality.
Dogman
Veteran
"Daily Self-Portraits, 1972-1973" by Melissa Shook.
When I was first becoming interested in photography the photo magazines would put out annuals with articles and presentations by various photographers. I was introduced to some excellent photography that way. One of those photo annuals had a sampling of Ms Shook's project of self-portraits. They were amazing photos to me at the time. I believe she was recovering from an injury and was, at least, partially confined to home when she started the project--I haven't yet had a chance to read the narrative in the book. Of course today everyone is taking selfies and it has become tedious to see them. But going back to these photos from this time and remembering the honesty, the clarity and the beauty of Melissa Shook's photos helps me to recall a time when photography as art was fresh and clear. I'm surprised to find the photos still seem honest and fresh today, at least to my jaded mind.
When I was first becoming interested in photography the photo magazines would put out annuals with articles and presentations by various photographers. I was introduced to some excellent photography that way. One of those photo annuals had a sampling of Ms Shook's project of self-portraits. They were amazing photos to me at the time. I believe she was recovering from an injury and was, at least, partially confined to home when she started the project--I haven't yet had a chance to read the narrative in the book. Of course today everyone is taking selfies and it has become tedious to see them. But going back to these photos from this time and remembering the honesty, the clarity and the beauty of Melissa Shook's photos helps me to recall a time when photography as art was fresh and clear. I'm surprised to find the photos still seem honest and fresh today, at least to my jaded mind.
rulnacco
Well-known
I've had pretty good luck at Half Price Books recently:
And in fact, on a trip to Atlanta a couple months back, I picked up a CD copy of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Tender Prey from HPB, and when I got it home I realized that Nick had autographed the CD insert. Brilliant!
And in fact, on a trip to Atlanta a couple months back, I picked up a CD copy of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Tender Prey from HPB, and when I got it home I realized that Nick had autographed the CD insert. Brilliant!
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Tuna
Fotoğrafçı
Popped in to Shakespeare and Company during my last trip to Paris and picked up two classics. Now I have to suck it up and actually read them…
CP93
Established
In Harmony with Nature: The Photography of Donald M. Robinson.
I hadn't even heard of him until the spousal unit and I found one of his prints at a local antique store for $60 -- last known sale of one of his prints was $400. Turns out he was quite prolific, visiting all 7 continents in support of his hobby. An amateur in the true sense of the word.
I hadn't even heard of him until the spousal unit and I found one of his prints at a local antique store for $60 -- last known sale of one of his prints was $400. Turns out he was quite prolific, visiting all 7 continents in support of his hobby. An amateur in the true sense of the word.
JohnGellings
Well-known
Louis Carlos Bernal - Aperture
aperture.org
Louis Carlos Bernal: Monografía (2024) | Aperture Photobooks
The first major scholarly account of Bernal’s life and work by the esteemed historian Elizabeth Ferrer, “Monografía” is the definitive book about an essential photographic artist.
aperture.org
CP93
Established
And Teenie Harris!
Richard G
Veteran
Extraordinary images from memory of his idyllic childhood in pre-revolutionary Russia. He was a lepidopterist as well as a novelist. His family connections were rich in more ways than one, with Russian and German ancestry. Their estates south of St Petersberg are the scene of many of his recollections, of his mother, the endless series of governesses and tutors. He and his brother learnt to read and write English before Russian. Asked later (an interview in Think, Write, Speak) whether he thought in English or in Russian, he replied that he was not sure. And anyway, in his writing, he said, he thought in images. I will be sorry to finish reading this. In a recent torture I have had to regularly submit to these vivid images from over 100 years ago help me put myself far away. He was a singular intellect, no received opinions. In the other book I mentioned there is an interview by Jacob Bronowski. Nabokov found that he had to politely, unavoidably, reject the very premise of most of his questions.
Malcolm M
Well-known
Peter Tuffrey, The Golden Age of Yorkshire Steam. Full of nice photos, but admittedly of slightly tangential interest to RFF. The real reason for the post, for that vanishingly small fraction of members familiar with Otley, is that Chevin Books is about to close due to the imminent death from cancer of the owner. His wife is selling off the remaining stock at half price.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
NewShinjuku.001 by J Allen, on FlickrMoriyama, Daido "New Shinjuku." Getsuyosha Limited / Yutaka Kambayashi, Tokyo Published: 10 November, 2014 1st Ed, P.752 ISBN: 978-4865030198.
ChrisLivsey
Veteran
Is the paper as "gritty" as reported, not found this yet at an "affordable" price in the UK.
Malcolm M
Well-known
Photography Year Book 1978. An unanticipated bonus to a day at the Whitby Goth Weekend. In excellent condition for a- God help us- 47 year old book. Fills a hole on my bookshelf. Also, the same year’s BJP Annual, although this has had a harder life before discharge by North Yorkshire libraries. I must say that I have never been keen on BJP Annuals of this era, with too much of what I suppose was avant garde photography. There’s nothing becomes derrière more vite than the avant garde. You can leaf through a Year Book thinking “I wish I taken that… and that… and that….” I don’t get the same reaction to the BJP. The adverts of the period are wonderful, though.
rulnacco
Well-known
I'm not going to advertise my latest library additions--I do that fairly regularly--but I wanted to make two suggestions for lovers of photobooks.
Number 1, if you live anywhere near Nashville, or ever find yourself passing through, you *must* stop at Rhino Booksellers. It is about as classical an old-school second-hand bookshop run by legitimate bibliophiles as you will ever find--complete with bookshop cat, and friends of the proprietors who drop in at mid day with their guitars and have a completely informal jam session. (And there is a fantastic, tiny coffee shop a couple doors down.) They have a pretty nice selection of used photobooks on a shelf out in the store. But if you stop in, you must ask them to see the "vault."
In the back of the shop there is another, "secret" room with a security door where they keep all the *really* good stuff--including some certified classics of photobook history. At not at all unreasonable prices, as such things go. In two visits there on travels between Indianapolis and Atlanta, I've picked up a first edition of Bruce Davidson's East 100th Street, a really nice first-edition copy of Irving Penn's Flowers, a retrospective of Paul Strand's work, a handsome two-volume Focal Press Encyclopedia of Photography, and a couple of other nice things. And if I wasn't limited by budget, I could have easily walked out with several hundred dollars worth of other really tasty items. They might have *the* best selection of second-hand photo books I've seen in either the US or the UK for a non-specialist store. (In fact, the only second-hand store I've ever seen that had a bigger and better inventory was Photo Books International in London, which of course was dedicated to one topic and unfortunately closed several years ago.)
My second one is this: if you have a few like-minded people in your area, it's really fun to do a photobook meetup. I live in Indianapolis, and I was inspired by the semi-monthly Thursday Photobook Throwdown run by the proprietor of Aurora PhotoCentre here. The gallery has a pretty nice collection of books, and folks drop in and bring their own books to pass around. (Last month she brought in her personal French 1st Edition--the very first edition--of Frank's Les Américains, which was a treat.) Since I myself have a really big-ass shelf of photobooks of pretty good quality and range, I asked her if she would mind if I did one at my house, in months where she didn't do one--to which she of course is always invited.) I stocked up on beverages, adult and otherwise, and invited others to bring anything they liked in that line, and especially their favorite photobooks.
We've done that twice now. I had seven people show up each time (including a few repeats), and everyone seems to have enjoyed it so much--I certainly did--that they all asked when the next one was, and made clear they want to be invited. We had a nice mix of experienced photographers, young aspiring photographers, highly educated and sophisticated book connoisseurs, and others. Great convos, and everyone got a chance to see some really fine books from a variety of tastes and (particularly from my own collection) to see some books they had heard of but had never held.
As I say, if you can round up enough people who are interested and a good, comfortable venue to do it, you will find it extremely enjoyable and a great way to discover--and share--things that are new to everyone. And help yourself and others form friendships over a shared passion. I highly recommend it.
Number 1, if you live anywhere near Nashville, or ever find yourself passing through, you *must* stop at Rhino Booksellers. It is about as classical an old-school second-hand bookshop run by legitimate bibliophiles as you will ever find--complete with bookshop cat, and friends of the proprietors who drop in at mid day with their guitars and have a completely informal jam session. (And there is a fantastic, tiny coffee shop a couple doors down.) They have a pretty nice selection of used photobooks on a shelf out in the store. But if you stop in, you must ask them to see the "vault."
In the back of the shop there is another, "secret" room with a security door where they keep all the *really* good stuff--including some certified classics of photobook history. At not at all unreasonable prices, as such things go. In two visits there on travels between Indianapolis and Atlanta, I've picked up a first edition of Bruce Davidson's East 100th Street, a really nice first-edition copy of Irving Penn's Flowers, a retrospective of Paul Strand's work, a handsome two-volume Focal Press Encyclopedia of Photography, and a couple of other nice things. And if I wasn't limited by budget, I could have easily walked out with several hundred dollars worth of other really tasty items. They might have *the* best selection of second-hand photo books I've seen in either the US or the UK for a non-specialist store. (In fact, the only second-hand store I've ever seen that had a bigger and better inventory was Photo Books International in London, which of course was dedicated to one topic and unfortunately closed several years ago.)
My second one is this: if you have a few like-minded people in your area, it's really fun to do a photobook meetup. I live in Indianapolis, and I was inspired by the semi-monthly Thursday Photobook Throwdown run by the proprietor of Aurora PhotoCentre here. The gallery has a pretty nice collection of books, and folks drop in and bring their own books to pass around. (Last month she brought in her personal French 1st Edition--the very first edition--of Frank's Les Américains, which was a treat.) Since I myself have a really big-ass shelf of photobooks of pretty good quality and range, I asked her if she would mind if I did one at my house, in months where she didn't do one--to which she of course is always invited.) I stocked up on beverages, adult and otherwise, and invited others to bring anything they liked in that line, and especially their favorite photobooks.
We've done that twice now. I had seven people show up each time (including a few repeats), and everyone seems to have enjoyed it so much--I certainly did--that they all asked when the next one was, and made clear they want to be invited. We had a nice mix of experienced photographers, young aspiring photographers, highly educated and sophisticated book connoisseurs, and others. Great convos, and everyone got a chance to see some really fine books from a variety of tastes and (particularly from my own collection) to see some books they had heard of but had never held.
As I say, if you can round up enough people who are interested and a good, comfortable venue to do it, you will find it extremely enjoyable and a great way to discover--and share--things that are new to everyone. And help yourself and others form friendships over a shared passion. I highly recommend it.