MBR: The Photography Shelf
Midwest Book Review
In Search Of Peace
Yousef Khanfar
Art Blanc
6957 N.W. Expressway, PMB 210, Oklahoma City, OK 73003
0974732001, $50.00 www.yousefkhanfar.com
A compendium of museum-quality photography, Palestinian photographer
and writer Yousef Khanfar's "In Search Of Peace" features a poetically
articulate, emotionally passionate, and philosophically inspiring
essay on the need for a universal healing for humanity's ills. The
photographic images are organized into principle segments devoted
images of awe-inspiring power and conflict inherent in natural
phenomena and which reflect on the harshness of human conflict;
impressionist images conveying human aspirations for freedom of
expression, religion, speech, truth, peace, and love; and images that
reflect peace, tranquility, and properties of the spirit that can
establish a paradise of peace for the whole of the human race. "In
Search Of Peace" is a unique compendium of images and a highly
recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library
Photography collection.
A Couple of Ways of Doing Something
Chuck Close & Bob Holman
Aperture
574 West 27th Street, New York NY 10001
1597110183 www.aperture.org
Full-page black and white close-up portrait photos of notable
personalities by Chuck Close pair with poems by Bob Holman in an
artistic venture which concludes with a revealing interview with the
two collaborators in A Couple of Ways of Doing Something. This piece
represents the best in the world of text/photo interplays: artistic,
striking, and revealing, it both visually and via written word offers
some starting portraits and displays the power of collaborative art. A
fine pick for any serious art library holding.
Master Lighting Guide for Commercial Photographers
Robert Morrissey
Amherst Media
Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
1584281987 $34.95 www.amherstmedia.com
What skills produce top images and big sales? Lighting has a lot to do
with a photo's success or failure, and the basics of commercial
lighting are here revealed in a guide covering how to use and capture
light. From selecting commercial equipment to creating setups and
shooting using panels, grids, umbrellas and more to soften or accent
lighting, Master Lighting Guide for Commercial Photographers is filled
with both photo how-tos and business tips for neo-professionals.
Perfect for the college-level collection strong in photography
studies.
Photography in Japan 1853-1912
Terry Bennett
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759
0804836337 $65.00 www.tuttlepublishing.com
Japan's change from a feudal society to a modern state is captured
here in photos that cover its pivotal transitions between 1853-1912,
when Commodore Perry compelled the reclusive nation to open its doors
to the world. Some 400 old and vintage images from the period have
been culled from museums, libraries and private holdings around the
world - over half appear here for the first time - and thus no
collection, even the most extensive Japan historical holding - will be
duplicating by purchasing the 'must have' Photography in Japan
1853-1912. It will reach both specialty art libraries and college-
level collections on Japanese history and culture alike.
How to Take Great Digital Photos of Your Friend's Wedding
Patrick Rice
Amherst Media
Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
1584281995 $17.95 www.amherstmedia.com
Most brides and grooms hire pros to shoot wedding pictures, but those
taken from amateurs are even more treasured at times, and How to Take
Great Digital Photos of Your Friend's Wedding will thus appeal to the
novice who wants to use a home digital camera to maximum benefit. Here
are tips ranging from initial hardware to shooting modes,
understanding lighting and contrast, and recognizing what elevates a
mundane picture to a superior shot. These are all the basics pros use
- at the fingertips of the relative amateur here, and enhanced by
numerous color examples throughout - perfect for novice photographers
and public lending libraries alike.
Looking East
Steve McCurry
Phaidon Press Inc.
180 Varick Street, 14th Floor, New York NY 10014
0714846376 $39.95 www.phaidon.com
Photographer Steve McCurry's images of Asian peoples and culture is
renowned the world over, so it's especially pleasing to discover them
all together under one cover in LOOKING EAST: PORTRAITS BY STEVE
MCCURRY. Don't think you know Steve McCurry? Yes, you probably do -
he's the photographer who captured the Afghan girl with the big eyes
that appeared on the cover of National Geographic. More big-eyed and
striking peoples are captured here, displaying the power of the
portrait in cultural understanding.
Work: The World in Photographs
Ferdinand Protzman
National Geographic Books
1145 17th Street NW, Washington DC 20036-4688
0792262042 $35.00 www.ngs.org
Cultural writer Ferdinand Protzman explores the world and captures
some of the most striking work images in print in his WORK: THE WORLD
IN PHOTOGRAPHS, a gathering of the many paths work can take. Some 80
top photographers contribute their images to this volume, which packs
in nearly 200 such photos spanning some 150 years. Many, culled from
National Geographic archives, have never seen print before. From
cowboys to Tibetan monks, urban to rural workers, and unique to common
jobs, WORK captures the driving forces of humanity and is a pick any
general-interest library will find popular. It lends well to display,
also.
Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom
Stephen Wilkes
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
0393061450 $75.00 www.wwnorton.com
For five years author Stephen Wilkes explored and photographed the
hospital complex which made up the south side of Ellis Island: an area
neglected for nearly fifty years. His photos, presented in full-page,
oversized and striking displays, are accompanied by overlay pages of
impressions that make for a truly striking gathering. While ELLIS
ISLAND is a pick for any collection strong in immigration history,
it's reviewed here for its hard-hitting impact in the world of
cultural photography, as well: not only college-level collections
strong in immigration images but general-interest libraries and art
libraries specializing in contemporary photography must have it.
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