Category: Reviews

Gut Wrenching and Curious – Review of “Call Me Lola: In Search of Mother” by Loli Kantor
One of the most wonderful things about photography is the fact that it is both history and investigation. While, at

A Disturbing Look – Review of “The End is Near, Here” by Michael Dressel
Sometimes a truth is disturbing. Yes, sometimes a truth is not the whole truth. It is not universal in its

The Doubling Call – Review of “Whiteness in Černobyl” by Marco Cortesi
It’s often said that photography, like music and dance, is a universal language. I have proof of that in my

The Once and Future Past – Review of “What We Inherit”, edited by Robert Flischel
Every now and then a photobook comes along which is more than beautiful, more than insightful, more than just fresh

Love of Place – Review of “Rotan Switch” by Lisa McCord
In the literary world, there is a special place, and often a special love, for the autobiography or memoir. Sometimes,

To Preserve a Love – Review of “Eyes on Ennetbürgen” by Stephen Smith
There is, in the creative writing world, a bit of advice given to students, so often it’s become a cliche.

Why to How – Review of “Visually Speaking: Mastering the Art of Photography” by Ted Forbes
Let me be enthusiastic from the very beginning. You need to go out and get this book. Right now. As

From There and There and There—to Here – Review of “Nomadic Odyssey” by Bharat Patel
I am sure we have all had this experience. We see an image, and something about it calls to our

Tell Me A Story – Review of “A Falling-Off Place: The Transformation of Lower Manhattan” by Barbara G. Mensch
Although this may be a matter of taste, I love collections of photography that tell a story. I don’t mean

Evidence and Hope – Review of “Memento Morrie” by Heather Pillar
Here is an interesting and troubling question: what can photography say about dying? We can, without question, give photographic testimony

Just Like the Other – Review of “Relative Strangers” by Teri Vershel
It would be difficult to say anything good came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption, the loss of life,

An Informed Introduction – Review of “Central Park People” by Harvey Kopel
Photobooks can have a variety of intentions. They can be inquisitions, investigations, interrogations of difficult circumstances. They can be matter-of-fact

Too Young – Review of “A Poor Imitation of Death” by Ara Oshagan
One of the defining powers of photography is revelation. Hold a mirror, a camera, up to ourselves, and we see

Love, Admiration, Affection, Attentiveness, Care – Review of “Indian Rites: Signs of Devotion” by Paul Wakefield
I have been to India, but only once, more than a decade ago, and only for a few days. And

The Complication of Good Questions – Review of “Oceano (for seven generations)” by Lana Z Caplan
There are a great many photo books that celebrate community. It really doesn’t matter how you define it. It could